In short. Spend the first day on the Île de la Cité and at the Louvre, the second on the left bank with Orsay and the Eiffel Tower, and the third at the Arc de Triomphe and on the Champs-Élysées. If you would rather spend a day at Versailles, swap it with day three. Before you fix the dates, look at the closing days: they decide which museum goes where.
Before you start: the closing days
- Monday: Orsay and Versailles are closed.
- Tuesday: the Louvre, Fontainebleau and Chantilly are closed.
- Wednesday and Friday: the Louvre stays open until 21:00.
If one of your days falls on a closing day, swap the days. The Louvre can go on any day except Tuesday, Orsay on any day except Monday, and Versailles on any day except Monday.
Day 1: the old centre and the Louvre
Morning: Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie. Begin early. The upper chapel of Sainte-Chapelle is wrapped in 15 tall stained-glass windows with more than a thousand scenes, and the rose window shows the Apocalypse. Next door, the Conciergerie was a medieval royal palace and later a prison. You walk through a huge Gothic hall, the royal kitchens and a chapel built partly where Marie Antoinette’s cell stood. The combined ticket covers both. Choose a time for Sainte-Chapelle and visit the Conciergerie before or after. From October to March Sainte-Chapelle closes at 17:00, so do not leave it for the end of the day.
Afternoon: the Louvre. The museum shows about 38,000 objects, so the way to enjoy it is to see less. Make a short list: the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace on its great staircase, the Egyptian rooms with the seated scribe, and the Gallery of Apollo with its jewels. A guided visit of one hour takes you to the masterpieces without getting lost. A renovation of the Mona Lisa room was announced for 2026, so check which rooms are open on your day. On Wednesday and Friday you can go in late, when the museum is open until 21:00. Bags larger than 55 x 35 x 20 cm are not allowed, and there are free lockers. More about the Louvre.
Evening: a Seine cruise. A one-hour cruise is a gentle way to end a day on foot. The Bateaux-Mouches boat leaves from Port de la Conférence and lasts 1 hour 10 minutes. For sunset there is a cruise from Pont Neuf with a drink on board.
Day 2: the left bank and the Eiffel Tower
Morning: Musée d’Orsay. The museum fills an old railway station built for the 1900 Exposition, and the great hall under the vault is part of the show. Famous paintings are here: Manet’s Olympia, Renoir’s Bal du moulin de la Galette, Van Gogh’s starry night over the Rhône and Monet’s haystacks. Book your entry for the morning, and leave your large bag in the free cloakroom. On Thursday evenings the museum stays open late.
Lunch on the left bank, then take the RER C to Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel.
Afternoon: the Eiffel Tower. It is 330 metres tall including the antenna, and the highest platform is at 276 metres. You can reach the second floor by lift or by stairs (more than 600 steps), but the summit can only be reached by lift from the second floor. If you want the top, choose a ticket that includes it. The reserved access with audio guide covers the first and second floors and the summit. The guided option on the stairs to the second floor takes about an hour and a half. To see the tower from outside, go to the Trocadéro or the Champ de Mars.
Evening: a Bateaux Parisiens cruise leaves from Port de la Bourdonnais, right beside the tower. If you prefer to cruise on this day, choose it instead of the one on day one.
Day 3: the Arc de Triomphe, or Versailles
The Arc de Triomphe. Take the metro to Charles de Gaulle-Étoile and enter through the underpass, not across the square. The monument is about 50 metres high, and today you climb 284 steps to the terrace, because the lift is out of service. It is worth the effort: you see the twelve avenues, the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur and La Défense. Under the arch is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the flame is relit every evening at 18:30. The Arc is open until late in the evening, so the end of the afternoon works well. Then walk down the Champs-Élysées.
Versailles instead. If you prefer history to views, spend the whole day at Versailles: it is a short ride on the RER C. Our Versailles guide explains the tickets and the timing.
If you have a few days more
Add a day outside the city. Fontainebleau and Chantilly are both within easy reach by train, and our guide to day trips from Paris helps you choose. For the full list of what to book, see the Paris tickets guide.
What to book
Reserve a time for the Louvre and Sainte-Chapelle, an entry for Orsay, the cruise of your choice and the Eiffel Tower ticket. The Arc de Triomphe needs less planning, but a ticket on your phone is handy at the foot of the stairs.
