The Itinerary Wala
Paris in 3 days: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Versailles

Paris in 3 days: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Versailles

The Louvre with a plan rather than a list, the tower booked, and Versailles given the whole day it needs. Plus the queue-skipping that actually works and the dinner hours that catch people out.

  • Western Europe
  • 3 days
  • ≈ AED 1,800 / person
  • Three days with one museum done properly instead of three at a trot

Researched & checked by Nitesh Parasher Last verified

Before you go

Three days in Paris is enough for one great museum, one great monument and one day out — and the mistake is trying for three of each.

Day one is the Louvre and the river. Day two is the tower and Montmartre. Day three is Versailles, which needs the whole day and is worth it.

The practical rule that shapes everything: lunch is 12 to 2 and dinner from 7.30. Outside those windows most kitchens are shut, and the places serving at five are serving tourists.

Figure the budget below. April–June and September–October.

Before you go: the short version

Entry and visas

  • France is in the Schengen area. Around 60 nationalities enter visa-free for 90 days in any 180; everyone else applies for a short-stay (Type C) Schengen visa before travelling.
  • Apply to the consulate of your main destination, and lead times run to several weeks in season.
  • ETIAS, the travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, is being phased in — check whether it applies by your dates.
  • Our full guide: how Schengen visas actually work — which consulate, how early, and what sinks most applications.

Getting in and around

  • Charles de Gaulle (CDG) — the RER B is €11.80 to the centre in about 35 minutes. Orly (ORY) has the Orlyval plus RER, or the new Metro line 14 direct.
  • The Metro is the way around. A single is €2.50; a Navigo Easy card or a contactless bank card works on the gates.
  • Paris is walkable. The whole centre is about 10km across and the Metro is for when your feet give out.

What to book before you fly

  • The Eiffel Tower — summit tickets go 60 days ahead and sell out.
  • The Louvre, a timed slot, always.
  • Versailles, a timed slot, and the Passport ticket if the fountains are running.

Day by day

Day 1 — The Louvre and the river

Walking order: Louvre → Tuileries (on the doorstep) → Orangerie (10 min) → Place de la Concorde (5 min) → Seine to Pont Alexandre III (20 min). About 5km, flat.

  • 09:00 — The Louvre, booked. Go in with a plan — three rooms properly beats nine at a trot. It is closed on Tuesdays.
  • The Denon wing holds the Mona Lisa and the Italian painting and is where everyone goes. Richelieu holds the French and the Northern European and is nearly empty by comparison.
  • The Mona Lisa is small, behind glass, and permanently surrounded. Thirty seconds, then walk away and look at the Veroneses on the opposite wall, which nobody does.
  • 13:00 — Lunch in the Tuileries or the Palais-Royal arcades.
  • 15:00 — The Orangerie for Monet’s water lilies in two oval rooms — forty minutes, and the best forty minutes in Paris.
  • 17:00 — Walk the Seine to Pont Alexandre III, and the booksellers’ boxes along the quays.
  • 19:30 — Notre-Dame, which reopened in December 2024 after the fire. Entry is free and timed slots are released days in advance — book the moment you have dates.
  • 21:00 — Dinner in Saint-Germain or the Marais.

Day 2 — The tower, Montmartre and the Orsay

Walking order: Orsay → Metro → Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars (2km around the park) → Metro → Montmartre: Sacré-Cœur, the back lanes (2km, and it is a hill). About 6km.

  • 09:30 — The Musée d’Orsay, in a converted railway station, which is the better museum than the Louvre for most people — the Impressionist floor under the old station clock, and it takes two hours rather than five.
  • 12:30 — Lunch, then across the river.
  • 14:00 — The Eiffel Tower, booked. Walking up to the second floor is an hour of queue avoided, and the second floor is the better view — from the summit you cannot see the tower’s own shape, which is most of what you came for.
  • 16:30 — Trocadéro across the river for the photograph everyone takes.
  • 18:00 — Montmartre. Go up through the back lanes — Rue Lepic, the vineyard, the Lapin Agile — rather than the Place du Tertre, which is portrait artists and coach parties.
  • 19:30 — Sacré-Cœur at dusk, and the steps below it, which is where the city sits in the evening.
  • 21:00 — Dinner in the 18th, below the hill.

Day 3 — Versailles

Walking order: State Apartments (indoor, 1km) → gardens → Trianons (2.5km out, or hire a bike or buggy). About 7km if you walk it all.

  • 08:00 — Go at opening. The RER C takes 45 minutes and the queue at ten is an hour. It is closed on Mondays.
  • 09:00 — The State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors before the groups arrive.
  • 11:30 — The gardens are the half most people shortchange. The estate is 800 hectares and the Trianons are a long walk out — hire a bike or a golf buggy, which turns a slog into the best part of the day.
  • The fountains run only on show days, usually weekends from April to October. Check before you fix the date, because the gardens are a different place with the water on, and they cost more that day.
  • 13:30 — The Petit Trianon and the Hameau de la Reine — Marie Antoinette’s model farm, with a working dairy and thatched cottages, which is the part worth the walk out.
  • 17:00 — Back to Paris.
  • 19:30 — A last dinner, and book it — Paris restaurants fill.

If you would rather not do Versailles

  • The Musée Rodin, the Sainte-Chapelle’s windows, and the Marais on foot make a very good third day without leaving the city.

Costs and practicalities

Getting around, and what it costs

Metro single€2.50
RER B from CDG€11.80
RER C to Versailles, return€8.60
Louvre€22
Musée d’Orsay€16
Orangerie€12.50
Eiffel Tower, lift to the second floor€22
Eiffel Tower, stairs to the second floor€14
Versailles Passport with fountains€32
Notre-Damefree
  • Museums are free on the first Sunday of the month at many national institutions — and correspondingly crowded.
  • Under-26s resident in the EU enter national museums free, which includes the Louvre and the Orsay.

Best time to visit

  • April–June and September–October — mild, long days, and the gardens at their best.
  • July–August — hot, crowded, and much of the city closes in August as Parisians leave.
  • November–March — grey and cheap, with short days. The museums are at their most pleasant.
  • The fountain shows at Versailles run April to October only.

Travel tips

  • Book the Louvre, the tower and Versailles before you fly.
  • The Louvre is closed Tuesdays; Versailles is closed Mondays.
  • Walk up the Eiffel Tower to skip the lift queue.
  • Hire a bike at Versailles.
  • Lunch 12–2, dinner from 7.30. Everything else is a tourist menu.
  • Pickpockets work the Metro, the tower and Montmartre. Front pockets, bags closed.

What this trip actually costs

Two people, 2 nights, mid-range comfort, international flights excluded:

ItemCost
Hotel, 2 nightsEUR 320 (≈ AED 1,310)
Food and drink, 3 daysEUR 260 (≈ AED 1,065)
Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie, tower, Versailles, two peopleEUR 210 (≈ AED 860)
Metro, RER and both airport runsEUR 70 (≈ AED 287)
IncidentalsEUR 20 (≈ AED 81.89)
Total for twoEUR 880 (≈ AED 3,603)
  • The ticket line is the surprise — five major sites for two people is over €200 before you have eaten.
  • A museum pass pays off from about the fourth site, which this itinerary reaches.
  • Hotel picks here are chosen on location, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.

What to pack

  • Shoes for 6km a day on cobbles and stairs.
  • A layer; Paris evenings are cool even in summer.
  • Something smarter than trainers if you plan a proper dinner.
  • A Type C/E adapter, 230V.

Part of a bigger trip?

FAQ

Is three days enough for Paris? For one great museum, the tower and Versailles, yes. It is not enough to add the Musée Rodin, the Sainte-Chapelle and the Marais as well — those are what a fourth day buys.

Which Louvre wing should I start in? Denon for the Italian painting and the Mona Lisa, which is where everyone goes. Richelieu for French and Northern European, which is half empty and just as good.

Stairs or lift up the Eiffel Tower? Stairs to the second floor — cheaper, faster than the lift queue, and the second floor has the better view anyway.

Is Versailles worth a whole day? Yes, if you include the gardens and the Trianons, and hire a bike. Doing only the palace is half a day and the worse half.

When do the Versailles fountains run? Show days, generally weekends from April to October. Check the calendar before fixing your date — the gardens are transformed and the ticket costs more.

Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 29 October 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.