Itineraries
Start at Notre-Dame and the Île de la Cité — the cathedral’s post-2019-fire reconstruction is now complete, so check current visiting arrangements before you arrive. In the afternoon, give the Louvre a proper 3 to 4 hours minimum if you want more than just the famous highlights. Book timed entry ahead.
DAY 2: THE LEFT BANK AND THE EIFFEL TOWER
Spend the morning at the Musée d’Orsay, housed in a converted Beaux-Arts railway station and home to the world’s most significant Impressionist collection. Walk along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower in the afternoon. In the evening, head to Montmartre for the Sacré-Cœur and the neighbourhood’s distinctly bohemian character.
DAY 3: NEIGHBOURHOODS
Skip the major museums for a day and just explore — Le Marais for its mix of medieval streets, contemporary galleries and the Place des Vosges, Paris’s oldest planned square. Saint-Germain-des-Prés for the literary café scene. The covered Passage des Panoramas or Galerie Vivienne for 19th-century arcade architecture most visitors walk straight past without noticing.
ONE THING WORTH KNOWING: the Paris Métro is one of the most efficient urban transit systems in the world and makes the city’s spread-out geography genuinely manageable. A carnet of tickets or a day pass takes the per-journey decision off your plate entirely and covers every essential route above.
