Paris 7 Days Travel Guide
Why Paris Deserves Your Full Week
Most tourists rush Paris in 3 days. They miss everything that matters. The real Paris isn’t just the Eiffel Tower and Louvre queues. It’s stumbling into a perfect bistro at 11pm, watching locals argue about cheese at market stalls, and realizing the “hidden gem” your guidebook mentioned is now packed with other guidebook readers.
This guide won’t pretend you’ll become a local in a week. But you’ll experience Paris beyond the Instagram shots. You’ll eat where Parisians eat, walk streets most tourists skip, and understand why people keep coming back.
🌤️ Best Time to Visit Paris
Spring (Mar-May): 10-20°C, ideal with blooming gardens. Summer (Jun-Aug): 20-25°C, peak tourist season. Autumn (Sep-Nov): 10-18°C, beautiful fall colors. Winter (Dec-Feb): 3-8°C, fewer crowds, festive atmosphere.
Day 1: Eiffel Tower and Trocadéro (Without the Tourist Traps)
Start at Trocadéro, not the tower itself. The view from across the Seine is better than from the base. Arrive before 8am if you want photos without 300 people in them.
For the tower: Online tickets open 60 days ahead and sell out fast for morning slots. If you didn’t book, your options are limited. The stairs-only tickets have shorter waits but it’s 674 steps to the second floor. The summit elevator line can hit 2+ hours on summer afternoons.
Smart move: Skip the tower entirely on Day 1 if lines are crazy. Come back at sunset around 8pm (summer) or 5pm (winter) when it’s less insane. Or book a dinner reservation at Madame Brasserie on the first floor—you skip the tourist lines completely.
After the tower, walk through Champ de Mars to the Invalides. Napoleon’s tomb is here, and it’s genuinely impressive—plus the military museum is better than expected if you have 90 minutes to spare.
Lunch: Avoid anything within 400m of the Eiffel Tower. Walk to Rue Cler (10 min) for actual neighborhood cafes. L’Éclair is tiny but does perfect croque monsieur.
Afternoon: The Champs-ÉlysĂ©es is overhyped. It’s basically a outdoor mall with luxury stores you can find anywhere. Walk it once for the Arc de Triomphe, then never return. The Arc itself is worth climbing (284 steps, no elevator) for the view.
Day 2: The Louvre (Strategic Approach Required)
The Louvre is massive and exhausting. Don’t try to see everything. You can’t. Even staff get lost.
Best entrance: Porte des Lions. Fewer people know about it. Opens same time as main entrance but way shorter lines. The main pyramid entrance is for people who enjoy standing in the sun for an hour.
What to actually see: Mona Lisa is tiny and surrounded by phone cameras. You’ll spend 5 seconds looking at it and 10 minutes trying to leave the crowd. Go early or late for any chance of a decent view.
Better paintings: The massive Coronation of Napoleon, anything by Caravaggio, the entire Italian Renaissance wing. Venus de Milo and Winged Victory are must-sees and usually less crowded.
Lunch strategy: The museum cafes are overpriced and mediocre. Exit, eat in the Palais Royal gardens (5 min walk), return. Your ticket is good all day.
After the Louvre: Walk through Jardin des Tuileries to Place de la Concorde. It’s pretty but there’s nothing to actually do there. Keep walking to Pont Alexandre III—the most beautiful bridge in Paris. Cross it for Invalides or stay on the Right Bank for Petit Palais (free, surprisingly good art collection).
Day 3: Montmartre (Go Early or Go Late)
Montmartre between 10am-5pm is a tourist circus. Portrait artists hassling you, crowds at Sacré-Cœur, overpriced cafes with mediocre food.
Better plan: Arrive at 8am. The neighborhood is actually charming when empty. Sacré-Cœur opens at 6am. Have it nearly to yourself before 9am.
Or come at 7pm. Montmartre at sunset and night is completely different—locals reclaim the streets, better restaurants open, and you see why artists loved this place.
Place du Tertre: Tourist trap central. Every cafe is overpriced. Portrait artists are aggressive. Walk through once, keep moving.
What’s actually good: The MusĂ©e de Montmartre (€12) shows you what the neighborhood used to be. The wall of I Love You in 250 languages is legitimately cool. And wandering the side streets—Rue Lepic, Rue des Abbesses—reveals the real neighborhood.
Lunch: Le Consulat looks perfect but it’s tourist prices. Walk down to Rue des Abbesses for actual neighborhood spots. La Mascotte has been there since 1889 and locals still fill it.
Day 4: Latin Quarter and Islands
Notre-Dame is under restoration until 2024. You can see the exterior but can’t enter. Still worth seeing—the exterior is where the Gothic brilliance really shows anyway.
Start at Sainte-Chapelle instead. Book tickets online or you’ll wait 90 minutes in line. The stained glass is legitimately stunning—best on sunny days when light pours through.
ĂŽle de la CitĂ© is tiny. You can walk it in 20 minutes. ĂŽle Saint-Louis next door is smaller and more charming. Berthillon ice cream has a 30-year reputation but honestly it’s just good ice cream at premium prices. There are equally good gelato places without the lines.
Latin Quarter: The PanthĂ©on is worth 45 minutes. Climbing the dome gives you a great city view without Eiffel Tower crowds. The crypt has Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie—it’s the French Hall of Fame.
Luxembourg Gardens: Bring a book. Rent a chair. Sit. This is what Parisians do. The gardens are beautiful but they’re meant for relaxing, not rushing through.
Dinner area: Saint-Germain-des-PrĂ©s has famous cafes (Les Deux Magots, CafĂ© de Flore) where intellectuals used to meet. Now they’re tourist traps with €9 espressos. But the surrounding streets have legitimate bistros. Look for places with handwritten menus and no English signs.
Day 5: Versailles (It’s Worth the Trip, Just Plan Smart)
Versailles is 40 minutes by RER C train. Trains leave every 15-20 minutes. Get there by 9am opening or after 3pm. Midday is shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.
The palace is overwhelming. The Hall of Mirrors is spectacular but you’ll shuffle through in a crowd. The King’s Apartments are less crowded and more interesting. Marie Antoinette’s estate (the Hamlet) is the secret highlight—barely any tourists make it there.
The gardens are enormous. Rent bikes or take the mini-train. Walking the whole thing takes 3+ hours and your feet will hate you.
Fountain shows (weekends, April-October): Worth seeing if you’re there anyway, not worth planning your trip around.
Food: Everything near the palace is overpriced. Pack snacks. Or walk 10 minutes into the actual town of Versailles for normal French restaurants.
Day 6: Museums and Neighborhoods
MusĂ©e d’Orsay: Better than the Louvre for most people. Impressionism collection is unmatched—Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas. The building itself (a converted train station) is beautiful. Arrive at opening or after 4pm to avoid peak crowds.
Marais: Jewish Quarter meets gay district meets trendy boutiques. Rue des Rosiers has falafel places competing for best in Paris—L’As du Fallafel wins but the line is ridiculous. Any of them are good.
Place des Vosges: Pretty square, expensive cafes. Nice for photos, not worth lingering unless you enjoy spending €8 on coffee.
Centre Pompidou: Love it or hate it architecture. Modern art inside. The free escalator ride up the outside gives you a great view of Paris—you don’t need a museum ticket for that.
Day 7: Your Choice—Markets, Canals, or Final Museums
By Day 7 you’re probably tired of museums and monuments. Options:
Markets: MarchĂ© Bastille (Thursday/Sunday) is massive and has everything. MarchĂ© d’Aligre (daily except Monday) is more neighborhood, less tourist. This is where Parisians actually shop.
Canal Saint-Martin: Hipster Paris. Picnic by the water, wine from the bottle (it’s legal), watch people-watch. It’s a vibe, not a landmark.
Catacombs: If you’re into underground ossuaries with 6 million skeletons. Book tickets online weeks ahead or prepare for 2+ hour waits. It’s cool but claustrophobic—not for everyone.
Or just… wander. Get lost. Find a cafe. Sit for hours. That’s the most Parisian thing you can do.
Getting Around Paris
Metro is fastest but grab your wallet tight—pickpockets are real. Don’t fall asleep on the metro. Don’t leave your phone visible. This isn’t paranoia, it’s Tuesday.
Walking is often faster than metro for short distances. Paris isn’t that big. Comfortable shoes are mandatory.
Bikes (VĂ©lib’): Great system but Paris drivers are aggressive. Use bike lanes or you’ll die.
Where to Actually Eat
Avoid: Anywhere with photos on the menu, anywhere with someone outside trying to get you to enter, anywhere within sight of a major monument.
Look for: Handwritten menus, locals inside, no English signs, restaurants that don’t open until 7:30pm.
Bistros vs Brasseries: Bistros are smaller, cozier, more traditional. Brasseries are bigger, open longer hours, more casual. Both can be good or tourist traps.
Classic dishes to try: Real carbonara (not the cream version), steak-frites, French onion soup (gratinée), duck confit. Escargot is fine but not life-changing.
Money Reality Check
Paris is expensive. Not London expensive, but not cheap. Budget €15-25 for lunch, €25-45 for dinner at decent places. Wine is cheaper than in the US—€5-8 for a glass, €20-35 for a bottle in restaurants.
Museum pass (€79.50 for 4 days): Worth it ONLY if you’re hitting 4+ paid museums. Do the math first.
🗺️ Nearby Destinations from Paris
Combine your Paris trip with these nearby cities:
Final Truth
Paris won’t be what you imagined. It’s dirtier, more crowded, more expensive, and more aggressive than the movies. The Metro smells like piss. People will be rude. Pickpockets are everywhere.
And you’ll still love it. Because between the tourist traps and crowds, you’ll find moments that justify every travel clichĂ©. A perfect croissant. A street musician who’s actually talented. A sunset that makes you stop walking. A restaurant where the owner remembers you on night two.
That’s why Paris works. Not despite the flaws, but somehow because of them.