How to build a session route that works for your time, energy, and vision
One location is enough for a complete, polished gallery. Two or three locations give you variety in backdrop, light, and mood. The right number depends on your package, how much walking suits you, and what you want the photos to say. This guide covers how I plan routes across Paris, which locations work well together, and how to decide what fits your session.
I am Finzi. I have planned and shot hundreds of routes across this city, from a single quiet street in the 16th arrondissement to a three-location arc spanning the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, and Le Marais. Every route decision is a trade-off between variety and depth. Read the sections that match your plan. Skip the rest.
The Essential package is one hour, 30 edited photos, and one location. The Signature is two hours, 50 edited photos, and two locations. The Prestige is three hours, 60 edited photos, and three locations. Those numbers are not arbitrary. One hour at a single location gives enough time to explore multiple angles, compositions, and moods within a concentrated area. Adding a second location with the Signature adds contrast and variety without rushing either spot.
The Signature is my most popular package for a reason. Two locations in two hours is the sweet spot. You get one famous backdrop and one that is more intimate or unexpected, and the session feels like a walk rather than a sprint. The Prestige suits couples or families who want a full narrative, morning to golden hour, or across genuinely different parts of the city.
TipIf you are undecided between Essential and Signature, choose Signature. The second location almost always produces the session's standout image.
| Package | Price | Duration | Photos | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | €300 | 1 hour | 30 photos | 1 location |
| Signature | €500 | 2 hours | 50 photos | 2 locations |
| Prestige | €800 | 3 hours | 60 photos | 3 locations |
The most efficient routes group locations by geography, not by name recognition. The Eiffel Tower corridor, running from Trocadéro through Pont de Bir-Hakeim to Avenue de Camoëns, is almost entirely walkable. According to the official Eiffel Tower operator at toureiffel.paris, the Trocadéro metro station is "15 minutes by foot from the Tower," and Bir-Hakeim station is "less than 10 minutes' walk" from the Tower's main entrance. That means Trocadéro, Bir-Hakeim, and Camoëns can all be reached on foot within a single session without losing time to transport. I use this cluster constantly for Signature packages.
For couples wanting contrast, pairing an Eiffel Tower location with Le Marais works well. The Marais offers narrow streets, stone courtyards, and Haussmann-era architecture, a completely different visual register from the open river views near the Tower. The Paris Je t'aime official tourism office notes that Trocadéro, the Invalides, and the Grand Palais form one natural walking corridor, while Montmartre and Le Marais sit in separate parts of the city. Combining locations from different corridors means metro or taxi time between them, which affects how I pace the session.
TipWhen pairing locations across different parts of the city, place the famous landmark first and the quieter, character-driven spot second. Energy is higher at the start.
Yes. I always plan routes around the light, not the map. Trocadéro at sunrise means the Tower is lit from behind, producing rim light and clean sky. If I then move to Le Marais, the morning sun hits those limestone facades directly from the east, which is exactly when the narrow streets look their best. The sequence is not just logical, it is photographic. Each location is chosen for where the sun will be when we arrive, not just for how it looks on paper.
"I plan the route the night before based on sunrise or sunset data for that specific date," Finzi says. "Two locations that look fine on a map can contradict each other photographically if the light at the second spot has already gone flat by the time we arrive. Sequence is everything." For golden hour sessions, I typically start at the more exposed, open location and finish at a sheltered, intimate one, where the fading directional light continues to work even after the sun has dropped.
TipTell me whether you prefer an energetic start or a relaxed warm-up. I adjust the pace and sequence accordingly.
For proposals, one location is the right choice. The session is built around a single moment and the couples portrait that follows. Trying to move to a second location after a proposal changes the emotional register of the photos and fragments what should feel continuous. The Essential package at one location is purpose-built for this. One hour, one place, complete coverage.
For couples, families, and solo sessions, one location is enough when the location itself has range. Trocadéro, for example, has the main plaza, the side staircases, the lower terrace, and the fountain area. Shooting across those sub-spots within a single session produces images that feel varied without any travel between them. The Essential package works here. But if you want a second visual story, an architectural backdrop and then a green space, or the Tower and then the river, the Signature gives you that without feeling rushed.
TipA location with multiple sub-spots, think Trocadéro or Le Marais, can deliver the visual variety of two simpler locations within a single booking.
Within the Eiffel Tower cluster, we walk. The distances are short and the walk itself is part of the session. Crossing Pont de Bir-Hakeim, for example, is not dead time between locations. It is a location. The bridge, its steel columns and river sightlines, is one of the most photogenic transitions in Paris. Between locations in different parts of the city, I factor transit into the session plan. That means I schedule more shooting time at each spot, not less, so transit does not eat into your photo time.
Sessions cover three to five kilometres on foot depending on your package. Comfortable walking shoes are not optional. Heels and cobblestones are a known problem at Trocadéro and in Le Marais specifically. I always mention this during our pre-session conversation. If mobility is a consideration for any member of your group, tell me when you book and I will plan a route with that in mind.
TipPont de Bir-Hakeim is not just a transit point between the Tower and the 16th arrondissement. Shoot it on the way through. The steel arches and river reflections make it a standalone set.
Yes, in two ways. First, crowd levels. The Trocadéro main plaza is heavily congested from April through October. At sunrise in those months, it is manageable. By mid-morning, far less so. For Signature packages booked in peak season with Trocadéro as the first location, I schedule arrival at or before sunrise, then move to the second location as the crowds build. In winter, the plaza is quieter at almost any hour, which gives more flexibility in the route sequence.
Second, light direction shifts significantly across seasons. In summer, the sun rises far to the north-east and sets to the north-west, meaning golden hour at Trocadéro arrives late and hits the Tower from the side. In winter, it rises south-east and sets south-west, producing a lower, more frontal golden light at many of the river-side locations. The Paris Je t'aime official tourism office describes Trocadéro as offering "prestigious museums and emblematic fountains" within an essential walking circuit that also takes in the Invalides and the Grand Palais, which confirms what I have found in practice: this western corridor of Paris rewards a longer walk in any season, because the landmarks are spaced closely enough to combine without rushing.
TipIn spring and summer, I recommend planning the Tower-area location first, then moving to a shaded or street-level location as the light sharpens.
Trocadéro and Bir-Hakeim: the classic pairing. Both are within the same walking arc around the Tower. Trocadéro gives the famous elevated view; Bir-Hakeim gives moody steel framing and river-level intimacy. Together they cover two completely different visual moods without any transit. Best for couples who want both the postcard shot and something more cinematic. Works at sunrise and at golden hour.
Champ de Mars or Camoëns and Le Marais: this pairing crosses the city and suits a Prestige-length session or a Signature session with a clear transit plan. The Tower area gives open sky and architectural grandeur; Le Marais gives narrow streets, stone courtyards, and a local, lived-in atmosphere. The contrast between the two makes the gallery feel like two different versions of Paris. Pont Alexandre III and Luxembourg Gardens follow the same logic: one wide, formal, and monumental; the other green, relaxed, and intimate. Both pairings produce galleries with genuine range.
TipIf you want to include Montmartre, plan it as the first location of a Prestige session at golden hour or sunrise. The steep streets and narrow alleys deliver their best light early, and the walk downhill afterwards naturally leads into a Seine or Marais stop.
Quick answers to the questions visitors ask before they book.
“Finzi chose locations we never would have found. Each spot felt like he'd discovered it just for us. The photos prove it.”
Pick a session. Choose a date. I handle the rest.
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