What to see in 3 days in Paris is what many of us wonder if we only have that much time to enjoy the city of lights. We all think that it is impossible to visit Paris in just three days, but there are essential things you can do in that time, and enjoy the romantic city.
So we will start with different routes for each of the days, trying not to leave out anything unmissable.
Indice:
What to see in 3 days in Paris?
As we told you in the post about the districts of Paris and where to stay, it is good to group the attractions by areas, in order to make more of the time and not waste it on long journeys. Started?…. What to see in 3 days in Paris!
If your idea is to stay and live in France or other European countries, you can visit Eupapeleo
Day 1 in Paris
Notre Dame
We start at the Île de la Cité. Until April 2019 we would have suggested starting at Notre Dame, but now we only have to see it from the outside, hoping that we can visit it again some time.
Sainte Chapelle
We now head off on a short walk to the Sainte Chapelle church, one of the must-sees in Paris.
Built in a short time and consecrated in 1248, it is one of the masterpieces of Gothic architecture. The fifteen stained glass windows, fifteen metres high, are a marvel to behold. The advice is to go early to avoid the queues.
You can buy tickets online, just for the Sainte Chapelle, or a combined ticket with the Conciergerie, which will save you more than if you bought the tickets separately. Tickets for Saint Chapelle. Combined tickets with the Conciergerie.
While the Sainte Chapelle is a must-see, both views are worthwhile, considering they are right next to each other.
Louvre Museum
Here we go to the next point, the Louvre Museum, which we can walk to if we want. But for this first day, it is advisable to only go to see it from the outside, and leave the visit to the interior for another day. Dedicating another day to it is ideal, since there is much, much to see, and there are also many people to visit it, so it is advisable to go early to avoid the queues and be able to walk around it calmly. Tickets for the Louvre Museum.
Yes, we are all very anxious to see the glass pyramid and take the typical photos in it, the first day in Paris is a good time to enjoy doing so.
Up to this point we walked the whole route from the Île de la Cité, taking advantage of the opportunity to cross one of its bridges. Now we will take the metro to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, but not to go up the tower, but to get to the pier.
Boat trip on the Seine
In my opinion, one of the tours that you should not miss is to embark and travel along the Seine River. Taking any of the river tours is a must, you will see the historic Parisian buildings and bridges from the comfort of the boat.
Prices are around €15, in any of the companies that do it, the trip takes approximately one hour, one hour and fifteen minutes.
If you want to treat yourself, there are boats that offer lunch on board, and also dinner, prices range from €60/€100 for lunch and dinner respectively.
Imagine a romantic dinner along the Seine, Oh la la!
Tickets for a boat ride on the Seine.
Eiffel Tower
We arranged to go up the Eiffel Tower in the late afternoon, so after the boat tour, we went to the tower to go up.
The evening is a spectacular time to go up, the sun’s rays hit Paris in a wonderful way. If you can, and you’re not tired, stay until nightfall, so you’ll have both views from the tower.
We have a full post on how to get to the Eiffel Tower without waiting in line , so I won’t go into detail here on how to get tickets.
Get your tickets for the Eiffel Tower without queues
Map and video of day 1
Day 2 in Paris
Palais Garnier
On the second day of this itinerary of what to see in 3 days in Paris, we begin in the Opera district. And the first visit to make will be to the Palais Garnier, the Paris Opera House.
The queues are not that long, we have visited it before and they were not either, but there is definitely a queue, and a lot of people, too, so for that reason we chose to visit it early, first on our tour.
The Palais Garnier, where the Opéra Garnier is located, is an imposing neo-baroque building. Located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, it was designed by the architect Charles Garnier and opened in 1875.
This place served as inspiration for the work The Phantom of the Opera, if you haven’t read Gaston Leroux’s book, perhaps you’ve seen the musical.
Although it is not listed as a must-see in many guides, I think it is a place you will not regret visiting, and one that cannot be missed on a tour of Paris.
If you are a fan of the Phantom of the Opera, you will surely be looking forward to seeing the chandelier in the auditorium, as well as the grand staircase.
The visit
The entrance fee is €14. Opening hours are from 10am to 6pm, but there are closures and exceptional times for shows or other activities, so check the official website. Paris National Opera.
You can visit it on your own, or you can go on guided tours. On our previous tour we did the same tour with a guide, and it was very interesting because of the information it provides.
Book your tickets for the guided tour of the Opera Garnier
On this last visit we did, we did the tour without a guide. Although you have more time to take photos or stop wherever you want, I prefer the tour with a guide, because of what we said before, the value it provides from the point of view of information makes it more interesting.
Check out what kind of visits you can make at the Opéra Garnier.
We leave you in the video, a previous tour that we have done, in which you can see its interior and a little of its history.
Galeries Lafayette
Leaving the tour of the Palais Garnier, and just in the blocks located behind it, we find the Galeries Lafayette.
Is it worth the visit? We are right next door, it is free, and it has an interior dome that is worth seeing. I think that already answers the question.
The Galeries Lafayette Haussman, located in this ninth district where we are, are a large department store where you can find big brands.
The store’s architecture is Art Noveau, it has an extraordinary dome, and a panoramic view of Paris, which has made it a tourist attraction in the city.
Founded as a store in 1893, it has grown into a shopping emporium with branches in several countries.
Opening hours are Monday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
On this last visit, we came across a nine-metre glass walkway, suspended sixteen metres above the void to admire the gallery.
Do you already have accommodation?
After touring this shopping center and climbing the glass walkway, it was time to leave this district.
Visit to the Louvre Museum
We could take a break from this tour of what to see in 3 days in Paris here, and if we want, if it is still early, and if we are not too tired, we can take the metro to the Louvre museum, and in this way take the walk inside that we had left pending on the first day, to immerse ourselves among the works of art.
Skip-the-line tickets to the Louvre Museum.
If that is not our idea, if we are very tired, or we just decide to take a very relaxed tour, then we will head to the last point of the day.
Champs Elysées and Arc de Triomphe
How about ending the day by walking along the Champs Elyseés and climbing the Arc de Triomphe?
We then head to the nearby eighth district, perhaps and without a doubt, the most glamorous district in Paris. A walk along the Champs Elysées is a must on any tour of the city, seeing all the big brand stores with the Arc de Triomphe in the background is a must.
But after this walk we will go up to the Arc de Triomphe to end the day, the views are wonderful. The ticket to go up to the Arc de Triomphe costs €13, you can buy it online, or at the ticket office if you prefer, we have not found a long queue, but we know that it always depends a lot on the dates.
The first Sunday of every month, between the months of November and March, admission is free.
Here is a video about the best places to get good views of Paris, including…the Arc de Triomphe
The journey to the top is all by stairs, but you can request the elevator if necessary, however, after that, you have some steps to the outside.
Skip-the-line tickets to the Arc de Triomphe
Map and video of day 2
Day 3 in Paris
Third and last day of this tour of what to see in Paris in 3 days. We don’t want to say goodbye to Paris, do we?, although everything comes to an end. But first we have to enjoy this last day of our tour of the city of light. Shall we begin?
Montmartre
We start the morning on the hill of the 18th district of Paris, Montmartre!!
You may have chosen to stay here, we will not talk again about the best areas to stay in Paris because we already have it in a post, and if you are already staying in this area you will start the tour very early and easily.
But it is quite possible that you have chosen another area to stay in and you will have to travel to this district.
How to make the transfer?
► If you have taken tickets for the tourist bus to tour the city, (later we will talk about pros and cons of this option), take advantage of it, take it and get off at Pigalle, see which of the routes takes you there and which is the best stop, if not ask inside the bus to be indicated.
►By bus is also an option, you can get there with lines 68, 81 or 95.
►The most common way to get there is probably by metro. You can get off at Abesses (line 12), Blanche (line 2), Anvers (line 2) or Pigalle (lines 2 and 12).
How to get up the hill?
Once we arrive at the area, we will have to climb the hill, we also have different ways to do it.
►By funicular. On the map we can see the four metro stations mentioned above, then we have the funicular marked (Place Saint Pierre), and that is where we will go once we have gotten off the metro. As you can see, Abesses or Anvers are the ones that are the shortest distance from the metro. The price is a metro ticket that you get there.
►Going up the stairs. If we walk towards the funicular, we will see that on the side of it there is a staircase leading to the top. It is a very nice option, as long as you are not too tired of course. The journey promises to be lovely, but perhaps it is better to leave it for the return trip.
►On the Montmartrobus. It is a small, electric bus. The route goes from Place Pigalle to Place du Tertre and the Sacré Coeur Basilica. The price is the same as a metro ticket.
►On the Petit Train Montmartre. You can take this small tourist train from Place Blanche. It is the least economical way to get on, but it is an audio tour through the streets of Montmartre until you reach Place du Tertre and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Now we arrive and begin to enjoy this bohemian Paris. A very good idea is to take a free tour of Montmartre, a walk with a guide is a very good option to start the tour.
What to see?
Although getting lost while walking, as we always say, is the best plan you can take to explore Montmartre, there are places that we are going to point out as essential on the tour.
Basilica Sacré Coeur
We arrived at one of the most emblematic monuments of Paris, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the Sacré Coeur.
Once you reach the hill, you will be greeted by the white majesty of the basilica, but also by the queue that forms at its feet to access it.
Get there quickly, you’ll see that it moves at a good pace, and you won’t have to wait long in line. Entry to the basilica is free, but not to visit the crypt or climb the dome, from which you’ll get wonderful views of Paris. It’s also true, in relation to the latter that we mentioned, that from the steps in front of the entrance to the Sacré Coeur, you can already get some beautiful views of the city.
The opening hours of the basilica are from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Access to the dome has shorter opening hours than those to the basilica, so always check before you go, as they vary depending on the season.
You also have guided tours in Spanish to learn more about the history of this Romanesque/Byzantine construction. At the end of the tour you can access the dome if you want, with an entrance fee. It’s a good plan.
Entrance and tour to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Tertre Square
The Place du Tertre is a nice place to take a leisurely stroll. Seeing lots of painters offering their works or taking portraits is something you can’t miss.
Place du Tertre is the heart of Montmartre. Walking for a few minutes among the paintings and portraits takes you back in time to the 19th century when painters settled in this area looking for a cheaper place to live in Paris, and it became a very bohemian neighborhood.
During the 19th and 20th centuries artists and their dreams settled in this area on the outskirts of Paris. Today it retains its artistic atmosphere and a very particular charm.
As we were saying, starting to walk, getting lost in narrow streets, even going down the hill on foot, is a very good plan. So is taking a walk with the free tour of Montmartre.
Already on the way down, when we are in Place Banche ready to take the metro again, we find the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret.
Shall we continue our journey?
The tour of Montmartre can take us practically all day. There is a lot of walking to do, exhibitions to see such as the one on Salvador Dali, places to sit down and eat, in short, the day may go by without you realizing it. Enjoy it, don’t be in a hurry.
Stroll along the banks of the Seine
On the way back and to end the day and the itinerary of what to see in these 3 days in Paris, we can take a nice walk along the banks of the Seine.
And if you are very tired, or you are with children or elderly people, you can use the tourist bus to take a tour of the city and see what we have not seen.
We always initially skip the tour on the tourist bus, thinking that we don’t want to go among so many people and slowly because of the number of stops it makes. But the physical situation is not always optimal for going up and down the subway stairs, or walking blocks and blocks all day, as we said because you may be with children, or with older adults, in these cases taking the bus is an option to drive.
We may have bought a pass to tour the city, these passes usually include them, let’s take advantage and use them when fatigue sets in.
Hop-on hop-off bus tour tickets
Eiffel Tower at night from Trocadero
To finish this three-day tour of the French capital, we will say goodbye to it with a view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero esplanade at night. The image of seeing the Eiffel Tower illuminated is wonderful. There is nothing better to say goodbye to Paris. We hope that you have an idea of what to see in 3 days in Paris, and that you can enjoy the romantic French city.
Want to add more places? ► Check out this route through the covered passages and galleries of Paris.
Are you arriving in Paris from far away like us and having internet all the time is a problem? When we make this type of journey by car we always use maps on our mobile, or we want to be connected in case of any eventuality. In our case we have used the Holafly data SIM for travellers, a very good option. In the link you will find all the information as well as a discount for followers of Europe accompanied by the following code: EUROPAACOMPAÑADA5.↓
Map and video of day 3
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NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links.
