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Paris in 3 days: day by day

A Gothic cathedral with a spire and two towers above a stone river embankment and treesA Gothic hall with a huge round stained-glass rose window and tall coloured windows on either sideA glass pyramid lit up at dusk in a courtyard ringed by the floodlit wings of an old palace

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
8 of 13 free; 5 paid — see “Cost”
Duration
3 days, 9:30 to 17:49 each day
Start and finish
Notre-Dame de Paris → Galeries Lafayette
On foot
≈ 1 h 33 min in total
Transport
2 rides, ≈ 39 min
Lunch
around 11:38
With kids
fine: short walks
Best time
Spring and autumn; Montmartre in the morning before the crowds.

Day-by-day plan

Times include walking and lunch. Drag a stop by ≡, remove it with the cross or add one nearby — the plan updates.

Day 1 · Paris09:30–17:37 · 4 places · 8 h 10 min

  1. Notre-Dame de Paris

    · 1 h · Free

  2. 8 min on foot

  3. Sainte-Chapelle

    · 1 h · Timed ticket, online

  4. Lunch · 1 h
  5. 16 min on foot

  6. The Louvre

    · 3 h 30 min · Timed ticket, online

  7. 13 min on foot

  8. Tuileries Garden

    · 1 h · Free

Day 2 · Paris09:30–17:49 · 5 places · 8 h 20 min

  1. Eiffel Tower

    · 2 h 30 min · Timed ticket, lift or stairs

  2. Lunch · 1 h
  3. 13 min on foot

  4. Trocadéro

    · 40 min · Free

  5. 19 min · transport or taxi

  6. Arc de Triomphe

    · 1 h · Roof on a ticket

  7. 18 min on foot

  8. Champs-Élysées

    · 1 h 30 min · Free

  9. 19 min on foot

  10. Place de la Concorde

    · 30 min · Free

Day 3 · Paris09:30–17:11 · 4 places · 7 h 40 min

  1. Sacré-Cœur Basilica

    · 1 h · Free

  2. Lunch · 1 h
  3. 3 min on foot

  4. Montmartre

    · 3 h · Free

  5. 20 min · transport or taxi

  6. Palais Garnier

    · 1 h 15 min · Visit ticket for the building

  7. 3 min on foot

  8. Galeries Lafayette

    · 1 h · Free

Go · start

Add nearby

Places near the plan — Yes puts one into the day and the times update.

Pont Neuf

Paris, France

↝ 6 min25 minfree

What the route costs

8 of 13 are free; 5 charge entry — prices below, check them on site.

2Sainte-Chapelle571 hTimed ticket, online
3The Louvre623 h 30 minTimed ticket, online
5Eiffel Tower652 h 30 minTimed ticket, lift or stairs
7Arc de Triomphe621 hRoof on a ticket
12Palais Garnier541 h 15 minVisit ticket for the building
Other 8 places9 h 30 minFree
Total19 h8 of 13 free

Tips for each stop

Day 1

  1. 1

    Notre-Dame de Paris. The Gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité with its rose windows and gargoyles. Free entry, best with a free timed booking.

  2. 2

    Sainte-Chapelle. Louis IX's chapel, walls almost entirely of 13th-century stained glass. Timed ticket, security check at the entrance.

  3. 3

    The Louvre. The world's largest museum: the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory, the Venus de Milo. Timed ticket online; closed Tuesday.

  4. 4

    Tuileries Garden. Le Nôtre's royal garden between the Louvre and Concorde: ponds, green chairs, statues. Free.

Day 2

  1. 5

    Eiffel Tower. The 330 m iron tower: lift or stairs, sparkling every hour after dark. Timed ticket online.

  2. 6

    Trocadéro. The Palais de Chaillot esplanade with the best Eiffel Tower view and the Warsaw Fountain. Free.

  3. 7

    Arc de Triomphe. The arch on Place de l'Étoile with a rooftop terrace over 12 avenues. Underpass access, ticket for the top.

  4. 8

    Champs-Élysées. Paris's grand avenue from the Arc de Triomphe to Concorde: shops, cafés, gardens. Free.

  5. 9

    Place de la Concorde. The city's largest square with an Egyptian obelisk and two fountains. Free.

Day 3

  1. 10

    Sacré-Cœur Basilica. The white basilica atop Montmartre with views over all of Paris. Free entry, dome by ticket.

  2. 11

    Montmartre. The artists' hill: Place du Tertre, a vineyard, windmills and narrow lanes. Free.

  3. 12

    Palais Garnier. Napoleon III's opulent theatre: marble staircase, gilded foyer, Chagall ceiling. Daytime visit by ticket.

  4. 13

    Galeries Lafayette. A department store with a 1912 stained-glass dome and a free rooftop terrace facing the Opéra. Free.

Who this route is for

Good for
  • A first trip to Paris
  • Lovers of museums and views
  • Families and couples
Not for
  • Versailles, Disneyland and Giverny: a day each
  • The Musée d'Orsay: a fourth day or instead of the Louvre
Best time

Spring and autumn; Montmartre in the morning before the crowds.

What to see in Paris in three days

The first two days follow the 2-day route: the centre along the Seine and the great axis from the Eiffel Tower to Concorde. Day three heads north: Montmartre in the morning, then by metro to the Palais Garnier and the Galeries Lafayette next door.

The Palais Garnier opens for visits by day with a separate ticket, and the auditorium is sometimes closed for rehearsals, which is normal. The Galeries Lafayette rooftop is free and lovely at sunset.

You can remove any stop with the cross, reorder with ≡ or add another nearby, and the timings update.

Day three: Montmartre, the Opéra and Lafayette

In the morning, climb Montmartre by the steps or the funicular to the Sacré-Cœur, then Place du Tertre with its painters, the vineyard and the windmills on Rue Lepic. Lunch at a café on the hillside or on the boulevard by Pigalle.

After lunch, the Palais Garnier with its marble staircase and Chagall ceiling, then the Galeries Lafayette: the 1912 dome and the rooftop view of the Opéra and the Eiffel Tower. Dine on the Grands Boulevards.

If you have more time

On day four, take RER C to Versailles in 40 minutes; on day five, the Musée d'Orsay, the Latin Quarter and the Marais. With kids, Disneyland Paris.

How to do it right

  • Montmartre in the morning.
  • The Opéra by day with a visit ticket.
  • The Lafayette rooftop at sunset.
  • Many Paris museums close on Monday or Tuesday, so check the closing day before you go.
  • France uses the euro. Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere. Book the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Sainte-Chapelle ahead on their official sites, which list entry times and closing days.

Questions

What can I see in Paris in 3 days?

The Île de la Cité and the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Élysées, then Montmartre, the Palais Garnier and Galeries Lafayette.

How should I split 3 days in Paris?

Day 1: the centre and the Louvre; day 2: the Eiffel Tower and the arch; day 3: Montmartre and the Opéra.

What day trip can I add on day four?

Versailles, Disneyland Paris, Fontainebleau or Giverny.

How much do the tickets on this route cost?

Notre-Dame, Montmartre, the Sacré-Cœur and the Tuileries are free; the Louvre, tower, arch, Sainte-Chapelle and Opéra charge.

How do I pay in Paris?

France uses the euro. Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere. Book the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Sainte-Chapelle ahead on their official sites, which list entry times and closing days.

Sources and fact-check

  • Prices, opening hours and time on site come from each place's page, with its own sources and check date
  • UNESCO: Paris, Banks of the Seine (no. 600)
YesGo editorial team ·
How we checkedDays are grouped by hand by neighbourhood, so each day's places are close together or a stop or two apart by metro. The YesGo planner sets the order, walks and lunch from each place's coordinates and visit time. Prices, hours and closing days come from the place pages; where we haven't confirmed them with an official source, the place page says 'checking'.

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