In the words of Aubrey Hepburn’s character in the classic film Sabrina, Paris is always a good idea.
So with a spring in your step following the exciting news that you’ll be hitting the hallowed streets of the City of Light on your mystery holiday, you’ll need to begin planning.
Because that’s the secret of getting the most out of the action-packed, attraction-rich capital of France.
Beret at a jaunty angle? Check. Paris itinerary for 3 days? Check that off the list too, here’s the only 3 day Paris itinerary you’ll ever need.
Have a head for heights
Another reason while you’ll want your 3 day Paris itinerary in good order before you arrive is because you’ll want to hit the ground running.
You’ve got 2,000 years of history, culture, food and loving to explore and just 72 hours or so to do it!
For us there’s only one place in Paris to kick things off in the right style – the heights of the Eiffel Tower.
This soaring piece of ironwork a Parisian landmark in and of itself, featuring in everything from James Bond to Heartstopper.
But it also provides the perfect opportunity to connect the map you’ve got in your head and on your phone with the reality on the ground by checking out the streets around the ‘Tour Eiffel’ on a scale of 1:1.
From this height you’ll realise that it’s only a short taxi ride away from a romantic stroll in the Bois de Boulogne. A centuries-old wooded parkland whose eastern extremity is also home to one of Paris’s top art galleries, the Musée Marmottan Monet.
Then drift back towards the River Seine, on whose banks the Eiffel Tower is situated, for a guided cruise along the river.
From deck you can take in many of the city’s most famous sights in preparation for the second and third days of your 3 day Paris itinerary that are still to come.
Depending on the time of year, you can enjoy the glittering lights of a winter evening, the warm nights of summer or the bright colours of Paris in spring and autumn.
Cap off your first day in the French capital in a traditional French brasserie.
They may not be fancy, but the blackboard menus and red and white checkered tablecloths are as much Parisian culture as the Eiffel Tower, and taste a whole lot better too!
No moaning at the Mona Lisa
Many a traveller on a Paris itinerary for 3 days has learnt the hard way that the best time to visit the Louvre, arguably the world’s finest decorative arts museum, is in the morning as soon as it opens.
So that’s precisely where you should head after breakfast. It’s said that spend a minute looking at each object and you’re passport will have expired.
However the main attractions, including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo are well-signposted should you be art curious rather than an art obsessive.
Head just a short distance east along the river from the Louvre and you’ll be able to swap the appreciative nods of the Louvre’s patrons for the not-so-whispered delights of the shoppers at Les Halles.
It’s home to all manner of high-end brands, including many exclusive to fashion-conscious France alone.
Now grab your shopping bags for the walk across the Pont Neuf.
While meaning ‘New Bridge’ this is actually Paris’s oldest remaining river crossing, taking you across to Île de la Cité island, home to the marvellous stained glass of Sainte-Chapelle, the closest thing there is to being bathed in light.
The island is also the location of Notre Dame Cathedral, an attraction you won’t want to miss following its miraculous survival and reconstruction after the fire that devastated it just a few years before.
Hop from the island to the south bank of the River Seine and you’ll be at the doorstep of Shakespeare and Company, the famed English-language bookshop amid quirky surrounds.
The historic Square René Viviani next door provides a good spot to watch the world go by and rest sore feet.
Then head down to the surprisingly easy to navigate Paris Metro for a night out of cabaret and dancing at the Moulin Rouge, a stage that likely needs no introduction!
Best of the rest
Spend the first part of your morning at the Jardin du Luxembourg, another centrally located Paris park which is small enough to enjoy without becoming wearisome.
Follow its narrow tongue to its southernmost extent, and you’ll reach a busy road junction hiding several sights of interest.
The first is the Cemetery of Montparnasse, which contains the tombs, graves and mausoleums of some of Paris’s most important sons and daughters – or at least those not lucky enough to be interred in the Pantheon instead.
While it might sound strange, you next have a date with the Paris underground, stepping below ground level on an evocative tour of the Paris Catacombs, many of which are decorated in ghoulish and ghostly ways.
Back on the surface, work your way back north once more to take in the views of Paris that you can’t see from the Eiffel Tower, from the observation deck of the modernist Tour Montparnasse.
For something a little different again, stop by Deyrolle, a taxidermy shop dating from 1831 with its own small museum.
Then peruse the various stores of its neighbouring streets in search of all manner of goodies: perfumes, chocolates, patisserie and even more art should you wish.
It is the last day of your 3 day Paris itinerary after all!
Cap things off back on the banks of the River Seine where the Musée d’Orsay turned a beautiful but unloved railway station into one of the city’s most significant collections of 19th and 20th century art.
Works include Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Monet’s Poppy Field and Degas’ The Absinthe Drinkers.
If it’s warm, you could then stop by the neighbouring beach club, cleverly named Le Beach Club, or recross the Seine and spend your final minutes in the Jardin des Tuileries beside the ancient Egyptian obelisk of the Place de la Concorde.
