3 Days in Paris: A Detailed Itinerary
The first time I visited Paris, I spent three days there — just enough to realize how much I love Paris, how much there is to see and do there, and how simply sitting at sidewalk cafes is one of the most pleasurable things the city has to offer.
More recently, I’ve spent more than three days in Paris, but I still think that three days is an excellent introduction to the city.
With three days in Paris, you’ll be able to do a lot, but you won’t be able to do everything. So I’ve devised an itinerary that will maximize your time, getting you to the Parisian destinations that I think are most important to experience while also giving you plenty of time to experience the top-notch food, drink, and cafe culture of Paris.
This is how to spend 3 days in Paris.
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Itinerary for 3 Days in Paris
Let’s get into it: here’s your detailed itinerary for 3 days in Paris.
DAY 1
Sainte-Chapelle
Start your first day in Paris at Sainte-Chapelle, a small chapel that was originally built to house Christian relics, including the purported Crown of Thorns — though today it’s revered for its remarkable stained-glass windows.
I strongly recommend booking a ticket for the first entry slot of the day, which is typically 9 a.m. Arrive at least 15 minutes early — you’ll wait in line until your time slot begins, then go through security before walking toward the chapel.
When you get to the chapel, you’ll enter via a lower sanctuary. Ignore this room for now — you can check it out later! — and book it straight upstairs to the main attraction. By entering at the opening hour and going right to the main chapel, you should be able to enjoy the stained glass windows before the chapel really starts to fill up with visitors.
Cafe
Hungry? Thirsty? Take a mid-morning cafe break.
If you just want some coffee and maybe a light snack, this is the perfect time to familiarize yourself with Paris’s cafe culture. The city is full of cafes with casual outdoor seating. As a general rule, they will have rows of small round tables with chairs facing out to the street.
No need to ask to be seated at these casual cafes — just grab a seat and someone will be by to assist you. (Hint: if the tables are decked out with silverware and other table settings, it’s a restaurant and you DO need to ask to be seated!)
If you’re actively hungry and want more than a coffee, I recommend Kozy, which serves all-day brunch.
Notre Dame
Spend the rest of your morning checking out the freshly restored Notre Dame. The inside is remarkably bright and clean for the first time in many years, with the stones having been cleaned of centuries of grime and residue from the infamous 2019 fire.
You CAN book entry to Notre Dame in advance if you like (it’s free!), but I don’t necessarily recommend that for this itinerary so that you can retain some flexibility to hang out at a cafe (or brunch spot) for as long as you please.
If you do want to book your Notre Dame entrance in advance, I recommend selecting an 11 am or 11:30 am time slot, which should give you enough time to see Sainte-Chapelle, enjoy a mid-morning meal or coffee, and get to Notre Dame. Heads up, though, that they only release tickets
If you don’t book your ticket in advance, you’ll still be able to enter Notre Dame — you just might need to wait in a longer entrance line.
The Îles
Notre Dame is located on Île de la Cité — a small island in the middle of the Seine. Directly next to Île de la Cité is another island, Île Saint-Louis.
Spend some time exploring these charming islands, particularly Saint-Louis. Grab lunch anywhere that catches your eye, and consider getting ice cream at Berthillon, which is famous for its flagship location on Île Saint-Louis.
Panthéon
When you’ve had your fill of the Îles, head to the Panthéon — a massive former church that now stands as a monument to the art, history, and science of France.
Inside, you’ll find a giant Foucault pendulum, a sculpture commemorating the First Republic of France, and much more. Perhaps most notably, the lower level contains a crypt holding the tombs of many famous French people, including including Voltaire, Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, Rousseau, and many others.
Cafe
Take another cafe break and grab some coffee, or perhaps a cocktail to kick off your evening! (Okay…late afternoon…)
Jardin du Luxembourg
If you have some time to spare before dinner, explore Jardin du Luxembourg — one of Paris’s best-known and most beautiful gardens.
Chez Janou
For dinner, head to Chez Janou, which serves Provençal food in an energetic little space. I recommend the scallop risotto!
Chez Janou is very popular, so I do recommend making a reservation — but they don’t take reservations online, so you’ll need to call in advance.
DAY 2
Musée d’Orsay
Begin your day at Musée d’Orsay, one of France’s most popular art museums.
The Orsay is housed in a former train station, and is absolutely beautiful — with a towering, arched main hall and a pair of famous windows that also serve as massive clocks.
In terms of the art, the Orsay is best known for its world-class collection of Impressionist paintings and sculptures.
I recommend prebooking a ticket for the first entry slot of the day (typically 9:30 am) and, upon entering, booking it straight to the fifth floor to enjoy the Impressionist galleries before they’re fully flooded with visitors. (If it’s important to you to get photos in front of the clock windows, do that first, as the line can get quite long quite quickly. The clock windows are also on the fifth floor.)
Rue Cler
When you’ve had enough museum time, head to Rue Cler, a beautiful market street that’s full of restaurants, produce stands, flower shops, and much more.
This is the perfect place to grab lunch! If a sit-down restaurant looks good to you, go for that, or consider buying some produce, bread, meat, and cheese to eat at the feet of the Eiffel Tower in a few minutes — one of my favorite things to do in Paris!
Eiffel Tower
If you gathered yourself a little picnic lunch on Rue Cler, head to Champs de Mars and plant yourself down on the grass to enjoy your lunch.
Otherwise (or when you’re done with your lunch), it’s time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
Yes, I do think it’s worth going up the Eiffel Tower, including the top level! While views from the Eiffel Tower are unfortunately lacking one of Paris’s most interesting sights (the Eiffel Tower itself!), you’ll get lots of perspectives on Paris that you can’t quite find anywhere else. Plus, it’s an iconic Paris experience!
Learn much more about what it’s like to visit the Eiffel Tower here:
Cafe
After spending some time in the Eiffel Tower crowds, I recommend decompressing with a drink at another cafe. Trust me — you will appreciate it!
Arc de Triomphe
Doing two view-based activities in one afternoon may seem like a lot — and, to be fair, it is — but the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe are located fairly near each other, so I’ve paired them for efficiency.
If it’s any consolation, Arc de Triomphe is awesome. In fact, it has my favorite views in all of Paris!
If possible, I recommend timing your visit to Arc de Triomphe for sunset — if you’re willing and able to hang out up there for long enough, you can see Paris in the glow of golden hour, watch the sun set behind Paris’s business district, and see the Eiffel Tower’s lights turn on at twilight.
Le Gentil
For dinner, head to my favorite restaurant in Paris, Le Gentil.
This tiny spot in the 7th arrondissement serves up classic French dishes with a Japanese twist. During my most recent visit to Paris, I noticed Le Gentil while walking past it and spontaneously decided to make a dinner reservation there.
Holy cow. Couldn’t be happier that I did. I had the best steak of my life that night, and I already know that I’ll be revisiting Le Gentil any time I visit Paris in the future, so long as it continues to exist. (Please, please continue to exist!)
Trocadéro
End your day at the Trocadéro — the area directly across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. There, you’ll find a large platform that’s perfect for admiring the glow of the Eiffel Tower at night, and especially the way it sparkles for five minutes at the top of every hour.
DAY 3
Louvre
Begin your final day in Paris at the Louvre, the city’s largest and most famous museum.
While it would be easy to spend an entire day in the Louvre without seeing even half of its galleries, I recommend planning to spend only a morning there for this particular visit. It can be pretty exhausting to spend more than half a day in a museum, and with only three days in Paris, there’s so much more to see! That said, if you want to spend the rest of your day in the Louvre, absolutely go for it.
As with Musée d’Orsay, I recommend getting a ticket for the opening time slot of the day and prioritizing the more popular works of art, like the Mona Lisa, which will attract huge crowds quite quickly after the Louvre opens.
Learn much more about visiting the Louvre here:
Lunch
If you’d like to find a sit-down restaurant for lunch, go for it — but in order to maximize your time in Montmartre this afternoon, consider grabbing a sandwich or assembling a picnic lunch from a supermarket and eating in a park (assuming the weather is good, of course!)
Sacré-Cœur
You’ll spend the rest of your time in Paris in Montmartre, a hilly neighborhood that’s topped by Sacré-Cœur, a huge white basilica.
Between the views of Paris from the steps in front of the church, the remarkable mosaics inside the church, and the experience of climbing the church’s tower and looking down on Montmartre from above, Sacré-Cœur is well worth a visit.
Get up to Sacré-Cœur either by scaling the 222 stairs on the Rue Foyatier staircase or by riding the funicular that will glide you right up the hill.
Montmartre
When you’re satisfied with what you’ve seen of Sacré-Cœur, turn your attention to the rest of Montmartre.
When Montmartre was founded, it was its own village outside of the city of Paris. Now, centuries later, the city has spread and sprawled and Montmartre is well within the borders of Paris — but retains its unique look and feel.
Most notably, Montmarte has long been a haven for artists and creators, particularly during the Belle Époque era, when people like Picasso and Modigliani lived and worked in Montmartre.
Today, Montmartre remains a great place to find art in Paris — including paintings and drawings of Paris itself, as well as portrait art and caricature art.
As usual, be sure to give yourself some cafe time! Other things to do and see in Montmartre include:
- Place du Tertre — a rather touristy but lively square full of artists (particularly caricature and portrait artists) and cafes
- La Maison Rose — a picturesque, pink restaurant sitting on Rue de l’Abreuvoir, widely considered to be one of the most beautiful streets in Paris
- Moulin Rouge — the famed Cabaret venue sitting at the foot of Montmartre
- Vignes du Clos Montmartre — the most famous working vineyard in Paris
- Musée de Montmartre — an art museum located in a building where Renoir once lived
Maggie
If the weather is good, have dinner at Maggie, a lovely rooftop restaurant with a fantastic view of Sacré-Cœur (as well as other Paris landmarks).
If you have more time…
If you have more than three days in Paris, find yourself with some time to kill in this itinerary, or want to swap out something you know you don’t want to do (like if you’re thinking I’m crazy for including TWO art museums in this itinerary), here are more things to consider doing in Paris:
Musée Rodin
This one, of course, is for people who think two art museums isn’t enough! It’s also a great option for people who think art museums are fine, but are a bit turned off by the popularity and overwhelming size of the Louvre, and would rather try something a bit more manageable.
Musée Rodin is dedicated to the work of Auguste Rodin, who is best known for sculptures such as The Thinking Man, The Three Shades, The Gates of Hell, and many others.
It’s a beautiful building with lovely grounds that are a delight to walk around!
Montparnasse Tower
What’s the best way to make sure the ugliest building in Paris won’t be in your photos? Go take photos FROM that building, of course!
Yes, I am of course talking about Montparnasse Tower, a woefully misplaced building that has earned its nickname as “the middle finger of Paris.”
Other than this benefit, I think Montparnasse Tower is a bit overrated as a spot for views and especially for photography, but plenty of people think it has the best views of Paris, so you may disagree with me! And I certainly wouldn’t tell you NOT to go there — I just wouldn’t choose it over some other options, including the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.
Catacombs
I must admit: even after multiple trips to Paris, I still haven’t visited the Catacombs.
I don’t know what’s been keeping me away, and I’m sure I’ll get there eventually. But since I haven’t been there yet, I can’t tell you what it’s like to visit the Catacombs or whether I recommend them.
That said, the Catacombs are a very popular tourist destination in Paris, and all my friends who have visited the Catacombs speak very highly of them!
Where to Stay in Paris
For this 3-day Paris itinerary, I recommend staying somewhere fairly central (think: within walking distance of the Louvre) to minimize travel times.
On my last trip to Paris, I stayed at WS Louvre – Casanova, which I REALLY liked. It was super walkable to several of Paris’s top tourist destinations — including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Palais Garnier (the opera house), and plenty more — and my room was clean and cute, with a great view of classic Parisian buildings to boot. I would definitely consider staying there on future trips to Paris!
For other convenient lodging options for this Paris itinerary, take a look at the following:
BUDGET
- Grab a bed in a super inexpensive dorm room — or a private room for a bit more cash — at The People.
- The incredibly central Hotel de Nesle has very affordable rooms, especially if you’re willing to share a bathroom. (I’ve done it! It’s not so bad!)
- Hotel des Nations Saint Germain is just around the corner from the Panthéon and near Notre-Dame.
COMFORT
- The stately Hôtel Duc De St-Simon gets fantastic reviews for its classic rooms and convenient location.
- I love the look of Miiro Le Grand Hôtel Cayré, which even has rooms with Eiffel Tower views (fair warning, though: they come with a considerably higher price point!).
- Meliá Paris Vendôme has a great location between Place de la Concorde and Place Vendôme.
- Stay at Royal Saint Michel for incredibly easy access to Notre-Dame and Sainte Chapelle.
- Hôtel Le Regent has uniquely decorated rooms, including several with terraces.
LUXURY
- The classy Hôtel Confidentiel is just around the corner from the Louvre.
- The 5-star L’Hôtel is best known as the last place Oscar Wilde lived — you can even splurge on the Oscar Wilde Suite!
- Hyatt’s Hôtel du Louvre features rooms with beautiful views and 5-star luxury.
- Shell out for a balcony room at the Grand Hôtel Du Palais Royal for your own personal views of the Eiffel Tower or Sacre-Coeur (and then please come back here and tell me all about it!).
3-Day Paris Itinerary: Interactive Map
Below is a map with the locations included in this itinerary. To use this map during your own trip to Paris, click the star next to the map’s name (which saves the map to your account). You can then find and use the map from your Google Maps app by going to “Saved,” then “Maps.”
Final Thoughts
I know some people think Paris is overrated, but I think it’s magical — and I hope this 3-day itinerary helps you find the magic in Paris, too.
Still have questions about planning 3 (or more!) days in Paris? Leave a comment or shoot me a message — I’d love to help!
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