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
The Plaza Athenee 
Eiffel Tower view from Pont Alexandre III 
View from the Arc de Triomphe 
Golden gates of the Petit Palais
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)
- Le Consulat
- Moulin Rouge
- Parc Monceau
- Musée Jacquemart-André
Outside the Moulin Rouge 
Lunch at Le Consulat 
The lovely pink Maison Rose 
Eiffel Tower view from the Sacre-Coeur
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)
Eiffel Tower view from 22 Rue de l’Universite 
Eiffel Tower view from Trocadero 
The Trocadero Carousel 
Right outside the Eiffel Tower
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)
Dreamy interior of the Notre Dame 
Outside the Notre Dame 
Dancing in the Hotel de Ville 
Bridge on the way to Hotel de Ville
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)
Cafe outside of the Palais-Royal 
The Louvre 
View from Le Printemps Hausmann 
The Palais-Royal
Kayla says
Hello! I am currently trying to plan a trip to paris right now but will probably have two extra days. You itinerary is so helpful and I think I am going to follow it a lot. Is everything listed in order of which you visited? And also may I ask where you stayed? Or atleast what district you stayed in? Thank you!
Jasmine Alley says
Hi Kayla!
I’m glad it’s helpful! We pretty much stuck to it exactly, except I had to cut out a day because we didn’t anticipate being so jet lagged our first day! We ended up cutting out a lot of the “Luxembourg” day.
Also, we hit up almost all of the main attractions in that order- except for some of the cafes and patisseries- we just picked a few of those to visit 🙂
And we were in an AirBNB in the 8th/9th Arrondissement right next to the Liege metro stop. It was such a cute area!
I hope that helps!
– Jasmine
Nicole says
By Far, the most helpful post/itinerary on Paris that I have ever read. And I’ve been planning land searching like its my day job!! Thank you so much!!!!
Jasmine Alley says
Thank you so much for that compliment Nicole!! I’m so glad that you found it so helpful!!
Emma says
Hi! I am planning on going to Paris with my boyfriend in November. Where is the best location/area to stay in? I’m having a hard time deciding since I don’t know a whole lot about Paris. Thanks!
Jasmine Alley says
Hi Emma! I stayed in an AirBNB in the 8th/9th Arrondissement right next to the Liege metro stop. It was such a cute area! But I’d just recommend anywhere close to a metro stop. Once you find a place that looks good, you can look at it on Google Maps to see what the area looks like. I found my AirBNB by checking reviews and making sure it was close to a metro stop. I hope that helps! Have so much fun!!
Pericles Rosa says
You have such gorgeous pictures Jasmine!! Congrats 🙂
The picture between the Sacre Coeur and Le Maison Rose was taken where?
Thanks
Jasmine Alley says
Hi! Thank you so much- that is so sweet of you! That photo was taken from the top of the Sacre Coeur- the view from up there is unbelievable!
Annette Hendriksz says
When exactly in the year did you go to Paris? I know it was winter but which month. Would like to plan a WI tee trip to Paris but did it not rain too much?
Jasmine Alley says
Hi Annette!
We visited February 17th-24th and it rained the first day only! On the other days it was freezing cold, but still beautiful out (especially when the sun was shining!). And even with a rainy drizzle, you can still go out and see the sights. If rain is in the forecast, I’d just plan for museum visits on those days!
– Jasmine
Fruzsina Magyar says
Dear Jasmine,
Wow! I’ve always looked for a website where I can find this detailed information about a trip to somewhere. I am amazed how you managed to give everything we need to planning our own trip to Paris. Thank You very much! We are going to Paris this October and I’m absolutely will use your tips and spots recommended.
P.S.: I loved how you organized the places in the map!
Bye,
Fruzsina
Jasmine Alley says
Hi Fruzsina! Thank you SO much for that compliment! I put a lot of time into this itinerary and map, so I’m so glad it is helpful to others! Enjoy your time in Paris!!
– Jasmine
Aishah says
Very detailed and beautiful photos as well! Definitely a good weeks guide !
Jasmine Alley says
Thank you so much Aishah! I’m glad you found it useful!
Leigh Pieters says
Hi there!
Thank you so much for a detailed itinerary 🙂 I have been struggling to find something with as much as I would like to pack in a day but you have gifted me with it! Just wondering what time you headed out in the mornings? We are staying in the 15th arrondissment, so slightly further out than you. Also did you get the Paris pass or Paris museum pass? Most bloggers recommend Paris pass so interested to see what you thought.
Thank you
Leigh ☺️
Jasmine Alley says
Hi Leigh!
I really appreciate your kind comment- I definitely spent a lot of time perfecting this itinerary so I’m glad you find it useful!! We headed out around 7am so that we could make the most of the daylight! We actually didn’t get the Paris pass though looking back it would’ve been useful!! I hope you have such a wonderful time in Paris!!
– Jasmine
Sheila says
Hi Jasmine,
I loved your blog. I have a blog in Portuguese specific for Brazilians. Right now I’m creating an itinerary for my readers, but was missing some restaurants and café suggestions. I’ll research the places you mentioned to suggest to my readers. Thanks for sharing this!
Jasmine Alley says
Hi Sheila!
I’m so glad you found it helpful! Thanks for the kind words!!
– Jasmine
Selene Quiroga says
Hey Jasmine my family and I are traveling to Paris in December and your itinerary has really helped us. I wanted to ask if you got a pass for the museums or purchased tickets separately? Did you use the metro or walked?
Jasmine Alley says
Hi Selene! How exciting! You’re going to have an amazing time, Paris is incredible! We purchased them separately though I think it’s worth it to get the pass if you plan to visit most of them! And we used the metro for the most part and then walked once we were in the area we were planning to be in for the day!
Bahar says
That was really a useful itinerary, thanks for sharing, hope to visit this love city soon,
Jasmine Alley says
Hi Bahar! I’m so glad you enjoyed the itinerary! I hope you get to visit sometime soon!!