Three days will not show you all of Paris — nothing will — but it is enough to walk the city's great axis, cross the Seine a dozen times, and understand why every other city gets compared to this one. This route groups the landmarks by geography so you spend your hours in cafés, not on the Métro.

Key facts

  • Book the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Sainte-Chapelle online well in advance
  • The Métro is fast, but central Paris is best covered on foot — most days here are under 8 km of walking
  • Museums typically close one day a week (often Monday or Tuesday); check before you plan
  • Café terraces are for lingering; no one will rush you

Day 1 — The grand axis and the Tower

Morning: the Louvre

Arrive for your timed slot at opening. Pick one wing and two hours — the Italian masters and the Grande Galerie, say — and accept that you are sampling, not completing. Exit through the Tuileries and walk the gardens to Place de la Concorde.

Afternoon: Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe

Stroll the avenue for the spectacle, then climb the Arc de Triomphe for the best orientation lesson in Paris: twelve avenues wheeling out beneath you.

Evening: the Eiffel Tower

Cross to the Trocadéro esplanade for the classic view, then get close enough to stand under the iron latticework as the tower begins to sparkle after dark — typically for a few minutes on the hour.

Day 2 — The islands and the Left Bank

Morning: Île de la Cité

Start at Notre-Dame, gloriously reopened after its restoration, then walk to Sainte-Chapelle for the wall of 13th-century stained glass — go early, when the light comes through.

Midday: the Latin Quarter and Luxembourg Gardens

Wander the old student streets past the Panthéon, lunch on a classic bistro menu, then claim a green chair by the fountain in the Jardin du Luxembourg like a local.

Afternoon: Musée d'Orsay

The Impressionists in a converted Beaux-Arts railway station — for many visitors, the best museum experience in the city.

Evening: Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Apéritif at a storied café terrace, dinner nearby, and a night walk along the Seine's book-stall quays.

Day 3 — Montmartre and the Marais

Morning: Montmartre

Climb (or funicular) to Sacré-Cœur before the crowds, then lose the main drag for the steep, villagey side streets and Place du Tertre's edges.

Afternoon: Le Marais

Cross the city to Paris's most atmospheric old quarter: Place des Vosges' perfect arcades, boutique streets, falafel stands and courtyard museums.

Evening: the Seine by boat

End with a river cruise at dusk — the city assembling its greatest hits along both banks, lit and unhurried.

Tip: Buy a carnet of Métro tickets or a contactless pass on day one, but resist underground shortcuts under 20 minutes' walk — the point of Paris is the street between the sights.

Three days in, you will already be planning the return. That, too, is a Paris tradition.