Paris is….well Paris.

I don’t need to sell you on why you should check it out. But as someone who lived there and who now lives in Lyon and travels there often to explore and eat, here’s what I tell my friends and family about visiting this iconic city.

How Many Days Do You Need in Paris?

For a first trip, I’d recommend:

• 4–5 days minimum
• 1 week if possible

You’ll never check all of the boxes when it comes to things to see. I lived there, have spent week-long trips there, and now travel up for a few days at a time, and I’ll never do it all.

Don’t over-schedule yourself and build in time to wander and explore. The best parts of the city are the things you just stumble across.

When to Go

Avoid summer if at all possible. It’s hot and overrun. I love Paris at any time of year, but summer is my least favorite.

The best months, in my opinion are October and April. There will be less tourists (slightly less, but still) and the weather tends to cooperate without being too hot or too cold.

The season leading up to Christmas is also delightful with lights and gorgeous shop windows and perfect weather for cozy cafés. One of my favorite trips was in mid-November, but it was chilly and we had a few rainy days, but the city was calm and quiet and Christmas decorations were up everywhere.

Getting to Paris From the Airport

Paris has two main international airports:

• Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
• Orly Airport (ORY)

For most international travelers, you’ll likely arrive at Charles de Gaulle, located about 45 minutes northeast of the city center. Plan ahead so that you know how you’re getting from the airport into the city. Your best options are:

• the RER B Train takes about 40 minutes (once you get into the city, you’ll have to connect to the metro to get to your lodging)
• taxi (make very sure you walk to a designated taxi stand; ignore anyone who tries to approach you inside the airport; about 45 minutes if traffic is light)
• private car (book this ahead; ask your hotel or apartment rental for a recommendation)

Getting Around Paris

You do not want a car in Paris. It’s a big city but easy to get around using the Metro which will take you to almost every corner of the city. Once you’re in a neighborhood, plan to walk. Walking is the best way to experience the city.

Marked taxis and rideshare apps will all work, but traffic can be bad and these can be expensive, so the Metro will be your best option in most cases.

Best Neighborhoods in Paris

Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements, each with its own personality. Choosing the right neighborhood can completely shape your trip. Here are the neighborhoods where I have lived or stayed, and this is what I recommend to friends and family.

Le Marais

Talk to me about Paris, and I’ll inevitably mention Le Marais. It’s central, walkable, historic, and full of cafés, boutiques, bakeries, and restaurants. I can spend days and days wandering around the streets of Le Marais (and in fact, I have many times).

While In Le Marais, be sure to check out:

• Merci for a cool shopping experience (I made this video on my last visit)
• The Picasso Museum (one of my favorites, and often not as crowded as many others in Paris)
• grab unbelievable caramels at Jacques Genin
• casual lunch at Café de la Poste
• lunch or dinner at Le Servan (a little to the East of Le Marais, but worth noting)
• sandwiches at Caractère de Cochon (I dream about these sandwiches, shown below)

Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Located on the Left Bank, Saint-Germain feels just classically Parisian. You’ll find high-end stores alongside unique boutiques. There are sidewalk cafés and elegant boulevards and everything in between. It’s polished, central, and easy to explore on foot.

What to see:

• Église de Saint-Germain-des-Prés (an iconic church in the area)
• Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore (yes, they’re touristy, but sitting outside with a coffee and people watching is still pretty hard to beat; the food is reliably good at both of these spots)
• Shakespeare and Co (this has become slightly overrun by tourists, but I still just adore the messy shelves, old book smell, and coziness of the city’s most well-known English-language bookstore.
• Luxumbourg Gardens (spend the afternoon in the sun here, as many Parisians often do)

The 7th Arrondissement

Home to the Eiffel Tower and many grand Parisian streets, the 7th is one of the city’s most beautiful neighborhoods and it’s actually one of the more quiet. Most parts of the 7th are residential, so this is a quieter spot, but convenient for those key tourist stops like the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Élysées.

Note: One of my favorite ways to see the Eiffel Tower is to splurge on the lunch at Madame Brasserie. Get a table by the window and just enjoy the view and experience.

Montmartre

Montmartre sits on a hill in northern Paris and still feels slightly village-like despite its popularity with visitors. These are some of my favorite streets to explore, and I always find something new. I’ve never actually stayed in Montmartre, but I’d love to on future visit.

What I love to do in Montmartre:

• you’ve got to see Sacré-Cœur – everyone does it, and you’ll want to too
• wander around Place du Tertre (this is the famous square filled with artists painting portraits and displaying their work)
• check out Musée de Montmartre (this is one of my more recent finds, and I loved this small museum dedicated to the artistic history of the area where Renoir, Picasso, and Toulouse-Lautrec lived and worked)

The 1st Arrondisment

Located in the very center of Paris, the 1st arrondissement is one of the most convenient — and most iconic — places to stay in the city. It’s elegant, walkable, and packed with some of Paris’s biggest landmarks, making it especially appealing for first-time visitors. This is where I lived when I studied abroad many years ago, and I used to go out for runs (back when people in France thought it was bizarre to go running) and pass by some of the most iconic places in the entire world.

This is where you’ll find:

• the Louvre
• the Tuileries
• Place Vendôme
• the oldest cooking store in Paris (a must-see if you’re into food and cooking; here’s a short video I made about my visit)

Despite being so central, parts of the 1st can feel surprisingly calm, especially in the early mornings before the museums and shopping areas fill up. Staying in the 1st arrondissement means being able to walk to many of Paris’s major sights while still feeling immersed in the city itself. It’s polished and upscale, with grand hotels, classic Parisian cafés, and some of the best luxury shopping in France.

What to Eat in Paris

Paris is one of the easiest cities in the world to eat well — even casually.

You don’t need expensive reservations for memorable meals here. Some of the best food experiences happen in bakeries, cafés, and neighborhood markets.

Start Every Morning at a Bakery

One of the simplest joys of visiting Paris is starting the day with a pastry and coffee. Ask your rental owners or someone at the hotel for a good recommendation that is frequented by locals. Try croissants, pain au chocolate, or tartine (fresh bread with butter and jam). Breakfast in France is usually simple. A pastry or bread along with coffee or orange juice. Don’t go too big on breakfast. Save room for lunch.

Visit a Market

Paris markets are one of the best ways to experience everyday life in the city. As you walk around, you’ll probably stumble across one. If you find one, use it to assemble a picnic with bread, cheese, seasonal fruit, charcuterie, and wine.

Go big on Lunch

My recommendation is always to go big on lunch and lighter at dinner. You can have a great multi-course lunch in Paris at a fraction of the cost of dinner. See the bottom of the post for some of my favorites. Lunch culture in France is a whole thing. People eat slowly, have a glass or two of wine, have some cheese for dessert, and an espresso to finish things off. Linger, enjoy, soak it all in. Then you’ll be fortified to walk 10k steps in the afternoon. 😉

Pick up food from a bakery or market and slow down for an hour.

Go chill on Dinner (well, French version of chill)

For dinner, let yourself just wander into a brasserie for something more casual around where you’re staying (ask for a recommendation from a local or just walk and find something). But casual will inevitably involve many courses, 3 hours, a lot of wine, a life-changing cheese, and a lengthy conversation with someone at the bar.

Kid-Friendly Activities

I’ve been to Paris with and without kids. And when my kids are on the scene, we try to pack in way less than when it’s just adults. But here are my favorite things to do with them.

• boat rides on the Seine
• catacombs (make sure your kids are okay with this – it can be creepy, so not the right fit for everyone)
• carousel rides (just search for them – you’ll find carousels everywhere)
• Luxembourg Gardens playgrounds (these are charming; there’s a small fee to enter the largest one, but we’ve always had fun there)
• picnics in parks
• hot chocolate at any café in sight when energy lags (my kids still talk about the over-the-top hot chocolate we had at the restaurant in Musée d’Orsay when the crowds threatened to overwhelm us)

Day Trips From Paris

If you’re spending a week in Paris, I’d recommend taking a day trip mid-week. Here are a few of our favorites.

• Versailles (see the castle and grounds in the morning and don’t miss renting an electric golf cart to drive around while it plays classical music, but if you’re into pastry, take a class with my friend Molly Wilk; our pastry class with Molly was one of my kids’ favorite things we did while in Paris)
• Dijon (we had a blast on a day trip to Dijon a few years ago; we took the high speed train, tasted some wines, had a great lunch, and were back in Paris by nightfall)
• Giverny
• Loire Valley
• Disneyland Paris

The French train system makes many destinations surprisingly easy to reach. And you can get to Lyon in 2 hours if you want to spend a night or two there!

A few key tips:

• make at least a few restaurant reservations; these will help give your trip structure and make sure you have some great meals (as noted above, I always try to book a few great lunches)
• Paris by Mouth Food Tour – they do food tours so well
• Lonely Planet Walking Tour – these audio tours are a fun, flexible way to walk around and explore with a bit of structure
• learn a few French phrases (a little Bonjour and Merci will get you a long way here)
• comfortable shoes (seriously…you will walk a ton)
• map out your trip ahead of time – keep it loose, but just make sure you note the days that major museums and tourist attractions are closed and their hours
• don’t try to eat right near major tourist attractions (you’ll probably find much better options if you walk down a side street away from the crowds)
• say Bonjour every time you enter a store or approach someone in a shop, hotel, or restaurant’ this is SO important in French culture (I made a whole video about this)

We also ate well at Versailles as you’ll see below…

My Favorite Paris Restarants

Fortunately, you can’t shake a baguette in Paris without hitting an awesome restaurant. Over the years, my most memorable meals have been at:

1. JaJa – a charming courtyard bistro in Le Marais
2. Ore – Alain Ducasse’s restaurant inside Château de Versailles (offers light breakfast and lunch)
3. La Rôtisserie D’Argent – upscale bistro, featuring a life-changing duck confit and roast potatoes
4. Verjus – a vegetable-centric tasting menu by an American-born, French-inspired chef
5. Caractère De Cochon (42 Rue Charlot) – a tiny, hole-in-the-wall charcuterie shop in Le Marais
6. Le Servan – vegetable-forward in a bright airy and still cozy dining room

Here are a few photos from some of those spots over the years.

Ore at Château de Versailles was a breath of fresh air after the throngs of tourists roaming the grounds of the castle. The food was beautiful and fresh, the dining room was decked out in gold but still light and airy.

I discovered La Rôtisserie D’Argent on David Leibovitz’s blog and the simple menu just sounded good for a cool fall day. Spit-roasted chicken and duck confit with potatoes any way you can imagine. Frank had mashed, I had roasted. They tucked us in a little table side-by-side and we could have sat there all day. Actually…I think we left this lunch at about 3pm, so I guess we nearly did.

Sweet little Verjus was a welcome series of surprises. Everyone in the full, chatty dining room got the same series of courses at around the same time and each dish was creative and a bit whimsical. The main course was a half a head of fried cauliflower with rich butter, lemon and caper sauce. Unexpected and surprisingly satisfying.

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