Paris, France
Three days in Paris is enough to see the icons without spending your whole trip in queues, if you plan the geography right. This itinerary groups sights by neighborhood so you walk between stops instead of criss-crossing the city on the Metro: the west and the Eiffel Tower on day one, the historic center and the Louvre on day two, Montmartre and the Right Bank on day three.
Two booking rules make or break a short Paris trip: reserve the Eiffel Tower summit and the Louvre online at least two weeks ahead (both regularly sell out same-day), and eat your big meals at lunch, when the same bistros that charge 45 EUR at dinner run 25 EUR three-course lunch menus.
Start with the postcard sights while your energy is high. Everything today lines up along one 4 km east-west axis, so you walk almost all of it.
Trocadero viewpointFree
Arrive before 09:00 for the classic head-on view of the Eiffel Tower with a fraction of the mid-day crowd, then walk down across Pont d'Iena.
Eiffel Tower summit36.10 EUR summit, 22.60 EUR second floor
Book the 09:30 summit slot online (opens 60 days out). Lift to the top takes about 40 minutes round trip; give the visit two hours.
Lunch on Rue Cler15-25 EUR pp
A 12 minute walk east: a proper market street where locals actually shop. Cafe du Marche does a plat du jour around 15 EUR; or assemble a picnic from the cheese and bread shops and eat on the Champ de Mars.
Seine walk to Pont Alexandre IIIFree
Walk the Left Bank quay 20 minutes to the most ornate bridge in Paris, then cross to the Grand Palais side.
Arc de Triomphe rooftop16 EUR
Climb the 284 steps for the best rooftop view in Paris (better than the Eiffel Tower, because the Eiffel Tower is in it). Under 26s from the EU go free.
Champs-Elysees strollFree
Walk the avenue downhill toward Place de la Concorde. It is chain-store territory; the point is the perspective, not the shopping.
Dinner in Saint-Germain30-40 EUR pp
Metro line 1 then 4 to Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Le Relais de l'Entrecote (no reservations, one dish: steak frites with their secret sauce) is a reliable classic; queue starts 19:00.
The dense medieval and royal core. Today is the day that most needs advance tickets: Louvre first, Sainte-Chapelle timed entry after lunch.
Louvre Museum22 EUR, free first Friday evening of the month
Book the 09:00 slot and enter via the Carrousel entrance (99 Rue de Rivoli) to skip the Pyramid queue. Do one wing properly, Denon for the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and the big Delacroix, in about three hours, and let the rest go.
Lunch near Palais-Royal14-20 EUR pp
Five minutes north: the arcades of Palais-Royal and its garden. Cafe Kitsune in the garden for a quick bite, or Bistrot Victoires for a sit-down plat around 14 EUR.
Sainte-Chapelle13 EUR
The finest stained glass in Europe, 1,113 panels floor to ceiling. Timed tickets online; go when the sun is out if you can choose your day.
Notre-Dame CathedralFree
Fully reopened after the restoration. Entry is free but book the free timed slot on the official app the day before to skip the standby line.
Ile Saint-Louis and Berthillon5-8 EUR
Cross the footbridge behind the cathedral to the quieter island. Berthillon ice cream at the source (closed Mon-Tue); then browse the single old high street.
Le Marais golden hourFree to walk
Wander Rue des Rosiers and Place des Vosges, the oldest square in Paris. L'As du Fallafel (7 EUR, cash) if you want an early street-food dinner.
Seine sunset cruise15 EUR online
Vedettes du Pont Neuf hour-long cruise from the tip of Ile de la Cite. The 21:00-ish golden hour sailing catches the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour.
Montmartre before the crowds, the best impressionist collection on earth after lunch, and a last classic cafe evening.
Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre backstreetsFree; basilica dome 8 EUR
Take the Metro to Abbesses, ride the funicular or climb the steps, and have the basilica terrace view nearly to yourself. Then get lost behind it: Place du Tertre before the easel painters fully set up, the Montmartre vineyard on Rue des Saules, and the Wall of I Love Yous back at Abbesses.
Coffee on Rue des Martyrs5-10 EUR
Walk downhill through South Pigalle along one of the best food streets in Paris. KB CaffeBoutique for serious coffee; Sebastien Gaudard for pastry.
Lunch: bouillon experience15-22 EUR pp
Bouillon Pigalle serves the full French classics repertoire (oeuf mayo 2.50 EUR, boeuf bourguignon around 13 EUR) in a huge Belle Epoque-style hall. No reservations; arrive by 12:15 or queue 30 minutes.
Musee d'Orsay16 EUR, combined Orsay+Orangerie 20 EUR
Metro line 12 straight there. The impressionist gallery on level 5 (Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas) is the highlight; the former railway station clock windows are the photo. Book the 14:30 slot online.
Tuileries and Place de la ConcordeFree
Cross the river and walk the Tuileries garden at closing light. Optional 20 minute add-on: the Orangerie for Monet's room-sized Water Lilies if you bought the combined ticket.
Farewell dinner in Saint-Germain or Le Marais40-55 EUR pp
Book ahead: Chez Janou (Provencal, near Place des Vosges) or Semilla (modern French, Saint-Germain). Both around 40-55 EUR for three courses.
The Metro is fast and runs 05:30 to about 01:15 (later on weekends). Buy a Navigo Easy card (2 EUR) at any station and load a carnet of 10 rides for 17.35 EUR, cheaper than single tickets. Central Paris is compact: Louvre to Notre-Dame is a 15 minute walk along the Seine, and walking is usually faster than the Metro for anything under three stops. Skip taxis except for airport runs; from CDG take the RER B (11.80 EUR, 35 minutes) or an official taxi at a flat 56 EUR to the Right Bank.
Le Marais (3rd/4th)
Walkable to Notre-Dame, the Seine, and the Louvre, with the best cafe and boutique density in the city. Book two months out; it is the first area to fill.
Saint-Germain-des-Pres (6th)
Classic Left Bank Paris with legendary cafes like Cafe de Flore. Quieter at night than Le Marais and 10 minutes on foot from the Louvre across Pont des Arts.
South Pigalle (9th)
Better value than the center, excellent restaurants on Rue des Martyrs, and 15 minutes walking to both Montmartre and the Opera district.
Book the Eiffel Tower summit and the Louvre the day reservations open if your dates are fixed; both sell out, and third-party resellers charge double.
Museums are free on the first Sunday of the month (Orsay, Orangerie, Rodin) but crowded; go at opening.
The Navigo Easy carnet cuts Metro fares by about 25 percent versus single tickets, and one card can be shared for separate rides but not simultaneous ones, so get one per person.
Cafes charge more at a table than at the bar, and more on a terrace than inside; an espresso can be 2.50 EUR standing and 5 EUR on the terrace at the same address.
Pickpockets work the Metro line 1, the Eiffel Tower lawns, and Sacre-Coeur steps. Ignore anyone with a petition clipboard or a friendship bracelet.
Dinner before 19:30 marks you as a tourist and limits you to tourist kitchens; good restaurants fill their 20:00-21:00 seatings, so book two or three days ahead on TheFork or by phone.
Three days covers the major sights (Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre-Dame area, Montmartre, and one more museum) at a comfortable pace if you group them by neighborhood. What it does not cover: Versailles, which needs a half day minimum. If Versailles matters to you, add a fourth day rather than cutting a Paris day in half.
Budget 90-130 EUR per person per day on the ground: 20-30 EUR in museum and monument entries, 35-60 EUR on food if you do lunch menus and one nicer dinner, 6-10 EUR transit, plus incidentals. Hotels are the big variable: from about 120 EUR a night for a decent double in the 9th-11th arrondissements to 250 EUR and up in Le Marais or Saint-Germain.
Yes, for three of them: the Eiffel Tower summit (opens 60 days ahead, sells out fastest), the Louvre (timed entry, book 2+ weeks out for morning slots), and Sainte-Chapelle. Notre-Dame is free but reserve the free timed slot on its official app a day ahead. Orsay and the Arc de Triomphe can usually be booked a day or two before.
The 2-day pass costs 62 EUR and the 4-day 77 EUR. On this itinerary the individually ticketed sights (Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle, Arc de Triomphe, Orsay) total about 67 EUR, so the pass roughly breaks even at best, and it does not cover the Eiffel Tower. Buy tickets individually unless you plan to add the Rodin, Orangerie, and Versailles, in which case the 4-day pass wins.
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