At a glance
- On arrival day, choose low-pressure stops such as the Seine, a café near your hotel, or a nearby park.
- Instead of fitting both the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay into one day, spend more time at one and leave room for a walk.
- If you plan to travel to another French city, first check hotels near the train station and plan where to store your luggage and how to get there.
Day by day
Suggested itinerary
See each day's route, highlights, background and stay together in one place.
Walk past the Louvre’s exterior, through the Tuileries, and along the Seine. End the evening in the neighborhood where you’re staying. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, so don’t plan an interior visit that day.
First, choose an entry time for the Louvre or another reserved attraction. The Louvre stays open late on Wednesdays and Fridays; on other days, account for its 6:00 p.m. closing time and last-entry time.
Walk around just one area, either Montmartre or Saint-Germain. If you’ve booked a viewpoint, leave enough time to get there. Check RATP for service disruptions, strikes, and your route back.
How to fit it in
Use this guide to find a comfortable rhythm for your first 2–3 days in Paris, then treat it as a starting point before traveling to other French cities.
Reality check
Walk within each day’s neighborhood and use the Metro only for longer trips across the river. Check station works near your hotel and airport routes separately with the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) route planner.
Allow at least 3 days for a first visit to Paris, with half a day for each major museum. Don’t count arrival and departure days as full sightseeing days.
Build your budget around one paid attraction and one sit-down meal per day. Don’t schedule an observation deck, river cruise, and show on the same day.
Watch out for pickpockets near Metro doors and for signature or bracelet scams at tourist sites. Don’t leave your phone on the edge of a table.
If plans change
Don’t buy tickets from unofficial resellers. Keep the day in the same area with a smaller museum, garden, or neighborhood walk.
Skip Montmartre’s hill or a long walk along the river. Plan around one bus route and a café break.
Small tip
Check museum closure days, demonstrations, transit strikes, and peak-season reservation availability again shortly before your visit.
Final check before departure
- Book an official time slot in advance for the one must-see attraction, such as the Louvre or Eiffel Tower.
- Use RATP to check and save information about construction at the station near your accommodation, along with your airport route.
- Mark one place on each day’s itinerary that you can skip.
The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, and on regular operating days the last entry is one hour before closing. Confirm the entry time and RATP service updates for your visit date, and anchor the day around just one reserved attraction.
Information checked: 2026-07-30