7 Days in Paris: A Full Week Without Rushing

A week in Paris gives you time for the famous places and the neighborhoods between them. Use the first three days for the Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Marais. Give days four and five to Montmartre, Saint-Germain and a second museum. Take one day trip, then keep the final day open for the part of Paris you want more of.

This plan assumes seven full days and eight nights. It works best from one central hotel. You do not need to change neighborhoods just to experience both banks of the river.

• Days one to three: Louvre and Palais-Royal; Eiffel Tower and contemporary art; Marais food and shopping.
• Days four and five: Montmartre; Saint-Germain and Orsay.
• Day six: Versailles or Giverny.
• Day seven: a slower neighborhood day, with room for what you missed.

Day one: Book the Louvre for opening. Leave after two or three hours, have lunch around Palais-Royal, then walk through the Tuileries. Use our Louvre food guide to choose something by exit and appetite.

Day two: Start around Rue Cler or the market on Avenue du Président Wilson, then visit the Eiffel Tower. Give the afternoon to the Palais de Tokyo or a Seine walk. This is a good night for a cruise because you are already near the river.

Day three: Walk the Marais from the Marché des Enfants Rouges toward Place des Vosges. Have lunch before shopping. Our Marais shopping route covers design, gifts and shops that reward browsing.

Day four: Reach Montmartre early, before the steps around Sacré-Cœur fill. Walk west through Abbesses and down toward Rue des Martyrs. Lunch at Bouillon Pigalle is casual and inexpensive; Grand Amour is better for a longer table and a stylish room.

Day five: Book the Musée d’Orsay for the morning, then cross into Saint-Germain. Lunch at L’Avant Comptoir for small plates or Breizh Café for galettes. Finish in the Luxembourg Garden. If another major museum sounds exhausting, skip Orsay and spend the whole day on the Left Bank.

Choose Versailles for architecture, court history and scale. It is the stronger first choice outside Paris and works year-round. A full day lets you include the gardens and Trianon instead of seeing only the palace rooms. Use our Versailles plan before booking.

Choose Giverny for Monet and gardens. It is seasonal, smaller and calmer once you get beyond the busiest entry period. The house and gardens are open from spring into autumn. Our Giverny guide covers the train, shuttle and lunch.

Use the last day for one of three plans. Go east for Canal Saint-Martin, Belleville and a long lunch. Stay central for the covered passages, Palais-Royal and anything missed earlier. Or spend the day in the 16th arrondissement with the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Bois de Boulogne and dinner back near the hotel.

This is also where weather belongs. Move the best outdoor day here if the forecast changes. A week gives you that freedom, which is more valuable than another fixed list.

The Marais is best when you want energy outside the door. Saint-Germain is better for a quieter evening, Left Bank walks and easy access to cafés. The 1st and 2nd arrondissements minimize transit but can feel businesslike after dinner.

For seven nights, pay attention to the room, lobby and breakfast, not only the address. Our Paris hotel guide recommends specific hotels by traveler type and explains why each one works.