One week in Europe is both more and less than most people think. Less because Europe is vast and one week barely scratches the surface. More because one week in a single great European city — done properly, unhurried, with time to actually settle in — can be one of the most memorable travel experiences of your life.
The mistake most one-week travelers make is trying to see too much. Two cities maximum. One city is often better. Here are the itineraries that work.
Choose Your Itinerary
7 days · Paris
One Week in Paris
The Case for Single-City
Best For
First-time visitors to Europe. Anyone who wants depth over breadth. People who understand that Paris takes more than a week to exhaust.
Arrival and the Marais
Arrive, check in, decompress. Afternoon walk through the Marais — no agenda, just orientation. Dinner at a bistro on Rue de Bretagne. Early night.
Montmartre at Dawn, Louvre in the Morning
6am alarm. Montmartre before the crowds. Sacré-Cœur with the city below. Back for breakfast, then the Louvre from opening until early afternoon. Pick three or four things to see and see them properly. Afternoon in Saint-Germain. Evening aperitivo in the 11th.
Versailles
Full day. Take the RER B early, spend the morning in the palace, the afternoon in the gardens, back to Paris for dinner. A long dinner.
The Neighborhoods
No museums today. Morning at Canal Saint-Martin. Lunch in the 10th. Afternoon wandering wherever looks interesting. Evening in Oberkampf.
Musée d'Orsay and the Left Bank
Musée d'Orsay in the morning — the Impressionists, the building, the view of the Tuileries from the top floor clock. Afternoon on the Left Bank. Dinner in Saint-Germain.
Day Trip to the Countryside
Fontainebleau or Chartres — both within an hour of Paris, both extraordinary, both entirely different from the city. Return for a final Paris evening.
The Eiffel Tower and Whatever You Missed
The Eiffel Tower at opening before the queues build. The rest of the morning for anywhere you want to revisit. Long lunch. Afternoon at whatever pace feels right.
The One Week Rule That Applies to All of These
Whatever itinerary you choose, build in one morning or afternoon with absolutely nothing scheduled.
The best moments of any one-week Europe trip happen in the unplanned time — the restaurant found by wandering, the neighborhood discovered by getting slightly lost, the conversation that turns into an invitation somewhere unexpected. Protect that unplanned time like it's the most valuable thing in the itinerary. Because it is.
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