Our Complete Paris Honeymoon: 8 Days of Romance, Culture & Adventure

Paris has a reputation for being the most romantic city in the world — and after spending eight incredible days there for our honeymoon in September 2021, we can confirm it lives up to the hype. But it's also so much more than romance. It's history, food, art, chaos, and discovery.

We're Samantha and Amir — a Vietnamese and Punjabi couple from Toronto who got married in August 2021 and jetted off to Paris right after. This guide covers everything we did, what we'd do differently, and practical tips we picked up along the way.

Day 1: Arrival & The Eiffel Tower

We arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport buzzing with excitement (and jet lag). After checking into our Airbnb in the Marais district — which we highly recommend for first-timers — we couldn't resist heading straight to the Eiffel Tower.

What we did:

Took the Metro to Trocadéro for the iconic photo angle
Walked across Pont d'Iéna to the tower base
Had dinner at a nearby brasserie with a view of the sparkling tower lights at 10 PM

Tips:

Book Eiffel Tower tickets online at least 2 weeks in advance — walk-up lines are brutal
The Trocadéro gardens give you the best photo backdrop, especially at golden hour
The tower sparkles every hour on the hour after dark for 5 minutes — time your visit accordingly

Watch our Eiffel Tower vlog for the full experience.

Day 2: The Louvre & Musée d'Orsay

Day two was our big museum day. We split it into two halves: the Louvre in the morning and the Musée d'Orsay in the afternoon. Both are absolutely world-class, but very different experiences.

The Louvre:

We spent about 3.5 hours and barely scratched the surface
The Mona Lisa room is packed (go early morning for shorter waits)
Highlights beyond Mona Lisa: Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Egyptian antiquities, and the Napoleon III apartments
The glass pyramid entrance is stunning at sunrise

Musée d'Orsay:

Housed in a former railway station — the architecture alone is worth the visit
Home to the world's greatest Impressionist collection (Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh)
Much more manageable size than the Louvre — 2 hours is a good visit
The café on the upper floor behind the giant clock face is magical

Tips:

Get the Paris Museum Pass (2 or 4 days) — it saves money and lets you skip ticket lines
Wear comfortable shoes. We walked over 20,000 steps this day alone
The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, d'Orsay on Mondays — plan accordingly

See our full Louvre Museum vlog for a walkthrough.

Day 3: Château de Versailles

Versailles is about 45 minutes by train from central Paris, and it's an absolute must-do. The palace is overwhelming in its grandeur — but what really blew us away were the gardens.

Highlights:

The Hall of Mirrors — genuinely breathtaking, especially in morning light
The gardens are enormous (2,000 acres). We rented a golf cart and still couldn't see everything
Marie Antoinette's estate (Le Petit Trianon) feels like stepping into a fairy tale
The fountain shows run on select dates — try to align your visit

Tips:

Take the RER C train from central Paris. Buy return tickets at the station
Arrive when it opens (9 AM) to beat tour bus crowds
Pack a picnic lunch — the on-site restaurants are overpriced and crowded
Budget a full day. We left at 9 AM and didn't get back until 6 PM

Full day documented in our Versailles vlog.

Day 4: Sacré-Cœur & Montmartre

Montmartre is the Paris of your dreams — cobblestone streets, artists painting on corners, accordion music drifting from cafés. It's the neighbourhood that inspired Amelie, and it feels exactly like the film.

What we explored:

Climbed the steps to Sacré-Cœur basilica (the view from the top of the dome is the best panoramic view of Paris — better than the Eiffel Tower, in our opinion)
Wandered through Place du Tertre where street artists work
Had crepes at a tiny stand on Rue Norvins
Explored the Dalí Museum (small but quirky)
Visited the "I Love You" wall in Montmartre (Mur des Je t'aime) — 311 times "I love you" in 250 languages

Tips:

The funicular saves your legs if you don't want to climb the steps
Montmartre is beautiful in the morning before crowds arrive
Watch out for the bracelet scammers at the base of Sacré-Cœur — just say "no" firmly and keep walking

Check out our Sacré-Cœur day vlog.

Day 5: The Catacombs

This was Amir's must-do and Samantha's "I'll do it for you" — and honestly, the Catacombs ended up being one of the most memorable experiences of the entire trip.

What to expect:

130 stairs down, narrow passages, low ceilings
The bones of 6 million people arranged in eerily artistic formations
The temperature underground is a constant 14°C (57°F) — bring a jacket even in summer
The tour takes about 45 minutes at a normal pace

What surprised us:

It's not actually scary — it's more contemplative and awe-inspiring
The artistic arrangement of skulls and bones is genuinely beautiful in a dark way
The exit pops you out in a completely random residential street — very surreal

Tips:

Book timed-entry tickets online. The walk-up line can be 2-3 hours
Not recommended for claustrophobic visitors — the passages are tight
Bags are checked at the exit to prevent bone souvenirs (yes, really)

See our full Catacombs experience.

Day 6: Galeries Lafayette & Opéra Garnier

We dedicated this day to the "fancy" side of Paris — high-end shopping at Galeries Lafayette and the stunning Opéra Garnier.

Galeries Lafayette:

Even if you don't buy anything, the architecture is jaw-dropping
The stained glass dome inside the main building is one of the most photographed spots in Paris
The rooftop terrace gives a free, uncrowded panoramic view of the city (including the Eiffel Tower)
We actually did some shopping — French skincare and perfume make great souvenirs

Opéra Garnier:

The building that inspired The Phantom of the Opera
Self-guided tours are available and worth every euro
The grand staircase, the Chagall-painted ceiling in the auditorium, the gilded everywhere — it's opulent to the extreme
Try to catch an actual performance if you can

Documented in our Day 6 vlog.

Day 7: The PCR Test Drama (A Cautionary Tale)

This is where our trip took an unexpected turn. In 2021, returning to Canada required a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. Sounds simple, right? It wasn't.

What happened:

We booked a PCR test at a clinic — it got cancelled the morning of
Spent hours walking around Paris pharmacies trying to find testing
Language barriers made everything harder
Eventually found a laboratory near Châtelet that could test us same-day

What we learned:

Always have a backup plan for travel requirements
Download Google Translate with the French language pack for offline use
Pharmacies in Paris can do antigen tests but NOT PCR tests — know the difference
The stress was real, but it also gave us one of our best travel stories

Despite the drama, we used the rest of the day to actually live like Parisians — picking up baguettes, sitting in parks, sipping wine at a corner café. Sometimes the unplanned days are the best.

The full story across three parts: Part 1, Part 2, and Did we make it?

Day 8: Jardin des Plantes & Final Goodbyes

Our last day was bittersweet. We chose something low-key: the Jardin des Plantes, one of Paris's oldest and most beautiful botanical gardens.

What we loved:

The Natural History Museum complex — especially the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution
The Alpine garden with plants from mountain regions worldwide
A quiet picnic on the grass (grab supplies from a nearby boulangerie)
The small menagerie (zoo) — one of the oldest in the world

Our goodbye ritual:

We walked along the Seine one last time
Had one final croissant at our favourite neighbourhood bakery
Took a quiet photo together at Pont des Arts

See our final day vlog.

Budget Breakdown (2021 Prices, CAD)

Category	Cost (8 days)
Flights (Toronto → Paris, return)	$1,400
Airbnb (Marais, 8 nights)	$1,600
Food & dining	$800
Museums & attractions	$350
Metro passes & transport	$120
Shopping & souvenirs	$400
Total	~$4,670

Our Top 10 Paris Tips

Stay in the Marais or Saint-Germain — central, walkable, full of character
Get the Museum Pass — pays for itself by day 2
Learn basic French — "Bonjour," "merci," "excusez-moi" go a very long way
Eat where locals eat — avoid restaurants with English menus on tourist streets
Walk everywhere — Paris is beautiful between destinations too
Pack layers — September weather shifts between warm sun and cool evenings
Tap water is free — ask for "une carafe d'eau" at restaurants
Metro is king — buy a carnet (pack of 10 tickets) for savings
Book everything online — timed-entry tickets save hours of waiting
Leave room for spontaneity — some of our best moments were unplanned

Also see our Top 10 Mistakes in Paris and What Surprised Us About Paris for more honest insights.

Would We Go Back?

Absolutely. Paris has so much we didn't get to — the Musée de l'Orangerie, a Seine River cruise at night, day trips to Giverny and Reims, the Latin Quarter jazz clubs. Eight days felt like a lot going in, but we left with a list just as long.

If you're planning a honeymoon and you love history, food, art, and walking for miles — Paris is hard to beat.

Have questions about planning your own Paris honeymoon? Drop a comment below or reach out to us. We love helping fellow travellers plan their trips.