Paris makes more sense on foot
These aren't sightseeing checklists. They're neighborhoods and routes where the walking itself is the point.
Montmartre, early
Start earlier than you want to, before the hill fills up. Come out at Abbesses, take rue des Abbesses for the cafés and rue Lepic for the climb, and let the streets pull you gradually uphill.
The route itself is the point, not any single stop along it.
Le Marais, north to south
Start in the northern Marais and drift south. Eat at the market first, then let the small streets take you down toward Place des Vosges, which is where this walk is actually going.
Place des Vosges
Don't just walk through it. Sit under the arcades or on the grass for a while.
Red brick on four sides, plane trees and lawn in the middle, arcades all the way round for when it rains. It's the calmest square in the Marais, and most people give it four minutes.
The Seine and the islands
One of the best ways to feel the city is simply moving along the river. No route, no destination. The two islands in the middle of it are small enough that you can't really get it wrong.
Walk the river rather than racing between the landmarks on it.
If you'd rather ride it than walk it, a Lime along the car-free stretches of riverbank is one of my favorite things to do in the city.
Or picnic at the Jardin du Luxembourg.
Buy lunch on the way in, find a patch of grass, and stay longer than you meant to. On the first warm weekend of the year the whole city is lying on these lawns.
Maps ↗