Paris from above, with the Seine at sunset
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Paris in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 8 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days let you slow down and mix the must-sees with places that have real character. Each day has a route in the morning and two extras in the afternoon, with time for a sit-down lunch and for getting lost. On the last day you switch banks and climb to Montmartre before saying goodbye with the Paris of legends.

Day 1Eiffel, avenues and water lilies

Set off early for the route "From the Eiffel Tower to Concorde along the Seine": the Trocadéro, the tower, the Pont de l'Alma and the Pont Alexandre III. Have onion soup at Au Pied de Cochon, in Les Halles, then head to the Arc de Triomphe and walk back down the Champs-Élysées. The day calls for a gentle pace: end in a garden, not a queue. If you've energy left, the Orangerie is next to Concorde.

  1. Morning

    From the Eiffel Tower to Concorde along the Seine

    Mixed · 3.7 km · 2 h 30 min

    1. Trocadéro and the Palais de ChaillotThe terrace with the most famous view of the Eiffel Tower is named after a battle fought in Cádiz, Spain.
    2. Eiffel TowerThe tower that was meant to last twenty years, and that the artists of Paris tried to stop.
    3. Pont de l'Alma: the Zouave and the FlameA stone soldier who measures the Seine's floods and a golden flame that became a spontaneous memorial.
    4. Pont Alexandre IIIA single steel arch, gold and nymphs to seal the alliance between the French Republic and the Tsar.
    5. Grand Palais and Petit PalaisTwin palaces built for the 1900 World's Fair, beneath one of the largest glass roofs in Europe.
    6. Place de la ConcordeThe square that honoured one king, guillotined another and ended up ruled by an Egyptian obelisk over three thousand years old.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try French onion soup at Au Pied de Cochon. 6, rue Coquillière

  3. Afternoon

    Arc de Triomphe

    Napoleon commissioned it in 1806, and the flame of the Unknown Soldier burns beneath it. Climb to the terrace: twelve avenues start from the square. Then walk down the Champs-Élysées to Concorde.

    Directions

    Musée de l'Orangerie

    Small and calm, at the edge of the Tuileries. Its two oval rooms hold Monet's great Water Lilies, conceived as an enveloping panorama. Book ahead and allow an hour.

    Directions

Day 2The old heart and the nineteenth century

Spend the morning on the history route: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie and the Pont Neuf, on to the Louvre and the Palais-Royal. Reach the Île de la Cité early to avoid queues. Have snails for lunch at L'Escargot Montorgueil, a few minutes from the Palais-Royal. In the afternoon, cross the river and let art carry you to a garden where you can sit with a coffee, welcome after so much stone.

  1. Morning

    From the Île de la Cité to the Palais-Royal: eight centuries of power

    History · 2.3 km · 2 h

    1. Notre-Dame CathedralEight centuries of French history in front of a façade that survived revolution, neglect and fire.
    2. Sainte-ChapelleThe giant reliquary Saint Louis built to house the Crown of Thorns.
    3. The Conciergerie and the Clock TowerThe first public clock in Paris marks the corner of a royal palace that ended up as the guillotine's waiting room.
    4. Pont Neuf and the statue of Henri IVThe ‘New Bridge’ is the oldest in Paris, and its king on horseback hides secrets inside the bronze.
    5. The Louvre PalaceA medieval fortress that became a royal palace and then the most visited museum in the world.
    6. Palais-RoyalRichelieu's palace, an arcaded garden and the café where the call to arms that led to the Bastille rang out.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Burgundy snails at L'Escargot Montorgueil. 38, rue Montorgueil

  3. Afternoon

    Musée d'Orsay

    A 1900 station turned museum, with the most complete Impressionist collection anywhere: Monet, Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh. Book a time slot and cross from the Louvre by the pedestrian footbridge.

    Directions

    Luxembourg Gardens

    The Parisians' garden: a pond, green chairs and the Senate building. Ideal for a long break after Orsay; from there, the Latin Quarter is close at hand.

    Directions

Day 3Hills, the Panthéon and legends

Go up to Montmartre early, while the lanes are still quiet, then head down to the Panthéon and have coq au vin at Le Procope, in Saint-Germain. In the afternoon, turn to the mystery route: Flamel's house, the Fontaine des Innocents, the Tour Saint-Jacques and Notre-Dame's chimeras. Finish dinner with a rum baba from the Stohrer pastry shop on rue Montorgueil. It's the most varied day of the trip.

  1. Morning

    Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre

    The white basilica crowns the highest hill in Paris and offers one of the best free views of the city. Then wander Montmartre's cobbled lanes; arrive early to beat the crowds.

    Directions

    The Panthéon

    The neoclassical temple where Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo and Marie Curie, among others, are buried. Once a church, later a mausoleum for France's great figures. It's ten minutes' walk from Le Procope.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Coq au vin at Le Procope. 13, rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie

  3. Early evening

    Alchemists, charnel houses and executioners: dark Paris

    Mysteries & legends · 2 km · 1 h 45 min

    1. House of Nicolas FlamelThe oldest dated house in Paris was built by a man legend turned into an immortal alchemist.
    2. Fountain of the InnocentsA Renaissance fountain in the middle of what was, for centuries, the largest cemetery in Paris.
    3. Saint-Jacques TowerThe lone tower of a vanished church, a starting point for pilgrims and the burial place of Nicolas Flamel.
    4. Hôtel de Ville square, the old Place de GrèveBeneath this festive square stood the scaffold of Paris for centuries.
    5. Notre-Dame: chimeras and the Devil's doorsStone monsters, ironwork credited to the Devil and a carving some saw as the key to alchemy.
    6. Rue Chanoinesse and the barber of the CitéThe canons' street keeps the memory of Héloïse and Abelard, and the most gruesome legend in Paris.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Dinner

    Try Rum baba at Stohrer. 51, rue Montorgueil

The map

Paris in 3 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Paris in 3 days

  • Three days let you group things by area: Eiffel and Concorde on the first, the Cité and the Louvre on the second, Montmartre and the Latin Quarter on the third.
  • The first day is the longest in kilometres: carry water and save energy for the afternoon, when you link two extras.
  • With three days a museum pass can pay off, but work out the sums with the tickets you will really use before buying it.

Questions

Paris in 3 days: your questions

Is 3 days enough in Paris?

It's a good number: you see the great icons, two or three museums and a district with character like Montmartre. Versailles or the modern art museums stay off the list, but you won't feel rushed.

How far do you walk in 3 days?

The three routes add up to about 8 km: 3.7 on day one, 2.3 on day two and 2 on day three. With the extras and wandering, that can double. Mix in the metro.

Is the museum pass worth it?

With three days and three or four museums it can pay off and saves queues. With fewer visits, single timed tickets are usually better. Do the sums first, and remember not every site is included.

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