Seven days in Paris sounds like plenty of time. It isn't — not if you try to wing it. The city has 130 museums, 1,800 monuments, and enough cafés to occupy a lifetime. Every hour you spend wandering lost or waiting in the wrong queue is an hour you could have spent eating a perfect croissant at a sidewalk table.
This itinerary is built for first-timers who want the classics done right, plus a few surprises the guidebooks bury on page 47. Day by day, neighborhood by neighborhood.
Quick Reference: Paris Logistics
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Best airport | CDG (Charles de Gaulle) for most routes; Orly for budget airlines |
| Airport to city | RER B train from CDG → ~35 min, €11.80 |
| City transport | Carnet of 10 metro tickets (€17.35) or Navigo Découverte week pass (€30) |
| Currency | Euro (€) — cards accepted nearly everywhere |
| Tipping | Not expected; small rounding-up appreciated |
| Best neighborhoods to stay | Le Marais, Saint-Germain, Opera/Grands Boulevards |
| Museum Pass worth it? | Yes if you plan 3+ major museums in 4 days |
Day 1: Arrival + Right Bank Orientation
Land, drop your bags, resist the urge to nap. Paris is best absorbed on foot.
Afternoon: Le Marais
Start at Place des Vosges (free entry), Paris's oldest planned square. The symmetrical arcades have been here since 1612. Grab a coffee from one of the cafés on the square's perimeter — not the tourist-facing terraces, but the ones tucked under the arches.
Walk north through Le Marais. Pop into the Picasso Museum (€14, closed Tuesdays) if you have the energy, or save it for later. The neighborhood's narrow streets — Rue des Rosiers, Rue de Bretagne — reward slow walking.
Evening: Île Saint-Louis
Cross onto the island for an early dinner. Brasserie de l'Île Saint-Louis serves choucroute and Alsatian classics. Small, a bit touristy, but genuinely good. Then get a scoop from Berthillon (€3–5) — the ice cream queue moves fast, ignore anyone who tells you there's a better option.
Tonight's base: Le Marais puts you within walking distance of the Louvre, Notre-Dame, and most of the first three days' activities.
Day 2: The Louvre + Tuileries Garden
Morning: The Louvre
You need a morning slot and a plan. The Louvre holds 380,000 objects. Without a strategy, you'll spend four hours wandering and leave having seen nothing properly.
The focused route:
- Enter through the Richelieu wing (shorter queue than the Pyramid)
- Vermeer and Dutch Masters, Richelieu 2nd floor: 45 min
- Winged Victory of Samothrace, Denon: 10 min
- Italian paintings including the Mona Lisa (arrive before 10 AM or expect crowds): 30 min
- Venus de Milo, Sully: 15 min
Tickets: €22 online (book at least 3 days ahead), free for under-18s and EU residents under 26.
Afternoon: Tuileries + Palais Royal
The Jardin des Tuileries runs from the Louvre to Place de la Concorde — 28 hectares of formal French gardens. Buy a crêpe from the vendors near the octagonal pond, sit by the statues.
Walk through to Palais Royal. The arcaded garden is one of Paris's great secrets — quiet, beautiful, full of galleries and specialist shops. The striped columns in the courtyard are by Daniel Buren (1986) and are profoundly instagrammable whether you want them to be or not.
Evening: Rue Montorgueil
This pedestrianized market street is where Parisians actually shop. Stohrer at number 51 has been a patisserie since 1730. Grab supplies, find a bench.
Day 3: Eiffel Tower + Invalides + Saint-Germain
Morning: Eiffel Tower
Go early. Tickets sell out weeks ahead — book via the official site the moment you know your dates. Prices:
| Level | Lift ticket | Stairs (1st/2nd) |
|---|---|---|
| 1st floor | €18.10 (adult) | €11.30 |
| 2nd floor | €18.10 included | €11.30 included |
| Summit | €28.30 (adult) | N/A (lift only) |
The summit at sunrise is genuinely breathtaking. At midday it's a crush. Pick your priority.
Afternoon: Musée de l'Armée + Rodin Museum
Les Invalides houses Napoleon's tomb under that famous golden dome (€14). Emotionally complicated, architecturally stunning.
A 10-minute walk: Musée Rodin (€13, free on first Sunday of the month). The sculpture garden alone justifies the ticket — The Thinker, The Gates of Hell, all in open air. One of the most peaceful hours you'll spend in Paris.
Evening: Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Brasserie Lipp for a full French dinner (mains €25–38). Then coffee at Café de Flore or Les Deux Magots — yes, touristy, yes, overpriced, and yes, still somehow worth doing once.
Day 4: Versailles Day Trip
This deserves a full day. Versailles is only 40 minutes from central Paris on the RER C train (€7.20 round-trip from Invalides), but the estate is enormous — 800 hectares of formal gardens — and most visitors underestimate how long it takes.
Getting There
RER C to Versailles-Château-Rive Gauche station. First train around 5:45 AM; castle opens at 9 AM. Arrive at 8:30 to beat the queues.
What to Prioritize
| Area | Time needed | Don't miss |
|---|---|---|
| Palace interior | 2–3 hours | Hall of Mirrors, King's Apartments |
| Formal gardens | 2 hours | Neptune Fountain, Grand Canal |
| Trianon estates | 1.5 hours | Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette's hamlet |
| Grand Trianon | 1 hour | Bonaparte's private rooms |
Passport ticket (€21.50) covers everything. Worth it for a full day.
Back in Paris
Return by 6 PM, collapse briefly, then head to Rue Cler in the 7th for a final market-street aperitivo. The fromager at number 31 will change your relationship with cheese.
Day 5: Montmartre + Sacré-Cœur + Canal Saint-Martin
Morning: Montmartre
Take the metro to Abbesses (line 12) rather than Anvers — fewer tourists, better entry point to the neighborhood. Walk up Rue Lepic toward Sacré-Cœur.
Sacré-Cœur Basilica: Free entry, €8 for the dome. The panoramic view from the dome beats the Eiffel Tower on clear days. The steps below are a classic Paris scene — buskers, art vendors, spectacular light.
Spend an hour in Place du Tertre, the square where artists have set up easels since the 19th century. Prices for portraits and paintings are negotiable; the atmosphere isn't.
Afternoon: Canal Saint-Martin
Head east to the 10th arrondissement for something Paris's tourist infrastructure largely ignores: the Canal Saint-Martin, with its iron footbridges, plane trees, and locks. This is where young Parisians actually spend Sunday afternoons.
Lunch at Du Pain et des Idées (Rue Yves Toudic): the escargot pastry is a revelation, the croissant pistache is worth the 15-minute wait. Get there before 1 PM.
Evening: Belleville and Ménilmontant
The 20th arrondissement is Paris's most underrated neighborhood — diverse, cheap, full of good restaurants. Aux Folies on Rue de Belleville for a beer among locals (€3–4 pints). Dinner at one of the many Vietnamese or North African spots on Rue de Belleville.
Day 6: Orsay Museum + Left Bank + Latin Quarter
Morning: Musée d'Orsay
The Orsay is the world's greatest Impressionist collection, housed in a converted railway station on the Seine. Book tickets online (€16, free first Sunday of the month, free under 26 EU).
The route that most people miss: the top floor. Take the lift straight to level 5 for Monet, Renoir, Degas — then work your way down. Most visitors spend an hour; you could spend three.
Afternoon: Shakespeare and Company + Notre-Dame
Shakespeare and Company (37 Rue de la Bûcherie): the famous English-language bookshop, rebuilt from its original 1951 incarnation. Free to browse, essential to experience. The upstairs room with books stacked to the ceiling has been photographed ten million times and is still beautiful in person.
Notre-Dame de Paris reopened in December 2024 after the 2019 fire. The exterior is fully restored; the interior restoration has been described as the most significant cathedral project in a century. Entry is free but timed tickets are required — book via notredamedeparis.fr.
Evening: Latin Quarter
The area around Rue Mouffetard and Place de la Contrescarpe is one of Paris's oldest neighborhoods. Le Verre à Pied (118 bis Rue Mouffetard): authentic zinc bar, €5 glass of house wine, locals arguing about football. This is the Paris they don't sell you in postcards.
Day 7: Morning Flea Market + Afternoon Departure Prep
Morning: Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen
The largest antiques market in the world, open Saturday through Monday, 9 AM–6 PM. Take the Metro line 13 to Porte de Clignancourt. The Marché Paul Bert Serpette section has the best mid-century furniture; Marché Biron has the serious antiques dealers (and prices).
Budget: whatever you're willing to carry home.
Last Lunch
One final café stop. Café de la Mairie at Place Saint-Sulpice: a classic terrace, decent croque-monsieur (€13), the kind of Parisian afternoon that makes you want to extend your flight.
Afternoon: Wrap-Up + Airport
RER B from Châtelet–Les Halles to CDG takes 35 minutes. Allow 2.5 hours before departure.
Paris Neighborhood Guide: Where to Stay
| Neighborhood | Vibe | Best for | Avg hotel price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Marais (3rd/4th) | Historic, lively, central | First-timers, culture | €180–280/night |
| Saint-Germain (6th) | Literary, upscale | Romance, museums | €220–380/night |
| Montmartre (18th) | Artsy, hilly | Budget travelers, atmosphere | €120–200/night |
| Opera/Grands Boulevards (9th) | Central, commercial | Transit access, value | €150–250/night |
| Bastille (11th/12th) | Local, restaurant-heavy | Nightlife, authentic Paris | €140–230/night |
Budget Breakdown: 7 Days in Paris
| Category | Budget traveler | Mid-range | Splurge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (7 nights) | €700 (hostel/budget hotel) | €1,600 | €3,500+ |
| Food & drink | €280 (self-catering lunches) | €560 | €1,200+ |
| Museum entries + Versailles | €120 (with museum pass) | €175 | €200 |
| Transport (metro + RER) | €80 | €100 | €150 |
| Total | ~€1,200 | ~€2,400 | €5,000+ |
Plan Your Paris Week with Faroway
Seven days goes fast when you're navigating a city this dense. The difference between a good trip and a great one is usually just sequencing — knowing that the Orsay is best on Tuesday mornings, that Versailles needs its own day, that the Canal Saint-Martin is a Thursday evening not a Sunday afternoon.
Faroway builds personalized day-by-day Paris itineraries around your travel dates, hotel location, interests, and pace. Tell it you want Impressionist art and good food with minimal queuing — it'll rearrange the whole week accordingly. It can also factor in which museums are closed on which days (a surprisingly common Paris trap for unprepared visitors).
Start building your Paris itinerary at faroway.ai — it takes about 3 minutes and saves hours of planning.
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Faroway Team
The Faroway team is passionate about making travel planning effortless with AI. We combine travel expertise with cutting-edge technology to help you explore the world.
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