What to Do in Paris in 3 Days: Our Left Bank Itinerary from the 7th Arrondissement
By Derby Eiffel Hotel ·
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In three days in Paris from the 7th arrondissement, we recommend walking rather than chasing the metro: Day 1 the Champ de Mars, the Eiffel Tower and Rue Cler; Day 2 Les Invalides and the Rodin Museum in the morning, with the combined ticket at €26, then the Musée d'Orsay in the afternoon; Day 3 the Musée du Quai Branly, a Seine cruise and an evening in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Everything stays on the Left Bank, and most of it is walkable from Avenue Duquesne.
Three days is enough to see Paris properly and far too little to see it all. The most common mistake, we see it every week at reception: a schedule that crosses the city four times a day, and three hours lost underground. Our version stays almost entirely on the Left Bank, around Avenue Duquesne, because that's where things are closest together. The Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides, the Rodin Museum, the Musée d'Orsay, the quays and Saint-Germain all fit within a walkable perimeter.
The times below are guidelines, not obligations. We mainly indicate the order, because that's what saves time.
Day 1: The Eiffel Tower and the surrounding neighborhood
The large lawn that slopes down from the École Militaire to the foot of the Eiffel Tower. It's the first place we send people in the morning, before buying anything: you see the entire tower, from a distance, with no one in front of the lens. Walking back up toward the École Militaire, you get the same view in the opposite direction and far fewer people than on the central alleys.
Go up if you have a reservation, skip it if you don't: without a ticket booked in advance, the wait eats up the morning. The second floor gives the best reading of the city, because you can still make out the streets; the summit gives height and little detail. We detail the floors and prices on our dedicated page.
A pedestrian market street, with shop stalls out on the pavement, just a few streets from us. It's our first-day lunch spot, because you can eat standing or sitting depending on your mood, without a reservation. Most shops are closed on Monday: if your Day 1 falls on a Monday, swap it with Day 2.
The most ornate bridge in Paris, in the exact axis of the Esplanade des Invalides, with its four gilded columns at the ends. Go there in the late afternoon: the light catches the gilding from the side and the esplanade empties out. We have written an entire page on the best time to go.
Day 2: Les Invalides, Rodin, then the Musée d'Orsay
Be there at opening, at 10 AM. The "musées et expositions" ticket is €17 and covers the Dôme des Invalides, Napoleon I's tomb, the permanent collections, the temporary exhibition, the Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération and the Musée des Plans-Reliefs. Start with the Dôme, before the groups. If you don't want to pay, the Cour d'Honneur and the Cathédrale Saint-Louis are free access, without a ticket.
The obvious follow-up, and the combined ticket for the Musée de l'Armée and the Rodin Museum exists for that: €26, skip-the-line at both, permanent collections and sculpture garden included. If you're short on time or the weather is nice, do the garden and skip the Hôtel Biron: the major bronzes are outside.
A 1900 train station turned into a museum, which explains the nave and the clock. The afternoon is the right slot once the opening wave has passed. Go straight up to the Impressionist level rather than following the route in order: that's what almost everyone comes to see, and that's where density rises fastest at the end of the day. Hours and prices on our page.
From the Musée d'Orsay to Avenue Duquesne, the return is along the Left Bank of the Seine, on quays listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's longer than the metro and it's the best moment of the day. If night has fallen, you'll see the tower sparkle along the way.
The museum of the arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, on the banks of the Seine, with a green wall on the quayside facade. It's a useful counterpoint after two days of monumental Paris, and the garden is free to walk through even without a ticket. We give hours and prices on our page, including for Thursday evenings.
An hour on the water, and the only way to see at once what you've walked through for two days. The closest boarding points to us are near the Eiffel Tower and the Pont de l'Alma; we explain which to choose depending on the time in our guide. Avoid the upper deck in the middle of winter, the wind on the Seine is serious.
The neighborhood we send people to for shopping and historic cafés, and the only moment this itinerary really leaves our end of the 7th arrondissement. Two pages of our site detail the addresses, shops on one side, cafés on the other. Allow the late afternoon and early evening, no more: it's a neighborhood to be walked slowly.
