A Week Long Itinerary in Paris

My husband and I visited the gorgeous city of Paris in February last year and had a wonderful time in the City of Love.

But, since I’m such a Type A person, it probably wouldn’t have been nearly as incredible had it not been for meticulous planning beforehand.

When it comes to international travel (or any kind of travel for that matter), a plan can make all the difference.

It can save time, allow you to visit everything you want to visit, and save you stress.

There is just SO MUCH to see in Paris. If you head to Paris without an general schedule, I feel like you could easily miss out on all that this city has to offer.

And yet- keep in mind that the beauty of being in a new place is feeling the freedom to travel, make friends, and explore.

So be sure to leave wiggle room for unexpected cafes, relaxation time at a park, or anything else that might steer you off course.

All that to say, go with a plan and use this itinerary but give yourself the freedom to explore.

I think that that’s the best way to get to know a new place!

Without further ado, here’s my week long itinerary!

(Note that we didn’t visit Versailles because it was the dead of winter, but I’d definitely recommend fitting it in if you have time!!)

Map

You can use the map below to see the locations of all of the places that I recommend or that were recommended to me.

If you open up the map, the pins are grouped by areas that make sense so that you’re traveling within a small distance each day (instead of walking all over the city).

Also, pins are color coded as follows:

Dark blue- main points of interest

Light blue- less famous points of interest

Yellow- great photo spot

Purple- restaurant/creperie/bakery

Green- parks

Dark red- carousel

Itinerary

Each day revolves around a main point of interest, which is where the titles for each day come from.

The places within each day are in an order that makes sense (ie. one thing is close to the next), but feel free to take this itinerary and make it your own.

If you want to see the Eiffel Tower every day that you’re in Paris, don’t let me stop you!

I’d recommend going through my daily lists and highlighting the places that you really want to visit.

Once you have your favorites picked out, you can follow the itinerary and skip the places you’re not as excited to see if you start running out of time.

That way you can linger at places that really blow you away without feeling like you’re on a time crunch.

Arc de Triomphe & Grand/Petit Palais

• L’Arc de Triomphe (go up to the top for a spectacular view)
• Ladurée Paris (on the Champs Elysées)
• Champs-Élysées
• Chez Francis (restaurant with a patio view of the Eiffel Tower)
• Plaza Athénée (gorgeous hotel)
• Grand Palais
• Petit Palais
• Pont Alexandre III (great view of the Eiffel Tower)
• Rosa Bonheur sur Seine (A must for cheese and charcuterie)
• Les Invalides (military museums and monuments)
• Rodin Museum

Sacre-Coeur

• The Sacre-Coeur
• Sacré-Cœur Carousel
• La Maison Rose (classic gorgeous pink cafe)
• Montmartre (neighborhood where Amelie was filmed)
• Le Cul de Poule (classy restaurant)
• Moulin Rouge
• Parc Monceau
• Musée Jacquemart-André

Eiffel Tower

• 222 Rue de l’Université (this street offers a great close up view of the Eiffel Tower)
• Eiffel Tower
• Carrousel of the Eiffel Tower
• Trocadero Carousel
• Trocadéro Gardens (for the best & most classic view of the Eiffel Tower)
• La Gare (inside the restaurant in the basement is an old train station- La Muette metro station)

Luxembourg

• Montparnasse (tallest building with a view of the whole city- note that it’s pricey to go up to the top!)
• Le Plomb du Cantal (order: Saturnian salad and a truffade)
• Luxembourg Carousel
• 6th arrondissement of Paris (plenty of pastry shops)
• Pierre Hermé (best macarons)
• Café de Flore (classic cafe with a gorgeous store front)
• Les Deux Magots (for wonderful pastries)
• Saint-Germain-des-Prés (a classic Parisian neighborhood)

Le Marais & Notre Dame

• Paperboy Paris (for brunch)
• Marché des Enfants Rouges (for lunch or brunch on a weekday. Super crowded on the weekends)
• Museum of National Archives
• Le Marais (nice bars, jewelry & clothing stores)
• Rue des Rosiers (L’as du fallafel, a falafel shop, is here in the 4eme arrondissement, close to Metro Saint Paul. There are a lot of thrift stores nearby for cool French retro fashion)
• Rue des Barres
• Hôtel de Ville (gorgeous architecture)
• Sainte-Chapelle (stunning stained glass and church interiors)
• Île de la Cité (keep an eye out for the flower market that is a bird market on Sundays)
• Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole (pretty cafe storefront)
• Rue Chanoinesse
• Notre Dame
• Île Saint-Louis (pretty bridge views)
• L’Orangerie (Monet paintings)
• Quai de la Tournelle (has a view of the Notre Dame)
• Rue Crémieux (famous colorful houses on this street)

Louvre & Palais Royal

• Le Printemps Hausmann (fun shopping)
• Lafayette (great view of the city from the cafe floor)
• Les Fils à Maman Paris (cafe with “homemade” foods)
• Le Bouillon Chartier (one of the oldest brasseries in Paris. Get there around 11:30am if you don’t want to wait in line.)
• Palais-Royal (classic black and white columns)
• Louvre Museum
• Musée d’Orsay (famous for the giant clock inside)
• Tuileries Garden
• Place de la Concorde
• Place Vendôme (stop in the Ritz bar)
• CHANEL Cambon (Chanel is too classically French to not snap a pic!)
• FAUCHON Paris (for some fancy foods)