Best London and Paris itinerary for a week

We get a lot of questions about first-time itineraries to Europe, and one of the all-time classics is combining London and Paris in exactly a week. When you’ve spent so much time in these cities it can be hard to put yourself in the shoes of someone who has visited neither, but it’s important to do just that in order to help someone have the best first-visit possible.

Start in London or Paris?

Assuming this will be your first trip to both London and Paris, you’ll have to choose which to visit first. Either one would work, but I personally have a strong preference for starting in London and I’ll tell you why.

You’ll probably be getting off a long flight and you’ll probably be jet-lagged (most of our readers are from the US and Canada), and London is easier to deal with when you first arrive because you’ll be able to read all of the signs and speak easily to everyone you meet. Europe has a different vibe than anywhere else, and it’s easier to get into the swing of things in London than it is in Paris.

Also, if you are coming from North America, London is one time zone closer than Paris, which will make it slightly easier to adjust quickly. You’ll almost certainly be in some kind of daze on the day you arrive, and it’s obviously less disorienting if you can read the signs and get help from anyone.

Should you fly into one and fly out of the other?

Airfares have changed quite a bit over the years and it used to cost MUCH less to fly round-trip into and out of the same city. This is still often the case, but it’s definitely worth checking to see the price difference in flying into London and out of Paris a week later. Even if it’s, say, US$200 more expensive to fly into London and fly home from Paris, it might still be worth it.

It’s easy to get between the two cities, but you’ll usually have to take the Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel. This typically costs about US$100 per person and takes half a day when you factor in airport transportation from the train station.

These days even long-haul flights such as the US or Canada to Europe are sold as two one-way fares in some cases. Since it’s much better to fly into London and fly home from Paris, it’s worth checking the one-way fare on each. You might even be better off flying a different airline in each direction and it can still be worth it and sometimes even cheaper. That said, in many other cases it will cost MUCH more to book each part of the trip separately, and if that’s the case it’s easy enough to get from Paris back to London for your flight home.

Getting between London and Paris

For almost everyone, the fastest and easiest way to get from London to Paris is to take the Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel. But flying is possible as well and we will discuss both options below.

Taking the Eurostar between London and Paris

The train going from central London to central Paris is a really cool way of getting between the cities and it will save a LOT of time because you won’t have to get out to the airport hours in advance and then have to get transport back into the other city once you arrive. However, it’s critical to BUY YOUR EUROSTAR TICKETS EARLY because the fares go WAY up as the dates draw near.

Eurostar fares

  • If you book a month or more in advance: €76 to €100
  • If you wait until the last minute: €220 to €270

The Eurostar takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes each way as it travel between St. Pancras station in London and Gare du Nord station in Paris. Both stations are in central districts with scores of hotels nearby so they are convenient and easy to reach. In fact, both are pretty good neighborhoods for sightseeing as well, so staying near one or both can be a good idea, especially if you book an early or late Eurostar train.

Unlike nearly all other European train journeys, the Eurostar works more like a flight. You need to check in at least 30 minutes before departure and you need to go through security and a border check and then wait in a special boarding area. The seats are also a bit smaller than normal trains and the legroom in 2nd Class is pretty tight, similar to flying coach.

Even with that in mind, it’s much better to take the Eurostar than fly and it will save you time and be more enjoyable. The views between London and Paris are not particularly nice, but it’s still a million times less stressful than going through airport security and flying.

Flying between London and Paris

Flying between London and Paris can be cheap if you buy your tickets at least a couple months in advance, but it’s confusing, time consuming, and always a hassle. The first point of confusion is that Paris has two main airports (Charles de Gaulle and Orly) and London has FIVE airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, and London City), and each has its own transportation options to work out.

The cheapest flights between the two cities are usually between the less-famous airports, and it can sometimes take two hours to reach those airports, especially the smaller London ones. British Airways and Air France DO have nonstop flights taking 75 minutes between Charles de Gaulle and Heathrow, and they can be as cheap as about US$60 each way if you buy well in advance or as much as US$300 each way if you buy at the last minute.

We will cover this below, but these flights can be useful if you flew into London and then took the Eurostar to Paris, and then you have a flight home from London Heathrow.

Best one-week London and Paris itinerary

Again, for most people it will be best to fly into London and spend 3 or 4 days there before taking the Eurostar train to Paris for the remainder of the week. I’ll tell you the best ways of doing this, where to stay, and provide suggestions for the main attractions to see each day below.

Day 1: Land in London and check into your hotel

Most flights from the US or Canada will leave in the late afternoon or early evening and fly overnight. They land in London or Paris sometime the following morning. Hopefully you can make this “one week” trip either 8 days or 9 days because you’ll almost always lose a travel day on the way there. Of course, if you are coming from Australia or somewhere in Asia, it’ll be the reverse and you’ll lose a day on your way home.

If it’s a long-distance flight you’ll almost certainly land at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). You’ll probably be tired and/or jet-lagged as well. You can get into London for under £7 on the Tube, but it will take at least an hour and possibly up to two hours depending on where you are staying. In that condition, it’s best to treat yourself to the Heathrow Express.

The Heathrow Express train runs between the airport station and Paddington Station in London (which is very centrally located) and takes 15 minutes. Tickets are as cheap as £5.50 each way if you buy 90 days in advance, up to £25 each way if you buy at the last minute. Again, buy early and save.

Where to stay in London?

London is huge and there are hotels spread all over the city, so before your first visit it can be challenging to confidently choose which area to base yourself in. I’ve lived in London for 6 months and also visited countless times as a tourist, so I feel qualified to help you narrow this decision down quickly.

One slightly odd quirk of London hotels is there are a small number of (usually overpriced) hotels close to certain famous landmarks, and also other neighborhoods that are loaded with so many hotels that it’s hard to believe. Those specific “hotel neighborhoods” tend to be your best choice because the hotels have to compete for business by offering good service and decent prices, and also there tends to be plenty of pubs and restaurants nearby because of all of the visitors. I have two favorites among these hotel neighborhoods and one is a bit more remote and cheaper than the other.

Best London neighborhoods to stay in for 3 or 4 nights

1 – Russell Square

Located directly behind the British Museum (which you’ll want to visit and it’s free), Russell Square is a small park with a convenient Tube station in an extremely central location with dozens of nice hotels that offer good value. There aren’t many hotels overlooking the park, but there are dozens of hotels along the side streets in the area, and anywhere in this general neighborhood is a great hotel location.

It’s steps from the British Museum and also a short walk to Oxford Street, SoHo, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, West End theatres, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, great shopping, countless restaurants, and much more. It’s also a fairly short walk to the St. Pancras train station where the Eurostar train leaves for Paris, so it’s very convenient on your way out of town.

This 3.5-star hotel charges around £180 per night for a room in medium season. It might be fully booked for your dates, but even if it is, you can search for other places in that same area knowing they will have the same ultra-convenient location.

Bayswater

About 3 miles west of Russell Square, along the northern border of Hyde Park is the hotel neighborhood of Bayswater. There are hundreds of small hotels in this area and they tend to be cheaper than Russell Square because they are a little less convenient and there is even more competition among them. In other words, you’ll get a similar hotel room for maybe 30% less in this neighborhood, and you’ll have to walk a bit more or take a few extra stops on the Tube.

That said, Bayswater is a really nice and non-commercialized neighborhood (I used to live next to it in Notting Hill), with plenty of great places nearby. You’ll be close to Hyde Park, the Marble Arch and Speakers Corner, Kensington Palace, Oxford Street, Notting Hill and the Portobello Road daily market, Edgware Road, and helpfully, Paddington railway station, which is where the Heathrow Express arrives and that is a nice bonus after an overnight flight.

This 3-star hotel gets great reviews and charges around £120 per night in medium season for a room. It’s a short walk to Paddington Station, which is also a Tube stop so you can get anywhere else in London pretty quickly from there.

Day 1 after a post-flight rest

After checking into your hotel and maybe resting or taking a shower, you’ll still be disoriented, but you’ll have half a day left and it’s good to start some easy sightseeing.

Oxford Street/Hyde Park/Marble Arch

If you stay in either of the suggested neighborhoods above, you’ll be a short walk from Oxford Street, which is London’s main shopping street and Europe’s busiest as well. It’s at the edge of Hyde Park and it runs a bit over a mile to Oxford Circus. There’s always plenty to see in this area, even if you aren’t actually in the mood for shopping.

By the way, the Primark shop you see in the photo is one of the least impressive buildings on Oxford Street, but it’s always packed because they sell clothes there for prices so low you can only assume they are stolen. But they aren’t!

Day 2: First full day in London

There are thousands of possible things to see and do in London, and I’ll suggest some of the best for first-time visitors each day. It’s wise to get an early start, and if you are jet-lagged you might be waking up much earlier than normal, so you can take advantage of that and be out the door by 8 AM or so after a good hotel breakfast.

Hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus tour and/or Thames River cruise

The best way to get oriented and figure out where all the famous things are on your first full morning is either the hop-on, hop-off bus tour, which lasts about 3 hours, or the Thames River cruise, which can last 80 minutes to 3 hours depending on how far you go. Both of these tours leave from close to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, so you can see both of those from the outside before your tour.

Actually, if the traffic is bad, which it often is in London, the bus tour can last up to 4.5 hours. I’ve done the whole thing and the part after the Tower of London is not nearly as interesting as the first two thirds of it, so I’d just hop off there. By the way, the bus tour, the Tower of London, and many other things on this list are included with the London Pass. Have a look at my London Pass review to see if you will save you money and time as well.

Tower of London and Tower Bridge

Two of London’s most famous and iconic attractions are close together and you can visit both of them after getting off either the bus tour or Thames boat. The Tower of London is about 1,000 years old with a castle inside and the famous Crown Jewels. The Tower Bridge is the one with the two big towers right on the bridge. You’ll want photos of it, and you can tour the inside as well.

By the way, all of these things so far are including in the London Pass and you can check out our London Pass review to see if it might be right for your interests.

British Museum

Especially if you are staying near Russell Square, you’ll be very close to the famous British Museum. Admission is free (thanks to British taxpayers) and it is the home to Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles among hundreds of thousands of other things.

Since it’s free to enter, you can just pop in to see a few things and how impressive the building is if you are tired or bored. If you love history and museums then you can spend many hours in here, but even if you don’t it’s worth stopping in for at least half an hour to see the Rosetta Stone, for crying out loud! After all, it’s free to get in and the thing isn’t too far from the entrance.

Day 3: Second full day in London

You might be able to sleep in a bit longer on your second morning, but it will still be a busy day so you might as well start as early as you can.

Covent Garden/Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus

This famous area is walking distance south of Russell Square and it’s filled with shops, street performers, restaurants, bars, cinemas, live theatres, and countless other quirky and interesting things to see and do.

Buckingham Palace

You can see the famous Changing of the Guard in front of Buckingham Palace daily in summer and most days of the week the rest of the year. It gets old pretty fast in my opinion, but it’s worth seeing and the whole area around there is gorgeous.

Camden Locks Market or Portobello Road market

If you are tired of standard retail shops, head to either of these famous outdoor markets. Camden Locks market is actually a group of outdoor market areas featuring odd things and souvenirs along with lots of interesting clothes. The Portobello Road market is in the heart of Notting Hill and runs about 10 blocks along Portobello Road. Saturday is the big day with antiques and the most vendors, but it runs every day and is always worth a look, partly because the neighborhood is so nice.

Go to at least one pub

Even if you don’t drink alcohol, you should visit at least one pub during your time in London. Except for the busiest commercial or shopping streets, you’ll find pubs almost everywhere in London. Ask your hotel for a good suggestion nearby. You’ll order drinks at the bar (including non-alcoholic drinks) and pay for them each round, with no tipping necessary. Find yourself a seat and enjoy the atmosphere.

If you are staying in Bayswater or a bit south in Kensington, you might seek out the Churchill Arms, which many agree is the most beautiful pub in the world. They also serve above-average Thai food.

Day 4: Travel to Paris

Hopefully you bought your tickets on the Eurostar train at least a month or two in advance for the cheapest fares. If you are staying near Russell Square and didn’t pack too much you might be able to walk to St. Pancras station. If not, you can take the Tube to St. Pancras and then follow the signs for the Eurostar Lounge, which is upstairs from the main concourse.

Again, you’ll have to check in at least 30 minutes before departure and a bit more is recommended because you also have to go through an Immigration check point to get out of Britain and into the Schengen Zone of Europe in Paris. There is a private lounge for Eurostar passengers past the checkpoint, and you’ll watch the TV screens for your departure details.

The Eurostar isn’t the most comfortable train if you are seated in coach, but the ride is only about 2 hours and 15 minutes and they will come by and serve you drinks or snacks at decent prices. Next thing you know, you’ll arrive at Gare du Nord in Paris and then step off the train.

Where to stay in Paris

Especially since you’ll probably be arriving in Paris in the middle of the day and fully rested, there is no need to stay near Gare du Nord train station, although it actually is a pretty nice and central area so you could do a lot worse. I have three recommended neighborhoods in Paris that each have a lot of pluses and only a few minuses to them.

Best Paris neighborhoods to stay in for 3 or 4 nights

These three neighborhoods are both perfect for a first-time visit to Paris. The first two are a bit on the expensive side, but it’s worth a bit of a splurge for a convenient location and less time riding the Metro going back and forth.

Rue Cler

In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower you’ll find this charming little neighborhood centered around a historic market street called Cler. There are market stalls open during the day and it looks like a postcard come to life, or a Paris movie that seems too good to be true. It’s a fairly quiet, small street, but there are plenty of small hotels. It’s about a 15-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower itself from here, passing by dozens of restaurants and interesting shops before you get to the park under the tower.

Suggested hotel in Rue Cler: Cler hotel

I’ve stayed in this one myself and recommended to other people and everyone loves it. It’s a newer, modern hotel in an older building with a lift running through the center. The lobby is one floor up and the rooms are above that. The breakfast buffet is amazing (not uncommon in Paris) and it’s right in the heart of the market street. Rooms now go for around €300 per night, which is more than they charged a few years ago, but the reviews are phenomenal and you’ll love it if you can afford it. If not, look for hotels near there and they will also have an amazing location.

Le Marais

A former Jewish Quarter, the Le Marais neighborhood is stylish, mostly quiet, and extremely well located for sightseeing. It’s just a few blocks away from the Notre Dame Cathedral and many other sights you’ll be visiting for sure as well. This being Paris, there are also small, neighborhood restaurants all over the place. It’s not overly touristy, but it’s touristy enough that you can get by speaking English if you need to.

Suggested hotel in le Marais: Grand Hotel Malher

This 3-star hotel gets excellent reviews and is located on a quiet sidestreet in the heart of Le Marais. Rooms are around €250 per night in the medium season and it seems to be sold out in advance most of the time.

Montmartre

One of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris, Montmartre is on a small mountain (a hill, really) with a gorgeous and famous cathedral at the top called Sacré-Cœur (sacred heart) and the place feels magical at night. It’s an artist community that strangely has a large collection of affordable hotels, by Paris standards anyway. Even if you don’t stay here, do yourself a favor and visit the Sacré-Cœur at night and walk down the hill through the neighborhood and have at least a drink if not dinner. There are a couple of convenient Metro stations as well as a funicular going to the cathedral on top.

Suggested hotel in Montmartre: Timhotel Montmartre

This 3-star hotel charges about €180 per night in medium season and it’s perfectly located in the most beautiful area of Montmartre. It has modern fixtures, an included breakfast buffet, and it gets excellent reviews for its price range.

Paris arrival day

Hopefully you won’t be jet-lagged when you arrive in Paris after the trip from London. You’ll lose an hour on the clock (it’s noon in Paris when it’s 11 AM in London) and you’ll still be tired from the journey. You probably don’t want to visit the Eiffel Tower or Louvre on arrival day, but you have time to get oriented.

Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe

Some call it the most beautiful avenue in the world, but even if it’s not, this tree-lined street is Paris’ main shopping street for big and famous stores and brands. Even if you aren’t a shopper, you’ll want to see it for yourself and it’s a good place to get used to being in Paris. It’s a bit less than 2 kilometers (a bit over 1 mile) long so you can walk the whole thing.

At the western end is the Arc de Triomphe in all of its glory. Take a few photos and then look for the underground passageways to get under the circular traffic lanes and to the base of the Arc itself. You can pay to climb the stairs (or ride an elevator if they think you need it) and view the city from the top. It’s pretty spectacular, especially around sunset.

Day 5: First full day in Paris

You’ll thank yourself if you wake up early and get an early start to sightseeing. That will be less important on the remaining days in Paris, but today it will help a lot. Most hotels offer an included breakfast buffet and they are almost always amazing.

Hop-on, hop-off bus tour

You might see those double-decker “hop-on, hop-off” buses in other cities and think the passengers are morons, but seriously, the HOHO bus tours in Paris are excellent and the best of the 30 or 40 of them I’ve done around the world. A few different companies do similar routes departing from in front of the Eiffel Tower, doing about a 2-hour 15-minute loop on both sides of the Seine. There is something about Paris that is perfect for these because it has so many beautiful and notable historic buildings that you can see perfectly from the top deck, and the entire 2+-hour route is packed with highlights.

Not only will you get amazing photos of almost everything in Paris on this tour, but you’ll also know where almost everything important is located, so you’ll have a much easier time getting to the things you’ll be seeing for the rest of your stay. You’ll also be learning about some attractions you might have never heard of and that you’ll want to visit later in your trip. For example, Paris has one of the world’s most beautiful opera houses and you can tour the place during the day or attend a performance in the evening.

While it’s true that you can “hop off” and then hop back on again, I recommend doing the whole 2-hour 15 minute tour. If you started at the Eiffel Tower (you can start anywhere on the route, but the Eiffel Tower is the best), you’ll finish there as well and then you can go up the tower if you like. If you aren’t doing the Eiffel Tower then you might stay aboard and ride the bus to a stop where you want to visit something, but honestly it’s not an efficient way of getting between sights, so it’s better to just do one loop and get off.

Eiffel Tower

If you did the HOHO bus tour you’ll be deposited back at the base of the Eiffel Tower, which is perfect! Going up the Eiffel Tower feels like a bucket-list thing to do, but I can pretty much guarantee that it WON’T be one of the highlights of your trip. It’s kind of a hassle and the views from the top (3rd) floor aren’t as interesting as you’d expect.

It’s best to make a reservation for either a pass to climb the stairs to the first or second level, or take the elevator to the 2nd or 3rd level. Your best photos will be from the 2nd level, but it’s hard to resist that elevator to the top. You also have to go through airport-style security first, which takes some time. You can’t really brag about skipping the Eiffel Tower when you get home, so you might as well at least go to the 2nd level and probably 3rd as well.

Louvre museum

Speaking of bucket-list attractions, the Louvre is probably the world’s most famous museum and the building itself (a former palace) is almost as interesting as the artworks inside. It’s also unbelievably huge and fairly confusing, especially on your first visit. If you are a real culture-vulture and can’t wait to see thousands of paintings and sculptures, then you can spend the rest of the day in the Louvre.

But if you are a commoner like most of us, you can go in and make a beeline for the Mona Lisa and then the Venus de Milo, and then leave. Just seeing those two works of art will take at least 45 minutes and in the process you’ll pass by hundreds or thousands of other art works, which you can admire for as long as you like on the way. The Louvre is an amazing place, but don’t feel pressured to spend 3 or 4 hours in it if you aren’t genuinely interested in classical European art.

Seine cruise at sunset

Similar to the hop-on, hop-off bus tour, the other thing that I recommend everyone try to do is to take one of the 1-hour cruises on the Seine, preferably around sunset. A few different companies offer the same route that starts in front of the Eiffel Tower and goes past Notre Dame cathedral before turning around and coming back.

Like most other European cities, Paris was originally built along the river and most of the important and famous buildings actually face the Seine (including the Louvre), so the best view and photos are from the river. Paris has 37 bridges that go over the Seine and these cruises go under more than half of them. It’s all gorgeous during the day, and when the sun sets they all have special lighting and they each have a different kind of magic.

The cruises are worthwhile evening during the day, but if you can time it such that you depart as the sun is setting then you’ll see all of the bridge lights and the riverside buildings lit up on the way back. Leaving after sunset is also great because everything is so well lit that you won’t miss anything.

Consider a Paris Pass

It’s worth checking out my Paris Pass review because depending on your tastes, most of the things on this list are covered by the pass and it’ll save you time and money. Even if you don’t get a Paris Pass you should do the HOHO bus and Seine Cruise if possible.

Day 6: Second full day in Paris

You’ve probably had a busy first day in Paris and seen most of the bucket-list items, so you might be able to sleep in a bit on your second day and take it a bit easier.

Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle

You probably remember the top of Notre Dame cathedral catching fire in 2019. It’s in the process of being rebuilt, but the interior of it isn’t scheduled to be open to the public until late 2024. However, it’s an amazing building and you can take a guided tour of the exterior and hear about the building as well as the fire itsel.

This is such an iconic place that you’ll want to see it up close even if you can’t go inside. And of course, it’s free to visit and it’s very central so you should go.

You may never have heard of Sainte-Chapelle and you wouldn’t be alone. It’s a small chapel just a few short blocks from Notre Dame and inside you’ll see the most amazing stained-glass windows anywhere in the world. It’s a short tour and there are two chambers with glass, so it packs a big punch on even a short visit. It’s also included in the Paris Museum Pass, which is included in the longer Paris Passes as well.

Latin Quarter walk and shopping

You can’t spend your entire visit going to museums and churches, and after Sainte-Chapelle you’ll be a short walk to the Latin Quarter, just south of the Seine, which is one of Paris’s most famous and most charming neighborhoods. This area is home to the Sorbonne, which is also known as the University of Paris.

Just like university neighborhoods all over the world, the Latin Quarter is filled with students and interesting shops and restaurants. It’s a perfect place to just roam around and have a coffee or pastry or even sit down for lunch and a glass or two of wine.

Catacombs or Orsay Museum

After lunch and a stroll around the Latin Quarter you have two great options and both are walking distance. Either head south a few blocks to reach the Catacombs of Paris, or walk west along the Seine to reach the under-rated Orsay Museum.

The Catacombs of Paris are a famous network of underground tunnels that house literally millions of skeletons of past residents. It’s not for everyone, but some people love it. It’s worth noting that it’s not recommended for those with mobility issues. In fact, there are 131 steps to go down and 112 steps to climb up. The walk is about a mile (1.5 km) and it takes about an hour.

If you were a bit frustrated by the crowds and size of the Louvre the day before, you’ll be happy to know that the Orsay Museum, which is across the Seine from the Louvre, is much more enjoyable. Housed in a former train station, the Orsay building is also gorgeous and unique. It’s also filled with famous works including one of Van Gogh’s Starry Night paintings as well as Whistler’s Mother. It’s always much less crowded than the Louvre and you can enjoy most of it in 90 minutes or so.

Evening walk in Montmartre and dinner

While the Latin Quarter is Paris’s famous student district, Montmartre is the famous artist district. Montmartre is set on the face of a hill just a bit north of the Seine, and it feels magical at night. At the top of the hill is the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, which is free to enter and well worth the time. You can reach it partly by funicular, which is also a bit of fun.

I highly recommend visiting Montmartre in the evening because the whole neighborhood gets lit up in brilliant colors that are unlike anything else you’ll see anywhere. The view from in front of the basilica is amazing at night, and the walk down the hill through the smaller streets will be a Paris highlight that you’ll never forget. The easy downhill walk goes through a few public squares that are lined with restaurants, and they are an excellent place to eat and have a glass or two of wine.

As mentioned above, the Montmartre neighborhood is also home to quite a few more affordable hotels, so it can be a great place to base yourself if the section above sounds interesting at all.

Day 7: Third full day in Paris (if you have it)

As discussed near the top, preparing a “one-week” itinerary for London and Paris can be confusing. Most people will arrive in London on an overnight flight, while others will depart on an overnight flight, and that adds a day. So if you leave, say, New York on Saturday, you’ll arrive in London on Sunday and your first full day will be Monday. If you fly back on the following Sunday, you’ll have 6 full days and one of those days will partly be getting from London to Paris.

In other words, you’ll have to adjust your schedule based on how many actual days you’ll be in Europe. If you DO have an extra full day, here are some ideas.

Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles is one of Paris’s most famous and most loved attractions, but it’s actually located about 90 minutes outside of the city, so a proper visit takes more than half a day even if you move through it pretty quickly. You might save the Palace for your next visit to Paris, but if you have time it definitely won’t disappoint.

The huge complex includes gardens and you could spend a whole day there. It’s closed on Mondays, by the way, and it’s also included in the Paris Pass. If it was in the city center you’d definitely include it on your first visit, but since it’s outside of town it would require missing out on several other things to fit it into a short visit.

Choose whatever interests you most

There are thousands of worthwhile things to visit in Paris and if you’ve got part of a last day left, you’ll have come across many things that you’d still like to see. While on the HOHO bus tour you’ll see dozens of interesting buildings and museums and places that you might want to see up close, and you should leave yourself some time to see one or more of them.

Day 8: Travel home

It’s difficult to do any real sightseeing on the day you fly home, so it’s best to just plan a quiet morning and maybe do a bit of souvenir shopping if you still want something. As we discussed near the top, it’s ideal if you can book a flight home directly from Paris, and it’s worth spending more if you can do it, but since many round-trip tickets are WAY more expensive this way, you might have to fly back to London for your flight home.

Important: If you have to fly back to London, pay attention to the airports

As mentioned at the top, London has 5 major airports and the cheapest flights into London are never into Heathrow, which is where your flight home will almost certainly depart from. So if you book a flight, pay close attention to the airport. You can often get a cheap ticket into London Standsted or Luton, but then you’ll have to take a bus transfer from there to Heathrow, and that can take 2 or 3 extra hours.

It’s best to book a flight from either of the Paris airports directly into Heathrow at least a few hours before your flight home. British Airways and Air France have nonstop flights from CDG Airport to Heathrow and they are fairly cheap if you buy way in advance.

It’s also probably not worth taking the Eurostar train back to London because getting from the station there to Heathrow is also time consuming.

Questions?

Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions. I enjoy trying to help people plan trips like these.

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All Comments

  1. rithika puli says:

    Hi,
    I love this plan and was just wondering how much everything was for this trip?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Rithika,

      Pretty much all of the prices are mentioned in the article, and the hotels in particular can cost different rates depending on the time of year. -Roger