How to Spend 1 Week in Paris
This past Fall, I lived for 4 months in and just outside of Paris. I dated Parisian men and got some insider tips from them. I spent many days wandering around, getting lost, and exploring. Over the years, I’ve been more than half a dozen times and checked off many bucket list items. So here are my top recommendations:
The big can’t-miss things are, of course:
Eiffel Tower
View of Eiffel Tower from Trocadero
Walking along the Seine River
The Louvre
Musee D’Orsay
The view from Sacre Couer cathedral/Montmartre
Palace of Versailles
The best neighborhoods for meandering:
Montmartre
The Marais
Latin Quarter
Well…there’s hardly a bad place to wander around in Paris!
My favorite things:
Finding the best croissant
Museums that are open at night (for a party vibe)
Long mornings from a cozy coffee shop
Pere lachaise cemetery on an overcast or rainy day
Catching a surprise organ or choral performance inside a cathedral (or a planned one but I’ve seemed to always magically find them by accident)
My favorite coffee shops/cafes:
Back in Black (Australian) - you can get a giant cup of filter coffee to your American heart’s content
Cafe Berry - the manager of the cafe has a cute Shiba Inu that hangs out. The food is very good, also.
Pro-tips:
Plan on it being colder than you expect. I once went in May thinking it would be warm and it was cold to the bone and I caught a flu or serious cold. Bring layers and pants and close-toed shoes. It does have warm days, but they’re not so hot that you’d be too hot in pants and close-toed shoes.
The Metro entrances and exits don’t have escalators, so if you’re hauling heavy luggage, keep in mind you will have to carry it up and down with people impatiently behind you. There’s typically an elevator somewhere. You can scan for the elevator icon on signs when you exit a metro train and head that way. The smaller stations don’t always have them (unless I just didn’t see them).
That being said, I would say it’s worth packing more rather than less for Paris. It’s worth looking cute and stylish. You can always buy items you don’t bring, of course! But whereas in some places you can skimp on packing outfits, I would say in Paris, where everyone is so fashionable, you’ll want to look sharp. It will feel good.
For the American ladies, I do recommend French-style makeup, which is basically just a little bit of sun-kissed blush, a red or shade-of-red lip, and some mascara. No need for a full face and contouring. It will look like too much.
Shoes: Leave the heels at home. Wear comfortable shoes. I see so many Parisians wearing sneakers with any outfit. The cobblestone streets are no match for heels, and also, your day will be wrecked if your feet are wrecked. For going-out shoes, I still think flats are best. I’ve always prioritized comfortable shoes in Europe, and I’ve never regretted it. Since throwing all my heels in the trash in 2018, sore feet have never once slowed me down.
If you feel you brought the wrong clothes, I recommend popping into Zara, Mango, or Uniqlo—even though boo, fast fashion! They have cuter things than the US stores, and you can get a refresh that won’t break the bank. All these shops are on the Rue de Rivoli.
IMO the bistros and brasseries have boring food. There, I said it. I think the Australian and American instagram-style cafes are better for Brunch.
Americans—we’re used to eating fast food, we can’t help it! But they don’t really do to-go food in France. Here are my best tips for fast food:
There are a lot of pizza places where they cut squares of pizza with scissors and you pay by weight. Very good. Great for our fast-food sensibilities
I grabbed a lot of chips and hummus from BioCoops, their little version of Whole Foods
Sandwiches are readily available to grab. Paul’s is a chain that has them and they’re fine—honestly, great by US standards. But any bakery/bread shop has sandwiches you can grab to go.
Croissant-crawl is the most fun thing to do in France. My girlfriend Emelia came to visit and we did croissant crawls in Lyon and Paris, visiting multiple croissant places in a row, breaking them and observing the texture, then eating them and judging them. So fun! We took videos and posted them on Instagram so friends could follow along, and friends said they enjoyed this outing!
It’s worth battling the jetlag and getting up as early as possible. It’s a bustling city and can start to feel overcrowded during the day. Savor those morning hours.
Day 1 - Major Paris Things
Walk along the Seine
Maybe come back later for a sunset drink on one of the many boat bars
Or have dinner or a drink at Cheval Blanc, a rooftop spot that overlooks the Seine. “Nestled at the top of Cheval Blanc Paris, Le Jardin stands out as a suspended green setting, inviting you to fully enjoy the summer season. The Jardin de Cheval Blanc Paris is open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 11 p.m. from May 15 to September 15, 2025, weather permitting. Reservations by email at lejardin.paris@chevalblanc.com or by telephone at 01 79 35 50 22 .”
Eiffel Tower
View of the Eiffel Tower from Trocadero
Between the Eiffel Tower and the city center is Le Bon Marché, a 19th Century upscale shopping mall. I went to the L’Artisan Perfume stall and the friendly clerk sprayed all her favorites on cute little cards. Highly recommend. My favorite scents are Fables d’Orient, Tonka Blanc, and Abyssae.
Musee D’Orsay
Everyone’s favorite museum in Paris! Inside an old train station. Endlessly enchanting and not to be missed. Plan to spend 1/2 a day here. Bring snacks and take breaks. They have lockers for your bag and coats.
In the area:
Deyrolle - an intriguing and unique shop with taxidermied animals
Le Gainsbarre - a uniquely French experience celebrating controversial French singer Serge Gainsbourg
Day 2 - More Major Paris Things
Louvre - the first time I went, I got majorly overwhelmed and couldn’t handle it. It was a Sunday that was either free or discounted—DO NOT RECOMMEND. Way too crowded. Yes, go see the Mona Lisa. Yes, it will be comically packed. Yes, the painting is insanely tiny. The second time I went to the Louvre, I got there 1/2 hour before it opened and stood in line so I was one of the first inside. I had a great time and budgeted exactly 2 hours to maintain my energy and enthusiasm. It was crowded when I left.
Marais - this is my favorite neighborhood, the former Jewish Quarter. In parts, you can get delicious falafel, and in other parts, you can find funky thrift stores and charming coffee shops.
Cafe Berry (with the Shiba Inu) - the food is so good (so is the coffee) and it’s a cozy spot with great vibes on a quiet street
Place de Voges is a pretty park. Do a quick tour of Maison de Victor Hugo.
Grab a drink at the beautiful Jardin du Musée Carnavalet
Tour the Picasso Museum.
Day 3 - Palace of Versailles
The tour of the Palace is incredible. Out of all the gilded palaces in Europe, it’s the most dazzling! Walking through the gardens is magical. It’s a little confusing because there are 3 train stations in Paris. When I was last there, you had to buy a ticket from a ticket machine to go to/from one of these 3 stations (a ticket for 1 works for the other 2) and not just use a standard t+ ticket on the app—but that may have changed since November 2024. The train station that is closest to the entrance is called “Versailles Chateau - Rive Gauche”.
Some other things about Versailles:
La Flotille is a restaurant in the garden by the canal - the food is boring/touristy and expensive but the ambience is divine. Worth it.
Don’t skip the Estate of Trianon for Marie Antoinette’s “Hamlet” or “romanticized poverty” village—it’s one of the best things to tour
You can rent a row boat in the garden - https://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-your-visit/facilities/rowing-boats for 20 euros/hour.
There are light and music shows in the garden from April 1 - Oct 31 - the gardens are enchanting at night!
Catching a performance at Versailles, where they are in period costumes, with period music is a delight!
The town of Versailles is cute. I recommend visiting the Marché Notre Dame (market). There’s an outdoor market during the day in a courtyard surrounded by an indoor ring of shops and stalls selling cheese, fish, hummus, produce, and more. It’s historic going back hundreds of years. “The food market is held on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday mornings. Thursday and Saturday are the days dedicated to non-food products. The food halls are open every day except Monday”.
Day 4
Notre Dame & the Latin Quarter
Day 5
Belleville
Day 6
Day 7
