Here's how to see the top sights in Paris, and get a real taste of Parisian life, in only three days (here are maps of Paris).

Paris City Pass

The Paris City Pass is designed for three-day stays. It takes you from the airport to the city, around the city by Métro and bus for three days, up to a panoramic view, crusing on the Seine, and a 20% discount on virtually any other thing you want to see or do in Paris and Versailles:

—One-way shared shuttle transfer from CDG or Orly airport to central Paris

—3-day Métro pass valid on Métro trains, buses, trams & funiculars (including the Montmartre funicular to Sacré-Coeur)

—Admission to the Tour Montparnasse Panoramic Terrace(better views than the Eiffel Tower!)

—River cruise on the Seine

—20% discount on admission to 60 other museums, attractions and activities in Paris and Versailles. More...

Other Money-Saving Passes

Alternatives to the Paris City Pass are the Paris Museum Pass or the Paris Pass. More...

A one- or two-day Paris Visite transit ticket gives you unlimited use of the Métro, buses, trams, etc. More...

For any tour or attraction in Paris, save time, trouble, and waiting in line by buying your skip-the-line admission tickets in advance from Ticketbar. More...

Day 1

Follow the itinerary for One Day in Paris: Arc de Triomphe, Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, Palais d l'Élysée, Place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries, Musée du Louvre, Île de la Cité, Cathédrale de Notre-Dame, Place St-Michel, the back streets of the Left Bank (Quartier Latin) and, if you choose, a cruise on the River Seine, followed by a very good dinner in a simple bistro or elegant restaurant.

Day 2

Go to the Île de la Cité for a look at the Towers of Notre-Dame, then to the Palais de Justice to admire the the splendid Sainte Chapelle and the gloomy Conciergerie, then explore the Latin Quarter and the Invalides before taking the Métro to the Trocadéro station for a walk downhill from the Palais de Chaillot to the Eiffel Tower and Champ-de-Mars.

Day 3

Go to Montmartre to see the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur and the artist-filled Place du Tertre.

Choose a few more of Paris' excellent museums for visits. There are dozens. The one(s) you choose can be dictated by your own tastes, but we'd recommend the Musée d'Orsay, the Carnavalet (the museum of the history of Paris) and, depending upon the exhibitions, the displays in the Grand Palais or the Centre Georges Pompidou.

Centre Georges Pompidou

Just as important, you'll have more time to spend people-watching in Parisian cafés, and in nice restaurants at dinnertime.

If you favor palaces over museums, plan a quick half-day visit by RER suburban train to Versailles. More...

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