# France: Paris in a week

> The places to see in and around Paris in a week — Notre-Dame and the Latin Quarter, a day of museums, the Eiffel Tower, a perfume class and Versailles, Montmartre, and a day trip to Colmar.

- **Source:** https://trainsandfrogs.com/france/paris-in-a-week
- **Destination:** France
- **Article type:** Itinerary
- **Author:** Riddhi Srinivas
- **Published:** 2026-11-08
- **Topics:** kids, elders, Europe, France

## About this trip

- **Region:** Europe
- **Trip:** Paris at Christmas
- **Season:** Winter
- **Route:** Paris, with day trips to Versailles and Colmar
- **Travelling party:** 2 adults, Child, Grandparents

![France](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/eiffel-tower-between-buildings.jpg)

- Get the Paris Museum Pass — it covers the Panthéon and gives preferred entry at the Arc de Triomphe and the Musée d'Orsay
- Reserve time slots for Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the Louvre and the Musée de l'Orangerie
- Book the perfume-making class at Galimard on Rue de Provence
- Book train tickets to Versailles (or Fontainebleau) and to Colmar
- Optional: a Palais Garnier tour or performance, a Seine river cruise, a food tour or cooking class, and a Mont-Saint-Michel day tour

## Day 1 — Notre-Dame, the Latin Quarter and monuments

- **Notre-Dame Cathedral** — join the no-reservation line early, around 8 am.

![The twin towers and rose window of Notre-Dame, with a crowd in the square in front.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/notre-dame-facade.jpg)

_Notre-Dame Cathedral._

- **Sainte-Chapelle** — reserve a time slot with the Paris Museum Pass.

![The upper chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, walled in tall purple and blue stained glass under a starry blue vault.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/sainte-chapelle-windows.jpg)

_Sainte-Chapelle's magnificent stained glass windows, on the upper level._

- **Conciergerie** — the fortress by the river. Book a time slot.
- Walk through the **Latin Quarter**, enjoying the cafés, restaurants and interesting shops and taking in the atmosphere along the way.

![A corner café with a red awning, decorated with Christmas garlands, below a tall cream apartment building.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/cafe-corner.jpg)

_Walking around the city._

- **Musée de Cluny** — an amazing museum of the Middle Ages, with gorgeous tapestries, art and architectural marvels. A quieter, smaller museum.
- **Panthéon** — included in the Paris Museum Pass. Arrive by 5:15 pm for last entry; it closes at 6 pm.
- **Jardin du Luxembourg** — visit the large pond and the Medici Fountain, and people-watch from a bench, baguette in hand.
- **Worth knowing:** Everything on this day is within a 10-minute walk of the next, in the order listed.

## Day 2 — A day of museums

- Start early at the **Louvre**. Reserve a time slot. Make a list of the areas of the museum, specific pieces or artists you're interested in, and prioritise those sections. Spend about three hours here.

![The Louvre's courtyard and glass pyramid under a grey sky, with people crossing the square.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/louvre-courtyard.jpg)

_The Louvre._

- **Musée d'Orsay** — no time slot needed, and the Paris Museum Pass gets you preferred entry. Spend a couple of hours admiring the old train station building and its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.
- **Musée de l'Orangerie** — reserve a time slot. Enjoy the colours, brushstrokes and grandeur of Monet's Water Lilies, and take some time to sit in silence with these mesmerising paintings.

![A close view of Monet's Water Lilies: dark blue-green water with pink and orange flowers.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/orangerie-water-lilies-detail.jpg)

_Monet's Water Lilies._

- **Jardin des Tuileries** — relax, watch the sailboats on the pond and watch the world go by after a long day of museum-hopping.

![A path through the Tuileries past lawns, statues and clipped hedges, with a Ferris wheel in the distance.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/tuileries-garden-walk.jpg)

_Walking through the Jardin des Tuileries._

- Walk to the **Place de la Concorde** to see the obelisk.

## Day 3 — The Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées and the Eiffel Tower

- Visit the **Arc de Triomphe**. The Paris Museum Pass gets you preferred entry.

![The Arc de Triomphe lit up at dusk, with traffic passing in front.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/arc-de-triomphe-dusk.jpg)

_The Arc de Triomphe._

- Shop at **Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées**. The boulevard is lined with high-end designer shops, and it gives an interesting perspective on French culture even if you're not interested in shopping.
- Visit the **Eiffel Tower** and walk around the gardens under the tower.

![The Eiffel Tower seen across a wide road and pedestrian crossing.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/eiffel-tower-street.jpg)

_The Eiffel Tower._

- Check out the view from **Rue de Buenos-Ayres**.

![The Eiffel Tower framed between two tall stone apartment buildings.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/eiffel-tower-between-buildings.jpg)

_An interesting perspective for pictures of the Eiffel Tower._

- Walk over to the **Esplanade du Trocadéro** and explore different angles and viewpoints of the Eiffel Tower from there. This area is always busy, so if you're coming for photos, come very early.

![Looking up at the Eiffel Tower beside the bare branches of a winter tree.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/eiffel-tower-trocadero.jpg)

_More of the Eiffel Tower._

## Day 4 — A perfume class and Versailles

- Breakfast at the **Mamiche** bakery.

![Trays of pastries and breads on the counter, seen through the bakery's window.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/mamiche-bakery.jpg)

_The Mamiche bakery._

- A **perfume-making class** at the **Galimard** studio on Rue de Provence.

![Rows of labelled fragrance bottles lined up along a workbench.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/perfume-class-bottles.jpg)

![Our son smiling at the camera at the perfume bench, with the rest of the family behind him.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/perfume-class-family.jpg)

_Making our perfumes._

- Take the train to **Versailles** to see the palace and gardens.

![The golden-roofed palace of Versailles across its cobbled front courtyard.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/versailles-courtyard.jpg)

![A gilded and painted ceiling with crystal chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/versailles-hall-of-mirrors-ceiling.jpg)

![Our son in the formal hedge gardens in front of the palace.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/versailles-garden-hedges.jpg)

_The Palace of Versailles and its gardens._

- **Option:** For a quieter, less crowded palace, try the **Château de Fontainebleau**. You can reach it by train in under an hour, just like Versailles, and it has far fewer people.

## Day 5 — Montmartre

- Take the metro or a taxi to **Montmartre**.

![A narrow cobbled street of shops and white buildings climbing uphill in Montmartre.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/montmartre-street.jpg)

_The neighbourhood of Montmartre._

- Walk around the winding streets to see Paris from a bit higher up.

![The rooftops of Paris spread out below a cloudy sky, seen from the hill of Montmartre.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/montmartre-view.jpg)

_Looking out over Paris. (You can see the Eiffel Tower from up the street, between the rooftops.)_

- Check out the artists working in the streets, creating beautiful pieces.
- Visit **Sacré-Cœur**, a stunning white basilica on top of the hill. Take in the views of the city from the front of the basilica.

![The white domes and arched entrance of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica against a blue sky.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/sacre-coeur.jpg)

_The Sacré-Cœur Basilica._

![One of us sitting on the steps below Sacré-Cœur, smiling.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/sacre-coeur-steps.jpg)

_On the steps outside Sacré-Cœur._

- **Option 1:** For a cultural experience, book a tour of the **Palais Garnier**, or tickets for a performance there. This Paris opera house is known for its amazing architecture and luxurious interiors.
- **Option 2:** Book a **Seine river cruise**, a great way to see Paris from the river.

## Day 6 — A day trip to Colmar

- Take the train from **Paris Gare de l'Est** to **Colmar**, about 2.5 hours away.

![Colourful half-timbered houses lining a canal in Colmar, with one of us taking a photo.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/colmar-river-houses.jpg)

_Colourful buildings lining the river._

- This medieval town is reminiscent of the village in Sleeping Beauty.

![A turreted half-timbered house with painted frescoes and a wooden balcony, with Christmas lights strung above the street.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/colmar-maison-pfister.jpg)

_Medieval frescoes and turrets on fairytale buildings._

- It has beautiful souvenir shops, bakeries with local specialities, and medieval, German-style architecture.

![A row of pastel-painted shopfronts decorated for Christmas.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/colmar-christmas-street.jpg)

_The streets of Colmar decorated for Christmas._

- Walk the narrow alleyways and follow the river to find local markets and restaurants.

![Two of us on a wet cobbled street between tall half-timbered buildings.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/colmar-exploring.jpg)

_Exploring Colmar._

## Day 7 — A food tour and shopping

- Book a **food tour** or a **cooking class** in Paris for the morning.
- Spend the afternoon shopping for special things to take home. For edibles like butter, cheese and jam, try **La Grande Épicerie de Paris**.
- For macarons, try **Ladurée**. Theirs had the best texture and flavours.

![An open box of pastel macarons beside a green Ladurée bag, on a train table.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/laduree-macarons.jpg)

_The best macarons in Paris._

- For French homeware, try **Sabre Paris**.
- For affordable perfumes, try **Fragonard** and **Durance**.

![The front of a Durance shop with a pale blue door and flowers above the window.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/durance-store.jpg)

_The Durance shop._

- Paris has boutiques for every designer brand as well.
- **Optional:** Take a day trip to **Mont-Saint-Michel**. This abbey, on a tidal island off the coast, is a spectacular masterpiece of medieval architecture and a pilgrimage site for some. Bus tours leave from Paris and can be booked through any tour company. It's a long way, so the day trip is about 13 to 14 hours.

![People sitting on the steps of Sacré-Cœur, looking out over Paris under a cloudy sky.](https://trainsandfrogs.com/content/france/sacre-coeur-steps-view.jpg)

_The steps of Sacré-Cœur._