We’re about to share with you the top 10 attractions for 3 days in Paris and a guide itinerary to fully sense the magic of this city.
Paris is always a good idea, but if you visit it for the first time, you might want to decide in advance what are your top attractions because, spoiler alert: Paris is full of amazing ones!!
First I’d like to share with you some background info about transportation and other tips you might benefit from:
– we took the #Ryanair flight from Milan BGY airport to Paris BVA (economic tickets are the best tickets)
– we booked in advance the shuttle from Paris BVA airport to Porte Maillot (here is a link to their website) easy to find, very efficient and affordable, we paid 29 euros/person, return included, duration of travel: 1h 15 minutes
– we took the metro from Porte Maillot to Quartier Latin where we had our hotel (found on #booking, affordable one but still with a very nice view on the beautiful streets of this authentic quartier)
– we like to walk when visiting a new city so the attractions we chose and their order are not random
– bought the museum tickets online to avoid queues
– uber is present in Paris but also their taxi service is not bad, called G7, they have a good app and tariffs
– you definitely have to buy the tickets for Louvre museum in advance as it’s almost impossible to visit it otherwise (link) you might also want to plan well your visit to this museum as it’s huge and you need more than one day to see it entirely, so choose the main attractions and focus on seeing only those
– use #thefork for the typical restaurants, they have many locations and you get to see the reviews of the other tourists or locals, important tip: they also make big real discounts
– definitely drink a glass of wine on the Seine river and take a photo for your instagram account!
– expect in general higher tariffs for average services/goods
– take your time to relax on a chair in a park, it’s a typical Parisian task
– if you’re young you have advantages in Paris, like the free entrance to a lot of museums if you’re under 26 years old
And now let’s get down to the top 10 attractions for 3 days in Paris:
Day 1: Jardin du Luxembourg, Pantheon, Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame Cathedral & Eiffel Tower
The beauty of this planned route is that we arrived to all the destinations by walking from the formidable Quarter latin.
Jardin du Luxembourg : were created upon the initiative of Queen Marie de Medici in 1612, cover 25 hectares of land, have breath taking flower collections, 106 statues spread throughout the park, many activities and facilities for kids but also adults (like chess, tennis, remote control boats).
They’re just beautiful and have great spots for efortless viral photos. Check the ones below if not convinced yet:
Pantheon: a masterpiece of the architect Soufflot who wanted to outdo the churches of St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. It was just on our way to the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Notre Dame Cathedral: unfortunately our visit to Paris came some months after the tragic fire event, so we didn’t get to visit it but could admire it only from outside.
Sainte Chapelle: a not so popular destination but I can assure that it’s worth visiting!
I mean, just look at the pictures below, it may seem a normal building from the outside but the inside is jewelry.
Stunning stained glass, arranged across 15 windows, each 15 metres high, the stained glass panes depict 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments recounting the history of the world until the arrival of the relics in Paris.
Oh just give me a crepes break 🙂 did I mention that I was pregnant when in Paris?
Last but not least Eiffel tower for photos purpose: You definitely want to go to Jardins du Trocadero on the evening to have a beautiful view on the illuminated Eiffel Tower!!
Great spot for photos but it may get crowded.
Day 2: Eiffel Tower visit & Louvre Museum
Tour Eiffel : we bought the tickets from their website so we skipped the queue ( link).
We chose to take the stairs but there are 3 levels and you can arrive by stairs only to the second one, if you want to get to the top, you must book in advance the elevator.
We had a picnic lunch after that, definitely with a great Eiffel tower view.
Louvre museum: at walking distance from the Eiffel tower, so we could admire on our way the beauty of the Seine river and its nice bridges but also the Jardins des Champs Elysees.
Again for Louvre museum, book and plan well in advance what you want to see, otherwise half a day will not be enough to admire so much art.
Day 3: Orangerie Museum, Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur & Montmartre
Orangerie Museum: Here you can admire Les Nympheas of Claude Monet, in exhibition since 1927, few months after his death, as he wished.
I definitely recommend to watch some documentary about this guy, you’ll learn to appreciate his art and his love for water even more.
You can also find here the beautiful collections of Jean Walter – Paul Guillame, who managed to put together astonishing works of art signed by Picasso, Renoir, Rousseau and others. It’s an art history that goes along the way from the late nineteenth century to the 1930s.
Aaaand the entrance is free for everybody on Sundays 🙂 you must love Paris!
Champs Elysee: Needless to say that it’s a great place to make effortless beautiful photos, it’s the most famous boulevard that leads you to the Arc de Triomphe.
It’s long 1,9 km, visited each day by nearly 300 k persons who come to admire its majestic monuments, enjoy shopping or some events that are usually held here.
Arc de Triomphe: Wanted by Napoleon in 1806, inaugurated in 1836, it’s about 50 m high and has a beautiful panoramic view above the entire city.
These 3 attractions are near one to another so we walked walked walked 🙂 .
Sacre Coeur basilica: It stands on a historic pilgrimage site and it takes 270 stairs to reach the top of the hill.
It has a nice panoramic view and also the interiors are not less worthy, entry is free.
Walking around the tiny streets behind Sacre Coeur you’ll arrive to Montmartre neighborhood and see that it’s charming in its own way as well. Be patient because can get very crowded.
Have a nice walk on this neighborhood and keep in mind that this is the place that nurtured most of the great artists and writers of this past century, like Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Amedeo Modigliani and Pierre – Auguste Renoir.
So that’s it my dear friends, the 3 days are gone and we’ve only seen a tiny part of this magnificent city but that’s fine because we plan to visit it again soon!!
Top 10 attractions for 3 days in Paris:
1. Jardin du Luxembourg
2. Pantheon
3. Notre Dame Cathedral
4. Sainte Chapelle
5. Eiffel Tower
6. Louvre Museum
7. Orangerie Museum
8. Champs Elysee
9. Arc de Triumph
10. Basilica Sacre Coeur and Montmartre.