3-Day Paris Itinerary
A trip to Paris pairs world-class museums and monuments with everyday pleasures: morning pastries, riverside walks, and long café lunches. Over a few days you can climb the Eiffel Tower, wander the Louvre, explore the medieval lanes of Le Marais and hilltop Montmartre, and cross the Seine to the historic Latin Quarter and Île de la Cité.
Louvre & Tuileries (1st)
The world’s most-visited museum, home to the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and miles of galleries inside a former royal palace. Pick a few wings rather than trying to see it all.
Formal 17th-century gardens stretching from the Louvre toward Place de la Concorde, perfect for a stroll, a green chair by the fountains, or a quick lunch.
A serene arcaded palace courtyard with manicured gardens and Daniel Buren’s striped columns, just north of the Louvre and far quieter than the museum.
An octagonal square of haute-couture jewelers and grand façades around a central column, a short walk from the Tuileries.
Why this order: Everything sits in a straight line along the Right Bank, so you can walk the Louvre, its gardens, and the elegant 1st arrondissement squares without ever needing the Métro.
Champ de Mars & 7th
Paris’s 330-metre iron landmark, with viewing platforms up to the summit. Mornings and pre-booked tickets help you skip the longest lines.
A former Beaux-Arts railway station holding the world’s great Impressionist collection — Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas — along the Seine.
The sculptor’s elegant mansion and rose garden displaying The Thinker and The Gates of Hell, a calm contrast to the bigger museums.
The gold-domed complex housing Napoleon’s tomb and the Army Museum, an easy walk from the Rodin.
Why this order: These Left Bank icons cluster around the river in the 7th, so you can pair the Eiffel Tower with the Orsay and Rodin in one easy, walkable loop.
Le Marais (3rd & 4th)
Paris’s oldest planned square, a symmetrical arcade of rose-brick mansions around a leafy garden — Victor Hugo’s house sits on one corner.
A vast collection of the artist’s work spread across the restored 17th-century Hôtel Salé in the heart of the Marais.
The bold inside-out building housing France’s national modern-art museum, with a top-floor terrace overlooking the rooftops.
The lively heart of the historic Jewish quarter, famous for its falafel counters and one of the best casual lunch stops in the area.
Why this order: The Marais is small and dense, so you can wander its medieval lanes on foot, hitting the squares, museums, and food streets in any order.
