Enjoy Paris in three days

We have compiled a small guide in order to see the most important sights and places in central Paris in 3 days time.

1st day

• Begin your day by visiting the famous Notre Dame early in the morning. Try to be at the entrance at least 20 minutes before opening time in order to avoid the long queue and to wait as less as possible. (TIP: It's preferable to wait first at the queue for the towers, which is longer and tends to move too slowly.) Access to the towers is free for European citizens under 26 and for holders of a valid Paris museum pass. NOTE THAT THE MUSEUM PASS DOESN'T ENABLE YOU TO BYPASS THE QUEUE. After visiting the towers, see the interior of the church.
• Stroll down Ile de la Cite and visit the famous Sainte Chapelle, which is part of the Palais du Justice. You can then strolll around the island and afterwards cross one of the bridges that link Ile de la Cite with Ile de St Louis. Ile de St Louis is the most picturesque among the two islands and offers a great opportunity to have lunch or dine in one of the numerous small restaurants found there.
• In the afternoon you can walk in the Champs Elysees avenue, visit the Grand and Petit Palais and admire the Presidencial residence. Afterwards, you can go to Place de la Concorde, either on foot, or by using bus no.42. In the middle of the square, one can admire the famous Obelisk
  
• Your last step to this small tour is Arc de Triomphe, which is located at the end of Champs Elysees avenue. A good idea would be to cover the distance between Place de la Conconde and the Arc on foot, in order to do some shopping in one of the most famous shopping streets of Europe. Otherwise, you could use the metro and get off at the station Charles de Gaulle-Etoile, which is just next to the Arc. There , you have the following choices: either to admire the Arc or to climb up. Note that the entrance is in the Paris museum pass and is free for European citizens under 26 years old.

2nd day

• You can start your day by visiting the famous Musee du Louvre. Expect to spend several hours there, if you want to see some parts of the impressive collections housed in the museum. You will also have the opportunity to see the impressive Pyramid and the Carousel underground shopping center adjacent to the museum, as well as walk in the Tuilleries Gardens.
• Then we propose to take a view of the main sights from the Seine. There are various companies offering tours on the river. Usually they last for an hour and pass through the main sights with a guided tour. Another option is the Batobus, which offers passes so that you can hop on and off the boats that do regular transport between fixed stops on the river. There is no guided tour on these boats but he advantage is that you can hop on and off them at the various sights. There are also daily passes so that you can tour the river as much as you like.
• Later at night, you can visit the Champ de Mars and admire the Eiffel Tower, this splendid Parisian landmark. With a little patience, it is possible to go up up to one of the three floors and enjoy the view. We believe that the best time to visit the Tower is around 10:00 pm when the queues are usually smaller and you can enjoy the Tower with its great lights. The view of Paris at night from up there is perfect and it is a truly remarkable experience.

3rd day

• Visiting Paris of course requires a visit to the famous Montmarte and the Sacre Coeur. We think that it is best to do this in the late afternoon, when it is less crowded and you can enjoy the Basilica and the view in a more tranquile setting. However, access to the Dome is only accepted till 5:45pm so if you want to visit it and not just the basilica, you will want to go there in the morning.
  
• Another option is to visit Bastille (either morning or afternoon), to see the Bastille Opera House and the place where once stood the fortress-prison, the storming of which marked the beginning of the French Revolution and the lively Marais with the famous Place de Vosges.
• Another option is to visit the Invalides, with Napoleon I's tomb and the impressive Army Museum.
• Also if you have children, you might want to devote this day to visiting Disneyland Resort Paris.
  

To see a more detailed description of Parisian sights, click here.
Also, you may view our guide for Parisian public transport and for getting from the airports to the city center.

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