The City of Lights is a dream destination for travelers worldwide, and Paris is the dream city. The city has so many iconic landmarks, rich history, world-class museums and charming neighborhoods that it’s little wonder that so many tourists fall in love with Paris at first sight. 

In our guide, we’ll present you with a carefully curated 3 days in paris itinerary of the must-see attractions, hidden gems, and local experiences that can give you a comprehensive taste of the city’s majestic charm.But if you’re coming for the first time and have just three days to explore, you’ll want to plan your time carefully to get the most out of your visit.

 Whether you’re admiring the Eiffel Tower, wandering the artsy streets of Montmartre or sipping a café au lait in any of Paris’s lovely cafés, this itinerary helps you maximize every minute. Get prepared to experience love at first sight with Paris — even if you have only 72 hours!

A First-Timer’s 3 Days in Paris Itinerary Exploration Guide

Where to Stay in Paris?

If this is your first time visiting Paris, you are likely asking what is the best area to stay? Paris isn’t THAT big but the top sights are rather spread out, hence you need to be somewhat central if you’re in Paris for just 3 days.

Paris is divided into 20 Arrondissements (neighborhoods). They are numbered 1-20, and spiralize around the city – take a look at the map below to see what I mean!

If it’s your first time in Paris, I’d recommend staying in the fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh arrondissement for extra-central access. These are the neighborhoods surrounding the main attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre etc.

A note on getting hotels – I REALLY suggest getting a hotel within walking distance to a Metro Station.

I’ll cover this in more detail in the next section, but public transport in Paris is outstanding, and will save you a fortune compared to taking cabs everywhere. So, being close to a train station is a major advantage!

When it comes to hotels, there is absolutely something for every type of traveler in Paris, from affordable hostels and mid-range lodgings to the — you guessed it — luxury complies.

Getting Around + Map of the Sites

3 Public Transport in Paris France is SUPER Handy for Tourists Don’t be to put off by it, even if you don’t speak French.” RATP (Régie Autonome des Transport Parisiens) is the umbrella title for the whole system: trains, metro, trams, and buses.

I strongly recommend downloading Google Maps, which has all of the public transportation schedules built into it, for your trip. You just type in your home and destination addresses and it will give you the various ways to get there, including which is the easiest and the quickest.

You can also buy the Paris Visite pass for your trip, which is. a metro card you can load in advance that covers all of the public transportation within the city limits. We didn’t do this as we were only there for 2 days but you can read more about it here!

Whatever pass you go for, one thing is for certain — you’ll save heaps taking the public transport! If you stick only to taxis in Paris, you’re going to spend a lot more money and waste time, so utilize the public transport!

For instance, we were going to travel from the Arc de Triomphe to our Seine River cruise. The metro station was close, but we would have walked a fair ways to get to the Seine River Cruise.

I got some free Wi-Fi, pasted in our current place and where we were going, and sure enough, there was a bus line almost right across from us and it led straight to where we wanted to go!

Fortunately, we had RATP tickets in our possession that would work on the bus, tram, or Metro, so all we had to do was hop on board and insert our ticket! It was that easy and it saved us heaps of time and money.

Map of the Sites

In order to facilitate following along on this itinerary, I mapped out the main sites that you will hit on your visit below mapped out in that city for you!

You can even export and download this map as a file so you can consult it during your travel. And “Download” the map of Paris before you go, so you can use it without cell service!

What to Pack for Paris

I won’t go through my packing list with you, because that would be a bit much right?! So instead I’m sharing with you the must haves on your trip to Paris! 

Comfortable Walking Shoes: If you’ve traveled to Europe in the past, you already know that you walk A LOT. Paris is no different! My feet were killing me for the first few days in Paris. So be sure to bring comfortable sandals or sneakers that won’t blister you. Such sneakers are your best chance! Just remember to break them in before your trip!

Cross-Body Bag: A pick-pocket circle is quite strong in Paris, so be sure to keep your significant belongings in a cross-body bag! They hang out in touristy spots such as outside the Eiffel Tower and in the Louvre and will snatch from you without your knowledge. The thing is to have a small bag that’s always on your body and in front of you like this one.

Cute Hat and Sunglasses: Not completely essential but makes for cute photos!

Europe plug converter: If you’re traveling from the USA, you will need a converter like this to use your electronics!

Power Bank — You are going to be out and about all day and not in your hotel for much. When you add to that taking loads of photos and videos, that can only lead to one thing… flat phone. This power bank would be my number one recommendation to ensure your phone never dies!

The Paris Pass

If you have 2 or 3 days in Paris, you’ll definitely want to check out the Paris Pass in advance of your trip. The Paris Pass combines several options into one pass that you can buy for a total price of $140.

It grants you entry into more than 35 attractions in Paris, including the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and others. Different passes are available based on trip duration (1-day, 2-day, etc.).

With the Paris Pass, you can also skip the regular line at most attractions and/or gain early access. But be sure to do your research and see if it’s worth the buy! We looked into getting it but a 2-day pass was roughly $140/day and the total for what we wanted to see was less than that!

Day 1: The Louvre, Gardens, Arc, & A Dinner Cruise

Visiting the Louvre

You arrive in the City of Lights bright and early, and it is a packed day of activities!! Kick off the day with a pastry and cappuccino at whatever café you pass by (there is literally one on nearly every corner!).

Then it’s off to the Louvre!! Even if you’re not into museums, the Louvre is one of those places you do just because, you know? You spend 3 days in Paris and don’t go see the Mona Lisa?

BUDGET TRAVELER TIP: Unless you ABSOLUTELY MUST have the perfect picture of you standing right in front of the Mona Lisa, you should not bother waiting in the long line! In fact, if you just walk left or right of the line, you can still see it!

in advance. If you are going in the summer, I’d suggest reserving a couple of weeks in advance to get a time slot in the morning. The same goes for most of the major sites in Paris.

Do NOT wait to buy tickets when you arrive there. At most places, including the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe, there is a line for ticket holders and a line for ticket-less patrons, and the line for ticket-less patrons is always INSANE. So, don’t wait and buy ahead of time.

Wander on Foot

When you’re finished at the Louvre, look for the exit signs to the Jardin de Tuileries. This is a beautiful garden just outside the grounds of the Louvre.

You can get a quick bite from one of the vendors in the park, or eat at a local café a few blocks away.

If it’s nice out, take a little time to explore the garden! Then after that, you can also walk along the River Seine and check some notable bridges such as Pont Alexandre III, Pont des Arts, or Pont Neuf.

If you get turned around, a good way to find your way back to the River Seine is to head towards the Notre Dame — which is also in this area, but still being rebuilt from the fire in 2019. Still awesome to see though!

Visiting the Arc de Triomphe

After you’ve had your fill, return to your hotel and get dressed for the evening. Tonight you’re heading out on a dinner cruise on the Seine, so I’d suggest dressing up a bit. But before dinner cruise you are going to the other famous site: Arc de Triomphe!

So you can totally just go see it from the ground, but I Iz definitely recommend going to the top!! I didn’t even know you could do this until this past summer, but it was one of my favorite parts of our trip.

Tickets to the top cost ~13 euros, pay for tickets in advance. (It is included in the Paris Pass, if you go that route!)

If you book online, you’ll choose a time to go — they have increments in 15-minute slots. For this itinerary, I recommend booking it about 2 hours before your dinner cruise (this may change depending on the time of year!).

🥇 PRO TIP: Don’t forget — the Arc De Triomphe is in the middle of a huge intersection at the end of the famous Champs-Élysées! You have to literally tunnel underground to get to the monument! We spent about 10 minutes trying to determine how we were going to cross past the insane traffic before finally asking a policeman how to get across — he pointed toward the signs for the tunnel (stupid American moment!)

After you come through the tunnel, you may see a BIG line.. if you already have a ticket just keep walking up to the front and up the little stairs to get outside. There should be a separate (and much shorter) line for the people with advance reservations.

This is you. You’re welcome. WE ONLY WAITED LIKE 5 MINUTES TO START CLIMBING THE STAIRS!! There are elevators but I assume that they are for the physically disabled, small kids, etc.

Hike to the top for rewarding views over the whole city, including the Eiffel Tower! Arrest that human urge to start making plans and walk the neighborhood and soak it all in – so much to see!

You can also find out more about the history of the Arc de Triomphe inside; did you know it was actually built to honor those who fought and died in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars?

Dinner Cruise Along the Seine

Once you’re done at the Arc de Triomphe, it’s a matter of heading towards the river for your dinner cruise! If your cruise departs from the Pont de l’Alma Bridge you can take the #92 bus directly to the Alma – Marceau stop!

Our dinner cruise was booked through Bateaux Mouches

and I highly recommend them!! They run a few different dinner cruises, but I suggest the Romantic Dinner Cruise that departs later in the evening.

We nearly booked the “early bird” one because it was much cheaper, but then I remember how late the sun goes down in the summer in Paris! Our suggestion would be; our boat left around 8pm and the sunset was around 9pm, and trust me, you do not want to miss the sunset from the boat!!

First they hand you this little card that has all the historic sites you’ll pass on the way. The boat glides along the Seine, first south past Notre Dame and the Louvre. You’ll finally have views of the sunset from the river and will even get the fabulous golden hour lighting, but it’s not even the highlight!

The boat times it such that you’re exactly in front of the Eiffel Tower when the lights come on at dusk, followed shortly after by its first sparkling light show on the hour. We got our drinks and headed up to the roof at this point and were able to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle right in front of us. It was seriously magical.

The boat returns around 10:30pm-11:00pm. If you still have some energy in you, strongly recommended is walk along the Seine towards to Eiffel rock. This area really comes to life in the evenings, and you can fit in a few more sparkling performances!

When you make it to 1am, you’re treated to not only a special sitting but where all the lights on the Tower go off and YES covered in sparkles!! A sight not to miss!

Day 2: Versaille Day trip + Dinner show

For example, if you have 3 days in Paris, I strongly recommend spending half a day to escape the city and check out one of the many famous sites just outside! We decided to visit Versailles, and that is what I will cover in this itinerary. But here are other fabulous choices for day trips away from Paris!

• GIVERNY, WHERE MONET LIVED AND PAINTED
• CHAMPAGNE, NEED I SAY MORE?
• NORMANDY, IF YOU LIKE HISTORY
• BRUGES — THE VENICE OF BELGIUM!
• MONT SAINT-MICHEL, A MAGICAL ISLAND VILLAGE

And we will mention the home of the Kings of France — Versailles, which you must book a ticket in advance.

 I strongly recommend looking around a month prior to your travel date again. If you go to his website, you can select a timeslot to enter – honestly, I would recommend getting the earliest option so you avoid the hoards and mad lines..

However, as we booked our tickets very close to our trip, we ended up with an 11 am time slot, and the lines were already insane when we got there. So.. the earlier the better!

Well, getting to Versailles is surprisingly easy, even if you’re a bit of a tourist! To reach there, take one of the “RER” trains. They are essentially commuter trains that take you from central Paris to the suburbs. The RER C train (yellow line) goes directly from Paris to Versailles, so you literally cannot get this wrong!

Once you reach the Versailles Train Station (Rive-Gauche), just follow the crowd! Almost everyone will be going to the same place. There is a small little town outside the palace with some shops to grab breakfast at as well. Before heading indoors we grabbed some delicious crepes here!

With the gardens and the palace, there’s more than enough to fill an entire day in Versailles. If I had to do it all over again, I probably would have booked a guided tour for Versailles because there is SOOOO much to see and do at this place. We sort of walked around and were not nearly prepared as we could have been!!

But if you were going to do just one other thing, renting bikes at Versailles is fantastic as well. Key: The grounds are HUGE (another reason it’s impossible to do it all in one day), so bikes allow you to get around quicker and see more! Here’s a map of Versailles to get a sense of what all is there (it’s not just a palace!)

If you’re looking to do a private walking tour or a bike tour, Get Your Guide has some awesome options!! I enjoy utilizing Get Your Guide when visiting other countries. They make planning so much easier!

After you’re done at Versailles, it’s time to return to the city for more fun! If you’d like to have dinner before returning to Paris, several nice restaurants are outside the palace. We dined at Le Saint Claire and it is delish!

When you’re back in the city, make sure to spend the evening hopping bars in the Latin Quarter or if you want something a bit more exciting then you can’t go wrong with a burlesque show like Moulin Rouge, Lido or Crazy Horse! Because what could be more iconic than seeing a French cabaret show in Paris?!

Day 3: Montmartre & Picnic by the Eiffel Tower

Exploring Montmartre

And if today is your last day in Paris, I suggest you visit the charming little neighborhood of Montmartre. If you went up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, you likely saw the most famous Montmartre landmark, the Basilica Sacré-Coeur. So it rises impetuous atop a hill over Paris, and man, is it worth visiting!

In addition to the Basilica, Montmartre has cute cobblestone roads and great restaurants. It’s the ideal place to spend your morning wandering around, and it really does feel completely different from the rest of the city.

Picnic at the Champs de Mars

After you’ve had your fill of Montmartre, make your way back into the city center and spend some time exploring the other areas you missed! And how could we wrap up your last day in Paris without spending the evening at the Eiffel Tower!

So, first go to the nearest market or grocery store and get some fruit, cheese, bread, wine and anything else you fancy!! Pack a blanket or a kimono from home so that you won’t have to purchase one, then head over to the Champs de Mars!

The Champs de Mars is a big lawn directly in front of the Eiffel Tower where people picnic and hang out (it’s circled on the map at the top of this post! Just find a bare patch of lawn and have fun!

I suggest attempting to make it to the park about an hour before sunset, so that you can take in all the various perspectives of the Eiffel Tower. First golden hour right before sunset, then sunset, the blue hour, then total darkness!! They are all kind of magic in their own way.

Note: The sunset times will vary depending on what time you visit! At the time we went in late May, the sunset was 9:45pm!!

And of course the Eiffel Tower will be different. In the evening, the Eiffel Tower’s automatic golden lighting calls are made. The🔌💡Then the first hour after dusk (i.e., 9:00pm, 10:00pm, etc.) for 5 minutes the Tower sparkles. It is pure magic.

The next one will totally be dark outside, so that view will be totally different, one hour later!! So I really suggest you stick around a few hours to keep an eye on everything!!

And watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle is truly the best way to end your 3 days in Paris.

Final Thoughts

And that concludes my 3 Day Paris itinerary! I hope this guide helped you prepare your trip. For me, 3 days in Paris is just the right amount of time to enjoy the best parts of the city.

If you only have 2 days, I would eliminate the trip to Versailles and just get to the central parts of the city!! And then if you have only one day, it is not enough and you must come for more days!

FAQS On Paris itinerary

What you have to visit in Paris in 3 days?

Highlights include the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Montmartre (with the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur), the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe and the Seine River Cruise.

How do I split my time between Paris in 3 days?

Day 1: Discover Montmartre, come for the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, take a stroll in Pigalle. Afternoon Visit the Louvre Museum.

Day 2: See the Eiffel Tower, then walk the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and tour the Arc de Triomphe. Morning to Late Morning: Seine River Cruise and Île de la Cité Afternoon: Seine River Cruise & Visit to Île de la Cité

Day 3: Visit the Musée d’Orsay in the morning, then head to Notre-Dame and the Latin Quarter.

How to get around Paris in 3 days?

Metro and RER trains are the quickest modes of transport. We advise you to buy a Paris Visite Pass to have unlimited access to public transport. Walking is also a good way to get around central areas.

Three days in Paris is enough time to wear out a good pair of shoes, but неужели in English Open.

Three days is about the time it takes to hit the major highlights, but Paris has so much more to offer. If you would like to go beyond the tourist bucket list and stay just a little longer.

For how long should I stay at the Eiffel Tower?

Eiffel Tower visit: Allow roughly 2 to 3 hours, including the elevator ride, views at the top, and the photo ops.

When is the best time to visit Paris?

The ideal times to visit Paris are spring (April to June) and fall (September to November), when the weather is nice and the crowds are smaller.

How to see Paris in 3 days for cheap?

Yes! Find discounts and skip-the-line access with the Paris Museum Pass, discover free attractions such as the Notre-Dame Cathedral and use public transportation. Eating at local cafés instead of tourist ones also saves money.

What unique experiences should I add in 3 days?

Try visiting the Palace of Versailles, joining a baking class or wine-tasting tour, or watching a cabaret show at the Moulin Rouge.

What do I pack for a 3 days trip to Paris?

Pack good walking shoes, a light jacket or sweater, an umbrella (it can rain), and a power adapter for your electronics.

Do I need to buy tickets ahead of time for museums and attractions?

Yes, I do recommend booking tickets in advance, particularly for the most popular attractions such as the Louvre and Eiffel Tower to save time and to skip the long lines.