Paris 3-Day Itinerary

Three days is enough for the main sights if you keep each day to one or two big things and walk the rest. This plan assumes you've booked the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower in advance, and it keeps them on different days.

Day 1: the river and the tower

Start at Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle on the Île de la Cité, then cross to the Île Saint-Louis for an ice cream at Berthillon. In the afternoon, walk west along the Seine past the Louvre and the Tuileries, over to the Left Bank, and on towards the Eiffel Tower. Go up in the early evening, then stay for the sparkle on the hour.

Day 2: the Louvre and the Marais

Spend the morning at the Louvre with a short list of what you want to see. Have lunch nearby, then walk through the Palais-Royal gardens and on to the Marais. Spend the afternoon wandering: the Place des Vosges, the small streets around it, a market snack at the Marché des Enfants Rouges. Dinner in the Marais.

Day 3: Montmartre and Saint-Germain

Go up to Montmartre early, before the crowds, and follow our Montmartre walking route. After lunch, take the metro to Saint-Germain. Choose between the Musée d'Orsay and an afternoon in the Luxembourg Gardens, then finish with a drink at a café terrace.

If it rains

Swap in the Orsay, the covered passages near the Grands Boulevards (Passage des Panoramas is the oldest), or a long lunch. Paris rain rarely lasts all day.

With a fourth day

Take the RER C to Versailles, about 40 minutes each way. Go early, and remember the palace is closed on Mondays. Or stay in the city for the Canal Saint-Martin and Père Lachaise.

Book at least one dinner you're looking forward to. It gives the day a shape without making it feel over-planned.