Chicago → Paris — Hour-by-Hour

Finish packing, double-check passport & documents

Rideshare to O'Hare (allow ~45 min in traffic)

Arrive ORD Terminal 5, check in & drop bag

Security screening

Light snack, fill water bottle, relax at gate

Boarding begins

Depart ORD on Air France AF 137

Confirmation on file — window seat requested.

Dinner served onboard, then try to sleep

Land at CDG, Terminal 2E

Immigration & passport control

Collect luggage

Taxi to hotel (~45 min flat rate)

Arrive hotel, store bags (room not ready until 3 PM)

Lunch at a Le Marais café — croque-monsieur & coffee

Walking loop: Place des Vosges → narrow Marais streets

Check in, freshen up, short rest (avoid a long nap!)

Stroll to the Seine, sit by the riverbank

Early dinner at a neighborhood bistro

Back to hotel, sleep early to reset jet lag

Breakfast at hotel

Metro to the Louvre (arrive before opening crowds)

Louvre — Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Egyptian wing

Boulangerie picnic pick-up

Picnic lunch in the Tuileries Garden

Walk to Place de la Concorde & the Orangerie (Water Lilies)

Coffee break at a garden café

Return to hotel, rest

Seine-side walk, dinner in the Latin Quarter

Back to hotel

Breakfast

Metro to Trocadéro for the classic Eiffel Tower photo

Walk across the bridge to the tower

Ascend Eiffel Tower — pre-booked timed ticket

Second floor via lift + summit.

Lunch at a café on Rue Cler

Explore the Champ de Mars & Les Invalides area

Return to hotel, rest & recharge

Head to the river dock

Sunset Seine river cruise (~1 hour)

Dinner near Saint-Michel

Back to hotel

Early breakfast

Walk to RER C station

Train to Versailles (~45 min)

Arrive, walk to the palace

Château de Versailles — State Apartments & Hall of Mirrors

Lunch at a café near the estate

Explore Gardens & Fountains, walk to Grand Trianon

Coffee, then head back to the station

RER C train back to Paris

Rest at hotel

Relaxed dinner in Le Marais

Back to hotel

Breakfast

Metro to Montmartre

Climb (or funicular) to Sacré-Cœur, enjoy the view

Explore Place du Tertre (artists' square)

Lunch at a traditional Montmartre bistro

Wander the village — Wall of Love & vineyard

Café stop with pastries

Return to hotel, rest

Dinner near the Opéra district

Optional evening walk, then back to hotel

Breakfast

Metro to Musée d'Orsay

Musée d'Orsay — Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir

Lunch at the museum café

Walk to Saint-Germain-des-Prés, browse bookshops

Coffee at Café de Flore or Les Deux Magots

Stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens

Return to hotel, freshen up

Dinner in the Latin Quarter

Back to hotel

Breakfast

Walk to Île de la Cité

Visit Sainte-Chapelle (stunning stained glass)

See Notre-Dame exterior & surrounding area

Lunch at a riverside café

Free afternoon — souvenirs / revisit a favorite spot

Coffee & final packing prep

Farewell dinner at a reserved special spot

Reserve in advance — tasting menu.

Return to hotel, finish packing

Breakfast & final packing

Check out, store luggage if needed

Taxi to CDG (~45 min)

Arrive CDG Terminal 2E, check in & drop bag

Security & passport control

Last-minute duty-free shopping, coffee

Boarding begins

Depart CDG on Air France AF 136

Arrive Chicago O'Hare — welcome home!