Following my last post on Two Days in Paris with Kids, here is a longer itinerary more tailored for the adults! All of the main attractions are in this itinerary as well (Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame, etc.), but I’ve also included a couple of day tours to Normandy and Reims (champagne region). As always, this itinerary can be modified to fit your preferences, but this is a nice way to hit the highlights in Paris, as well as a few outside of the city. Again, there’s a lot of walking, so pack your comfortable shoes (and a warm jacket for Normandy) and let’s plan your unforgettable vacation in the City of Light!
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DAY 1: ARRIVAL, MONTMARTRE AND SACRE-COEUR
Before planning your international trip, be sure to read my post on 32 Tips for Traveling Overseas with Ease…there are a lot of helpful tips here, including everything from currency, cell phone use, transportation, and more.
Assuming you’ll arrive in Paris in the morning on Day 1, you’ll know from my 32 Tips post that the best strategy is to get outside and get moving for as long as you can, even though you might want to nap! Try to stay awake until after dinner so that you wake up at a somewhat normal time on Day 2.
Head to the hotel after arrival (I recommend the Hotel le Walt, just 15 minutes walk from the Eiffel Tower, and right at the Ecole Militaire Metro stop). It’s a beautiful hotel in a great location, with a really good restaurant next door. Rooms are small, but that’s Paris for you! With this busy itinerary, you won’t be spending much time in the room anyway. If your room isn’t ready yet, just freshen up in the lobby bathroom, leave your luggage with the bell hop, and get on your way!
You’ll probably be really hungry like we were, so I suggest grabbing a bite to eat at La Commanderie, which is just to the left of Hotel le Walt when you walk outside the hotel. They are open early morning for breakfast, and stay open late for night-time bites or drinks. They have great pizzas too! We ended up eating here twice in our six days since it was so convenient and the food was good.
Once you’ve refueled and maybe had some caffeine, head underground to the Ecole Militaire Metro station, buy your pass for the week, and head to the Anvers station in Montmartre near Sacre-Coeur. Montmartre is an area on the North side (right bank) of Paris, built on a hill, known for its artistic history, night-life, and the beautiful Sacre-Coeur Basilica. Sacre-Coeur took 40 years to build, and was completed in 1914. It is free to enter the Basilica, and you can attend one of the 4-5 daily masses if you time it right. There’s also a shop, and you can climb a ton of stairs to get to one of the look-outs, which is worth the climb! Also, if you can still find them, there are “love locks” along a fence right in front of Sacre-Coeur, but I read that they were being removed in 2023…
If you’re a fan of the show Emily in Paris, walk just a few minutes West of Sacre-Coeur to find La Maison Rose, a really cute cafe featured in the show that has brunch, tea time, and dinner. It is very popular, so you’ll need a reservation if you plan to eat here. If you’re REALLY in to Emily in Paris, there are walking tours like this one that you can follow find to guide you through several of the filming locations. Next, just a few more minutes walk South, be sure to walk through Place Emile Goudeau, a beautiful cobblestonee square where Picasso once had a studio. Finally, head a little further South to the Wall of Love. It’s simply a wall with “I Love You” written in all different languages…a pretty cool spot to get a picture for the gram…ha! Note that the wall is currently closed for renovations, but due to reopen in spring of 2024.
If you’re getting hungry for dinner, or ready for a drink and to sit for a bit, Le Relais de la Butte in this area is a great spot to grab a table outside and people watch for a bit. There’s a great view looking down hill over the city.
DAY 2: DAY TOUR TO THE CHAMPAGNE REGION OF REIMS
If you are a fan of wine tasting or champagne, or just want to get out and see the French Countryside, be sure to book a Champagne Day Trip like this one from Trip Advisor. It is one of the best day trips I have done in my travels. For this one, we had to meet our tour group on the other side of Paris (get up early for breakfast and take the Metro). There was a group of 8 of us plus our guide in a van. It was about a 2-hour drive to Reims, the Mecca of Champagne…did you know that bubbly can only be called Champagne if it’s from this region of France (otherwise it’s technically sparkling wine)? It’s a beautiful, historic town. We started with a short historical tour that included a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral of Reims (amazing!) and then were given some time to get breakfast on our own. We went to Cafe du Palais for some omelettes and pastries (needed to get a good base before all of the champagne was consumed) and it was fantastic!
After rejoining our group, we got back in the van and headed another 40 minutes south to Champagne Pierre Domi, a beautiful family-owned winery, for our first tour and tasting. We spent a good amount of time here with the owner and thoroughly enjoyed the Champagne!
Next, we headed about 15 minutes North in to Epernay, the other Mecca of Champagne and home to the Avenue de Champagne, one of the most prestigious streets in the world! We stopped at The House of Moet et Chandon, where we had a tour of the facility, learned about the history of the brands, and tasted several more varieties of champagne in this beautiful mansion.
After Moet et Chandon, we made a stop in Hautvillers to walk through a vineyard and take some photos of the views, and then made our way to a tiny little church called the Abbey at Hautvillers, a UNESCO World Heritage site where Dom Perignon is laid to rest right inside the abbey. It was a full day of learning all about the history of Champagne, it’s founders, and the regions that it comes from. And bonus…we got to taste a lot of really great champagne!
Once we got back to Paris to our tour meeting point, we were famished! There is a great pizza place (can you tell we like pizza?!) nearby called Maria Luisa Pizzeria that we thoroughly enjoyed after a long day of touring…try it out if you’re in this area not far from Sacre-Coeur.
DAY 3: THE LOUVRE, TUILERIES, CHAMPS-ELYSEES, AND THE EIFFEL TOWER
I hope you are well rested for this day, because it’s a marathon! Grab breakfast at the hotel (or a cute cafe along the way), and take the Metro to the Palais Royal station for the Louvre. This is THE museum to go to if you can only choose one in Paris. If you have a city pass, be sure to check the fine print in advance, because you might need to reserve a time slot to enter the museum in advance. The museum itself is absolutely beautiful! But warning, it will probably be packed. Unless you want to spend the whole day there, map out what you really want to see in advance (I suggest The Mona Lisa (it’s much smaller than you’d think!), Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo for sure) and go from there.
We spent a couple of hours at the Louvre (you could spend all day there, but there’s so much more to see!), and then walked through the Tuileries Gardens, past the Place de la Concorde, toward the Champs Elysees, one of the greatest shopping avenues in the world! Every luxury brand (and some regular brands) can be found there. We stopped at Dragons Elysees for lunch along the way (neat atmosphere and pretty decent Asian food), and then headed back out for some shopping!
Now back to the shopping…if you are in the market to buy some statement luxury pieces like a handbag or luggage that are a European brand, it’s a great idea to buy while in Europe. Prices are a little less as there is no export tax, and you can also get reimbursed for your VAT (value-added tax) when you head back to the United States (there are articles detailing how to do this if you google the subject). We spent a good couple of hours at Louis Vuitton browsing and making some purchases, and it’s a whole experience complete with champagne or whatever drink you prefer!
If you have the energy (and/or don’t have a lot of shopping bags), the Arc de Triomphe is at the West end of the Champs Elysees and is worth checking out. Built in 1806, this iconic structure houses the tomb of an unknown soldier from WWI, beautiful sculptures, and if you’re up for it, take the 284 steps up the spiral staircase to see the amazing views at the top!
After our shopping trip, we headed back to the hotel to drop off our bags, and then walked back to the Eiffel Tower. We had purchased skip-the-line tickets in advance and had a reservation time (definitely recommend doing this). Check out this website for details. You can go to the 2nd floor observation deck, or you can take the elevator all the way up to the top lookout (approximately 900 feet) for the really good views! Of course, there are snacks and champagne throughout as well.I do recommend making your way back in to the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower at night. At the top of every hour from dusk until 1AM, not only is the tower lit up, but it also twinkles…definitely worth checking out!
DAY 4: DAY TOUR TO NORMANDY BEACHES AND CIDER TASTING
If you’re interested in seeing the beaches of Normandy and other significant WWII sites, I highly recommend booking a full-day tour through Trip Advisor like this one that we took. Normandy is about a 3-hour drive from Paris, and the full experience is a 12-hour tour that includes stops at Omaha Beach, touring one of the bunkers along the beach, time at the Overlord Museum, lunch at a local restaurant (you’ll have to pay for this), Pointe du Hoc, the American Cemetery, and finally the Ferme de la Sapinière where you can sample homemade apple cider (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options). My grandfather served in the US Army during WWII and was on the beaches of Normandy, so it was very surreal and moving to be there 80+ years later.
Travel Tips: Note that there are a variety of similar tours available, but this particular one cost more because of the tour size…ours was a maximum of 8 people, whereas some others will take a bus of up to 50 people. I think it’s worth the extra money to have a smaller group if it fits with your budget. Also take the time to read through what’s included and what’s not with these tours. And always read the reviews!
Our guide was very informative, gave us just enough time at each of the stops, and got us back to Paris safely and almost on time, in spite of some pretty bad traffic. Also, be sure to check the weather in the area before you go…we were there in late April and it was very windy and chilly.
It was a long day, but a really amazing experience that I’m glad I finally took the time to do. I recommend taking this tour if you have an interest in WWII history or know someone that served in the war.
By the time we got back to Paris, we were starving. We had dinner at Cafe des Officiers near our hotel (try the steak frites here!) and then called it a night.
DAY 5: THE LATIN QUARTER, A PASTRY COOKING CLASS, AND A SPEAKEASY
For Day 5 we had a cooking class scheduled in the afternoon, so we decided to do a self-guided walking tour of the Latin Quarter (or 5th Arrondissement), which is a lively neighborhood that houses the Sorbonne university, and several other notable sites. We just googled “Self-Guided Latin Quarter Tour” and had several to choose from. This is a great way to explore an area without wandering aimlessly, and these guides normally include some fun facts and locations that you’d never know existed.
We started at Notre Dame, because it is a must-see when in Paris. Due to the significant damage from the fire in 2019, you’re not able to tour the inside of the cathedral, but I read that it is scheduled to reopen at the end of 2024. Be sure to check ahead before you go. From there, we walked across the bridge behind Notre Dame over to Ile Saint Louis. This little island is a hidden gem, with cute shops and cafes to explore. We stopped for lunch at La Brasserie de Ile Saint Louis and sat outside, which was perfect for just relaxing and watching the people walk by. There is also an ice cream shop called Berthillon that came highly recommended, but they were closed the day we were there.
Our tour took us by the Abbey Bookshop (really cool and cave-like inside), to Odette (famous for their cream puffs and macarons), the Shakespeare & Company Bookstore (there was a line to get in!), to the Pantheon (Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, and other famous Parisians are buried here), and the Church of Saint Severin (built in 1230, and absolutely beautiful inside). There are a lot of great restaurants to choose from in the Latin Quarter as well.
Next on the agenda for us was this Chocolate Eclairs and Cream Puffs Cooking Class (there is a similar one at the same location for Macarons if you prefer those!). Another really great experience that I definitely recommend that lasted about 3 hours and was held in a small cooking school. This would be fun to do with older kids as well (this one allows ages 12 and up). We were each given different jobs to create the pastries, the fillings, and the icings. It was a ton of fun, and afterward we had time to sit and enjoy our pastries with some coffee and tea, and even got to take some extras back with us…everything was so delicious!
To finish our evening, we decided to check out a speakeasy that we had read about prior to the trip. We love a fun speakeasy! We took the Metro to Temple Station and walked to this small grocery store called L’Epicier (translates to grocer in English). There was a line to get in, and once you get to the front you have to figure out which shelf moves and opens up in to the bar. It’s cramped, but really cool inside and the drinks were tasty and fun!
DAY 6: RODIN, SEINE RIVER CRUISE, AND MOULIN ROUGE
For our final day, I was hoping to visit Musee D’Orsay (featuring works from artists such as Renoir, Van Gogh, and Monet), but it was sold out for the day…always check for tickets in advance! For plan B, we decided to visit the Musee Rodin (sculptor of The Thinker and The Gates of Hell). We actually found these combination tickets through Trip Advisor that included a Seine River Cruise, which we hadn’t done yet! The museum and gardens are quite extensive and take a couple of hours to go through, and I’d recommend getting the audio guide…I prefer listening to someone telling me a story vs reading a sign.
After a couple of hours at the museum, we headed to the Seine River Cruise which takes off near the base of the Eiffel Tower. The cruises run very regularly and can usually be booked last-minute, so it’s not necessary to buy as a package like we did. The boats have both inside and outside seating, snacks and drinks on board, and a guide pointing out various landmarks and buildings along the way. In total the tour lasts about an hour, and is worth doing. Especially if you’re looking to get off your feet for a bit!
Finally, to end our week in Paris, we decided to do something very French…see a cabaret show at the Moulin Rouge. The birthplace of the can-can dance, the Moulin Rouge was originally built in 1889, but then was destroyed by fire in 1915 and rebuilt. The theater is in Montmartre, so you’ll need to take the Metro to the Pigalle Station to get there. They have options for dinner, champagne, etc. along with the show…whatever you prefer. It is a very cramped theater and you’ll be sitting up close and personal with strangers, but it’s entertaining and worth doing ONCE!
