Thinking about spending 3 days in Paris? Great choice! We think that’s the perfect amount of time to spend in one of our favourite European cities, giving you the chance to see many of the top sights and attractions and really get a feel for the city.
Of course, if you have longer, that’s even better, but three days in Paris is certainly enough to see a lot, and works well either as a long weekend, or as part of a longer Europe trip itinerary like this.
To help you with your planning, we’re going to share with you everything we think you need to know to spend three days in Paris. We’re going to give you a suggested itinerary, tips for getting around, advice on where to stay in Paris, our thoughts on when is best to visit and even some suggested ways to save money in Paris.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents:
3 Day Paris Itinerary
This three-day Paris itinerary has you hitting all the major sites and attractions in the city. Naturally we suggest you use this as a guide, and add to or remove from it as necessary.
We also suggest you check the opening times and days for each attraction. For example, the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, so depending on when your trip to Paris is, you might need to re-order the days to get everything in.
Paris Itinerary: Day 1
Eiffel Tower
What better way to start off your trip to Paris than with a visit to the Eiffel Tower. This is without doubt the most iconic landmark in Paris (if not France!), and a visit here is a must for any visit to Paris. When we visit Paris, we always visit at least once, and every time we are amazed at the sheer scale of this beautiful building.
There are a number of ways to enjoy the Eiffel Tower. First, you can just enjoy the views of the tower, which we think are particularly good from the Trocadero Gardens across the river, or the Champ de Mars gardens behind the Tower.
You can also go up inside the Eiffel Tower to one of the different floors, for expansive views of the city. We do like the experience of going up inside, but we don’t think it offers the best view of the city – because the view from inside the Eiffel Tower is missing the most famous part of the skyline – the Eiffel Tower itself!
Still, if this is your first visit to Paris, we highly recommend the experience. We do suggest that if you want to go up the Eiffel Tower, that you book your tickets in advance from the official website. The queues here for tickets can be very long, and with a pre-booked ticket you can skip the wait.
Alternatively, if you are feeling fit, you can also take the stairs up to the first level. There is not usually a very long queue for the stairs, which have their own ticket line, and it is also slightly cheaper. See our guide to visiting the Eiffel Tower to help you plan your visit.
There are other options for visiting as well. A guided climb of the Eiffel Tower is included on the Paris Pass. This runs in the middle of the day, so if you want to take advantage of this, you will likely want to switch the Eiffel Tower and Seine River Cruise around in this itinerary. It’s also included on the Paris City Card, with a choice of timeslots.
Finally, this tour includes a guided visit (with elevator) to the second floor with the option to visit the summit if you want. It also includes free cancellation, which the official ticket does not.
Seine River Cruise
Another must-do experience in Paris is a river cruise on the Seine. This is a very popular activity, with multiple operators offering cruises up and down the river.
We’ve taken many of these cruises and have actually written a post about the various Seine River sightseeing cruise options which goes through the majority of the operators.
If you’d prefer a dinner cruise, check out our guide to the best Seine River dinner cruises. We’ve done a few evening dinner cruises in Paris and really enjoyed that experience.
For a daytime cruise we can definitely recommend the Bateaux Parisiens River Cruise. These depart from just next to the Eiffel Tower, so fit in nicely with this itinerary. They are are also included for free if you pick up a Paris Pass or a Paris City Card.
The cruise takes in all the highlights from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame, and there’s commentary included. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and let the scenery float by.
Hop on Hop off Bus
Talking of sitting back and relaxing, we find that a great way to get oriented in a new city and get an idea of the sights we want to see is to take a Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus tour.
Paris is no exception to this rule, and you can pick up a HOHO bus in Paris from right next to the Eiffel Tower, which will then take you around Paris’s key attractions.
There are multiple operators running different routes around the city. If you pick up a Paris Pass, it includes a 1 Day Big Bus Tour. We took this tour and enjoyed it – it’s both an easy way to get around the city, plus you can learn about many of the sights as you go.
However there are a few different HOHO options in Paris, so pick the one that works for you!
Paris Walking Tour
All this sitting around on buses and boats is great for getting oriented, but at some point you’re going to need to put your feet on the pavement! Paris is a wonderful city to explore on foot, and a guided walking tour is an excellent way to do that.
We think that if you are going to do a walking tour in a city, the first day is the best, as you can ask your guide for local recommendations such as their favorite places to eat or get a coffee, as well as get suggestions for hidden gems you might not find in the guidebooks.
There are lots of operators offering tours in Paris. We’ve taken a number of walking tours with Context Travel, and have always loved their detailed tours. They have a number of tours available in Paris, and you get 10% off with this link. We particularly enjoyed their Hemingway themed walking tour of Paris.
We also love Take Walks walking tours, and they have a number of Paris Tours. For example, they have a full day Paris tour, although this would require you to significantly alter this itinerary. They also have a number of excellent Paris food tour, including the Ultimate Paris Food Tour which is our personal favorite.
If you have a Paris Pass, it comes with a choice of free walking tours, which is worth looking into.
Tour Montparnasse
Last on our list for your first day in Paris is a trip up the Tour Montparnasse. I recommend this to everyone going to Paris, as it is, in my opinion at least, the location with the best view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower.
This is particularly the case at sunset, so if you can time your visit for sunset, you will get to witness a wonderful sunset across the Eiffel Tower, and then watch the city lights come to life.
The observation level is across two levels, one is inside and one is outside. The outside area is surrounded by glass, but there are cutouts so you can get reflection-free shots of the view. You can also bring a tripod up here! No wonder therefore that it’s on my list of favorite Paris photography locations.
There’s a fee to go up Tour Montparnasse, but it’s free for holders of the Paris Pass. You can also buy individual tickets online in advance here.
Paris Itinerary: Day 2
Our second day in Paris takes in some more iconic sites including some of Paris’s most famous museums and churches. It’s quite a full day, so do feel free to edit the itinerary to suit your particular interests, pace and needs!
Sainte Chapelle
It took me multiple visits to Paris before I finally made it to Sainte Chapelle. Now I urge everyone to make it a priority on their trip to Paris!
This is a relatively small chapel that is not too far from Notre Dame, but the interior, which consists of almost floor to ceiling stained glass, is absolutely outstanding. It will definitely take your breath away.
The 13th century Saint Chapelle is quite popular, and the small size and mandatory security checks mean that the line to get in can be long. This is why I have put it on my list as the first thing for your second day in Paris – you want to get here early, ideally get in line ten – fifteen minutes before the opening time. After all, no-one wants to spend their time standing in lines.
There’s a fee to enter Saint Chapelle, which is free to holders of the Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass.
You can also buy your ticket online in advance from GetYourGuide here, which is highly recommended as the ticket line can be very long. At time of writing the GetYourGuide ticket also includes access to the nearby Conciergerie, which is also well worth a visit.
Alternatively, you can buy a standalone ticket on the official site here.
Notre Dame
No more than ten minutes’ walk from Sainte Chapelle is Paris’s most famous religious building, known for her flying buttresses, twin towers and, of course, hunchback resident.
You will definitely see two out of those three when you visit Notre Dame, the major Catholic cathedral in Paris. Construction of this magnificent building took nearly two hundred years, and was completed in 1345.
Unfortunately, on April 15th 2019 a devastating fire seriously damaged Notre Dame. The cathedral will be closed for the foreseeable future as a result of this tragic incident.
We certainly think it is worth visiting the facade, but as you can’t go inside at the moment, you might wish to visit another nearby attraction like the Conciergerie (where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned) as well. You can get a combined ticket for that and Sainte Chapelle here
Musee d’Orsay
If you like museums, Paris has definitely gotten you covered. Our next stop is the Musee d’Orsay, but before you get here, you’re going to take a walk along Paris’s iconic left bank, from Notre Dame to the Musee d’Orsay.
This isn’t too far, but you’ll see the booksellers and get a feel for this part of town.
Paris’s museums are quite logically set up, with three main art museums covering three distinct time periods.
The Musee d’Orsay, first on our list, covers art dating from the middle of the 19th century up to the early 20th century, and is home to masterpieces from the likes of Duchamp, Kandinsky and Picasso, to name but a few.
The Louvre (see below), covers the time period before this, whilst the Centre Pompidou covers the time period afterwards, right up to the modern day. The Centre Pompidou isn’t on this itinerary, but you could fit it in if you wanted to of course!
The Musee d’Orsay is absolutely stunning. It’s set in what was once one of Paris’s main train stations, and the grand central atrium is gorgeous – almost worth visiting in of itself.
There’s a fee to get in here, but holders of the Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass get free entry as well as skip the line privileges.
You can also buy tickets and tours online in advance here or on the official site here.
The Louvre
If you only visit one museum in Paris, I can highly recommend making it the Louvre. This is one of the world’s most famous museums, and is home to an incredible collection of art, including Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and Michelangelo’s Dying Slave, to name but a few.
Obviously, seeing the Mona Lisa is on the wishlist for many visitors, but this museum, which covers art from ancient times up to the middle of the 19th century, has obviously got a great deal more to offer. True art lovers could lose themselves for days in the vast collection here!
Of course, if that’s you, you are welcome to do the same, although for the purposes of this itinerary we’d probably recommend you try and limit your time to two to three hours so you can fit more of Paris in.
We’d also highly recommend that you pick up either a Paris Pass, Paris City Card or a Paris Museum Pass, which will give you fast-track access to the Louvre.
Note that in the busy times, which tend to be the summer periods especially, the Louvre gets very busy. In fact, it is not uncommon for the museum to completely sell out, and only holders of advance purchase tickets or timed reservations will be able to enter the museum.
If you have a Paris Pass or Paris Museum Pass, you must reserve your entry online on the official website. This is mandatory for holders of these passes in order to guarantee entry, and we highly recommend you do this in advance. If you do not reserve your slot in advance, you are not guaranteed entry even with the pass.
If you have a Paris City Card, you’ll book the timeslot you want when you book the card.
If you do not have a pass, you can buy your ticket and reserve your entry time either on GetYourGuide here (where we normally get our tickets), or online on the official website here.
We’ve sometimes found that GetYourGuide has availability even when the official site is out, so it’s always worth checking if you want to visit and can’t find tickets on the official site.
Whichever ticket you buy, you will still have to queue for security, but the line for people with tickets is a lot quicker moving than the general admission line. In addition, when the Louvre sells out on its official website, tickets will usually not be sold on site, so you may not be able to just turn up and queue – only holders of advance tickets will be given entry.
Note the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. See opening times and more on the official site here.
Wine tasting
When you think of France, a few things likely come to mind, and I suspect that wine is likely one of them. So why not take a break from the sight-seeing and museums, and indulge in a little wine tasting.
Conveniently located just by the Louvre Museum, the Caves du Louvre is a wine-tasting experience which will guide you through the French wine making process and introduce you to a number of different French wines. Which you get to drink.
The tour is set in an actual 18th century wine cellar which originally housed the wine collection of the French King. Not a bad setting to learn about French wine we think!
There’s a fee for the tour (which includes the wine tasting), and it is included for holders of the Paris Pass. You can also book it separately here.
If you aren’t into wine tasting, there are a number of nearby cafes and restaurants where you can refresh and revive.
We can recommend afternoon tea at Le Meurice, the Ritz or the Hotel de Crillon if you like afternoon tea (see our guide to the best afternoon tea in Paris if so).
For a shorter and less expensive experience, the hot chocolate at Angelina Cafe is also superb.
Arc de Triomphe
We’re going to finish off the second day of our three-day Paris itinerary with a visit to the Arc de Triomphe, another of Paris’s iconic landmarks. From the Louvre you can either take public transport here, or you can walk up the Champs Elysees, Paris’s most famous shopping street.
The Arc de Triomphe, built in memory of those who died in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, is wonderfully photogenic.
From the top you get an excellent view of the city, which includes the roads spanning out into the distance and the Eiffel Tower.
As you journey up into the monument, you will also come to a museum which details some of its history. Below the monument, you will also find the tomb of the unknown soldier.
To get to the Arc de Triomphe, don’t try and cross the traffic roundabout. Head to one of the underpasses, and cross in safety.
Going up inside the Arc de Triomphe carries a fee, holders of the Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass get free access with skip the line privileges.
You can also book a ticket online in advance here, which is worth doing as the lines can get quite long.
Paris Itinerary: Day 3
On the last day of our 3-day Paris itinerary, we’re heading out of the city centre to take in one of Paris’s most famous Royal Palaces. We’re also including some extra sights in the city at the end if you can tear yourself away.
Versailles
The really nice thing about having 3 days in Paris is that you have the flexibility to go a little further out of the centre.
My suggestion for your third day is to visit Versailles, the incredible palace that was the seat of French political power and home to French Royalty, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
To truly appreciate Versailles, I would suggest allocating at least half a day of your third day in Paris, if not more. There is easily enough to see here to fill an entire day, which is why we don’t recommend coming here on our two day Paris itinerary.
We suggest starting off by touring the Palace. You’ll want to get here for opening time, as this is a really popular tourist attraction and it gets busier as the day goes on. Once you have toured the Palace and seen such highlights as the incredible Hall of Mirrors and the Kings Grand Apartments, you can head outside, where there is a great deal more to see.
A walk in the incredible (and vast!) gardens is a must. We particularity enjoy heading over to Marie Antoinette’s estate, which is a slightly quieter part of the gardens, and home to a small model farm, tucked away temples, and walking paths.
It’s very easy to spend a whole day exploring Versailles and the grounds, and don’t feel bad if you do, it’s totally worth it.
Visiting Versailles is quite easy, you can get a train (RER C) from central Paris to the Gare de Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche, and from the train station to the Palace it is a well sign-posted ten to fifteen minute walk.
Fast-track entry to the Palace, Gardens and other Versailles attractions is included on the Paris Museum Pass – although you will still need to join the security line. You can also book tickets online here or book a guided tour online here.
Montmartre
If you manage to tear yourself away from Versailles, my suggestion for finishing off your last day in Paris is to head to the Montmartre region. This is home to a large hill, atop which sits the glorious Sacre Coeur de Montmartre, another of Paris’s iconic buildings.
This area of Paris was particularly famous as being home to artists, and folks like Dali, Picasso and Hemingway all either lived or frequented this area.
It’s still popular with artists, and the Place du Teatre is the place in Montmartre is the place to go to get your portrait or caricature painted. Fans of Dali will also want to visit the Dali Exhibition, home of the largest collection of works by Dali in France.
Montmartre is a maze of cute little streets, cafes and shops. The Basilica is free to visit, if you get here in time, although there is a small fee if you want to climb the tower.
Montmartre is also a popular place to watch the sunset across the city, and what better way to finish your 3 days in Paris than by watching the sun set across this magical city from atop Montmartre?
3 Days in Paris Itinerary Map
To help you visualise our 3-day Paris itinerary we’ve put together this helpful map which shows the attractions for each day. You can access this on Google Maps here.
3 Days in Paris Itinerary Overview
Here’s a quick day by day breakdown of all the sights this itinerary covers:
- Day 1: Eiffel Tower, Seine River Cruise, Hop on Hop off Bus, Paris Walking Tour, Tour Montparnasse
- Day 2: Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame, Musée d’Orsay, The Louvre, Wine tasting, Arc de Triomphe
- Day 3: Versailles, Montmartre
Where to Stay in Paris
As you would expect from a major European capital city, Paris has no shortage of options when it comes to accommodation. We’ve stayed in a variety of places, from hotels to homestays to apartments.
Ideally you want to be fairly central if you can, to minimise your travel time. Our suggestion is to take a look at the listings for Paris on booking.com. They’re our favourite booking engine when we travel, usually giving us the best choice and the best prices. They also have everything from apartments and hostels to high end hotels. Here are some options we suggest, depending on your budget.
- Hotel Dress Code & Spa, a highly reviewed centrally located 4 star hotel right a few hundred yards from the opera house
- Hôtel Eiffel Turenne, a well rated 3* hotel within a ten minute walk of the Eiffel Tower
- Ateliers de Montmartre, an apartment in Montmartre with views of the Sacre Coeur
- The People – Paris Marais, a well-reviewed hostel in the Marais, one of our favourite parts of Paris to stay
- Hotel le Compostelle, a highly rated 3* hotel centrally located near the Louvre Museum
If you prefer an apartment, then we recommend Plum Guide or Vrbo.
Plum Guide carefully curate their listings so their options tend to be of a very high quality whilst still being available at a range of price points. We’ve stayed at a number of their properties around the world, including a beautiful apartment in Paris with spectacular Eiffel Tower views. See their listings for Paris here.
If you can’t find what you want from the above choices, or you want some new options to try out, we wrote a whole post on the best alternatives to AirBnB which you should check out!
We also have a page full of travel resources, which includes our tips for getting the best deals on accommodation, which you can find here.
When to Visit Paris
We’re actually happy to visit Paris at pretty much any time of year, and this Paris itinerary would work at any time of year.
Summer brings sunshine and warmth, although of course the city is a lot busier at this time of year, so if crowds aren’t your thing, you might want to skip the summer months.
We also love Fall and Spring in the city, when the temperatures are a bit cooler and the crowds less. In the run up to Christmas, the city is beautifully decorated and some of the stores in particular are worth visiting just to see the elaborate decorations they put up. After Christmas the city is a lot quieter, and of course temperatures are at their lowest.
Ultimately, we think Paris is worth visiting whenever you can, so just decide how busy you can handle, and if you’d prefer it to be warm or cold, and go from there!
How to Get to and From Paris
As the capital of France, Paris has multiple options for visitors looking to visit. There are three major airports in Paris. Charles de Gaulle is the main airport for international arrivals, with Paris Orly being the second most popular international airport. Both of these airports are easily reachable by public transport from the city centre.
Paris Beauvais-Tille airport is where you will likely arrive if you are flying with a budget airline. This is some way out of the city centre, but regular shuttle buses are available to take you into the city.
Paris is also connected to the high-speed French and European rail network, and there are a number of train stations in central Paris. You can even travel from the UK by train, taking the channel tunnel to do so. See our guide to getting from London to Paris for more suggested options.
Finally, of course, you can reach Paris by car from France and the rest of Europe. Our advice would be to park your car in a secure long stay car-park on the outskirts of Paris and take public transport to the centre.
We recommend against driving in the city centre, as public transport is cheap and fast, and a lot easier than stressing about driving around the crowded city streets, and trying to find a parking space.
How to Get Around Paris
Paris has an excellent public transport network, and in particular the Paris Metro system is really good, getting you around all the major parts of the city at minimum cost. There’s also a good bus network, as well as local trains.
For public transport, you can purchase t+ tickets which allow for one-off travel on the Paris bus, RER trains and metros. These are available at train and metro stations using the ticket machines. These machines accept both credit cards and cash, and can be configured for English language.
Each ticket can be used for a single journey of up to 2 hours on the metro (including transfers) and 90 minutes on buses (including transfers). For more information on these tickets, see the official page.
From 2019, the Paris transport system has introduced the Navigo Easy Card. This is a rechargeable card system which is designed to replace the cardboard T+ tickets. A card costs €2 to buy, but allow you to buy a discounted pack of 10 tickets which will save you money if you do quite a bit of travel.
Other than being electronically stored, the tickets work the same, so we would recommend visitors to Paris using the Navigo Easy system as the most cost-effectivee method of paying for transport as a visitor to Paris.
For more on getting around Paris, see our detailed guide to how to get around Paris, which should help you plan all your transport in the city.
Walking Tours of Paris
If you’d like to take a guided tour of Paris, the two companies we usually use are Take Walks and Context Travel. These both offer small group walking tours in Paris, which are a great way to learn about some of the sights and history of the city. Of course, if you decide to take a walking tour you will have to adjust the itinerary accordingly to suit.
If you were interested in a tour, Take Walks has this Paris in a Day tour which includes the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre & a Seine River Cruise – an excellent introduction to the city! They also run one of our favourite food walking tours in Paris, the Ultimate Paris Food tour.
Context travel offer a number of very focused tours of Paris, and these offer very specialized insights into particular subjects. We’d suggest maybe taking one of these for a specific area of interest that you really want to learn about, perhaps for Versailles. They also offer an introduction to Paris tour.
There are of course other options for various tours in Paris, including all the tours on this page, which offers a variety of things to do from different providers.
For example, there’s this delicious looking food tour, this in-depth tour of Hemingway locations in Paris or this tour of Montmartre.
So definitely check out the options to figure out what is best for you!
How to Save Money in Paris
Being a major European city, Paris is definitely not a budget destination. There are a few ways to save money of course, even on an itinerary as packed with attractions as this one is. Food is one way – rather than eating out for every meal for example, you could stay in an apartment or hostel that lets you cook your own meals.
If that’s not an option, consider having picnic lunches or breakfasts, and eating out in the evenings. Also, keep an eye out for the “menu du jour”, most restaurants offer a fixed lunch or evening menu which includes a number of dishes at a fixed price.
You can usually get a meal for between €12 & €25 which includes two or three courses, bread, and sometimes even wine or coffee. Check out our guide to the best restaurants in Paris for lunch deals.
The cheapest way to get around Paris is to walk of course, followed by the excellent public transport system. We usually walk as much as we can, and then take the metro for the longer trips. Taxis can be convenient, but they will eat into your budget very quickly.
One of our favourite ways to save money when we visit a major city where we want to see a lot of sights is to invest in a city sightseeing pass. In Paris there are three main passes that we recommend, the Paris Pass (buy yours from the official site here), the Paris Museum Pass (buy here) and the Paris City Card.
Calculating if a pass is worth it for you will of course depend on exactly which attractions you want to visit.
From our itinerary, here’s what’s included on which passes, as well the cost of individual tickets as of July 2024 and links to book each attraction directly.
- Eiffel Tower (€39 for guided tour, €14.20 for standard stair access ticket) – tour included on Paris City Card, Go Paris Pass and Paris Pass. Book tickets on the official website here
- Seine River Cruise (€18) – included on Paris City Card, Go Paris Pass and Paris Pass. Book online here.
- Hop on Hop off bus (€47) – included on Paris Pass. Book online here.
- Paris Walking Tour (~€36) – various options included on Paris Pass. Book online here.
- Tour Montparnasse (€25) – included on Paris Pass. Book online here.
- Sainte Chapelle (€13) – included on Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass. Book online here.
- Musee d’Orsay (€16) – included on Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass. Book online here.
- Louvre Museum (€22) – included on Paris Museum Pass and Paris City Card. Book on GetYourGuide here, or on the official site here.
- Wine Tasting (€36) – included on Go Paris Pass and Paris Pass. Book online here.
- Arc de Triomphe (€16) – included on Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass. Book online here.
- Versailles (€21) – included on Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass. Book online here.
Adding all the above together and you are looking at around €289 in entry fees.
Our recommendation is to consider a 3-day Paris Pass.
We suggest the 3-day Paris Pass because it actually comes with a 2-day Paris Museum Pass.
With that, you get access to pretty much everything on our itinerary, as well as many more activities and attractions including more museums, walking tours, and even dining activities!
You just have to plan your itinerary so you visit the sites covered by the Paris Museum Pass on two out of your three days in Paris. Hint – we’ve already done that for you in our itinerary!
As of July 2024, a 3-day Paris Pass costs €224 for an adult, saving you around €65 per person if you do everything in our itinerary.
Of course, your individual situation will vary, and you might have different attractions you want to visit. In addition, you should be aware that if you are an EU citizen under the age of 26 that many attractions are free or discounted to visit (you need ID!).
Also, on the first Sunday of every month, many museums are free to visit – although very crowded as a result!
We think the Paris Pass can be good value for money (click here to buy), but do feel free to check out our detailed reviews of both the Paris Pass and the Paris Museum Pass, and come to your own decision as to what works for you!
You might also decide that purchasing individual tickets makes more sense. In that case, we highly recommend booking online in advance, especially for major attractions like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, which can get very busy and even sell out a long time in advance.
Finally, we can also suggest checking out the Paris City Card. This includes a guided Eiffel tower ticket, Seine River cruise and access to the Louvre. It also comes with an audioguide to Paris, as well as a further 10% discount on other Paris attractions.
This is a good option if you aren’t planning on visiting everything in our itinerary. It also has the advantage that you book the timeslots for the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower when you book the card, so can be convenient.
Practicalities for visiting Paris
Safety
Paris is a safe city in our experience, although it does have a reputation for being home to a number of scams. Most of these are easy to avoid once you know about them (read up on some of the common scams in Paris here).
As with any major city, of course you need to keep your wits about you – keep your possessions in view all the time, keep your wallet or phone in a front pocket (with a zip if possible), and don’t do anything that you wouldn’t do at home.
We’ve not had any problems in Paris, although there are a few scams to be aware of – check our guide to avoiding common Paris scams so you are prepared in advance.
Power
Electricity in Paris is of the 220v standard, with the 2 pin European style plug. Travellers from countries like the UK and the US will need an adapter like this. See more on travel adapters and how to choose one for your trip in our guide to the best travel adapters.
US travellers need to check their equipment supports the 220v standard – it will be written clearly on the power adapter. As a general rule, we have found that laptops, phone and camera chargers and other small electronics are universal, whilst larger devices like hair dryers and hair straighteners are not.
Currency
Paris is part of the Eurozone, so the currency is the Euro. You can get Euros from ATM’s, banks and currency exchanges, although credit cards are of course widely accepted, and there is no need to carry large quantities of currency.
Internet Access
Internet access is widely available in the form of WiFi all around the city and in hotels and coffee shops, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting online. You can also pick up local SIM cards if you have an unlocked phone. If you are travelling from the USA, consider a Google Fi package which lets you use your data overseas.
Alternatively, consider an eSIM service like Airalo.
For more options on getting online when travelling, check out our guide to getting online when travelling to help you figure out the best options. We also have a guide to picking the best travel router, which can help you extend a weak WiFi network and share it across multiple devices.
Water
The water in the taps in Paris is safe to drink unless otherwise indicated. If you don’t like the taste, bottled water is widely available. We usually recommend you travel with a re-usable water bottle like one of these to save on having to buy water bottles.
We love our Klean Kanteen water bottles for travel as they are lightweight, easy to clean and the company is a certified B-Corp.
Eating in Paris
If you want to eat at one of the more popular restaurants in Paris, we recommend that you book in advance. We recommend and use La Fourchette (the fork), which is the most popular online restaurant booking website in France.
It’s easy to use and makes booking restaurants a breeze, especially if you don’t speak French. Check it out here to find reviews, sample menus and book a table.
Further Reading for your 3 Days in Paris
We have visited Paris on a number of occasions, and have written a good deal about our experiences in the city. To help you further plan your stay in Paris, here are some of our favourite posts and external resources.
- A detailed guide to 2 Days in Paris, should you be there for a shorter period or are looking for some alternative options
- We also have a guide to spending a day in Paris, if you’re on a really tight schedule and just want to focus on the highlights
- We have a detailed guide to attending the famous Moulin Rouge show in Paris
- Our guide to the best photography locations in Paris, to help you get the best shots on your trip
- A guide to choosing a Seine river cruise, choosing a Seine River dinner cruise, buying Paris opera tickets, attending a fashion show in Paris and our tips for the best restaurants in Paris for lunch.
- Our review of the Paris Pass and the Paris Museum Pass to help you decide if these might save you money during your time in Paris
- Galeries Lafayette is one of the most well known stores in Paris. However, there’s more to do here than shop! See our complete guide to visiting Galeries Lafayette for more information.
- A guide to Airbnb Alternatives to help you find the right accommodation
- If you like afternoon tea, check out our definitive guide to the best afternoon tea locations in Paris
- If you are heading out of town, check out our itinerary for 2 Days visiting Normandy and the D-Day beaches
- We have reviewed many travel related products you might find useful. Check out our guide to the best travel routers, best travel cameras and best travel wraps to get started!
- If you want a book, we always like to recommend the Rick Steves guides – here’s the Rick Steves Paris edition
And that’s it for our guide to spending 3 days in Paris! As always if you have any feedback or questions, just let us know in the comments below.
Deidre Smith says
We arrive at the paris airport at 8am on a Sunday, will have to get our luggage and take it to our hotel. I was hoping to be to hotel by 10am. I thought of doing: Eiffel Tower, Seine River Cruise, Hop on Hop off Bus, Notre Dame, Tour Montparnasse.
Monday: Sainte Chapelle, Musée d’Orsay, The Louvre, Catacombs, Arc de Triomphe (do Tour Montparnasse this day if didn’t have time on Sunday)
Tuesday: Versailles in the morning, leave to go get our luggage at hotel at 3pm, get to hotel at 4pm, get to airport by 5pm for 7pm flight to Venice.
I had to move Notre Dame on your days to Sunday, since it’s closed Monday. So my question is, is this doable? Second, I was going to get the Paris Pass but it seems that wouldn’t work on Versailles if I use it on Monday at Notre Dame, so is there a better pass for me to buy. I was worried if I bought the paris pass, and then used it to book Versailles, it might not work since it’s not consecutive days.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Deidre,
So, Notre Dame itself is not due to re-open until the end of 2024. The only area you can currently visit is the Crypt, which you are correct, is closed on Mondays. So I just wanted to clarify that that was what you meant.
For the general timing, if you don’t mind having quite a long day on the Monday you should be ok. My main concern would be that the Hop on Hop off bus is likely going to take a while (it’s a sightseeing experience rather than a quick way to get around the city). Also if you plan on using the Paris Pass or similar pass, you should be aware that some attractions are visited with a guided tour, specifically the Eiffel Tower. Those tours only run at specific times.
Given your schedule with Versailles on the Tuesday and the fact that the Paris Pass only comes with a 2 day Paris Museum Pass, you are correct that this might not be the best pass for you as the 2 day Musuem Pass would expire by Tuesday. One option would be to just get a 2 day Paris Museum Pass and use it for the Monday / Tuesday attractions. From your list it should cover everything except the Catacombs I believe. Then you could just book individual tickets for the other sights. There are passes which include some of the sights on your list such as the Go City Explorer Pass. However I honestly don’t think that it is going to offer better value than just booking individual tickets for each attraction.
I hope this helps, have an amazing time in Paris and let me know if I can offer any more help!
Laurence
Catrina says
My husband and I will be celebrating our 20 year anniversary in March and are planning a trip to Paris! I love the 3 day itinerary, giving us a couple days to visit Disneyland Paris. I am interested in a budget friendly-ish stay that allows for a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower as in your photo above. Any way to narrow down my hotel/apartment search? Any info is greatly appreciated! Thanks for all the info already given. Super excited for our trip 🙂
Laurence Norah says
Hi Carina!
Congratulations and your anniversary and what a lovely way to spend it 🙂 So there are definitely quite a few hotels and apartments with views of the Eiffel Tower. The downside is that properties are aware that this is a desirable feature, so these rooms tend to cost a bit more. We actually have a complete guide to the Eiffel Tower which has a section on recommended hotels, with many of them offering views.
We cen definitely personally recommend the Pullman, which has lovely views from many of the rooms.
Otherwise, your best option is going to be to search properties in the region of the Eiffel tower (like this search I’ve set up for you). Any hotel or apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower will definitely make that obvious in it’s description. You just want to be sure you book a room with a view of it, which should also be pretty clear in the room description!
I hope you have a wonderful time in Paris and if you have any more questions please let me know 🙂
Laurence
Catrina Baugus says
Thank you so much! This gives us a great place to start 🙂
G. Heartwell says
Thank you so much for the details on the 3 day Paris tour. Sounds perfect for starting a 7 day first visit.! My granddaughter and I are planning to go after the end of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris! Any helpful travel do s and don’ts for that time period?
Laurence Norah says
Hi G
It’s my pleasure. So the main advice I would give is to book any attractions you want to visit as far in advance as possible. This is especially the case for popular attractions like the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower, which can book out months in advance at busier times of year. I’d also recommend picking a hotel with air-conditioning. It’s not always included, but summer in Paris can be hot so be sure to pick somewhere that specifically states it has A/C for a more comfortable stay.
Otherwise have a great time in Paris!
Laurence
Dina says
Hello from snowy Toronto, Canada
My son (almost 18) and I would like to travel to France end of July for perhaps a week or so then on to England. With respect to France he wants to see the Eifel Tower and Louvre and from what I read a sunset river cruise would be great too. We can visit the Notre-Dame and anything else you suggest. I personally would then like to go south to Nice, Cannes etc. If we base ourselves in Paris for sites would you suggest base in Nice and branch from there to surrounding areas? Are Roven, Marselle and Carcassone (sp) worth visiting? Would you suggest other areas? Bordeaux looks beautiful but being that this isn’t a wine tour for myself I don’t want to visit this time. Any suggestions are much appreciated.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Dina
It’s great to hear from you. So for Paris I think this guide should cover most of the highlights of what you want to see. For the south of France, it is definitely a good option to pick one or two locations as a base. However, it’s worth pointing out that France is quite a big country, so you will want to plan what you want to see. Carcassone is very pretty and definitely worth visiting, but it’s about 350 miles from Nice for example. So I think you would want to work out exactly what you wanted to see and then decide which location or locations makes the most logical sense. You will also want to figure out how you want to get around. The train network in France is very fast and good value, but it doesn’t go everywhere, so you might also consider hiring a car for example. With only a week total, I’d suggest picking one other location outside of Paris and focusing on that. Bordeaux would actually be a great option as it’s about 3 hours by fast train from Paris and there is plenty to see (lots of which doesn’t involve wine!).
Have a great trip 🙂
Laurence
jacques Martial says
Interesting site.. we have some friends visiting Paris for 3 days and we found your site..
Being a Parisian myself, I was surprised that you included Versailles and a Wine Tasting visit into your planning.
Nothing against Versailles, it is a beautiful place but there is more to see in Paris that spending time in Versailles and tasting wine when you are not a drinker.
Suggest that you give these visits as alternate.
One suggestion: why don’t you have a Romantic 3 days in Paris planning? Many young couples may appreciate more for honeymoon, wedding anniversary or other.
Thank you
Jacques from Vancouver in Canada
Laurence Norah says
Hi Jacques,
Thanks for your input! We definitely appreciate that this itinerary will not work for everyone, and of course we always suggest folks adjust for their own personal interests and tastes. Many visitors to France do want to try French wine, hence the wine tasting. We also think Versailles is worth visiting with three days in Paris, but of course, everyone can make their own choice 🙂 Thanks for the idea about the romantic visit to Paris as well, we shall definitely consider that!
Laurence
Marybeth says
Your information is fabulous! I will be traveling to France in June for a wedding. The wedding will take place in Provence. I plan on starting in Paris for at least 3 days. Then off to Lyon, Avignon and Provence. I am open to suggestions on what to see between Paris and Provence. Lastly, 3 or 4 days for Paris? My travel dates are a bit flexible.
Thank you for any suggestions you may offer.
Laurence Norah says
Thanks Marybeth, and sorry for the slow response, we’re currently traveling in Uganda with limited internet!
Given your planned route from Paris to Avignon with a stop in Lyons, a few suggestions that might work for you are below. However, this depends on if you are driving or traveling by train.
Fontainebleau – most famous for Fontainebleau Palace. A nice quieter alternative to Versailles if you are not already visiting that on this trip.
Guédelon Castle near Treigny, France which is a 13th century castle they are building using traditional materials and methods
Dijon – heart of Burgundy region so lots of vineyards in area, city has a number of attractions like Musée des Beaux-Arts
Beaune – lovely walled town with cobblestones, distinctive tiled roofs and the Hôtel-Dieu Museum
Cyndi says
Hi,
Your itinerary is so great! Thank you for doing this as I plan to follow it. I’m going in February. I’d like to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up what’s the best time to get there?
Thank you
Laurence Norah says
Hi Cyndi!
So the Eiffel Tower automatically lights up within 10 minutes of it getting dark. It’s an automated system that is based on the light. In February, the sunset in Paris is normally around 6pm (6.30pm at the end of the month), so anytime around then if you just want to see it lit up. It’s also worth noting that the tower also sparkles for five minutes every hour on the hour once it’s been lit up, so that would likely take place at 7pm when you are there. I’d definitely recommend watching that as well!
Have a great time in Paris, let me know if you have any more questions! We also have a detailed guide to the Eiffel Tower you might find useful 🙂
Laurence
Andrej ands Heather says
Hi Laurence and Jessica Norah
We were planning the Paris trip, actually a trip to Europe, with the first stop in Paris. We found your web blog, read it carefully and decided to follow your advice in the detail.
We stayed for 4 days and used 3 days Paris pass, it is good value for the money we paid for.
That was the best decision we made!
We create our own itinerary, we scheduled our trips and we made it even more than we predict.
We bought a weekly Navigo on arrival( it is good to have two photos with) and travel all around by public transport, a lot of walking up and downstairs( we are 50 and 51), but we managed.
We are extremely grateful for your work and effort.
Thank you, guys!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Andrej and Heather,
I am so pleased that you had a good time in Paris (and Europe!) and that you found our sites useful. It is very kind of you to take the time to stop by and let us know, it is very much appreciated. Also for the tip on the Navigo. Here’s to many more years of adventures ahead!
All the best,
Laurence
Dee says
So can I upgrade the Eiffel Tower tour to an elevator one all the way to the summit with the Paris pass? That says guided climbing tour only to the second floor. Thanks
Laurence Norah says
Hi Dee,
This is a great question! I reached out to Experience First who handle the tour that comes with the Paris Pass, and they responded as follows:
You can First book your tour with Paris pass through: https://www.exp1.com/paris-tours/book-with-pass/
Then, after booking you will receive an email with a Booking reference number which you can use it to upgrade to summit.
To Upgrade after booking : https://upgrade.exp1.com/
So in summary, yes, you can upgrade to the summit access tour with the Paris Pass, although obviously this will be subject to availability.
Have a great time in Paris!
Laurence
Tina says
My husband and I will be visiting Paris in a couple weeks for 4 days (Sun – Wed).
This is our first time visiting France and working on a draft itinerary.
I plan on getting the Paris Pass for the 1st 2 days so to include all the museum visits. Also your thoughts on doing the river cruise at night (Bateaux Parisiens Seine River) instead of during the day one.
Sunday – Bus hop, Eiffel Tower and late afternoon head to watch the sunset…Arc de Triomphe and do Tour Montparnasse
Monday – Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame, Musée d’Orsay, The Louvre, Wine tasting, River ride at sunset
Tuesday – The catacombs or Montmartre then Versaille in the afternoon
Thanks in advance!
Laurence Norah says
Hey Tina,
Great to hear from you! Your plan sounds great to me. The only thing I’d mention, which might be obvious, is just to remember that in winter the sun sets around 5pm in Paris. I’m sure you factored that in, but just something to remember if you’re wanting to catch the sunset from the Tour Montparnasse.
It definitely sounds like you have arranged everything in a sensible order. I am not sure how busy Versailles is at the moment. In the old times visiting in the afternoon without a guided tour booked was a challenge due to the long ticket lines, but now they have timed tickets I suspect it’s less of an issue – we’ve not been since they introduced the time slots.
For the Seine River Cruise, we’ve done both day time cruises, sunset cruises and an evening dinner cruise. I think sunset is a good time as you get the mix of the city at day and at night, with the potential for a nice sky as well. If it was my first time, I’d probably not do a tour at night, just because it’s obviously dark and so harder to see everything. But that’s just my personal preference. Seeing everything lit up is lovely as well!
Let me know if you have any more questions, I’m happy to help! Have a wonderful trip to Paris – we’re planning to be there at the start of January 😀
Laurence
amanda Pimm says
Hi , my husband and I plan to take my daughter and her friend to Paris next may 2022 for her 16th birthday. We have never been before and can’t speak any French, will this be a problem. I also wondered what pass would be good to buy for our 3 day sight seeing please. Would be very great full for any advice.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Amanda
Great to hear from you. Let me do my best to answer your two questions.
In terms of not speaking French, this shouldn’t be a major problem, especially in Paris. It’s a popular part of the world with visitors, and English is widely spoken. However, I would say that you will likely have a better experience if you learn a few basic phrases, such as hello (bonjour), thank you (merci) please (s’il vous plait), and do you speak English (parlez vouz anglais). The Parisians have developed a bit of reputation for being rude to foreigners, but in my experience, if you start off with a simple “bonjour”, they will pretty much instantly realise that you are not a native speaker, and nine times out of ten they’ll respond in English. However, if you start in English, they’ll be less receptive. I guess you could imagine the reception if it were reversed, and a French person arriving in the UK or USA and trying to start a conversation in French. So even learning “hello” can be a bit step in getting things off on the right foot!
For city cards, this will very much depend on what you want to see. For most visitors, a trip to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and a Seine River Cruise are popular, so the Paris City Card is a good starting point as it includes those things. You then get a 10% discount for additional attractions you book through the site. If you plan to see more sights, then you might instead consider the Paris Pass, which includes a lot more attractions and activities, but it will definitely depend on what you plan to do to make sure it is good value. For example, if you plan to do most of the attractions in this itinerary, it will likely offer cost savings.
I hope this helps, have a great trip to Paris and let me know if you have any more questions!
Laurence
James says
Exploring the City of Love is such a dream come true! This 3-day Itinerary in Paris is such a great help to those who are planning to discover Paris. Thanks for sharing, nice article.
Laurence Norah says
Thanks James!
rj digma says
Great site. Very helpful. One question, if I buy the paris museum pass but want to hire a private guide to take us to the museums and give us art history info, would you know someone.
Laurence Norah says
Hi RJ,
Thanks very much! We don’t know any private guides personally, however we have regularly used Context Travel, who do provide private guides, so that would be worth looking into.
Good luck, and have a great time in Paris!
Laurence
Veronica Webster says
Hi Laurence,
We have already cleared doubts with Jessica about our London trip, and now we’re working on the Paris part. We will be visiting Paris from March 27th to April 1st. Arriving on Friday around 11:00 am. We know that being a weekend everything will be more crowded, but it is what it is. We have made our numbers and we’re thinking that the Museum Pass will work better, given that the Paris Pass 3 days only includes 2 days museums, and we have actually 4.5 days, so not really need to fit all museums in 2 days (and we’re visiting Versailles too)
My question is: The delivery options for the Museum pass is pick up at arrival or Fedex (24euros to Canada). If we arrive on a Friday, if I want to reserve time slot for Louvre on Saturday, is there’s a risk I won’t find available the time I’m looking for? Same for Orsay on Sunday morning (we want to be there for both at 9:00 am) Given that we would be already saving time by avoiding lines and buying the tickets, the 24 euros fee to have the pass with us sooner and book weeks ahead sound like a reasonable option. Your thoughts please?
here’s a draft of our trip:
Friday after 1 pm: Eiffel Tower, Seine River Cruise (we pay for those 2)
Sat: Louvre (9am, museum pass), Hop OnOff (we pay) Champs E./Arc the T (mpass)
Sun: Orsay (9am mpass) Montmartre
Mo: Saint Chapelle (mpass), Notre Dame (just views), Pantheon (mpass), Invalides (mpass)
Tu: Versailles (mpass) – We think Versailles will be less crowded on Tu, but we could switch this to Sunday.
Thank you in advance to you and Jessica! your blog has been very useful to plan this trip!!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Veronica,
Thanks for your comment. To answer your question, for the Louvre, it has become very popular, and if you want to guarantee a particular time for your entry, then paying for the delivery of the museum pass is definitely going to be the way to do that. You need the number on the pass in order to make the reservation, which obviously you will need the pass for. If you decide to do this, make sure you bring both the pass and proof of reservation with you, and then join the correct line at the Louvre for those with reservations.
Of course, Paris in March / April is not as busy as it is over the summer months, so it may be that the Louvre has plenty of availability. However, it’s all down to your personal risk preference 😉
For the Musee d’Orsay, as far as we know you can’t book in advance with this museum, you just turn up with your pass. This is the case for most of the museums in Paris, it’s only the Louvre that has the timed requirement due to its popularity.
For Versailles, the weekends are usually very busy, however, bear in mind that many sights in Paris are also closed on Tuesdays (like the Louvre), so this also means more folks head out to Versailles. We would urge you to arrive early at Versailles, as the lines can get very very long for entry. Again, March / April should not be *too* busy, but it is best to err on the side of caution in our experience!
You have done a great job with the itinerary, putting the busiest places first 🙂 Let us know if you have any more questions and we’ll try to help. Have a fantastic trip – do feel free to join our facebook group and share your experiences in our friendly facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelloversandphotography/ 🙂
Laurence
Afitha says
Hi Laurence,
Me and my husband will be going to paris-switzerland-italy for 11 days trip..pls gve me an advise regarding howmany days we will stay per country…eagerly waiting for ur reply..TIA
Afi
Laurence Norah says
Hi Afi,
It really depends on which cities you want to visit and your personal interests. I haven’t visited Switzerland for a while but I would say if you were to do something like Paris for 3 days, then Switzerland for 3-4 days, then Italy for 4-5 days. I would suggest with that much time that you could visit 2 cities in Italy, so I’d say maybe Rome and Venice. You could also base in Rome and do day trips to places like Florence.
Have a great time!
Laurence
Eli says
Hello Laurence and Jessica, I’m planning to go on a solo trip on January 2020 to Paris (and going to Italy). It will be my first time in Europe, and I’m very excited. I know it’s winter and it will be very cold, but I was wondering if you have any tips for a 21 year old solo female traveller? I’m planning to book an AirBnB so I can also cook some meals to be able to save some money. How much do you think I need for the three day sightseeing in Paris alone? I’m hoping to hear from you guys soon. Thank you.
Eli
Laurence Norah says
Hi Eli!
So I will briefly answer your question on solo female travel. We definitely aren’t experts in that area as we usually travel as a couple, however, Paris is no more or less safe than other major western European cities, so if you practice the same sort of safety precautions that you would in your own home cities, then you shouldn’t have any problems.
For budget, January is not too busy in Paris so you should be able to find an apartment on AirBnb in the region of $60 – $100 a night. The other main costs will be food and sightseeing. For food, lunch is the best time to go out for meals generally as restaurants tend to have fixed price menus. So if you do choose to dine out during your stay, we’d recommend doing so at lunch. Otherwise we suggest croissants from a bakery for breakfast and there are lots of supermarkets for picking up supplies for cooking 🙂
Sightseeing will be your other major costs. The price will obviously vary depending on exactly what you want to do and see. If you plan on going inside many museums and attractions, then we recommend either the Paris Pass or Paris Museum Pass. The best one for you will depend on what you want to see. Note that neither of them includes Eiffel tower access. If you want to go up the Eiffel Tower, the cheapest way is to buy second floor tickets with stair access. You can do this online or in person – see our full Eiffel Tower guide for more on that.
https://independenttravelcats.com/eiffel-tower-paris-france/
Overall, I would say that if you budget $60 – $100 a day for accommodation, $20 – $50 a day for attractions and $15 – $30 a day on food that would be reasonable. Of course, you could go above or below these figures based on your own preference, but that is a ballpark.
Have a great time in Paris, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any more questions!
Laurence
Sam says
I am looking into going to Paris July 3-5 2020. I have never traveled or anything else like that how would I go about making sure I had enough money. Thank you in advance.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Sam!
Well, that’s quite a big question 🙂 It will depend a bit on your travel style (hostel – luxury hotel), what attractions you want to see and what sort of food you want to eat. Also how you get around, from walking -> taxis. The main costs will be your flight to and from Paris, your accommodation, and then your sight-seeing and food costs. It’s hard to give an exact number as everyone will be different, but if you take a look at my guide to the costs for travelling in the UK, this will give you an idea of what to estimate. Paris will be a bit more expensive, as capital cities often are, but you should at least get a rough estimate. You can see that guide here:
https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/cost-travel-uk/
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Best
Laurence
Sam says
Thank u so much I’ll check that link in just a few when I have a bit more time ????????
Adri says
Hi Laurence!
My husband and I will be going to Paris for six days in October. However, it’s our first time there, and I’m starting to think that we might have too many days in Paris and we might run out of activities.
Any suggestions or thoughts on that based on your experience?
Merci
Laurence Norah says
Hi Adri,
You definitely won’t run out of things to do. I have just covered the major highlights in this post – there is so much more to the city! We usually visit for 5-7 days at a time, and have done so multiple times, and have never run out of things to do!
Have a great trip 🙂
Laurence
nancy says
My sister and I who are in our 70 are going on a river cruise with Viking on Oct 6 an want to come in a few days early.. What hotel and tours . Is the show mon la rougue still there as I saw it 20 years and want to see it again.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Nancy!
Thanks for your e-mail. So the hotel you choose will very much depend on your budget, but we have some suggestions in this post for you to choose from. If you’d like to stay near the Eiffel Tower, we also have a lot of suggestions in our guide to visiting the Eiffel Tower, which you can read here. Of course, you might want to find out where your cruise departs from so you are not too far away.
The Moulin Rouge is still very much in operation, and we visited quite recently. You do need to book in advance, I have a full guide to the Moulin Rouge here which you might find helpful.
Rupali says
Hi
I really like the detailed itinerary. It very good to look if you are planning the trip to Paris in advance. I would like to know if the Paris pass includes guided tours or some discount on guided tours in the museums?
Also, if now do you think it is worth to take the guided tours to know about the significance of that place.
Thanks
Laurence Norah says
Hi Rupali,
Thanks very much 🙂 So some city passes do include discounts on walking tours. However, the Paris Pass does not include many discounted guided tours. Looking at the inclusions, it includes a Montmartre walking tour, as well as discounts on a Segway tour, cycling tour and Citroen 2CV tour. It also includes the guided Opera Garnier tour. You can see some of the tours it includes on this page – just filter by Paris tours.
So if you want to do a guided tour of the museums, or a guided tour in Paris in general, then you would want to book that separately. I do think that a guided tour is a good way to learn about the city, and I link to some suggested walking tours in the post. It’s really up to you though if you want to do that. If you take a full day walking tour of Paris, then you might not find the Paris Pass offers such good value as most tours include entry to a number of attractions.
Let me know if I can be of any more help!
Laurence
Jane says
Hi Laurence,
We stumbled across your blog recently while planning for our trip to Paris in September this fall. We enjoyed reading it.
We will be arriving Paris on a Wednesday morning and leaving by plane on a Saturday 5:50pm flight. On Thursday we’ve booked a Versailles morning tour that ends 1:45pm and on Saturday morning we’ve booked the Louvre tour that ends 12:45 pm, then we will retrieve our luggage from hotel and on to the airport.
Questions: Should we stay at a hotel that is near the Louvre for our convenience of Saturday’s luggage retrieval before airport Or should we stay at a hotel that is a short walk to the Hop on Hop off bus route so we can visit most of the top attraction via the bus and not to let the luggage retrieval limit the hotel location ? Could you please give us a few hotels suggestions and what top attractions we can fit in our schedule?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Jane,
Thanks for your comment!
So, I think it’s up to you in regard to the hotel location. However, as the Louvre is a popular location for visitors, most Hop on Hop off buses will have a stop close by. So you can do both – just pick a hotel close to the Louvre and it will also be close to the Hop on Hop off bus.
In terms of specific hotels, it’s hard to give advice without a budget. I’d suggest using this link to start, and then narrowing your filter by price, date and what type of accommodation you are looking for. I’d generally also suggest looking for properties with a good review score, ideally an 8 or higher 🙂
Enjoy!
Laurence
PS – sorry about the slow response, we’ve been travelling for the past few days with limited internet 😀
Angela B says
Laurence & Jessica,
Such an amazing and thorough explanation. My daughter (13) and I will be arriving into Paris next Sunday (16th) to watch USA play in the World Cup. My husband will be working the Paris Air Show, so my daughter and I have 3 days (17-19) to ourselves, meeting my husband at night for dinner and sightseeing. I think we will do the 3 day tour with Versailles on the last day. Based on this itinerary, does the 3 Day Paris Pass still make the best option? I am guessing it does since it includes travel, entrance, and skipping lines. We are sooooo excited!!!!!
Angela
Laurence Norah says
Thank you so much Angela – sounds like you’ve got a great trip coming up!
So I would say that the Paris Pass would make sense if you intend on using the various additional features it offers like the Seine Cruise, transport and so on. The one thing to be aware of is that whilst the pass is three days, it only includes a 2 day museum pass. And that pass is what you will use for places like the Louvre, Versailles and so on.
I have structured this itinerary to account for that, however, if you want to move things around, it might make less sense, and instead you might consider the 4 day Paris Museum Pass, and then a separate travel card. Of course, it’s up to you.
We have a full review of both types of pass if you would like some further reading to help you decide! They are at the following links:
https://independenttravelcats.com/tips-buying-using-paris-museum-pass/
https://independenttravelcats.com/buying-paris-pass-review-worth-it-tips/
Sumona says
Thank you so much for writing this. Really helpful and very well written!
Laurence Norah says
Thank you very much Sumona – have a wonderful trip to Paris and do let us know if you have any questions 🙂
Jasma says
Hi Laurence and Jessica! I am travelling to Paris soon and your elaborate writing and practical tips is what exactly I was looking for. Brilliant! Thanks : )
Laurence Norah says
Thank you very much Jasma – have a wonderful time in Paris! Do let us know how you enjoy the city 🙂
Jasma says
I will sure have a good time in the City of love . Also, Your expert advice on the accommodation pls- the place I am planning to stay is at Courbevoie. Per the owner it says 10 mins to Paris. Do you think during my stay at Paris for 3-4 days this place will be in proximity to the list you had advised in your blog. Thanks Jasma
Laurence Norah says
Hi Jasma,
It’s hard to tell as Courbevoie is a little bit outside the city centre, and so it will depend on which metro or train station you are near, and how far it is to the metro station. In a best case scenario it will be 10 minutes to the Arc de Triomphe, in a worse case scenario, more like 40 minutes. The Arc de Triomphe is the closest attraction in our itinerary though to Courbevoie, other attractions are further away. So it is definitely not the most convenient location, but it will work. However, if you can find somewhere more central it might work out more easily for you.
Laurence
Jasma says
Thanks a million Laurence. You are doing a great job and I truly appreciate it. Regards, Jasma
Godfrey says
You guys are amazing..just about saved me hours of research into finding things to do in 3 days…This is exactly what fits within our 3 day visit..Keep up the great work!
Laurence Norah says
Thanks Godfrey – we will certainly try! Have a lovely trip to Paris and let us know if we can be of any help!
Laurence
kheii says
hi! I like your blog,it’s very informative and easy to follow. but can I just know, roughly how much do we need to prepare? I mean if Im a big spender how much money will I probably spend for the tours? excluding the food. I would really appreciate if you could give me the figure so we can save for it. thanks! ☺️
Laurence Norah says
Hi Kheii!
It’s really hard to give figures as budgets vary greatly between people. So you can see from the tours I have suggested what they cost, and also if you buy one of the passes then many of the attractions will be included. So then your other costs will be accommodation and food. For this itinerary, including food and accommodation, you would probably be looking in the region of €500 – €1000 per person, but that would vary hugely depending on your tastes and accommodation quality.
I hope this helps a bit!
Laurence
Anjana says
Hello.
I liked the itinerary you suggested. We are planning to be there by mid April. Can you please guide us for weather.
Also, I am an artist and wish to visit art gallary, can you please suggest?
Thank you.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Anjana!
The weather in Paris in April will be fairly warm, like around 17 – 22C. It might be cooler in evenings. Rain is always a possibility, but you would be unlucky if it rained a lot.
If you want to visit an art gallery, I would suggest the Louvre, or the Centre Pompidou if you prefer modern art!
Laurence
Shree says
How to get Paris Pass and the bus passes.
Required details about the inclusions and exclusions of the Paris Pass .
Laurence Norah says
Hi Shree,
You can buy the Paris Pass with this link.
You can see the inclusions here.
Enjoy your time in Paris!
Shree says
Thank you so much..
I will sure be in touch with you if i require any more details .
Regards
Shree
Shree says
Hi
Is it mandatory to get the paris pass before hand or the same can be availed after reaching the destination as well..
Regards
Shree
Laurence Norah says
Hi Shree,
You can buy the pass in Paris as well, but they don’t offer sales as they sometimes do online,
Best
Laurence
Amanda Che says
If I want to visit Montparnasse will I need to purchase tickets if I have the Paris pass? Or do we just show up and they will let us in at whatever time?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Amanda!
If you have the Paris Pass the Tour Montparnasse is included, so you can just turn up at any time and they will let you in. It’s best at sunset if you can make it them!
Have a great trip
Laurence
Amanda Che says
Thank you for responding!! I’m glad I got he passes! Does this apply to the wine tasting as well?! I’m just not sure about the places that have specific times that need reservations when visiting.
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure! The wine tasting was the same when we used the Paris Pass – we just turned up and it was fine. However, if you have any doubts you can always reach out to either the attraction or Paris Pass folks to confirm 😀
Nice says
Thank you so much for making my life easy!!! You have the best detailed itineraray in Paris. I purchased the 3 day Paris Pass. 🙂 I’m so excited to visit next month!
Laurence Norah says
Thanks so much! Have an awesome trip 😀
Evelyne says
Hello, I am a Parisian and I read your post. I think this itinerary is very heavy (espécially days 2) unless you don’t visit the museums and just shoot the buildings. It is just an accumulation of monuments to visit but it does not give the feel of what is Paris. Fortunately, Paris is not just an opan air museum.
Laurence Norah says
Hey Evelyne!
Thanks for your feedback. I definitely make that clear at the beginning that this is a very busy itinerary, and people should adjust to suit their own pace 🙂 We usually visit Paris for no less than seven days at a time when putting these posts together, but we know not everyone has that luxury, so we try to fit everything in that people might want to see, based on our conversations with folks planning a trip 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Laurence
kunal gupta says
After having read so many posts, I felt this is the best post. It has all the tips, recommendations and anecdotes that I was looking for to create an itinerary. I am visiting Paris next month and will surely provide you guys my feedback on the experience.
Any tips on finding Indian or vegetarian lunch/dinner will be extremely helpful too !
Cheers
Laurence Norah says
Thanks Kunal! I’m not personally an expert on vegetarian dining, but the search engine happycow.net lists vegetarian restaurants around the world, so that would be a good place to look 🙂 Have a great trip!
Laurence
Kritika says
Hi,
Your blog is one simple answer to all the queries I had while planning for my trip. 🙂
We are a couple visiting Paris from 29 Sept to Oct1. We would like to visit a vineyard and taste wine over there. Do you have any information regarding any vineyard nearby and how to commute?
Also, We would be going to Lyon for a day. Can you suggest me a short itinerary for the same?
Regards
Kritika
Laurence Norah says
Hi Kritika!
Thanks very much, we are happy to have been of help 🙂 We would suggest that the closest wine region to Paris is going to be the Champagne region, and the easiest way to get there would be to take a tour from Paris, which will save you figuring out transport. Plus someone else will drive, leaving you to enjoy the wine 🙂 I found this one which has good reviews so that would be my suggestion, although there are sure to be other options!
For Lyon, we haven’t visited there yet, so I can’t make any recommendations unfortunately 🙁
Have a great trip!
Laurence
Aisha says
Hi! Just read your wonderful article helps out a lot we are a family of 6..would metro\bus be cheaper or renting a car..staying in a hotel near cdg since all the good/affordable ones are taken near the center….and how I the weather in the end of September? 6 days all
Together and Disneyland is included please let me know confused about driving and or bus thanks 🙂
Laurence Norah says
Hi Aisha!
I would recommend against hiring a car as driving in Paris is not so much fun, plus you will have to spend time finding parking and paying for it. Instead I would recommend either taking the metro, or hiring a taxi to take you in. For a group of people, you would have to find the right size of taxi of course, but it should be possible. For Disneyland, the easiest way is the RER from Paris.
The weather in Paris in September should be quite good, not too hot but not too cold, I would say around 12 – 22C, so you will want to have some warmer clothes for the evenings. There is always the possibility of rain as well, so a rain jacket or umbrella would be wise 🙂
Hope this helps!
Best
Laurence
Susan Morris says
Hi, I have just read your 3-day itinerary for Paris, and I thought it was awesome. Very clear and easy to follow. I look forward to following it when we head to Paris next year! My husband is also keen to visit the area of the D-Day landings at Normandy (Omaha Beach I believe). Do you have any similar itineraries or advice for a 1 or 2 day visit to that area? Many thanks
Laurence Norah says
Thanks very much Susan. We certainly do, we have a two day itinerary which we think you should find useful 🙂
https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/normandy-2-day-itinerary-d-day-beaches-mont-st-michel/
Dip says
Hi
I am traveling to Paris in second week of oct 18… what would be the climate that time? Do I need to carry a lot of winter clothing?
Thanks
Laurence Norah says
Hey Dip!
October in Europe varies. I’d say the best option is to bring layers, and to have sufficiently warm clothes for cold weather and rain in particualr. The temperature will likely be between 5 degrees C and 15 degrees C, although if it is windy it might feel a lot colder. So it’s not like visiting Iceland or Finland in winter, but you’ll want to be prepared.
I don’t have a guide for Paris, but we do have a packing list for London at any time of year, which should help a bit:
https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/london-packing-list-what-to-pack-for-london-and-the-uk-at-any-time-of-year/
Have a great trip!
Laurence
Qinwan says
Hi Laurence,
I am planning my visit to Paris in Oct 2018, the blog of 3 days itinerary is very much helpful and perfect for my plan. Where do you recommend to proceed after Paris for a 10 day Europe trip?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Qinwan!
Awesome! Well, if this if your first time in Europe, I’d probably recommend some of the other capital cities, like London or Rome, and then maybe Barcelona, depending on how much time you want to spend in each location. You can easily spend three or four days in both Rome and London. From Paris to London it’s an easy journey, as you can take the train direct. Then there are mutliple flights from London to Rome. If you like the sound of Barcelona, there’s an overnight train from Paris straight to Barcelona. Another idea might be to do Paris – > London, Edinburgh and then a bit of Scotland as well.
I’d definitely suggest not trying to see too much, and spending a bit longer in each location. Three days is a nice amount of time to see a city 🙂
Have an awesome trip!
Laurence
Elizabeth Higgins says
This post is just so detail-oriented, Laurence! Any reader would not be having a difficult time browsing because you have also included hyperlinks to the sub-sections. Everything has just been written so wonderfully that I felt spoon-fed with information, in a really great way. I am so glad to find your blog! Thank you so much!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Elizabeth – thanks so much! It’s always wonderful to hear that people are finding our posts helpful! Hopefully you have a great trip, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! Laurence
Tisaygwapa says
Hi,
I am a fan of your blog.
My planning for my euro trip makes it easier.
I have an inquiry though, can you tell me what is the difference between and Paris Pass and a Paris Explorer pass?
What airport is near to the attraction on day1?
We will be in Paris for 3 days.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Tisaygwapa 🙂
Thanks very much! The Paris Explorer Pass is a much more limited pass, and instead of giving you free access to all the attractions, it lets you choose from 3, 5 or 7 attractions. For our itinerary, we definitely suggest either the Paris Pass or the Paris Museum Pass for cost saving.
For airports, Paris has three major airports. The two closest to the city and that most people arrive at are Paris Orly and Paris Charles De Gaulle.
From Paris Orly to the Eiffel tower you can take the Ouibus, it only takes around 16 minutes: https://www.ouibus.com/routes/paris-paris-orly-sud-airport
Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is a little further away, you can take the RER train from the airport – it’s probably more like an hour.
Hope this helps!
Shashank says
Hi, would like to know if we can walk in directly to Bateux Parisiens any time with the Paris Pass? Do we need to reserve online even if we have the Paris Pass?
TIA!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Shashank!
In our experience you can just walk up and show your pass at the ticket booth, no reservation required 🙂
Hope this helps – have a great trip!
Laurence
Julie says
Hai
I would like to know more details of 3 day Itinerary . In the mentioned Places , how long it will take?
that is regarding time span we can spent there comfortably .Can u pls suggest
Laurence Norah says
HI Julie!
IT’s really up to you and your interests as to how long you want to take. The itinerary as laid out is doable, but if you spend four hours at each location, obviously not so much 🙂 So my advice would be to look at each location and decide how much time you would like to spend their. As an example, Sainte Chapelle is quite small, so 15 – 20 minutes would be fine. The Louvre is gigantic, so will take a bit longer! But it’s really up to you 🙂
Karuna says
Thanks a lot, we are planning to visit Paris, and Italy for 12 days of vacation and this is very helpful for Paris.
Can we have an advice on Hotels where we can stay like 4* hotels work walk around to these attractions if possible or nice evening walks?
And can we have an itinerary for Italy for 9-10 days trip,
Thanks a lot
Laurence Norah says
Hi Karuna,
Thanks very much! In the post I do link to a centrally located 4* hotel, under the accommodation section. The hotel is this one, but I’m sure you can find some other options 🙂
http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/dress-code-amp-spa.html?aid=385205&no_rooms=1&group_adults=1&label=FTU3DaysinParis
I will update the post in the next few weeks with some more specific recommendations. For the Italy guide, I will add an itinerary to the to do list, you should subscribe to the blog so you get notified of future posts and don’t miss out.
Laurence
Sunil Chawla says
I will be travelling to Paris with my wife in the month of August.
This detailed information will surely be helpful to plan our trip
Thank you very much
Sunil Chawla
India
Laurence Norah says
Thanks Sunil! Have a great trip 🙂
Chitra Shah says
I am travelling with my husband and 2 kids ( 7 years and 1 year) to Paris in June. This is exactly what I was looking for, Thanks you.
Do you think Paris is stroller – friendly or you recommend a baby carrier.
Laurence Norah says
Thanks Chitra! I must preface my response by saying that we don’t have kids, so haven’t faced this problem 😉 Certainly, part of Paris would be stroller friendly, but things like the metro for example are definitely not easy for stroller access as there are often only stair entrances and exits. So a baby carrier might be easier, depending on how you want to get around the city. I hope this helps a bit – have a great trip!
Neo says
This is one of the best, well elaborated and detailed article. Thank you for putting up so much effort and sharing your experience. It is indeed a great help!
Laurence Norah says
Thank you very much 😀
Nitin Bansal says
That’s a brilliant detailed summary of 3 day Paris itinerary. I am travelling to Paris soon although for a short time and will be looking forward to cover most of the places from your list here.
Laurence Norah says
Thanks very much Nitin – have a great trip 😀
kristin says
I envy you guys living in Edi and being able to jet away for so many long weekend trips for cheap! I was pricing Europe from Nashville this summer, and I can’t find anything for under $1000, no matter the hub I fly into =/
Laurence Norah says
We are lucky on that front for sure 😀
Matheresa says
To go through in u’ll article/blogging i find it very informative and the easiest way for me to make my itinerary,,,
specially i saw the Spain article but i didn’t leave a comment there coz of wanted to check for paris too,,,
Spain features was fantastic keep it up LOVERS all the best in your Wanderlust started to following u’ll…
Laurence Norah says
Thanks very much Mathresa 🙂 Have a wonderful trip!
kazim Gurmani says
The amazing place for the lovers. You guys are so lucky enjoying all this