Three days is enough to see the essential Paris and still have time to sit in a café and watch the city go by. This plan groups the big sights by area so you spend your time looking, not travelling. It assumes you book the timed tickets in advance, which in Paris is not optional: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Catacombs and the Palais Garnier all sell out, and some sell nothing at the door.

Before you go

  • Book ahead. Reserve the Eiffel Tower lift, a Louvre time slot and, if you want them, the Notre-Dame towers and the Sainte-Chapelle. Notre-Dame itself is free; a free reservation is optional.
  • Check closing days. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, the Orsay and the Catacombs on Mondays, Versailles on Mondays and the Orangerie on Tuesdays.
  • Transport. A single Metro-Train-RER ticket costs €2.55 in 2026, loaded on a Navigo Easy card or your phone. If you arrive on a Monday and stay all week, the Navigo weekly pass (€32.40) is better value.

Day 1: the islands, the Louvre and the river

Start on the Île de la Cité, where Paris began. Notre-Dame opens at 7.50am on weekdays and 8.15am at weekends, and an early visit beats the queues. Walk five minutes to the Sainte-Chapelle, best on a bright morning when its 1,113 stained-glass panels glow.

Cross the Pont Neuf, browse the bookstalls on the quays and have lunch near the Louvre. Spend the afternoon at the Louvre with a pre-booked slot. Pick a handful of highlights, such as the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory and the Venus de Milo, rather than trying to see it all. On Wednesdays and Fridays it stays open until 9pm, so on those days you can swap the afternoon and the evening.

End the day with an hour-long Seine cruise after dark. Bateaux-Mouches leaves from the Pont de l’Alma and the Vedettes du Pont Neuf from the tip of the Île de la Cité; both cost about €15 to €20, and the Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour.

Day 2: the Eiffel Tower, Invalides and the Champs-Élysées

Go up the Eiffel Tower with the first slot of the day. The second floor, at 116 metres, gives the best detailed view; the summit adds the widest panorama. Afterwards cross the Pont d’Iéna to the Trocadéro for the classic photograph.

Walk east across the Champ de Mars to Les Invalides and Napoleon’s tomb beneath the golden dome, or to the Musée Rodin next door if you prefer sculpture and gardens. Then cross the ornate Pont Alexandre III and walk past the Grand Palais to the Champs-Élysées.

Finish at the Arc de Triomphe around sunset. The lift is being modernised, so it is 284 steps to the roof, but the view down the avenue to the Louvre is worth it. Use the underpass, never the roundabout.

Day 3: Orsay, Saint-Germain and Montmartre

Spend the morning at the Musée d’Orsay, the great Impressionist museum in a former railway station. Head straight to the fifth floor for Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh before the crowds arrive. If you love Monet, add the Orangerie and its Water Lilies, across the river in the Tuileries; a combined ticket costs €20.

Wander through Saint-Germain-des-Prés for lunch, then on to the Luxembourg Gardens. In the late afternoon take Metro line 12 to Abbesses and climb through Montmartre: Place du Tertre, the vineyard and the Sacré-Cœur, which is free and open until 10.30pm. Watch the sun set over the city from its steps, then have dinner on the hill.

If you have more time

A fourth day makes room for Versailles, 40 minutes away by RER C, or for the Catacombs and the Latin Quarter’s Panthéon. Families may prefer Disneyland Paris, at the end of the RER A.

Practical tips

  • Many museums are free for under 18s, and for EU residents under 26; carry ID.
  • Some major sites, including the Louvre, the Sainte-Chapelle and the Palais Garnier, now charge visitors from outside the European Economic Area more.
  • Watch your bags on the Metro and around the big sights, where pickpockets work the crowds.
  • Paris is very walkable: the Louvre to Notre-Dame is about 20 minutes on foot along the river.