Ultimate Paris Travel Planning Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world, and every trip can look a little different depending on how you get there, where you stay, and how much you want to see. In this guide, we break down the best ways to fly to Paris from the US, the most useful Paris itineraries, what to eat, and how to use the city as a great starting point for a bigger Europe trip.

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At a Glance

Best premium flight deals from the US	French Bee Premium Economy or La Compagnie Business Class (Newark → Orly)
Best economy points option	Flying Blue (Air France/KLM): transfer from Capital One, Chase, Citi, Amex
Airports	CDG (legacy carriers) or Orly (French Bee, La Compagnie)
Best area to stay	Near Gare du Nord (easy transit) or Gare de Lyon (better rates and train connections south and west). Saint-Germain-des-Prés for Paris vibes.
Minimum time needed	3-4 days
Best day trip from Paris	Brussels (90 min by train): one of the most underrated city in Europe
Don’t miss	Musée d’Orsay, Sacré-Cœur, a Michelin lunch prix fixe
Skip if short on time	Standing at the base of the Eiffel Tower: you’ll see it from everywhere

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How to Fly to Paris From the US

Paris has two major airports: Charles de Gaulle (CDG) on the north side of the city and Orly (ORY) to the south. Most transatlantic flights land at CDG. Orly is smaller and less connected internationally, but it’s home to a few carriers worth knowing about. We prefer Orly — it’s less chaotic than CDG and our favorite airline is based there.

Option 1: Legacy Carriers Into CDG

Flying Air France, Delta, United, or American into CDG is the most straightforward option. Direct flights are available from most major East Coast cities.

• RER B trains run from CDG to Gare du Nord in 30-40 minutes for around €14.
• CDG is widely available and airport connections are well established.
• The downside is price, especially in premium cabins. We consistently find better deals into Orly.

French Bee Premium Economy: The Best Value Flight to Paris

French Bee is a French low-cost carrier flying from Newark to Orly, and their Premium Economy cabin is one of the best-value transatlantic products we’ve found. Round-trip fares regularly come in between $900 and $1,300, which is often half what you’d pay on a legacy carrier. Seat selection, priority boarding, meals, drinks, and two checked bags are all included in the base fare.

The seat is slightly smaller than United or American Premium Economy, but not significantly. It’s comfortable for an overnight flight, has a nice recline, and they fly into Orly, which we prefer anyway.

👇 We have a full French Bee review with seat recommendations and booking tips on the site.

📌 French Bee Premium Economy Review: Too Good to Be True?

La Compagnie: Lie-Flat to Paris for Less

La Compagnie is a boutique French airline flying from Newark into Orly with an all-business-class cabin. Flight sales can bring fares down to around $2k round trip, which is competitive with premium economy on legacy carriers and one of the better values for a lie-flat seat across the Atlantic. Note, however, that recent fare “deals” have been running closer to $2.6k.

• The configuration is 2-2, which means window seat passengers have no aisle access, which is worth factoring in if you’re flying solo, a light sleeper, or anticipate needing to get up.
• Fewer flights per week means you need to be flexible on timing, and rebooking can be more complicated than with a larger carrier.
• Like French Bee, they fly into Orly, so plan your ground connections accordingly.

Option 3: Using Points to Fly Economy to Paris CDG

Flying Blue is the frequent flyer program for Air France and KLM and it’s a transfer partner for Capital One Venture, Chase Sapphire, Citi, and Amex. They run monthly specials that can bring one-way economy fares from major US cities to Paris down to less than 20k points.

With a Capital One Venture sign-up bonus, you can realistically cover flights and accommodation for a solo week in Paris without spending much cash. We walked through exactly how in our Paris on Points guide.

Pro Tip: If you’re connecting onward to another European city, check which airport your carrier departs from. Ryanair uses Paris-Beauvais, which is too far out to be practical. Vueling and easyJet operate from Orly, making them natural connections after a French Bee arrival.

📌 Paris on Points: How This Sign-Up Bonus Can Fund Your Budget Trip

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Where to Stay in Paris

Near Gare du Nord

This is our preference for trips that include connections to CDG or north in Europe. The area is well connected to trains and metro, walkable to Montmartre, and has some quiet streets once you get away from the transportation hub. We know a lot of people will say it’s too busy and really just for transit, but we love the area if you just walk 10 to 15 minutes from the station.

• Generator Paris (10th arrondissement): A hostel with a few large en suite private rooms that are affordable and comfortable. About a 20-minute walk to Gare du Nord, with a rooftop restaurant serving good cheese and wine. This is a solid pick for solo travelers and budget-conscious couples.
• Quiet boutiques near Gare du Nord: A 10-minute walk south from the station turns up options across every price range and travel style.
• Airbnb on a side street near the station: This is how we’ve stayed on our last few trips. It’s quieter, feels local, has more space, and is usually cheaper than a hotel. You’ll find good local cafés and bakeries once you get a block or two off the main drag.

Near Gare de Lyon

This is the practical alternative if you’re planning to connect by train to southern France, Italy, or Switzerland. It’s well connected by metro and generally more affordable than the 1st or 2nd arrondissement.

• CitizenM Paris Gare de Lyon: Our pick in this area. Rooms are very small by design, but CitizenM’s model is efficient, stylish rooms with a great communal space. The beds are excellent, the blackout curtains are fantastic for jet lag, and the corner room upgrade comes with an Eiffel Tower view you can see from bed. It’s now part of the Marriott portfolio, so points bookings are an option.

Points Tip: If you have a Capital One Venture card, the travel portal credit can cover several nights at a budget property near either station.

📌 CitizenM Review: 8 Things We Love and 4 Things We Hate

Near Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Saint-Germain is the pick if you want to feel like you’re actually living in the Paris of your imagination with café culture along the Seine. It’s more expensive than the areas near the train stations, but it’s worth the splurge.

• Hôtel des Académies et des Arts (6th arrondissement): A boutique hotel on a quiet street in the heart of Saint-Germain, with rooms decorated by local artists.
• Airbnb in the 6th: Saint-Germain has some of the most charming apartment rentals in the city.
• Left Bank boutiques: The streets around Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Luxembourg Gardens have independent hotels at every price point. Walk the neighborhood on a map before booking and look for anything on a side street rather than the main boulevard.

The tradeoff is logistics: Saint-Germain is not the neighborhood to choose if you have early trains or flights. It’s a Metro ride to both Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon, which adds time and friction. If your Paris trip is purely about the experience and you’re not using it as a hub for onward connections, this is where we’d stay.

Convenient option: The Novotel Paris Gare Montparnasse is right next to Gare Montparnasse, which connects you to high-speed TGV trains to the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, and southwest France. Montparnasse is on the southern edge of Saint-Germain, but this was a practical choice for us when we had to catch a train from here.

Pro Tip: We generally don’t recommend staying in the 7th arrondissement near the Eiffel Tower, unless there’s a good strategic reason, because you’ll tend to find less genuine experiences.

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What to See and Do in Paris

1-Day Paris Itinerary

One day in Paris is doable if you stay focused. This is the route we recommend:

• Morning: Walk from Gare du Nord up to Montmartre, which takes about 20 minutes on foot through increasingly charming streets. Head uphill to Sacré-Cœur Basilica where entry is free and the view from the steps is one of the best in the city. On a clear day you can see the Eiffel Tower in the distance with most of Paris below.
• Lunch: Fric Frac, a small café near Sacré-Cœur, serves one of the best Croque Madames we’ve had anywhere. It opens at noon and fills up fast, so make a reservation if you can.
• Afternoon: Grab an Uber or Bolt to the Louvre. We generally avoid rideshare in Paris because traffic is intense and prices are steep, but this is one exception, since the metro routing from Montmartre is less direct. You don’t need to go inside the Louvre on a one-day visit. Walk the pyramid courtyard, take your photos, then head into the Tuileries Garden. It runs west from the Louvre toward Place de la Concorde and you’ll see the Eiffel Tower framed through the trees.
• Late afternoon: Take the metro to Île de la Cité and walk the full perimeter of Notre Dame. The Gothic exterior is extraordinary up close, and seeing it restored after the 2019 fire is seriously moving.
• If time allows: Cross into Saint-Germain-des-Prés for a cheese plate and wine at La Palette, then a short walk to Luxembourg Gardens before heading back.

Pro Tip: The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, making  the best day for photos in the courtyard without entrance crowds.

One note on the Eiffel Tower: It’s visible from all over Paris, and that’s part of what makes the city feel so magical. You’ll see it from Montmartre, from the Tuileries, from bridges over the Seine. Don’t waste limited time battling crowds to actually enter the site unless climbing it is specifically on your list. We have more tips on that below.

📌 Paris: Top 10 Touristy Things That Are Totally Worth Doing

2-Day Paris Itinerary

• Musée d’Orsay: If you only have time for one museum, make it this one. It’s smaller and easier to navigate than the Louvre, housed in a converted Beaux-Arts train station, and holds the world’s best Impressionist collection. Buy a timed entry ticket online and aim to arrive at opening or two hours before close to avoid the most crowded times. Don’t miss the Seine view through the giant clock window on the top floor. Sometimes there’s a huge line but we’ve been there off-season and had it to ourselves.
• Brunch at Les Deux Magots: This is one of the most famous cafés in Paris, in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Yes, it’s a tourist hotspot, but worth it. The service is perfectly French and the omelets are exceptional. Sit outside on a weekday if possible.
• Walk the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe: Worth walking once even if you’re not shopping. Buy tickets in advance if you want to climb the Arc for the view down toward the Eiffel Tower. We personally skip this because there are so many great views to find just wandering the city.
• Picnic at Champ de Mars or along the Seine: Grab a baguette, cheese, and wine from a nearby Franprix or Monoprix and find a spot on the grass with an Eiffel Tower view or on the walkways along the Seine River. Parisians do this year-round when the weather allows.
• Seine Dinner Cruise: We were surprised how much we enjoyed this even on our seventh trip to Paris. Bateaux Mouches is our pick. Make sure you book a window table. They time it to pass the Eiffel Tower when it sparkles on the hour, which you can also view from the roofdeck.

3-Day Paris Itinerary: Go Deeper or Use Paris as a Hub

By day three you have two good options: slow down and explore neighborhoods you haven’t hit yet, or use Paris as a jumping-off point for a day trip.

For slowing down:

• Montmartre has more to it than Sacré-Cœur. Wander the quieter streets, find a local café, and explore the art studios.
• The Latin Quarter around Notre Dame is one of the oldest parts of the city and worth a wander.
• Dinner inside the Eiffel Tower at Madame Brasserie is worth doing at least once. If you want to go up the tower and a slower, more enjoyable pace, this is how we recommend doing it. You’ll get a special entrance and elevator, views of Paris with a nice dinner, and an opportunity to walk around the tower afterwards. Book months in advance and request a window seat. Lunch is a slightly more affordable way to experience it, but if you can time it to experience sunset, that’s even better. For a really special, high-end experience, check out the 2-Michelin star Jules Vernes located on the second floor.

Pro Tip: If you’ve visited Paris multiple times or want a deeper dive, check out these tips from our friend Tamara, The Brunette Abroad 👇

📌 The Best Things to Do in Paris for Returning Visitors

For a day trip:

• Brussels is 90 minutes from Gare du Nord by Thalys or Eurostar. In our opinion, it’s one of the most underrated cities in Europe for food and architecture, and easy enough for a full day trip with a return evening train.
• Amsterdam is about 3.5 hours from Gare du Nord and better as an overnight or extended trip if you want meaningful time there.

📌 Brussels Day Trip Guide: How to Visit From Paris or Amsterdam

For a Longer European Itinerary:

• Gare de Lyon connects to the south of France, Italy, and Switzerland by high-speed TGV train. Lyon, Nice, and Geneva are all within a few hours if you want to build a week or longer itinerary from Paris. Zurich makes a nice next stop, but at 4 hours away, it’s not a day trip.

📌 How to Visit 4 European Countries in a Week Without Over Packing Your Itinerary 

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Best Budget Airlines From Paris to Europe

If you’re flying French Bee or La Compagnie into Orly, connecting to another European destination by budget airline is a natural next step. This is the strategy we use most often: fly in comfortably, then add on a short hop for less.

What We Recommend

• Vueling: A Spanish budget carrier we’ve flown several times. Better crew, better seat design, and smoother boarding than Transavia.
• easyJet: Reliable and widely used across Europe. They connect from both Orly and CDG depending on the route.

What to Watch Out For

• Transavia: We flew this French budget carrier from Orly to Malaga and were disappointed. You can read about that experience here:
• Ryanair: Worth checking for price, but they operate out of Paris-Beauvais, which is too far from the city to make it practical for most connections.

Pro Tip: Always check which Paris airport your budget carrier departs from before booking. The difference between Orly and Beauvais is not trivial.

📌 Honest Transavia Review: Is It Worth It?

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What to Eat in Paris

Even on a short visit, eating well in Paris is not difficult. These are worth seeking out:

• Café and croissant: Walk into any neighborhood café that looks like locals use it and order a coffee and a croissant. Don’t overthink it.
• Croque Madame or Croque Monsieur: A Croque Monsieur is a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with béchamel. A Croque Madame adds a fried egg on top.
• Pain au chocolat: Pick one up from any boulangerie. The best ones are warm and flaky with a soft chocolate center.
• French omelette: Cooked low and slow, folded rather than flipped, pale yellow with no browning. Nothing like a diner omelette. Les Deux Magots does a great one.
• Escargot: Served in the shell with garlic butter and parsley at most traditional brasseries. Try it at least once.
• Fresh baguette: The French government regulates what qualifies as a traditional baguette, which tells you everything you need to know about how seriously they take it. Pick one up from any boulangerie.
• Macarons: Pierre Hermé and Ladurée are the famous names, with locations near most major sights. A box travels well and makes a better souvenir than anything sold in an airport gift shop.
• Cheese and wine: Order a cheese plate wherever you sit down. La Palette in Saint-Germain is our favorite spot for this.
• Michelin lunch prix fixe: This is one of the best values in Paris. Mid-day menus are shorter, more affordable, and you still get the full experience.

Pro Tip: Always say “bonjour” before anything else when you walk into a restaurant, café, or shop. It’s an important etiquette in France that goes a long way.

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Paris Travel FAQ

What is the cheapest way to fly to Paris from the US?

Premium: French Bee Premium Economy from Newark is consistently the best premium cabin value transatlantic option we’ve found. Round-trip fares run $900–$1,300 and include meals, bags, and priority boarding.

Business: For business class at a lower price point, La Compagnie flies all-business-class from Newark with periodic sales around $2-2.5k round trip.

Economy: While French Bee does run amazing fare sales on economy seats, they really squeeze a lot of passengers in with 11 seats across. On the points side, however, Flying Blue runs monthly specials that can bring economy fares down to under 20k points each way on Air France or KLM.

Is French Bee Premium Economy worth it?

Yes, for most travelers. The seat is slightly narrower than premium economy on United or American, but the price difference is significant: often $500–$800 less round trip. Meals, drinks, seat selection, and two checked bags are included. It’s a comfortable overnight flight and lands at Orly, which we prefer to CDG anyway. We have a full review on the site with seat recommendations.

How many days do you need in Paris?

Three full days gets you through the major sights without rushing. Four is better if you want to slow down, explore neighborhoods, or add a day trip. If you’re working with limited PTO, three days on the ground is very doable from the East Coast, especially when taking a red-eye over after work.

Which Paris airport should I fly into?

CDG is the default for most transatlantic flights and well connected to the city by RER B. Orly is smaller, less chaotic, and where French Bee and La Compagnie operate from. Both provide easy connections to European budget carriers to continue on through Europe. We avoid budget airlines that operate from Paris-Beauvais, which is Ryanair’s base and too far from the city to be practical.

What is the best area to stay in Paris?

It depends on how you’re getting around. Near Gare du Nord works well if you’re arriving by Eurostar, connecting to CDG, or watching your budget. The neighborhoods have good local cafés once you get away from the station, and it’s walkable to Montmartre. Near Gare de Lyon is the better base if you’re continuing south to Lyon, Nice, or into Switzerland or Italy by train. Both areas have affordable hotel options.

If you’re staying longer, we suggest venturing out a bit further. You can actually check out tips from our friend Tamara, the Brunette Abroad, who has spent extensive time in Paris.

👉 The Best Things to Do in Paris for Returning Visitors

Have you been to Paris? Planning a trip? Let us know in the comments.

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