Seven days in Paris is a serious, genuinely rewarding trip, and you will still leave things undone. Paris is one of those cities where the list of worthwhile things to do is longer than any week can cover. A week gives you enough time to get past the Eiffel Tower and into the city's neighbourhoods, its smaller museums, and its daily rhythms, but it does not get you to the bottom of Paris. Nothing does.

What a Week Actually Gets You

Seven days is enough to do the major museums properly rather than rushing them. The Louvre deserves a full day and will still leave things unseen. The Musee d'Orsay (Impressionism) deserves its own morning. The Centre Pompidou, the Picasso Museum, and the Rodin Museum each deserve two to three hours and a week makes it possible to actually visit them.

The Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral (now reopened after the fire), and the Arc de Triomphe are the landmarks. The Sacre-Coeur at the top of Montmartre is best visited early morning before the crowds. The Palais Royal garden, Sainte-Chapelle, and the Conciergerie are worth seeking out on a quieter day.

Paris is also a city of neighbourhoods: Marais, Montmartre, Saint-Germain, Belleville, Oberkampf, and the Canal Saint-Martin all have their own character and reward an afternoon rather than a quick walk through. Seven days lets you choose three or four and actually spend time in them.

The food is the other reason to go, and a week gives you time to eat at different price points: a proper restaurant lunch, good street food, a market morning, and at least one genuinely excellent dinner.

What Still Gets Left Out

Even with seven days, Versailles (deserves a full day) is the day trip most people skip when time runs short. The Musee de l'Orangerie (Monet's water lilies), the Musee Marmottan, and the Musee de Cluny (medieval art) tend to fall off the list. The Catacombs require a timed booking and more time than most visitors allocate.

How to Structure the Week

Days 1 and 2 go to the big landis and the Louvre. Eiffel Tower on the first evening (book ahead). The Louvre the next morning (book timed entry). Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle in the afternoon.

Days 3 and 4 go to Musee d'Orsay and the Left Bank on day three. Marais and Centre Pompidou on day four.

Day 5 is Montmartre. Go early for Sacre-Coeur, spend the morning in the neighbourhood, afternoon in Belleville or Oberkampf.

Day 6 is Versailles. Full day. Book the Palace entry well in advance and go early.

Day 7 is for whatever slipped through: Rodin Museum, Canal Saint-Martin, a long lunch, a return to anywhere you liked.

Plan It Without the Scramble

Paris has more timed-entry requirements than it used to, and getting the sequencing wrong costs half a day. Our Paris guide gives you the booking links, the neighbourhood guide, and a clear structure for the week.

Get the guide here: https://concisetravelguides.etsy.com/uk/listing/4470286295/paris-travel-guide-itinerary-builder