Paris rewards both the icons and the in-between moments. See the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre-Dame, but leave time to drift along the Seine, browse Left Bank bookshops and linger on a café terrace.
Each arrondissement has its own mood: bohemian Montmartre, elegant Marais, lively Latin Quarter. Buy a museum pass, walk more than you plan to, and eat where the locals queue.
The real magic of Paris is its rhythm — the morning market, the long lunch, the golden light on limestone facades at dusk.