What to Do in Paris for 3 Days

Since Paris is my favorite city in the world, and what I refer to as my “Soul City,” it’s only appropriate that I write something for visitors so they get the most authentic version of Paris as a visitor. It’s easy to be the perpetual tourist there, as there are so many touristy things to do. However, in true Roaming with Red style, I want to give you an experience that will leave you feeling satisfied and satiated with your visit to Paris. As you’re planning your trip, keep in mind that ticking boxes off is fine in some cases, but you’ll miss some great stuff if it’s the only thing you’re worried about doing.

I’ve been to Paris numerous times and enjoy something new each time, as well as some of my old haunts. I’ll share the highlights so that you can know what to do in Paris for 3 days, give or take. Some of these ideas will not surprise, yet others may. I’m excited to be your guide to the City of Light. You’re in for many treats. Even if you’ve visited Paris before, you may find something I recommend that you didn’t know existed. Let’s find out.

My personal opinion is that 3 days is not enough time in Paris, but I also don’t know if a lifetime is enough time. Unlike many other cities, Paris is worthy of much of my time, and I prove that with the number of times I travel there per year. In 3 days, you can cover a lot of ground if you are efficient and intentional with your time. There are easy ways to get around the city, and since it’s not a massive city, you can zip from one end to the other in no time. I won’t let you miss the main events, and I’ll make sure you come away feeling like you got a great taste of Paris.

This article is going to hit on some of my favorite places and places that have made me feel like I’m pseudo Parisienne. Some of them have come recommended by my local friends who live in Paris, and some I have found on my own. Few are going to be the heavily-Instagrammed iteration. Waiting in line for hot chocolate or getting into a particular church/cathedral (ahem, Notre Dame Cathedral) is not worth the wait when you have only a few days to cover what you need to do. Paris is a city that you can get a good taste for in a short amount of time. I will show you how.

Marais Neighborhood

As I stated, 3 days is the bare minimum I would recommend spending in Paris due to the sheer volume of things you can get into while there. A good idea would be to book more days and use this itinerary to knock out the must-dos early so you have time to go back to areas of interest to you. It’s always a good idea to have a day or two with no itinerary so you can leave some surprises. I digress. If 3 days is what you have, no problem.

You’re going to be set up for success to see everything from the Champs Élysées to the Champ de Mars, where you’ll have a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower. I’ll talk about my favorite neighborhoods, like the Marais, and if I think guided tours are worth it. There’s lots to discover and I know you’re going to enjoy this list to the fullest. 

This next recommendation is going to be more of a “do as I say, not as I do” because I like to stay a bit on the outskirts of the main areas. I’ve been enough time and go for longer, so I have this luxury. If I were narrowing down things to do in Paris in 3 days, I would absolutely stay in the most central location. By that, I mean arrondissements 1-7.

In my opinion, the 2nd and 4th might even be a little too far out for what you want, but that is up to you. My preference for you is the 1st, 3rd, or the 6th. Don’t get too caught up on that, though. The metro is easy to use and there are train stations (metro stops) everywhere. I’m not going to recommend any particular hotels, as I don’t stay in enough in those arrondissements to make a recommendation I’m comfortable with. 

Sacré-Cœur at Night

Let’s start by saying you have options. This is not meant to be a hard and fast plan or itinerary. My encouragement is to take what I have recommended, blend it with others’ recommendations, and add in your own preferences. My Paris is not your Paris, and that’s the beauty of it. My days look different at times because I encourage how to enjoy Paris at a slower pace. Some days I’m from one end to the other, and other times the entire trip is spent on the Right Bank.

The first day for you should be very enjoyable. I’m going to cover a lot of ground, and I’m going to promote some moments of relaxing because Europeans (and in this case Parisians in particular) like to enjoy life. While they walk like mad down the streets, their meals take time and are spent enjoying the company they are with. There are no meals that last 30 minutes in Paris unless you are at a McDonald’s. Please, don’t go to McDonald’s while you’re in Paris. Enough with the banter, let’s dive into my list on Day 1 in Paris.

In loose order, here are my recommendations, starting in my favorite neighborhood: The Marais. The Marais spans over two Arrondissements, the 3rd and the 4th. I will toggle between the two because they are so close. 

• Start at Le Peloton Cafe (Saint-Paul metro stop if you take the metro there), where you can get a delicious coffee and croissant. Meet the owner, Paul, if he is there, and say hello. The cafe is very cozy, and you can stay as long as you want or as little as you want. It’s a delightful experience. 
• A GOOD PLAN is to arrange a Marais walking tour with Oliver Gee, who is the head Parisian-by-choice and owner of The Earful Tower. It’s a podcast (highly recommended) and he has exceptional walking tours. I have been on two (Marais and Latin Quarter - loved!), even on my most recent trip to Paris. His website states particular days for tours, but he is flexible. Just ask him for what you want and he will do his best to accommodate. I can’t say enough good things about him and his fun energy around Paris. It will last ~2 hours, and you can go back to some of the places he takes you in the Marais. 
• After walking, you will want food. There are lots of places to eat and drink in the Marais, and I have gone to several. My top recs are Les Philosophes and Miznon. I love sitting outside at Les Philosophes and watching people on the street. Miznon is just off Rue des Rosiers in the middle of the Jewish quarter, and the line is much more reasonable than the more “famous” places. And it moves quickly.
• Musée Carnavalet is absolutely worth a visit. I stayed much longer than I typically do at museums because it was so interesting. It’s about the history of the city of Paris, which is a huge interest for me. Since it’s free, you don’t have to feel obligated to stay all day. I recommended this recently to a friend who was traveling to Paris, and he loved it. 
• While you’re near the museum, pop over to Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris. The porticos are stunning, and you can see the (now) famous Carette, where I used to be able to get hot chocolate with no line. Instagrammers found it, and now it’s packed. If for some reason there’s no line, I recommend a hot chocolate - it is insanely good. 
• From Place des Vosges, make your way by foot to Bastille area and stroll along the Canal Saint-Martin. There is almost never anyone there when I go, and I love seeing the boats docked down the canal. It’s peaceful and spits you out along a quai that you can take to the Île Saint-Louis and then to Île de la Cîte. 
• Cross the Pont du Sully and walk through Île Saint-Louis. It’s such a sweet area of Paris and unique to itself. On the opposite side, cross onto Île de la Cîte, home of Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle. My recommendation? Don’t waste too much time walking through them. There are so many beautiful churches. I even went to mass at ND and was underwhelmed. That’s my opinion.
• After seeing the Îles, cross Pont Neuf, look left, say hi to the Iron Lady, and head back to the Right Bank (Rive Droite) to peruse some shopping. Walk down Rue de Rivoli for good measure and get back into the heart of the Marais. My recommendations for shopping are: Fleux, Sezane (if you like their clothes), Uniqlo (the one called Uniqlo Le Marais), and Tabio for the coolest socks and tights.
• Please stop at Aux Marveilleux de Fred for any of the following: the little meringue balls of different flavors, pain au lait with ganache, or vanilla waffles. You will not regret this whatsoever. 
• Depending on how much of this you’ve done on this very fun-filled day one, I’m going to slide into recommending some dinner places to you. Camille is a very typical French style restaurant. I like the vibe there a lot, and you can sit in our outside. Le Colimaçon is another one of my favorites and I go almost every trip to Paris. The food never disappoints, and the wine choices are awesome. 
• Because Montmartre is its own little beast, I might recommend going there on this night. Eat at Hotel Particulier, walk by Sacré-Cœur. At night it's gorgeous. Walk home through the other arrondissements if you can. It's a beautiful walk. Yes, I've done exactly this.
• To end the night, Bar Nouveau is awesome and The Little Red Door is another winner. Have yourself a nightcap and then go to sleep. We have stuff to do tomorrow. 

After Walking up the Eiffel Tower

Let’s do this. Day 2 is here and we have a lot more of Paris to see. We are going away from the Marais and heading to the Louvre and beyond. It’s going to be a really fun day, and lots of awesome things to see in Paris. Without further ado, let’s get going. Grab your comfy and fashionable Vejas, grab a coffee and croissant for breakfast, and let’s start at the infamous Louvre.

• If the Louvre is on your bucket list, I would highly recommend a guided tour. Claudine Hemingway, relative of the author Ernest Hemingway, does such a tour so you can get the highlights and not having a mild panic attack like I did on my first visit. Do yourself a favor, book a tour. Take photos with the pyramids and move on. We’ve got way more to see.
• Lunch at Le Nemours right across from the Louvre will provide good sustenance for you to maintain that rockstar energy for what’s next. If the weather is good, sit outside. You might be surrounded by smoke (people smoke in Paris, yes), but it’s a lovely terrasse. When you’re done, peak your head into the Palais Royal area. The gardens are some of my favorites. Small and intimate and very local. And then let’s keep moving.
• The Tuileries Garden adjacent to the Louvre is also one of my favorite places to visit. When the weather is nice, you have to squeeze yourself in between Parisians for a spot in the sun. I love the energetic peace of it, and encourage you to walk from one end to the other. 
• You’ll end up in Place de la Concorde, where you’ll start to see the landscape change. This is where opulence lies in Paris. It is also at the foot of the famous Champs Élysées, where you can walk the stretch of it all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. It’s up to you how close you want to get, as it is a pay-to-play situation. I’d snap a photo and keep it moving. Totally your call. But there it is.
• On day 2 we are really going strong with the monuments to see. From the Arc, I would highly recommend getting on the metro and getting yourself to the Eiffel Tower. Now, this is where we may differ in opinion. You have a few choices and I’ll tell you my favorite: don’t go up and just get a picture, go up by the elevator, or walk up. I walked up and loved it, but it took time and energy. Choose according to your schedule and preference, grab your tickets online, and know the walk had a shorter entry line and is good for glutes. Mill about the Champ de Mars after or before. And do not get caught by scammers. No friendship bracelets for you today, my dear.
• A stop into the Musée Rodin would be most appropriate while you’re right there, and I understand that you might have maxed out your points of interest for one day. But, I think the museum is worth a visit, so I am adding it to the list. 
• For dinner, La Fontaine de Mars is a perfect French restaurant, but make sure you to get a reservation first. Walk down the pedestrian street Rue Cler To round out your night, hit Gatsby for a cocktail. It’s one of my favorite bars I’ve been to in Paris.

Luxembourg Gardens

As I have tried to squeeze as much in as possible so far, we still have more to see. Things that I think are worthy of seeing and doing. We have one more day together, and I want you to get everything out of it. Buckle up.

• Rive Gauche has much to offer, and the Luxembourg Gardens are just one of those many things. Many people like to be photographed by the Medici Fountain, so you may want to start there. I recommend going to the gardens early, around 8:30 or 9 am, before most Parisians are out and about. My personal preference is that you hire a professional photographer who can get some great shots in this beautiful space. If not, check out the gardens on their own. The park is fantastic.
• I’m going to recommend the only thing I have not done myself (only because a very reliable source who lives in Paris recommended this). The Pantheon is supposed to be a cool visit, and if they are letting people on the viewing deck, do try to go. It’s on my list for next time.
• Churches are something I like to visit, and Église Saint-Sulpice is one of my favorites. Go in and check it out, as it’s near the Luxembourg Gardens.
• If you want to eat at the oldest café in Paris, just a few minute walk from Saint-Sulpice, go to lunch at Le Procope. Get yourself some snails and Paris-Brest for good measure, and enjoy the atmosphere.
• Perhaps you want to visit Shakespeare & Co. Maybe you don’t want to wait in the line, though. It’s a bookstore. I’m not sure how committed you are to touristy things. But if you want to hit it up, it’s right there. If not, let’s keep moving. For a more curated experience, I like Messy Nessy’s Cabinet of Curiosities, where I have much affection for the owner and her unique wares.
• Walking about is one of my personal favorite things to do in Paris. Hopping on the metro and heading to Rue Montorgueil is my next rec. You can hop off at Les Halles (watch your pockets and your purses) and start your walk up this road.
• Another church I enjoy is Saint-Eustache, which is right off the metro station. It’s a beautiful structure, and I have gone to an organ concert there. The visit won’t take too long, and you can see another gorgeous church with no line.
• For a very Parisienne look, go to agnès b. The clothes are very classic, albeit quite pricey, but I like the brand overall.
• Stroll straight up Rue Montorgueil until you hit several of my favorite places. If you want to get a pastry from the oldest patisserie in Paris, go to Stohrer. Load up on delicious treats to have as a late night snack after your dinner.
• And for dinner, I have a list for you that involves staying in that same area. It’s a good one, and I have gone to many of these places more than once. For Italian, go to Little Italy. Want tapas? Le Corridor. My very favorite is Frenchie Bar à Vins. And for a very classic French meal, Brasserie Dubillot. You will not be disappointed in any of these choices.

Eating a Giant Maccaron at Carette (Before Its Infamy)

This is a tricky question to answer accurately, as we all have our different tastes and preferences. Mine is very mid-range and I probably spend anywhere from $50-$100 in a day, depending on where I eat and what I purchase. I’ve done anything from grabbing some bananas at Franprix for breakfast to an inexpensive croissant at Le Valentin.

Many museums are free, and parks cost nothing to enjoy while reading a book. For the price of a coffee or wine (which is a fraction of the cost in the US), you can people watch at a café for as long as you want. Sitting by or walking along the Seine is one of the most satisfying and delightful experiences in Paris. Paris is very easy to enjoy, so just enjoy it how you want to enjoy it. My suggestions come from years of visiting, and getting to know the city more each time.

Remember that your trip to Paris is your own. Not I nor anyone else can create the magical experience you will have. The suggestions I give is from a place of experience and knowledge, and preference. I’ve never desired to follow a strict itinerary, so I don’t. What I do suggest here are some really good times you can have in my very favorite city. Enjoy, and I can’t wait to hear about how you made Paris your own. À bientôt!

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