Three days in Paris is enough for the big sights if you group them by area: the islands and the Left Bank on day 1, the Louvre and the Champs-Élysées on day 2, and the Eiffel Tower, a Seine boat and Montmartre on day 3. This Paris itinerary for 3 days keeps walking between stops short and puts the Louvre on a day it is open, since it closes every Tuesday.
Know before you go
- Days: 3 full days, one area per day.
- Louvre: 9 am to 6 pm, open until 9 pm on Wednesday and Friday, closed on Tuesday. Non-EEA adults pay EUR 32 and under-18s go free (checked November 2026, Louvre hours and admission).
- Notre-Dame: free entry, open from 7:50 am on weekdays, with an optional free reservation on the official site.
- Sacré-Cœur: free, open every day from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm.
- Paid stops: Sainte-Chapelle EUR 22 and the Arc de Triomphe EUR 16 at full price; Eiffel Tower tickets start at EUR 14.80.
- Visa: France is in the Schengen area; see our Schengen visa guide for Indians.
- Last checked: 2 November 2026 (sources under Official resources below).
In this Article
Paris in 3 days at a glance
| Day | Area | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Île de la Cité and the Left Bank | Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, Latin Quarter, Luxembourg Garden, Musée d’Orsay |
| 2 | Right Bank | Louvre, Tuileries Garden, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe |
| 3 | West Paris and Montmartre | Eiffel Tower, Seine boat, Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre |
If your trip includes a Tuesday, make that day 1 or day 3 and keep the Louvre for another day. Days 1 and 3 work in either order.
Before you go
Book timed tickets for the paid sights before you fly. The Louvre recommends a time slot for every visitor, including people who get in free, and its site warns about mirror sites and street sellers offering queue-jumping tickets. Buy only from the official sites linked in this post.
Notre-Dame asks visitors to take their free reservation through its own website only, and says no guide or agency may sell or hand out tickets for it. If someone outside tries to sell you entry, walk away.
Paris has a dense metro network, and most of this route is also walkable. Fares and pass options change, so check the current prices on the RATP or Île-de-France Mobilités sites before you buy. Paris also has a museum pass that covers many sights; work out whether it pays for itself against the single tickets you plan to buy.
Day 1: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Left Bank
Start early on the Île de la Cité. Notre-Dame opens at 7:50 am from Monday to Friday and at 8:15 am at weekends, and entry is free. Its official site says the cathedral stays open until 7 pm on weekdays, to 10 pm on Thursday, and to 7:30 pm at weekends, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. A free reservation gives easier access, and it is worth making one for a weekend or holiday morning.
Walk a few minutes along the island to Sainte-Chapelle, the royal chapel known for its tall walls of stained glass. Full-price entry is EUR 22, and admission is free for EU residents under 26. Book a slot online and pick a sunny hour if you can, since the windows look best with light coming through them.
Cross to the Left Bank for lunch in the Latin Quarter, then walk south to the Luxembourg Garden. The palace at its north end houses the French Senate, and the paths and lawns around the central pond make a good break between sights.
Finish the day at the Musée d’Orsay, on the river in a former railway station. It holds a large collection of Impressionist painting, and the old station clocks are part of the building. Check its opening days and ticket prices on the museum’s own site before you go.
Day 2: Louvre, Tuileries and the Champs-Élysées
Give the Louvre the morning. It opens at 9 am, and on Wednesday and Friday it stays open until 9 pm, which helps if you would rather go in the evening. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Last entry is one hour before closing.
As of November 2026, visitors from outside the European Economic Area pay EUR 32, and EEA residents pay EUR 22. Under-18s get in free with ID. Your ticket also covers the Musée national Eugène-Delacroix on the same day or the next day. Pick the galleries you want before you arrive; three or four hours inside is a full visit for most people.
Walk out through the Tuileries Garden, which is free. From November to March it opens from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm, and in summer it stays open later. At the far end, Place de la Concorde leads into the Champs-Élysées.
Walk the avenue up to the Arc de Triomphe. Entry to the top costs EUR 16, and EU residents under 26 go free. The monument’s site says the lift has been out of service since late July 2026, so the only way up is by the stairs, 284 steps, and a return of the lift is planned for 2027. If stairs are a problem, see the arch from the street and save the view for the Eiffel Tower.
Day 3: Eiffel Tower, the Seine and Montmartre
Start at the Trocadéro for the classic view across the river, then walk over the Pont d’Iéna to the Eiffel Tower. Official prices start at EUR 14.80 for an adult taking the stairs to the second floor and go up to EUR 36.70 for the lift to the summit, with new fares due from 11 January 2027. Our Eiffel Tower tickets guide explains each ticket type and how to book on the official site.
After the tower, take a sightseeing boat on the Seine. Several companies run cruises from piers near the Eiffel Tower, and an hour on the water passes most of the sights from days 1 and 2. Compare times and prices on the operators’ own sites.
In the late afternoon, take the metro north to Montmartre and climb to the Sacré-Cœur basilica. The basilica is free to visit and open every day from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm, so you can stay on the steps for sunset and still go inside afterwards. A dome tour with a view over Paris is available separately; check its price and hours on the basilica’s site. Organ restoration work runs until the end of May 2027, so the main organ is silent until then.
Spend the evening in the lanes behind the basilica, where there are plenty of cafés and small restaurants.
Where to stay
- Around the Louvre or Le Marais: central for all three days, with many metro lines.
- Latin Quarter or Saint-Germain: walkable to Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Luxembourg Garden.
- Near the Eiffel Tower: quieter in the evening and close to the boat piers, but further from Montmartre.
Changes to the plan
- With kids: under-18s enter the Louvre free, and the Luxembourg Garden is a good stop for a break. Keep museum visits short and add a boat ride.
- With Disneyland: add a fourth day rather than cutting one of these. Check opening hours and the train from central Paris on the park’s official site.
- At Christmas: the Louvre is closed on 25 December, so plan it for another day. Opening hours for other sights may change over the holidays.
- Costs: for flights, stays and daily spending, use our Europe trip cost from India worksheet.
FAQ
### Is 3 days enough for Paris? Three days covers the main sights in central Paris if you group them by area, as in this plan. Add a day for Versailles or Disneyland.
### What day is the Louvre closed? The Louvre is closed every Tuesday, as well as on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
### How much is the Louvre ticket for Indians? Visitors from outside the European Economic Area, including Indian passport holders, pay EUR 32 as of November 2026. Under-18s go free.
### Is Notre-Dame free to enter? Yes. Entry is free, and a free reservation is available only on the cathedral’s official website.
### Can you go up the Arc de Triomphe? Yes, by the stairs. The lift has been under maintenance since late July 2026, so the 284 steps are the only way up until it returns in 2027.
### Is Sacré-Cœur free? Yes. The basilica is free and open every day from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm. The dome tour is a separate paid visit.
Official resources: Louvre: hours and admission; Notre-Dame de Paris; Sainte-Chapelle; Arc de Triomphe; Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre; Eiffel Tower official site
Photo credits
Featured image: NonOmnisMoriar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; Day 1: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Left Bank: Dmarcovitz / Wikimedia Commons, CC0; Day 1: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Left Bank: Oldmanisold / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Day 1: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Left Bank: Benh LIEU SONG, crane cloned out by Sanchezn / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; Day 1: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Left Bank: Gingiberi Magnus / Wikimedia Commons, CC0; Day 2: Louvre, Tuileries and the Champs-Élysées: Iron Pedreira Alves from Madrid, España / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; Day 2: Louvre, Tuileries and the Champs-Élysées: Jebulon / Wikimedia Commons, CC0; Day 2: Louvre, Tuileries and the Champs-Élysées: Benh LIEU SONG / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; Day 3: Eiffel Tower, the Seine and Montmartre: Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; Day 3: Eiffel Tower, the Seine and Montmartre: Terragio67 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
