Paris Itinerary: The Perfect 3-Day Weekend Guide (2026)

This Paris itinerary packs the essentials of the city into three unhurried days, written the way a resident would actually plan it rather than a rushed coach tour. Day one keeps you on foot around the Ile de la Cite and the Louvre. Day two covers the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysees and Montmartre. Day three is a half-day trip out to the Palace of Versailles. Every price and opening time in this Paris itinerary was checked against the official site for that attraction, and where a detail can change season to season I have said so. Confirm the details online before you set out, since Paris museums increasingly require timed online booking in high season.

Getting to Paris and Getting Around

Most visitors arrive through Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (about 25 km northeast) or Paris-Orly Airport (about 13 km south). The RER B connects CDG to central Paris in around 40 minutes on the Paris Region Airports ticket, priced at 14 euro full fare according to Ile-de-France Mobilites. With luggage after a long flight, a pre-booked private transfer is the calmer option, and fixed-price transfers with an English-speaking driver are easy to arrange through welcomepickups.com. A local SIM or eSIM sorted before you land also makes navigating the metro much easier; both airalo.com and saily.com sell eSIMs that activate the moment you land.

Inside the city, the Metro is the fastest way to cover ground, and a carnet of t+ tickets or a Navigo Easy card covers days one and two comfortably. Day three, the trip to Versailles, runs on RER C, a separate ticket from the city Metro fare. Paris itself is very walkable for day one and day two once you are in the right neighbourhood, so save the transit budget for getting between areas rather than every single stop. If you still need to book the flight itself, compare fares on kiwi.com before locking in your dates, since this is the one part of the Paris itinerary worth planning around cheaper midweek departures.

Day 1: Ile de la Cite, the Louvre and the Marais

The first day of this Paris itinerary is a slow loop through the historic core, from the river islands to the grandest museum in the world.

1. Sainte-Chapelle. Start early at this 13th-century royal chapel on Ile de la Cite, famous for its stained-glass walls. The official adult ticket is 22 euro, with free entry for EU residents under 26, and the chapel closes for a security break around midday, so check current opening hours on the official site before you go.
2. Notre-Dame Cathedral. A short walk away, the cathedral reopened to visitors in December 2024 after the 2019 fire; entry is free but queues build fast, so go as early as you can.
3. The Louvre. Cross to the Right Bank for the afternoon. The Louvre is open 9am to 6pm Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and until 9pm on Wednesday and Friday, and it is closed on Tuesdays. The adult ticket is 22 euro for EEA residents and 32 euro for non-EEA visitors, and online reservation is required from 1 July to 31 August 2026. Skip-the-line tickets are worth booking ahead through tiqets.com, since walk-up queues in high season can run well over an hour.
4. Evening in the Marais. Wind down with dinner among the narrow streets of the Marais, a short walk from the Louvre and one of the few central neighbourhoods that still feels residential.

Day 2: The Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysees and Montmartre

Day two of this Paris itinerary is the big-landmark day, moving from the Left Bank up to the hill of Montmartre.

1. The Eiffel Tower. Book a timed slot in advance. The official 2026 rates run from 14.80 euro for the second floor by stairs to 36.70 euro for the summit by lift, and the tower typically opens at 9:30am. Reduced-price and skip-the-line options are also bundled on tiqets.com if you would rather compare formats in one place.
2. Trocadero and a Seine cruise. Cross to Trocadero for the classic tower photo, then take a short river cruise along the Seine, an easy way to see Notre-Dame, the Musee d’Orsay and the Eiffel Tower from the water in under an hour. Half-day sightseeing combinations that pair a cruise with other landmarks are simple to compare on klook.com.
3. Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. Walk or take the Metro up to the Arc de Triomphe, then stroll the length of the Champs-Elysees toward Concorde.
4. Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur. End the day on the hill of Montmartre, with its cobbled lanes, artists’ square at Place du Tertre and the free-to-enter Sacre-Coeur basilica, which has sweeping views back over the city at sunset.

Day 3: A Half-Day Trip to the Palace of Versailles

The final day of this Paris itinerary trades the city for the grandest palace in France. Versailles sits about 20 km southwest of Paris, roughly 40 to 50 minutes by RER C to the Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche station, followed by a 10-minute walk.

1. Buy the Passport ticket, not a Palace-only ticket. The Palace is not sold as a standalone entry; the official Passport, covering the Palace, the Trianon estate and the gardens, costs 25 euro in low season and 35 euro in high season for standard adult admission, per the official 2026 pricing. The estate is open 9am to 6:30pm and is closed on Mondays, so plan around that if your three days include one.
2. The State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors. Go straight to the Hall of Mirrors and the King’s and Queen’s apartments first, before the mid-morning crowds peak.
3. The gardens and the Trianon estate. Spend the rest of the visit in the formal gardens and, time permitting, the Grand Trianon and Marie-Antoinette’s estate, a 20-minute walk or a short shuttle ride from the main palace.
4. Back to Paris for the evening. Return on the same RER C line in time for a final dinner in the city. If you would rather skip the RER and the ticket logistics entirely, guided full-day Versailles tours from central Paris are easy to book through klook.com.

If your flight home is in the evening but your hotel checkout is at midday, drop your bags at a radicalstorage.com point near the station and enjoy a final walk hands-free before heading to the airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 3 days enough for a Paris itinerary?

Three days is enough to see the core of the city and one major day trip without rushing. This Paris itinerary gives you one Ile de la Cite and Louvre day, one Eiffel Tower to Montmartre day, and one half-day out to Versailles, which covers the highlights while leaving room to actually enjoy them.

Do I need to book Paris museum tickets in advance?

Yes, strongly recommended. The Louvre requires online reservation from 1 July to 31 August 2026, and both the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles sell out popular timed slots two to three weeks ahead in peak season. Booking ahead through an official site or a platform like tiqets.com is what keeps a Paris itinerary like this one running to schedule instead of stalling at a sold-out ticket counter.

How do I get from Paris to Versailles?

The RER C runs directly from central Paris to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche station in roughly 40 to 50 minutes, on a separate ticket from the city Metro fare. It is the cheapest option; guided tours are the simplest if you would rather not manage the transfer yourself.

When is the best time to do this itinerary?

Spring (April to June) and early autumn (September to October) are ideal, with mild weather for walking and shorter queues than midsummer. July and August are the busiest and hottest months, so book every timed ticket well ahead and start each day early.

What is the cheapest way to see multiple Paris attractions?

Multi-attraction passes that bundle entry to several sights at a discount, sold through platforms such as gocity.com, can work out cheaper than paying for the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and other sights individually across a three-day Paris itinerary like this one.

Expat Essentials for Paris

A few quick wins make settling into Paris easier while you work through this guide. An Airalo eSIM keeps you online from the moment you land, a pre-booked Welcome Pickups transfer takes the stress out of arrival day, and NordVPN protects your logins on public wifi. See our full list of trusted services below.

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Written by FinePassport team