Paris Itinerary: 3 to 7 Day Plans

Step 1: Choose your Paris itinerary length

Pick three days for the big sights, four to add Versailles, five for a slower pace, and seven for a day trip and two easy days. You can plan the days around paris on a budget before you book anything, because the tickets cost more than the metro does.

Each plan below gives one area to each day. Fewer crossings of the city means fewer metro rides and more time inside the sights.

The 3-day plan in short: day 1 is the Eiffel Tower and a Seine cruise. Day 2 is the Louvre on any day but Tuesday, then the Tuileries Garden and dinner near Palais-Royal. Day 3 is the Île de la Cité, then a slow walk on the Left Bank after lunch.

Some sights sit close together. Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie are a few minutes apart on the Île de la Cité. The Eiffel Tower and the Seine cruise start at the same spot. The Louvre, the Tuileries Garden and Palais-Royal run in a line. Versailles is a separate trip by RER C. Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur sit on the same hill, so do them together. The Left Bank walk and the Musée d'Orsay fit the same afternoon.

Step 2: Check the closing days before you fix the order

Start with the days each sight is shut, because that decides which day goes where. The Louvre is closed every Tuesday, according to the Louvre's hours page. The Palace of Versailles and the estate of Trianon are closed every Monday, and the gardens and park stay open, according to the palace's practical page.

The Musée d'Orsay's hours page also lists Monday as its closing day. The Catacombs close on Mondays too, as the City of Paris lists. The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame are open every day, with a few holiday closures. On 1 May almost every big sight shuts.

Say you land on Monday. Spend day 1 at the Eiffel Tower, day 2 (Tuesday) on the island, and day 3 (Wednesday) at the Louvre. Day 4 (Thursday) is then free for Versailles.

Key Takeaway Fix Monday and Tuesday first: the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays and the Versailles palace on Mondays, and the rest of the plan fits around them.

Step 3: Spend day 1 at the Eiffel Tower and on the Seine

Day 1 works best around the Eiffel Tower, because the tower is open every day and the area has an easy evening at the river. Book your slot before you fly, since the summit and stair slots are the first to sell out. Since 29 September 2026, stair tickets need a reservation in advance.

To climb, the Eiffel Tower stair climb is from €27.90 per person. The guided climb lasts 1.5 to 2.5 hours, runs in groups of up to 20 and meets at 2 Avenue Élisée Reclus. It covers 704 steps to the second level, and a summit option goes up by lift. The tour is run by City Wonders and is not suitable for people with reduced mobility or heart problems.

For a meal up there, the Eiffel Tower restaurant options sit on the same page as the tickets. Finish the day on the water. The evening Seine cruise with music is from €25 per person, takes one hour and boards at the foot of the tower. Vedettes de Paris runs it on electric boats. For more boats, see the guide to Seine river cruises.

Pro Tip Do the cruise on day 1 after the climb. Both start at the tower, so you walk only a few minutes between them.

Should you book the climb as a tour or go alone? The Eiffel Tower's own rates page lists adult tickets at €14.80 for the second floor by stairs and €23.50 by lift. The summit costs €28.00 by stairs plus lift and €36.70 by two lifts. The tour is from €27.90, so for the climb it costs about €13 more than the stair ticket alone. For that you get a guide, a group of up to 20 and the stair tickets to the first and second floors. Tips are extra, and the listing says pre-reserved tickets and priority entry are not included.

A tour suits you if you want the story of the tower and a fixed plan. Go alone if you want your own pace or the lowest price, because the stair ticket is the cheaper way up. Day 1 tickets then come to about €40 before food: €14.80 for the stairs and €25 for the cruise. The cruise has no guide, and food is not included.

Step 4: Spend day 2 at the Louvre

Day 2 belongs to the Louvre, and any day except Tuesday works. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and until 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday. Last entry is one hour before closing.

Book a time slot, because the Louvre says tickets are tied to a date and time. A slot is compulsory for every visitor from 17 October to 1 November 2026. Visitors from outside the EEA pay €32, according to the same hours page. Use the metro to Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre on lines 1 and 7, or to Pyramides on line 14.

With so many rooms, a guide saves you from wandering. The Louvre tour with the Mona Lisa is from €98 per person, lasts 2 to 3 hours and runs in groups of up to 20 people. Entry is included, and it meets at Place Colette, 75001. GetYourGuide France runs it, and it is not suitable for people with mobility impairments. Entry is part of the price, and food, drinks and transport are not. The listing shows free cancellation, and the tour is run by GetYourGuide France. A small or private group is not part of this tour. For more options, see the full page on the Louvre museum and its tours.

Pro Tip Book a Wednesday or Friday afternoon at the Louvre. The museum stays open until 9 p.m. then, and the last entry is at 8 p.m., so you can end the day in quiet rooms.

After the visit, walk through the Tuileries Garden, which is free to enter. Then stop for dinner near Palais-Royal.

Step 5: Spend day 3 on the island and the Left Bank

Day 3 fits the Île de la Cité, because Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie stand within a few minutes of each other. Notre-Dame and the Sainte-Chapelle are open every day, with a few holiday closures. Sainte-Chapelle names school holidays and the Easter weekend as its busy times, with a risk of long waits or no entry.

The first Sunday of the month is free at Sainte-Chapelle in November, December, January, February and March only. You still need a reserved slot. After lunch, cross to the Left Bank for a slow walk. If you add the Musée d'Orsay, do it on a day that is not a Monday.

A good itinerary leaves room for the thing you did not plan.

Step 6: Spend day 4 at Versailles

Day 4 is for Versailles, and you can do it on your own in one full day. Take the RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, then walk about 10 minutes to the palace. A single Métro-Train-RER ticket at €2.55 covers the ride, according to Île-de-France Mobilités. For the wider choice of lines and passes, see our guide to getting around Paris.

Opening hours are 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. from April to November 1, and until 5:30 p.m. after that. Every visitor needs a timed slot. The Passport for the whole estate costs €35 from April to October and €25 from November to March, and the palace says Tuesdays and weekends are the busiest days. Its own suggested order is the palace at 9 a.m., the gardens from 10 a.m. to noon, and Trianon from noon.

Arrive at opening time, bring a light bag and plan to eat on site. Oversized bags are not allowed inside.

Step 7: Use day 5 and beyond for Montmartre, a day trip and a slow day

Day 5 can be Montmartre, and day 6 or 7 is your free day for a trip out of the city. Spend a morning walking Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, then go down to the Left Bank for the afternoon. Start early, because the hill is busy by midday.

For the free day, a day trip is easier than building one yourself. Skip anything on the scale of Paris CDG to London and pick a trip that brings you back to the city the same evening.

The Giverny and Versailles day trip is from €129 per person and lasts 11.5 hours. City Wonders runs it, in groups of up to 25, from a meeting point at Place du Général Kœnig, 75017. It includes the bus, Versailles entry and a ticket for Monet's house and gardens. Once you book it, drop Versailles from day 4 and use that day for something else.

Monet's house and gardens are open only from 1 April to 1 November, according to the Fondation Claude Monet. The adult ticket is €13 there, and online booking is highly recommended. Outside those months, pick another trip.

Use the last day to slow down. Spend a morning at a market or a park, or read our list of free things to do in Paris. Families can add a day at Disneyland Paris.

Step 8: Book ahead, budget and stay safe

Book the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Versailles palace before you fly, because all three sell timed slots. Giverny asks for online booking too. Buy only on the official site or from a seller you know, because the Louvre warns about mirror sites selling queue-jump tickets.

Here is the short answer on tour or on your own. A tour suits first-timers who want a guide, a set meeting time and no booking to sort out, which fits the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower climb. Go on your own if you like to set your pace or watch your budget, which fits the cruise and Versailles by RER C. The Giverny and Versailles trip packs two sights, a bus and 11.5 hours into one day, so it suits you if you want one booking for both.

Before you book any tour, check three things on its page: the meeting point, the length and what is not included. The listings show free cancellation for all four tours here. The lowest rating is the stair climb at 4.2, from almost 10,000 reviews. The Giverny and Versailles trip leaves from Paris and does not pick you up at your hotel, and food, drinks and tips are extra. The stair climb and the Louvre tour are not suitable for wheelchair users. The Seine cruise lists no group size.

Short tours fit around self-guided days. Best Things to Do in Paris' count of GetYourGuide listings on 24 October 2026 found that 461 of the 608 Paris listings with a stated duration last 3 hours or less. That leaves most afternoons free for your own plans.

For weather, Paris has no dry season. The Météo-France normals show highs of 46 to 48 °F in December to February and 74 to 78 °F in June to August, with rain on 7 to 11 days a month. Read the guide to the best time to visit Paris for the months in detail.

Watch your bag. The UK government says that thieves and pickpockets operate on the Paris Métro, on RER lines and at mainline stations, often in pairs. Carry your bag across your body and keep your cards in separate pockets. For more, read is Paris safe for tourists.

If you need a bed, the Drawing Hotel on rue de Richelieu in the 1st is 200 m from the Louvre. The Hôtel de Roubaix in the 3rd is two minutes from Réaumur-Sébastopol metro. For other areas, see where to stay on our Paris hotel guide.

Plans like these suit a first visit on foot and by metro. A different guide fits you better if you want a single neighborhood at a slow pace, or if stairs and long walks are hard for you. Hours, prices and closures change, so check each sight's official page the day before.

Prices and ratings are as shown on GetYourGuide on 24 October 2026.