3 Days in Paris: A Perfect Itinerary

By Lee Dales
Published: July 18, 2024
Bateaux Parisiens

Paris is a timelessly charming city that definitely has the power to seduce if you know where to go and what to see. Its famous sights are elegant and iconic, from the slick Eiffel Tower to its chic city streets filled with quaint cafés and dazzling boutiques.

Home to world-class fashion houses, endless Michelin-starred restaurants and beautiful architecture at every turn, it has a grand old reputation that is sometimes hard to live up to. But if you give yourself ample time to explore the city and get under its skin, you’ll find all of the romance and grandeur you could ask for. Just give yourself three days at a minimum to experience it!

Three days in Paris must-see sights:

  • Arc du Triomphe
  • The Louvre
  • Notre Dame
  • Montmartre tour
  • Paris Cheese and Wine Tasting
  • Seine River cruise
  • Dalí Museum

Day 1 – Iconic City Symbols

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Arc du Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is pretty darn masterful. It’s a monumental Parisian emblem that stands guard over perhaps the most visually impressive avenue in the world, the Champs-Élysées. Appreciate the monument’s grand 19th century beauty before strolling down the famous boulevard towards the must-see Musée de Louvre.

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The Louvre

The Louvre is a world-renowned museum and a true grand dame of Parisian art and architecture, featuring over 35,000 pieces of amazing artworks in an opulent palace. Its most famous resident is probably the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci, but its futuristic pyramid-shaped entrance is also a key highlight.

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Notre Dame

No one should visit Paris without seeing the exquisite Medieval Cathedral Notre Dame, complete with stunning stained-glass windows. Its decadent Gothic structure has truly stood the test of time, surviving numerous wars and even a fire in 2019. Despite these obstacles, it still stands tall and beautiful, though there are a few scary-looking gargoyles hidden in some of its decorative crevices...

Other major architectural sites of note include the Paris Opera House, the Gardens of Trocadéro and the extravagant Grand Palais exhibition center. A good way to make your way to all of these is with a handy Hop-on-Hop-Off bus tour, included with your pass.

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Disneyland® Paris

If you came to Paris on the search for thrill rides and magical lands, then you could forgo the above options and spend a whole day instead at Disneyland® Paris!

Comprising two awesome theme parks peppered with rides, rollercoasters, experiences and shows featuring all your favorite characters, there really is something for everyone here.

Don't miss the magnificent nightly fireworks spectaculars at Sleeping Beauty's Castle that run all through 2022 in celebration of the park's 30th anniversary!

Day 2 – The Belle Époque

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Magical Montmartre

After an action-packed first day visiting the city’s key buildings, relax with a splash of indulgence as you live the beautiful life in the city’s spectacular streets. The district of Montmartre is the perfect place to do this thanks to its historic cobblestoned streets sprinkled with colorful buildings, cute cafés and fine boutiques.

Sitting in the shadow of the white-domed Sacré-Cœur basilica, and home to the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret show, this arty district is synonymous with the cultural icons who lived here during the city’s Belle Époque, from Picasso and Van Gogh to Monet.

Take a walking tour of the neighborhood to learn all about its fascinating history, enjoy a charming ride aboard the Petit Train de Montmartre, or indulge in Champagne Gourmand at the renowned restaurant Au Cadet de Gascogne, all included with your pass.

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Cheese and Wine Tasting

Continue to satisfy your senses by sampling some of the city’s finest produce with a French cheese and wine tasting session at Les Caves du Louvre wine bar.

This renowned establishment offers over 50 different wines by the glass to try, and a knowledgeable sommelier will help you pick ones that suit you best. You’ll also have the chance to refuel with a delectable selection of French cheeses.

Originally established by King Louis XV's sommelier, you know that this is the place to try the very best produce of France.

Café Couture

Next up, it’s time to shop ‘til you drop in the city’s renowned boutiques. As the home of Paris Fashion Week, luxe lovers will rejoice with the range of famed fashion houses on offer like Chanel, Dior and Givenchy around Rue Royale and Rue Cambon. The historic Galerie Lafayette department store is also a great option for everything from clothes and homewares to furniture and books.

You can also seek out great antiques at the city’s many flea markets such as Puces de Clignancourt, so there’s something for everyone. Once you’re weighed down with bags, find a fancy café to relax in and while away the rest of your day over coffee and sweet French pastries. Café de Flore is an atmospheric choice.

Day 3 – River relaxation

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Bateaux Parisiens

A visit to Paris simply isn’t complete without a trip down its picturesque River Seine. A cruise down this beautiful river will allow you to see the city from a whole new perspective as you float past everything from the Notre Dame to Musée d'Orsay while enjoying jaw-dropping views at a leisurely pace.

You’ll be able to see these views from open-air observation decks on the boat, giving you a fantastic opportunity to take great pictures of the sights as you glide past them. The scenic riverbanks were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, so expect some truly lovely vistas.

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Dalí Museum

Round off your bewitching three-day trip with a dash of surrealist splendor from Salvador Dalí. This famous Spanish painter lived in Paris for a time in the creative Montmartre neighborhood, where he met Pablo Picasso and joined the Surrealist art group to further develop his avant-garde style.

Over 300 pieces of his are housed in the unique Dalí Museum, which showcases a vast range of colorful paintings, drawings and sculptures from the artist, making it one of the most important museums in the whole of Paris, if not the world.

With Go City, this unmissable attraction is free to enter and offers a fantastic chance to see one of the world’s most important artists.

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Lee Dales
Go City Travel Expert

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Where To Stay in Paris

Paris is so densely packed with amazing things to see and do, and so very well connected, that it’s impossible to pick a straight-out winner when it comes to deciding which arrondissement (neighborhood) to stay in. Rather, it’s best to choose based on the type of break you want to have. Traveling with kids? Book a stay in the 5th and 6th arrondissements. Looking for romance and great nightlife? That’d be Montmartre in the 18th. Check out our short guide to where to stay in Paris below. Best for Seeing it All Perched on the Seine’s Right Bank, Paris’s 1st arrondissement is premier by name and premier by nature. This compact little neighborhood is bang in the heart of the action and makes a fantastic base from which to explore the city. The jewel in the 1st’s crown is of course the Louvre – home to some of the most famous artworks in the world, including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Stroll through Catherine de Médici's Jardin des Tuileries, a huge formal garden in the Italian Renaissance style, and spot Aristide Malliol’s larger-than-life female nudes among the park's hundreds of sculptures and statues. You’ll also find the Musée de l’Orangerie here, where several murals from Monet’s Water Lilies series rub shoulders with fellow Impressionist and Post-Impressionist greats including Picasso, Renoir, Matisse and Modigliani. Just over the 17th-century Pont Neuf – one of Paris’s most photogenic bridges – lies Île de la Cité, the tiny island in the middle of the Seine. It’s here you’ll find Notre-Dame Cathedral and medieval Sainte-Chapelle with its incredible soaring stained glass windows – as well as some of the best ice cream in Paris, at the Berthillon shop. The 1st also has you covered for shopping, with the huge Les Halles mall, plus 19th-century covered shopping arcades (and many more next door in the 2nd arrondissement) and big-name jewelers including Chanel, Bulgari, Cartier and Dior in and around Place Vendôme and Rue de la Paix. On top of all this, you’re also just a hop and a skip from most of Paris’s other bucket-list attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and the cute Marais district. And yet staying in le premier needn’t come at a premium. Alongside uber-luxury hotel brands like Mandarin Oriental and the Ritz are plenty of comfortable mid-range options. Best for Living Like a Local The largely residential nature of the 11th arrondissement makes it great for affordable Airbnb stays, meaning you get to live your best life in your very own Bastille apartment. Venture out to wander among the heady aromas of Marché Bastille and pick up freshly baked breads and pastries, fragrant fromages, local wines and more from the dozens of stalls here. This enormous open-air market runs from Place de la Bastille all the way down tree-lined Boulevard Richard-Lenoir every Thursday and Sunday. Being on the fringes of the main action needn’t mean missing out. Bars and restaurants are just as plentiful here as anywhere else, and you’ll find that brasseries, cafés and crêperies have a pleasantly local feel. You’re also within easy strolling distance of the Marais district, and there’s nothing more Parisian than waking on a Saturday, and wandering into its cobbled lanes for a morning coffee and a bag of sugary chouquettes from the boulangerie, as you window-shop the area’s cute independent shops and boutiques. Alternatively, a stroll south over Pont de Sully, with its picturesque views of tiny Île Saint-Louis, will take you straight to the boho Saint-Germain-des-Prés district and Latin Quarter. Best for First Timers First time visiting Paris? The 8th arrondissement provides a solid base for ticking off as many attractions as possible. A stay here places you within strolling distance of the Arc de Triomphe and vast Place de la Concorde, with its regal monuments and fountains, skyscraping Luxor Obelisk, and sweeping views across the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. Indulge in some luxury shopping on the Champs-Élysées, where you’ll find top-end brand names including Louis Vuitton and Chanel, as well as some of the poshest macarons in town at Ladurée and Pierre Hermé. It’s also from the 8th that the city’s Bateaux Parisiens set sail for sightseeing cruises along the Seine. These tours are a fun way to find your bearings and see a stack of attractions, including the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Grand Palais and Instagram-tastic Pont Neuf and Alexandre III bridges with minimal effort. Best with Kids Though all of Paris's arrondissements are well connected, the 1st to the 8th are the most central and therefore particularly well suited to families. A stay in any of these neighborhoods will minimize time spent zipping between attractions, as well as making it easier to nip back to the hotel when you discover you’ve left the diaper bag behind. There’s much to recommend the 5th and 6th for family breaks. Set on the Left Bank, these boho arrondissements are home to the historic Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhoods, where you’ll find stacks of family-friendly hotels and restaurants, as well as a legendary English-language bookstore and a fab Parisian candy shop, both sure to keep the little ones happy for a while. This is also the place for some of the most kid-friendly public parks in town: the Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes. Kids can enjoy puppet shows, pony rides and one of the biggest playgrounds in Paris in the Jardin du Luxembourg, while the stunning formal gardens and pétanque courts ensure there’s enough to keep the grown-ups happy, too. For a perfectly charming activity that you can all get on board with, there are old-fashioned wooden toy boats to rent and sail on the Grand Bassin lake in front of the Palais de Luxembourg. Nearby Jardin des Plantes is home to one of the world’s oldest zoos, which specializes in the preservation of endangered species including such cute critters as red pandas and giant Aldabra tortoises. You can also visit the Grande Galerie de l’Evolution on the park’s edge. This natural history museum showcases some incredibly lifelike taxidermy animals alongside meteorites, massive dinosaur fossils and several thousand plant species. Best for Couples Ah, the City of Love with its gorgeous monuments, cute sidewalk cafés, beautiful gardens and swoonsome, soaring bridges... Where better to go on a romantic break with your significant other? Even the most jaded of couples won’t fail to be seduced by Montmartre, the 18th-arrondissement butte (hill) that can lay legitimate claim to being the city’s most romantic spot. Here, among gently sloping cobbled alleyways and colorful, ivy-clad buildings, lie dozens of adorable bistros, sultry bars and gourmet food shops to help you plan your perfect picnic. Get your bearings on a walking tour then taking in the flamboyant hilltop confection that is the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Head round the corner to have a cutesy couples’ portrait painted by one of the Place du Tertre’s resident artists and snap a selfie at the wildly romantic-sounding mur des je t’aime (that’s right: the wall of love). The 18th also boasts plenty of great nightlife, with world-famous entertainment including La Cigale concert hall and, of course, the magnificent Moulin Rouge cabaret. Step inside for high-kicking can-can dancing and risqué burlesque from some of the city’s finest performers. You can’t miss it: it’s the one with the neon-lit red windmill. Save on things to do in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
A tourist studying her map in front of the Eiffel Tower
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Is Paris Safe?

Paris is one of the most-visited cities on the planet, with millions of tourists pouring in every year. And it’s not difficult to understand why: beautiful parks, world-class museums, gourmet dining and Instagrammable monuments galore mean it’s packed with great things to see and do. Never mind that it's simply one of the most romantic places on earth. But is Paris safe for tourists to visit? Find out in our guide below. How Safe is Paris? Paris, like most major cities, has its fair share of petty crime, with pickpocketing and bag-snatching highest on the list of things to watch out for. Tourists and newcomers to the city are, of course, far more likely to be targeted than locals, especially those who appear lost, disoriented or confused by their surroundings, or who generally stick out like a sore thumb. So it’s important to know what to look out for to stay safe and ensure you enjoy an incident-free break. Opportunistic thieves tend to ply their questionable trade in and around major attractions, where large crowds of tourists can make for easy pickings. So it makes sense that the places you’re most likely to be relieved of your cash and possessions are around the likes of the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées and Notre-Dame Cathedral, as well as in popular neighborhoods including Montmartre, the Marais and the Latin Quarter. Avoid flashing around large sums of cash, keep your bags zipped up and be aware of your surroundings when, for example, using your phone or taking money out of an ATM. Thankfully, violent crime against tourists is relatively low in Paris. So the best response if you do fall victim to petty theft on the streets is not to give chase and instead report the incident to local police as soon as possible. And remember that, as long as you take sensible precautions like keeping an eye on your belongings and not falling for obvious scams, it’s likely the very worst thing that will happen to you in Paris is having to endure your waiter’s scorn when you order your steak well-done. Common Scams in Paris Thieves in Paris employ a quite extraordinary range of techniques to part you from your belongings. All are designed to fluster or otherwise bamboozle you for just long enough to get what they want and melt back into the crowd. A common trick is for the thief to pose as a lost tourist and approach you when you’re sitting at a café or restaurant table on the street. Placing an oversized city map on your table they will, on departing, pocket the map as well as whatever else was underneath it: your purse, your phone, and so on. Avoid this by keeping items in your pocket or a secured bag rather than in full view of opportunists. Also be wary of anyone who approaches you to sign a petition, or to donate to a charity: it’s highly likely these are not legit. Likewise someone who spills a messy liquid – coffee, ketchup, etc – on you, then makes a show of helping you clean up. These are distraction techniques pure and simple, so secure your belongings and walk away. Gold rings and roses are some of the other common scams that many visitors to Paris fall foul of – especially hopeless romantics. In the first of these, the the tinkle of metal hitting concrete is rapidly followed by a lady asking you if you have dropped your ring. When you say it isn’t yours she will then insist you take it as a lucky charm. But take care: as soon as you agree she will aggressively demand payment for the item. Beware also of men bearing flowers. These will be held out for you to take, but are never, ever free of charge. So only accept one if you’re happy to line this particular scammer’s pockets. The game of bonneteau – also known as find the lady and three-card monte – has been operating on the streets of Paris for centuries. Simply keep your eye on your chosen color of ball as it disappears beneath one of three cups, correctly identify the cup and hey presto, you win! Right? Wrong: it’s a confidence trick and you are the dupe. Keep your cash in your pocket and walk away. Is Paris Safe for Solo and Female Travelers? Not only is Paris safe for solo and female travelers, there are also loads of great things you can do on your own here, from learning to make macarons to seeing the city by bike and joining one of the city’s fab weekly rollerskating events. Otherwise the rules are much the same as for everyone else: take sensible precautions like letting family and friends know your plans if you’re going out alone at night and avoid trouble hotspots like quiet streets and late-night trains. A night out in Paris can of course be a lot of fun, with its buzzing nightlife and great entertainment scene: think world-class opera, high-kicking cabaret shows, and late-night bars and clubs. It’s always safer to politely decline offers of drinks from strangers and indeed to go out in a group if you can. Drink in moderation and ideally take a cab home rather than using public transport at night. Apps like Uber operate in Paris, or you can hail a Taxi Parisien, identifiable by the name on their cab light. The cab will also have a meter and display a badge with the driver’s license number. Note that if you do opt to take the Paris Métro, you should only buy your tickets from an authorized vendor or ticket machine in the station. Do not pay touts in and around the station for what might appear to be bargain tickets – you are most likely being scammed. Follow these simple tips and chances are your holiday in Paris will be every bit as fun and trouble-free as it is for the millions of tourists who visit and fall in love with the city every year. Save on things to do in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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