Vacationing in another country with a time limit like 3 days is always difficult. This guide will show you how to make the most of your 3-day vacation in Paris by seeing all the must-see locations.
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Traveling to Paris
Flights originating from the United States depart in the evening and travel overnight across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. To maximize your vacation and reduce time off work, book a flight that leaves after you finish work on a Thursday or Friday. You will arrive in France the morning after a day that you worked. This allows you to start your vacation with almost a full Day 1.
Paris Day One – Arrival, Churches, and the Seine
The vast majority of flights arriving internationally to France from North America arrive between 7 a.m. and noon. By the time you get through immigration/customs and make your way downtown, it will be around noon.
Head from the airport to your hotel to check in (if possible), drop your bags, and freshen up. For all the details on how to get from either Paris airport to the city center, see Paris Airports to the City Center: Best Transit Options.
Everyone will have a different situation with regard to arrival time in Paris and flight delays are always possible. Easy sites that do not require tickets or reservations are preferred for your first day in Paris (don’t risk missing your Eiffel Tour time slot because of flight delays).
A recommended first afternoon to your 3-day vacation in Paris looks like the following:
Notre Dame
Notre Dame cathedral is a landmark of Paris known around the world. This is easily in the top three most well-known structures (along with the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower). No reservations are required to see the cathedral and even just taking pictures in front of the cathedral is breathtaking.
NOTE: Notre Dame is being repaired due to an April 2019 fire that destroyed much of the cathedral. You will be unable to enter Notre Dame during construction, but you should still make a trip to view the impressive cathedral architecture from the outside.
Sainte Chapelle
The next place to go after seeing Notre Dame is Sainte Chapelle. With Notre Dame currently closed to interior tours due to the fire, Sainte Chapelle is a must-see. This chapel is renowned for its amazing stained-glass depictions of the Bible and housing from some of the relics of the Passion of the Christ. The space inside the chapel can be a little small so expect the chapel to be somewhat crowded. Also due to the small space, a line can form for admission. If you are going during a popular time, buy your tickets online and skip the line to purchase tickets (you will still have to stand in line for the security check though).
Seine River Cruise
Wrap up your first day (or half-day depending on when your flight arrived) with a relaxing river cruise. Much of the city is built within close proximity to the river and therefore this cruise can give you an understanding of the layout of Paris. The city of lights (as Paris is nicknamed) is also renowned for the bridge architecture of the spans across the Seine River. You will undoubtedly cross many of these bridges during your time in Paris, but seeing the full architecture from a boat beats any viewpoint that you can have from the land.
There are several river cruise companies which you can take and many of them have similar products. If their departure times work for your schedule, the best casual seine river cruise is by Vedettes du Pont Neuf.
Vedettes du Pont Neuf Seine Cruise
These cruises are smaller and have live commentary onboard. Booking online ahead of time is suggested due to the smaller boats and regular coupons that are available to save 2 Euros per person. Similar to the other cruises, the bottom deck is fully glass-enclosed and the upper deck is open to the air allowing this to be an all-weather activity.
Bateaux Parisiens Seine Cruise
If Vedettes du Pont Neuf’s cruises don’t fit your schedule, Bataeux Parisiens’s cruises are a close second. This will be the larger of the two cruises meaning there are more opportunities to get onto a boat that fits your timetable if you are not planning your trip very far in the future. The Bateaux Parisiens boats are split into a lower deck which is fully glass-enclosed and an upper deck which is open air. Live commentary is offered on the lower deck while Bateaux Parisiens will ask you to download their audio guide on your own phone and use headphones to listen to recorded commentary if seated on the upper deck.
Day 1 Wrap Up
Only plan to do about 4 or 5 hours worth of touring and sightseeing on your first day. You don’t want to miss out on too much if your flight is delayed. Those coming from the western hemisphere (United States, Canada, etc…) will also crash early due to the time change/jet lag.
Plan to have dinner early at a restaurant close to your hotel. Have a nice glass of French wine at dinner, head back to your hotel, and recharge for Day Two.
Paris Day Two – Versailles and the Louvre
RER Trail to Versailles
To get to the Palace of Versailles you will need to catch the RER C train (region Paris train) to Versailles Château Rive Gauche. Take caution that you get onto a train bound for Château Rive Gauche as there are three endpoints for the RER C train.
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles is a sight that you cannot miss when going to Paris (unfortunately this means that every tourist is here and the lines can be ridiculous). Plan to spend at least the full morning touring Versailles. The Gardens of Versailles are also gorgeous if you are visiting on a nice, sunny day. If you want to visit the gardens they often require you to purchase a combination ticket giving you garden admission in addition to the palace entrance. To do the gardens justice you will need to either be quick if your visit to the inside of the palace or move your exploration of the Louve to another day.
RER Train to City Center
Catch the RER C train back to the city center. Any RER C train departing the Château Rive Gauche station will take you back to the city center.
The Louvre
The Louvre is a must-see when coming to Paris. This plan is built for an appreciator of art and not an art lover. Three hours in the Louve will be plenty if you are a casual appreciator of art allowing you to experience the architecture of the Louvre, see the biggest historical works housed in the museum (the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, The Wedding at Cana, etc…), and skim through a couple of other exhibits of interest. If you are an art lover and just have to experience all the Louvre has to offer, you will need multiple days to see it all (which just can’t be done on a 10 day trip across France).
Pro Tip: The Louve has free admission on the first Sunday of each month.
Pro Tip: Most visitors will use the Louvre entrance gates on the ground level (plaza near the iconic glass pyramid) resulting in much longer lines. If you use the entrance Gates found at the lower level (in the metro station and underground mall) the lines are almost always a shorter duration.
Dinner
Return to your nightly accommodations and recoup from the day. Freshen up and enjoy a meal of the French cuisine the country is known for.
Montparnasse (Optional)
Montparnasse is an observation tower that provides excellent views of the Paris skyline. I particularly recommend doing this activity at night if you will not be going to the Eiffel Tower at sunset or at night. Depending on the time of year, the top of the tower can be quite cold. Be sure to bring layers at the top of the tower can be windy.
Paris Day Three – Arc, Army, & Eiffel
When you wake up on day three, it will feel like you have just arrived in Paris but this is the final day to explore Paris before moving on to other regions in France.
Neighborhoods and Champs-Élysées
This is the perfect opportunity to have a slow morning. Take your time to enjoy a morning like a local (go to a cafe/coffee shop in the neighborhood to have an authentic French breakfast).
Take a stroll through some of the historic neighborhoods in the city center. There is fantastic architecture everywhere in the city that makes for excellent photo ops.
The shops on the Champs-Élysées are also an excellent way to spend part of your morning. These shops are the cheapest or most local, but they do have a variety from all over the world.
Arc De Triomphe
After Champs-Elysses, the Arc de Triomphe is the obvious next major site to see when in Paris. The Arc is a memorial to those who died for France in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. It is also the home to the French Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You can truly enjoy this sight from the ground without paying to go up into the Arc. If you do pay to go up into the Arc there are several exhibits on the wars fought by the French and the soldiers that the monument was erected for. Lastly, the view from the top of the Arc down Champs-Elysses is one of the top pictures to have from Paris (second only to the Eiffel Tower).
The Arc is located in the middle of a very wide traffic circle. To access the circle, there are multiple tunnels under the traffic circle from several of the road corners surrounding the Arc.
Army Museum & Napoleon’s Tomb
Moving to the Army Museum will continue the day sightseeing landmarks related to the military history of France. The Army Museum is vast so pick what is most interesting to you or skim the museum. The museum is set up as a timeline starting with Saint Louis in the 13th century up to the World Wars of the 20th century. The innovation, conquest, and victories of the French people especially in the 17th and 18th centuries are particularly notable and well documented in the museum with period uniforms, armor and weapons. Immediately behind the Army Museum is the Tomb of Napoleon.
Eiffel Tower
No trip to Paris is complete without a trip up the Eiffel Tower. Book timed tickets ahead of time to ensure you are able to go.
Unless you are severely scared of heights, book tickets to the top. The views from the 2nd floor are good, but not quite the iconic view of the Paris skyline that you can get from the top. The top will get crowded but stake out your spot for a couple of minutes to get the picture you came to Paris for. Give yourself ample time to come back down as there are often lines at the top waiting for the elevator back down.
Either before heading up or after coming back down take an opportunity to enjoy the grounds around the Eiffel Tower. The location of the tower on the banks of the Seine River is serene and the perfect spot to enjoy a coffee or an ice cream depending on the time of year you travel.
Dinner and Paris Wrap-up
Use the rest of the night to freshen up, have dinner, and enjoy your last night in Paris. Tomorrow you move on to further adventures in France.
Next up, Part Two of the France Itinerary: Avignon and French Wine Tour: France Itinerary.
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