Three days in Paris is enough to cover the Left Bank's iron-and-stone landmarks, cross the historic islands, absorb a full session at the Louvre, and climb the Montmartre butte without feeling rushed at any single stop. The route averages 9–11 km of walking per day, with one metro segment per day to connect non-adjacent districts.

Day by day

Day 1: Left Bank: Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Musée d'Orsay

  • Eiffel Tower — 1.5–2 hr. Book the 09:00 AM summit slot. The second-floor platform gives the clearest Seine panorama; the summit adds Montmartre and La Défense on the horizon. Arrive 5 min early — the lifts queue by 09:15.
  • Walk to Trocadéro (north bank) — 15 min across Pont d'Iéna. The elevated esplanade gives the classic full-tower framing. Photographers set up before 09:30; the corner fountains run from 09:00.
  • Hôtel des Invalides & Army Museum — 1.5 hr (€15 entry). The Dôme des Invalides holds Napoleon's red porphyry tomb beneath the 107 m gilded dome. The main Army Museum courtyard is free to enter and photograph.
  • Rest valve — Rue Cler market street (10 min walk from Invalides). Pick up a baguette sandwich from any charcuterie (€5–7) and eat in the Champ de Mars park. The central lawn is open; the official picnic area near the southeast corner has benches.
  • Musée d'Orsay — 2 hr (€16). Enter from Rue de la Légion d'Honneur. Floors 2 and 5 cover Impressionism and Post-Impressionism; the rooftop terrace behind the clock face is open and free to access from within the museum.
  • Evening walk along Quai Anatole France east toward Pont Neuf — 35 min. The quay is flat, river-level, and lit after dark.
  • Total: ~9 km walking; 0 metro segments today.

Day 2: Islands and Right Bank: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, Louvre

  • Notre-Dame Cathedral — 1 hr (free, timed ticket required at notredamedeparis.fr). Morning slots before 10:00 are the least crowded. The restored nave reveals 12th-century pale limestone detail cleaned back to its original tone.
  • Sainte-Chapelle — 45 min (€13; book timed entry online). Located 200 m west of Notre-Dame inside the Palais de Justice complex — bring ID, there is a security checkpoint. The upper chapel has 1,113 panes of stained glass covering 600 m² of wall space. Best light between 10:00–13:00.
  • Île Saint-Louis walk — 30 min. Cross Pont Saint-Louis from the Île de la Cité. The single main street (Rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île) has a fromagerie, a chocolatier, and a produce stall within 200 m of each other.
  • Rest valve — Berthillon, 29–31 Rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île. Sorbet and ice cream; queue 10–15 min on weekdays. Take it to the quay and sit on the lower embankment steps.
  • Metro line 7 from Pont Marie to Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre — 5 min (1 ticket).
  • Louvre Museum — 2.5–3 hr (€22; timed-entry mandatory). Enter via Carrousel du Louvre underground. Route: Denon Wing 1st floor (Mona Lisa, large French paintings), Denon Wing ground (Winged Victory), Sully Wing ground (Egyptian antiquities). Avoid Richelieu Wing unless you have a specific interest in Dutch/Flemish painting.
  • Tuileries Garden to Place de la Concorde — 30 min walk. The 700 m allée between the Louvre and the obelisk is flat. The obelisk at Place de la Concorde is a 23 m, 230-tonne granite monolith from Luxor, Egypt — its hieroglyphs describe the reign of Ramesses II.
  • Total: ~10 km walking; 1 metro segment.

Day 3: Montmartre, Le Marais, Place des Vosges

  • Metro line 12 to Abbesses — 20 min from central Paris. Abbesses station has the deepest platform in Paris (36 m) with a working elevator — take it.
  • Sacré-Cœur Basilica — 45 min (free; funicular from Abbesses = 1 metro ticket, or walk 222 steps). The interior silence rule is enforced. The mosaic in the apse covers 475 m². Views from the front steps span southeast across the whole city.
  • Montmartre village walk: Place du Tertre, Rue Lepic, Moulin de la Galette windmill — 1 hr. Place du Tertre is the tourist portrait square; the windmill at the top of Rue Lepic (No. 83) dates to 1622 and is a functioning private vineyard. The lane descends steeply — your calves will register every stone.
  • Rest valve — Café des Deux Moulins, 15 Rue Lepic. The corner café with the mirrored interior. Known for its croque-monsieur (€9) and unhurried service. Sit for 30–40 min.
  • Metro line 2 from Blanche to République, then line 8 to Saint-Paul — 15 min.
  • Le Marais: Rue des Rosiers to Place des Vosges — 1.5 hr walk. Rue des Rosiers is the main street of the old Jewish Quarter — falafel and Middle Eastern bakeries at street level, restored medieval buildings above. Place des Vosges is a 140 m × 140 m arcaded square completed in 1612; the arcades are open and free to walk. Maison de Victor Hugo (No. 6) is free to enter.
  • Centre Pompidou exterior — 15 min walk from Place des Vosges. The exterior escalators and the plaza fountain (Stravinsky Fountain) are free to view. Entry to the permanent collection costs €15 if you choose to go in.
  • Total: ~11 km walking; 2 metro segments.
Traveller Tips
  • Buy a Navigo Semaine (€30.75) if you arrive on a Monday — it covers all zones including Versailles and CDG for the full Monday–Sunday week.
  • Sainte-Chapelle and Louvre on the same day works logistically — both are on the Right Bank. Book both online in advance; same-day queues at Sainte-Chapelle can run 45 min without a ticket.
  • Day 3 involves two metro transfers; a carnet of 10 tickets (loaded onto Navigo Easy) is cheaper than buying individually if you haven't bought a weekly pass.
  • Montmartre: the downhill route via Rue Lepic is longer but more atmospheric than the direct staircase. Allow 20 extra minutes if you take Rue Lepic — it ends at Place Blanche metro.
  • Place des Vosges closing time for the internal garden is 21:30 in summer; the arcaded walkway around the perimeter is always open.