3 Days in Paris: Complete Itinerary Guide
Are you planning your visit to Paris and don’t know what to visit? We have prepared a 3-day itinerary of Paris to help you plan your trip.
We tell you what to see daily and give you some extra options. In addition, we will tell you if it is convenient to buy the Paris Pass and much more.
Paris in 3 days Itinerary, Summary
- Day 1: Eiffel Tower and Museums
- Day 2: Notre Dame Cathedral and Latin Quarter
- Day 3: Arc de Triomphe and Montmartre
Now, you begin to plan your 3-day itinerary in Paris.
Should You Buy The Paris Pass or The Museum Pass?
Here we are doing a bit of spoiler because we will tell you the prices to enter the main attractions of Paris and we will buy it with the cost of the most popular passes of the French capital.
The Prices of The Monuments And Museums Are:
- Eiffel Tower: 21,5€.
- Louvre Museum: 17€.
- Sainte-Chapelle + La Conciergerie: 18,50€.
- Pantheon: 11,50€.
- Arc de Triomphe: 13€.
If you buy these tickets separately, the total cost is 81,50€.
The 2-day Paris Pass costs €90 and the 3-day Paris Pass costs €120. So in our opinion, they are worth it if you manage to plan your itinerary well to get the most out of the pass.
The Paris Pass includes, among other attractions and activities: Louvre Museum, Seine River cruise, Montparnasse tour, Arc de Triomphe, cheese tasting, Eiffel Tower and much more.
What about the Museum Pass? As its name suggests, it is more focused on monuments and museums, so it is convenient if you are a lover of this type of places and plan to visit several in a few days.
The 2-day pass cost €55 and the 4-day pass cost €70. It includes the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, the Pompidou Center, the Musée d’Orsay and many, many more places, including some outside Paris.
Day 1: Eiffel Tower and Museums
We reserved the first day for some of the most popular attractions in Paris, because surely the anxiety to see these points of the city will not leave you calm until you see them, so it is better if you see them the first day and then you stay calm to see the rest of the city.
In The Morning
Eiffel Tower
The first thing you should see is the Eiffel Tower. Even if you have tickets, you will have to wait in line, so go early, before it gets too crowded.
On the official website, the entrance to go up to the second floor by elevator costs 18,10€ and to get to the top it is 28,30€. If you don’t mind climbing stairs, we recommend buying the one that combines stairs and elevator to get to the top, which costs 21,50€.
Tickets can be purchased directly at the tower’s ticket office, but there may be no tickets left for that day or you may have to wait in a long line first. That’s why it’s best to buy your ticket online.
Regarding the purchase of tickets online, the price on the official website is much cheaper than on other activity booking websites.
The only way I recommend you to buy your ticket is on sites like Civitatis because the tickets are sold out for the day you want to visit or because you want to combine it with a cruise or something else special.
Champ de Mars and the Trocadero
When you come down from the Tower, walk along the Champ de Mars, and enjoy a beautiful walk from which you will have great views of the Tower, you can sit, take pictures and relax in one of the most beautiful places in Paris.
When you feel you’ve had enough rest, you can go to the Trocadero. The Trocadero square offers a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower and is one of the most popular places to take pictures in the city.
The best photos can be taken from the esplanade of the Palais de Chaillot, which is a magnificent example of 19th century neoclassical architecture.
As you climb the stairs leading to the Palais de Chaillot, you will have a panoramic view of the Champ de Mars, the Eiffel Tower, and the Trocadero gardens.
In The Afternoon
Louvre Museum
As we are putting together a 3-day itinerary in Paris, you will have to walk quite a bit, especially this first day. In the afternoon you will visit the Louvre Museum.
The Louvre Museum is one of the largest museums in the world and there are many works of art worth seeing. In addition to the Mona Lisa, some of the museum’s must-see works include:
- The Venus de Milo, The Victory of Samothrace,
- The Wedding at Cana by Veronese,
- The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David,
- the sculpture of Apollo and Daphne by Gian Lorenzo Bernini,
- and the apartments of Napoleon III.
It is also recommended to visit the Egyptian antiquities section and the Oriental antiquities collection.
It is important to plan your visit to the Louvre well in order to make the most of your time and see everything you want to see.
So if you have a few things you really want to see, you should know where each one is and have a map of the museum so you know how to get from one place to another.
The entrance to the museum costs 17€. You can hire a two-hour guided tour with an expert guide.
Other options
If you’re not a fan of museums, there are a couple of options you might enjoy on your first afternoon in Paris.
Our first recommendation is to take a cruise on the Seine with dinner included something super romantic. And the second option would be to take a tour of the city with the tourist bus.
At Night
When you finish the activity you choose to do in the evening, you have to go back to the Eiffel Tower to see it illuminated. If you liked it during the day, you’ll love it at night.
In addition to the reflectors pointing to its antenna, the Tower is illuminated by 20,000 light bulbs that adorn its slender iron figure. The lights turn on and flash for 5 minutes every hour while its beacon illuminates the city.
Day 2: City Island and Latin Quarter
Ready to continue your 3-day itinerary in Paris?
In The Morning
City Island
In the morning, visit the Ile de la Cité, one of the most iconic places in Paris.
The island is home to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, which is a masterpiece of the French Gothic style and one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world.
You can also visit the Sainte-Chapelle, which is a Gothic chapel built in the 13th century and is famous for its impressive vitraux.
In addition, you can walk across the Pont Neuf, which is the oldest bridge in Paris and offers spectacular views of the Seine River and the city.
One place we always recommend, and which is not as popular, is La Conciergerie. It is a former royal palace that was used as a royal residence in the 14th century and later became a prison during the French Revolution.
Many of the famous prisoners of the time, such as Marie Antoinette, were imprisoned in the Conciergerie before their execution. Today it is a museum where you can explore the prison cells and courtrooms.
The ticket to visit the Sainte-Chapelle costs 11,50€ and a double ticket, which allows you to visit the church and La Conciergerie costs 18,50€.
When you finish your tour of the island, you can walk along the banks of the Seine River and see the bouquinistes, which are the antique book stalls. Do you remember the movie Midnight in Paris? When you see these posts, you’re sure to remember her.
In The Afternoon
The Latin Quarter
A few meters from the island you have the Latin Quarter, where we recommend you to have lunch. If you like traditional French food, take the opportunity to eat a good cheese fondue on rue Mouffetard.
There are also other options, as there are many bars and restaurants in the neighborhood.
What else to see in the Latin Quarter? Of course, you won’t go there just for the food. The Latin Quarter is one of the oldest and most picturesque neighborhoods in the city.
Here you can find Sorbonne University, which is the oldest university in Paris and one of the most prestigious in the world.
There are also many historic cafes, bookstores and antique stores in the neighborhood that offer an authentic Parisian experience.
You can stroll through the cobblestone streets and discover the Fontaine Saint-Michel, a monument depicting St. Michael fighting the devil.
One of the neighborhood’s most important attractions is the Jardin du Luxembourg, a park popular with locals and tourists alike.
The park has beautiful gardens, fountains, ponds and statues that make it an ideal place to take pictures, stroll and rest.
Before leaving the neighborhood, visit the Pantheon. Built in the 18th century as a church dedicated to Saint Geneviève, it later became the burial place for the great men and women of France, such as Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Marie Curie and Rousseau.
It is a place you have to visit if you like history and architecture.
The entrance to the Pantheon costs 11,50€.
St Germain
The day is not over, you still have many places to visit. So from the Latin Quarter, you can walk to St Germain.
We recommend you visit the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore and Le Café de Flore, the favorite coffee shop of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
Another place you can visit is the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and you can stroll along the Boulevard Saint-Germain and Saint-Sulpice Square. There you will see a large number of restaurants and bistros.
If you have energy left, you can go for a walk in the area of the Louvre Museum at sunset, relax in one of the nearby gardens and rest to face the third day.
Day 3: Arc de Triomphe and Montmartre
On the last day of this 3-day itinerary in Paris you have to visit the last must-see places that were missing.
In The Morning
Arc de Triomphe
In the morning you can start your tour at the Arc de Triomphe. This iconic monument is located on the Place Charles de Gaulle, at the western end of the Champs Elysées.
It was built in honor of the French soldiers who fought and died in the Napoleonic and Revolutionary Wars.
It is one of the most visited monuments in France thanks to its impressive architecture and historical significance. You can climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to enjoy a panoramic view of Paris and the Champs Elysées.
You can also visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is located under the arch and is a memorial to the French soldiers who died during World War I.
The entrance to the monument, which is the one that allows you to climb to the top, costs 13€.
Elysian Fields
While you’re here, be sure to stroll along the Champs Elysees Avenue. This is one of the most famous and beautiful avenues in the world.
You will find stores of the most luxurious brands in the world and many restaurants where you can taste some of the typical dishes of French gastronomy.
In The Afternoon
Montmartre
This time the transfer is a little longer, so it is best to take the metro line 2. The trip from Charles de Gaulle – Etoile station to Pigalle station takes about 10 minutes, from there you will have to walk a few blocks to the heart of the Montmartre district.
In the neighborhood, you have to visit the Sacre Cœur Basilica. You can enjoy the beauty of its neo-Byzantine style architecture and the spectacular views of the city from the top of Montmartre hill.
A visit to the neighborhood is not complete without a peek at the Moulin Rouge. You can take a tour seeing the most famous cabarets of Paris and from the Moulin Rouge go to the Au Lapin Agile and Le Chat Noir.
A very good option to get to know the best of the neighborhood in a short time is to take this free tour of Montmartre, which is one of the best rated and will show you why the neighborhood was preferred by artists.
The neighborhood has a great diversity of restaurants, so it will be easy to find a place to eat. Near the Sacré-Coeur basilica is the Taverne de Montmartre, which has traditional French dishes.
For a more romantic atmosphere, you can go to Le Basilic, which is on Rue Lépic. And for something less touristy, we recommend Le Jardin d’en Face, which is a bistro with a very good wine list and original dishes.
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Other Destinations
We suggest some more places that might interest you, and that you could use to replace some of the ones we suggest if they do not interest you so much. Or you could visit them if you decided to do a 4-day itinerary around Paris.
1-day Trip to Visit to Versailles
The Palace of Versailles is an impressive place that you cannot miss if you are in France. Inside, you can admire works of art and visit its different rooms, such as the Gallery of Mirrors.
The palace gardens are some of the most beautiful in the world. You will be able to walk along its different trails, admire the fountains and waterfalls, and relax in a peaceful environment.
In addition, in the vicinity of the Palace of Versailles, you will find interesting places such as the Grand and Petit Trianon, which are worth exploring.
You can reach the palace by train. To do so, take the RER line C and get off at the Versailles Château Rive Gauche station. Trains depart every 15 minutes.
The entrance to the Palace of Versailles costs 21,50€. If you prefer to see the entire palace with a tour, which includes transfer and entrance, you can check here.
- RELATED READING: How to Visit the Palace of Versailles from Paris
Catacombs of Paris
The catacombs of Paris are a subway labyrinth of tunnels and corridors containing the mortal remains of more than six million Parisians who were transferred there from the city’s cemeteries during the last decades of the 18th century and the first decades of the 19th century.
The dark and mysterious atmosphere of the place will transport you to another era and make you feel as if you were exploring a hidden subway world.
General admission to the Catacombs costs 29€.
Get to The Top of Montparnasse Tower
The 56th floor of the Montparnasse Tower is 210 meters high, so it gives you incredible views of the Eiffel Tower and much of Paris.
For a long time it was the tallest tower in the country and is currently being refurbished, but the 56th floor is still open.
The ticket is 15€. In addition to enjoying one of the best views of Paris, you will have an Augmented Reality experience that will give you a new perspective of the city.
How to Get Around Paris?
It is best to plan your itinerary so that each day you visit places that are close to each other. That way you will be able to see almost everything on foot. As you saw in our 3-day itinerary, the attractions we suggest are quite close to each other.
If you don’t feel like walking too much, or if your hotel is a bit far away from the tourist sites, it is best to take the subway. The best thing to do is to take the subway, which will allow you to get everywhere quickly.
Of the places we recommend you to visit, the only one that is far away is Versailles, which you can reach by train or bus.
Related: The best places to stay overlooking the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Best Time to Visit Paris
There are two ideal times to visit Paris, the first is in spring, and the second is in autumn.
In spring, the minimum temperature ranges from 5° in March to 14° in June. And highs range from 13° in March to 24° in June.
Autumn starts in September with a minimum of 13° and a maximum of 22° and ends in December with a minimum of 4° and a maximum of 8°.
Always keep in mind that Paris offers unparalleled experiences throughout the year, so it is a city with high tourist demand no matter when you visit, so it is recommended to book accommodation in advance to avoid inconveniences.
Plan Your Trip to Paris
- What to wear in Paris
- How to get around Paris by public transport
- The Most Famous Streets of Paris
- Where to go shopping in Paris
- What to see in Paris when you already know the city
- Tips for saving money in the French capital
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