If you want to know how to plan a trip to Paris (the mechanisms behind it), you have come to the right place. This isn’t a detailed itinerary. We will provide our 5-day itinerary in a separate post. This is about what goes into our initial researching and planning preparations, before we’ve left our home country.
It’s equal parts exciting and overwhelming to plan a trip to Paris. There is so much to see and do. World-renowned artworks, museums, and other cultural attractions. Unique neighborhoods to explore. Cobblestone streets to stumble down. Endless croissants and baguettes to indulge in.
Knowing how and where to start planning is daunting enough already. And you aren’t even there yet.
It’s a sprawling bustling city with locals and tourists busy milling about at all times of the year. Some people know it as the “city of love”. Others dislike it, alleging people are rude.
I had an amazing first trip to Paris in the summer of 2013. Just me, myself, and a trusty baguette roaming the streets taking it all in. The people I met were friendly. Food I ate was delicious. Sights and sounds I experienced were divine.
Alone in the City of Love
But I was alone. Alone in the city of love. No romantic partner to speak of at the time. If I was in a movie the song “All by Myself” would’ve played as I walked down the Champs-Élysées. Did I get the full Parisian tourist experience? I think not.
So here we are, 11 years after my first trip to Paris and 10 years after Luke’s first time, visiting Paris together. It’s the first time for both of us with a romantic partner. And not just any old romantic partner. Husband and wife. Travel companions for 10+ years. The great love of each other’s life.
We are going to do the city of love justice in summer 2024.
However, before we arrive and start skipping down laneways, frolicking in parks, and floating on air, we need to plan our trip. It’s time to get the nitty gritty details sorted. Accommodation, activities, sightseeing, food, and more. It’s time to plan a trip to Paris.
As an aside, planning a trip to Paris has been pure joy for me. I love planning trips. If you let me, I will happily plan yours. In fact, I might plan one for you without you asking. Simply tell me you have any trip in mind. I’ve been known to travel stalk friends who are off gallivanting in far away places. Research the area they are going to. Keep it in the back of my mind for when I need to plan my own trip to that destination. Daydreaming constantly about my eventual travel adventure.
Anyhoo.
How we plan a trip to Paris may differ from your plan. We may research things in a different order. I tend to bounce around various topics, ideas, and tabs in both my brain and the computer.
The steps outlined below are a general guide of what you should consider when planning a trip to Paris. They are the exact steps we took to plan a trip to Paris in summer 2024.
Determine When You Want to Go
We didn’t do this. Our dates were decided for us. We are going to a wedding in the south of France.
However, you likely will decide on when to go. Deciding when to go depends on many factors specific to you.
If you visit in the spring you will see fewer tourists but have greater chances of rain and cooler weather.
Summer has the best weather and longer days, but is the high season. Expect to see more tourists, longer lines, busier attractions, and inflated prices.
Fall has more mild weather, long days, and fewer tourists than summer.
Winter can be chilly but Christmas in Paris is supposed to be spectacular with various decorations, light displays, and markets.
The high season for tourists is considered April 1 to November 1. If you’re flexible on when to go, early spring or late fall may be easier on the wallet. Although you will need to be prepared for cooler weather and bring layers, it will be warmer than visiting during the low season of the winter months.
There are other considerations such as special events or holidays that you may want to factor into your decision. For example, some museums are free the first Sunday or Monday of every month. An event such as a concert could even be the only reason behind your need to plan a trip to Paris.
We will be in Paris three weeks before the Summer Olympics 2024. We are already visiting during the high tourist season, but now will be even busier with Olympic games preparations. Knowing this, we planned and booked things accordingly.
Book Flights and/or Transportation
Depending on where you are in the world, you will arrive in Paris by plane, train, car, bus, or a combination.
When booking transportation it’s important to consider the cost versus time and convenience. The cheapest options usually take the longest amount of time and/or are the most uncomfortable.
We are arriving in Paris by plane. And because we like to make things spicy for ourselves, we aren’t flying into Paris directly. Before visiting Paris we will be in Marseille. And after visiting France we will be in England. A roundtrip flight to England with our preferred airline was much cheaper than separate one-way flights, even when we factored in the individual one-way flights between England and France.
Our flight travel path to Paris is:
- Edmonton, Canada to London, England
- London to Marseille, France
- Marseille to Paris
To and from each airport we will either take a train, a bus, an uber, or a taxi. This is yet to be determined. There are numerous options and resources available online to help.
We arrive at night for all of our flights. As such, time and convenience is more important to us than cost. It will be cheaper to take public transportation from the airport to our accommodation, but may take up to three times as long. And it requires multiple changes. Even though we are budget backpackers at heart, this one of those times splurging on direct transportation is worth it.
Not sure how to find the best deals on flights? We detail our favorite options for flights and more in The Best Websites to Book Travel.
Book Accommodation
Since our travel dates are locked, we aren’t as flexible as we normally are when planning these trips.
With our dates determined, the next step is to decide where to stay. Especially with the Paris Olympics upcoming and it being the high tourist season, we wanted to book as soon as possible.
Paris is a huge city, divided into 20 districts or arrondissements. The first district is in the center, with subsequent districts in a spiral heading clockwise working their way out to the edges of the city. There are maps available online.
Each arrondissement has its own unique qualities. Where you stay depends on what you are looking for. One area may be better for families, another for art lovers, another for budget-conscious travelers.
We did a quick Google search of the “best areas to stay in Paris” and the “less expensive areas in Paris”. From here we read a few blogs and top 10 lists comparing findings. Immediately we vetoed the more expensive areas, typically near the top tourist attractions. But we didn’t want to be too far out that transiting to and from would be a time consuming chore.
And, as always, we consider the price and amenities. Ultimately we end up with an apartment style place including a kitchenette.
To learn more about how we choose accommodation, check out tip 4 in Budget Travel Tips: The In-Depth Simple Guide (Part 2).
Plan Your Trip
This step is the best part of the planning process! Figuring out all the amazing sights you will see, the activities you will do, the food you will eat, and the parks you will lounge in.
We go into greater detail on the general resources we use to plan trips here: How To Plan The Perfect Travel Itinerary. Below I will detail the steps we take to plan our Paris trip.
Online Resources
As always, start with a Google search. We looked for the main tourist attractions, typical itineraries, tours, and events. There are many daily itineraries available on various blogs and websites for ideas.
From here, we compile a list of things we are interested in and star everything on Google maps. This gives us a visual cue of what we want to see and do and where it is.
It’s important to note that Paris is not a 24-hour, 7 day a week city. Things close completely on certain days. There may be reduced hours on others. Some places may close for a few hours in the afternoon. Others may only be open a few hours in the afternoon.
Knowing this, we look at opening dates and times, prices of admission, if there are online bookings, and more logistical details.
Paris Pass
As with many cities, Paris offers the “Paris Pass”. It’s digital pass options depending on the attractions you want to visit, days needed, and budget. These passes may provide savings depending on how you travel and what you want to do.
We opted not to go with the Paris Pass for this trip. Not because it doesn’t offer savings on many attractions. More so because our favorite thing to do is explore and get lost. We love to wander the streets. Find hidden street art. People watch in parks. We plan to visit several attractions. But how we like to travel doesn’t align with the structure of the passes.
Create an Itinerary
From here, we plan rough daily itineraries. To do this we look at the stars on our map and group things accordingly. It’s a simple rough guide of what we plan to see, knowing plans change quickly for us.
Luke once said a very wise thing about two of our friends planning a trip: “If you see everything, you miss a lot”.
In our experience, planning to do everything rarely works. You run out time. Or you are so busy thinking about the next thing that you fail to be in the present moment. Maybe you miss out exploring that cool little laneway. Or lingering a bit longer in a place or moment that brings you joy.
Plan a trip to Paris, but don’t over plan. Let the experience, the place, the people, and the moment guide you.
With that in mind, we look at our non-negotiables. We narrow down our list. The things we absolutely have to do. Sights we cannot live without seeing. Places we would kick ourselves if we didn’t visit. These are our top attractions.
Walking Tours
As mentioned in a previous post, Budget Travel Tips: The In-Depth Simple Guide (Part 2), walking tours are one of our favorite ways to see a new city. We try to book walking tours for the first day of our trip if possible. This ensures we aren’t repeating sights and gives us an idea of other places to see, and sometimes we really like a sight so want to see it in more detail and for longer
Going back to Luke’s wisdom about not over planning, the same principle applies to walking tours. We made this mistake visiting New York City in spring 2023.
We booked multiple walking tours a day for almost everyday we were there. How could we not, there is simply too much to see! However, once we started we knew it wasn’t sustainable and had to cancel a few areas. There’s always next time.
Since both of us have been to Paris before and both previously did walking tours, we looked for something a bit different this trip. Instead of doing a traditional Paris City site tour, we are doing a Montmartre Free Walking Tour.
Montmartre is known for its artistry, the Sacré-Cœur basilica, cobblestone streets, and trendy eateries. Despite having stayed in the Montmartre arrondissement back in 2013, I didn’t take the time to actually learn about the area.
We booked with SANDEMANs NEW Europe, one of the original free walking tour providers. Compared to ten years ago, you need to book your walking tours in advance. There are two options at the time of booking. One is to pay the administrative fee or book without. However, you need to keep in mind that the tour guide is responsible for your administrative fee if you don’t pay it ahead of time.
Attractions and Activities
When creating your itinerary and actually planning your trip, logistical details are important. As I mentioned above, some places are only open on certain days or for specific hours. Some offer discounts and the ability to skip the line if you book in advance online. There may be dress code considerations as well.
Price is another key aspect. Everyone has a specific budget they want to stick to. Certain attractions and activities may be out of your price range. It’s better to know ahead of time to make an informed decision. You may be super excited about an event not knowing the price, and when you get there realize it’s out of your budget so you leave disappointed. Or, you feel pressured to spend money you don’t actually have.
Booking online or in advance may provide you a better price. You may be able to bundle attractions or book during off-peak hours.
If museums are your thing, you may consider getting the Paris Museum Pass. The pass provides you with skip the line admission to over 60 museums and monuments in and around the city. There are options for a 2, 4, or 6 day pass depending on how many days you are there and how many museums you want to visit. Some options even comes with a River Seine Cruise (see below)!
You need to factor all of this in when you plan a trip. Not just to Paris, but to anywhere.
Special Mention: River Seine Cruise
We are not normally river cruise people. Well, I shouldn’t say that. We haven’t been on a river cruise yet so who knows, this could be our passion.
Either way, we first considered a river cruise while visiting London in 2022. Unfortunately we didn’t have time. Fortunately, the idea of cruising the River Seine sounds much more appealing than the River Thames.
Our cruise has not been booked yet. But we have looked at options both online at Get Your Guide and Viator. The great thing about both of these options is they offer free cancellation up to the day before. This gives you flexibility in case your plans change or you find a better deal.
Viator partners with Rakuten to get you cashback on qualifying purchases. The first time I looked there was a promotion for 15% cashback, and more recently it was 8%. The regular cashback is 2%.
Not sure what Rakuten is? Do not worry. I have a post in the works that will tell you all about it.
Food and Drinks
Anyone with dietary restrictions or who considers themselves a “foodie” is familiar with researching eateries in new destinations.
Or you may want to visit Michelin star places. Try unique local delicacies. Seek out a certain dish, theme, brand, whatever you enjoy.
There is nothing worse than enjoying a long, adventure packed, fun-filled travel day, than getting hungry and having nothing to eat.
Specific Searches
Since I follow a predominantly plant-based diet, I look for every possible bakery, café, restaurant, food truck, street stall, etc., with options for me. I follow the same process I do for finding sights and attractions. A simple Google search and star places on Maps.
One of the best resources for vegan and vegetarian options is Happy Cow. It’s an online listing of plant-based restaurants. There are filter and sort options, top 10 lists, different labels depending on if it’s vegan, vegetarian, or veg friendly.
I use Happy Cow as my starting point. From here I consult with Google searches, reviews, and the restaurant’s website. I then save the ones I am most interested in on Google maps. I use a different list than what I add my starred attractions to. This helps me easily identify restaurants versus attractions at a quick glance.
Sometimes I will also add labels or notes to items I’ve saved in Google maps. Things such as their happy hour deals or if I really want to visit them.
Keep an Eye Out
This is time consuming but is honestly one of my favorite parts of planning a trip.
I should mention searching online is not all encompassing. We found this out first hand in London. Many more places than what we had learned about ahead of time offered delicious plant-based options. If you have the time it’s worth it to scope out restaurant menus as you explore the city in case you find a hidden gem.
Planning a trip is whatever you want it to. Much like the trip itself. You can spend hours researching and comparing options. Or, get a quick idea and go with it. In past travels we’ve done even less than that. We have arrived places with nowhere to stay and no idea of what to do and just figured it out as we went.
Over the past few years as we have settled into full-time jobs and life living in Canada, trip planning has become my favorite pastime. The opportunity to plan a trip to Paris has been exactly what I’ve needed to keep my wanderlust alive.
