Paris Travel Guide

When to go

Spring and early autumn are the usual shoulder seasons for milder weather and slightly calmer museum lines. Summer brings longer days and denser crowds around the Seine landmarks. Winter is quieter outdoors and better for indoor museums and cafés. Daylight is short.

Major holidays and fashion or sports weeks can fill central hotels. For a short first trip, one or two arrondissements as a base beats a checklist of every landmark.

How to get there

Flights from Houston typically leave IAH and arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). Orly appears on some connecting itineraries. The Houston to Paris flight guide covers routing ideas. Compare the live itinerary before you lock a booking.

A prebooked transfer or a clear RER and Metro plan to your station saves the first hour after a long flight. Have the address of where you are staying in French and English.

Getting around

The Metro and RER cover the city and the airports. Walking between nearby arrondissements is often faster than a multi-transfer Metro hop. Buses fill gaps when stations are far apart.

A rental car is a poor fit for a first central Paris trip. Day trips outside the city are a separate decision. If you rent, start outside the densest core and confirm parking at your lodging.

Where to stay

Areas only. No property on this page is a recommendation.

The Louvre, Rivoli, and the Marais put you near major museums and walkable streets, with tourist density to match.

Saint-Germain and the Latin Quarter suit Left Bank walks, bookshops, and river crossings on foot.

The Opera and the Grands Boulevards are convenient for department stores and transit hubs.

The 7th, near the Eiffel Tower, works if that skyline is your priority. Other sights then take longer on transit.

Stay where you will return each evening. Crossing Paris for every meal adds fatigue faster than the map suggests.

Things to do

Pick one major ticketed site per day. Book timed entries when the venue offers them.

• A Louvre or Musée d’Orsay morning. Not both on the same short day.
• A Seine walk: Île de la Cité, the Notre-Dame exterior, and a bridge loop without stacking every church.
• A Marais or Saint-Germain afternoon for streets, cafés, and smaller museums.
• The Eiffel Tower area or Trocadéro views. Summit tickets sell out and queues vary. Have a ground-level plan if timed entry is full.
• One evening reservation. Popular restaurants book ahead in peak months.

Connectivity and eSIM

Set up a travel eSIM before you fly if your phone supports one. Data at the curb covers maps, Metro apps, and your transfer. You do not need the first SIM counter you see at CDG.

Insurance and buffers

Compare travel insurance before nonrefundable museum tickets or tours. Policies differ on medical cover abroad and on trip interruption. This page does not pick a product for you.

Safety and entry

Confirm entry rules on the US State Department France page and official French government sources for your nationality before you buy a booking you cannot change. This guide does not list visa types or fees.

Use normal big-city habits: watch bags on the Metro, avoid unmarked rides, and keep phones secure in crowded tourist spots.

• US State Department: France

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A simple 3-day outline

1. Day 1 — Land and stay nearby

   Transfer in, drop bags, and keep the evening to a short walk and a simple meal. Skip a second major museum on arrival day.

2. Day 2 — One museum and one neighborhood

   Timed museum entry in the morning. Afternoon in the Marais or Saint-Germain. Early dinner near your base.

3. Day 3 — River landmarks or tower views

   Choose either a Seine and Île de la Cité loop or an Eiffel Tower area visit. Do not rush a stack of both with a late airport dash. Leave a wide buffer for CDG.