City discoveries
What to see in Paris on your first visit
Plan Paris outings around landmarks, museums and neighbourhood walks. Choose your main visits and leave room for breaks and booking times.
The checklist
- Eiffel Tower
- Trocadéro
- Champ de Mars
+ 27 more explained items
Paris is easier to enjoy when you choose a few anchors and let the streets connect them. This guide groups a first visit around the river and islands, the western landmarks, and Montmartre. The checklist is a menu of worthwhile stops, followed by preparation tasks; it is not a demand to complete every attraction. Choose your priorities before buying tickets, and leave space for lunch, a quiet square and the journey back to your accommodation.
For a short stay, give the central islands and river a day, pair a museum with a nearby walk on another, and keep the Eiffel Tower area or Montmartre for a separate outing. These are suggested combinations rather than a timed itinerary. Arrange days around reservations and weather.
Use this page to mark essential sights, optional additions and the tasks still outstanding. Print it or create your own list in Cartdock, then share responsibilities with your travel companion. Save entrance instructions as well as tickets, and agree which stop you will drop if a queue or a slower walking pace changes the day.
Who this list is for
First-time visitors spending three or four days in Paris, travelling independently and wanting a mix of major landmarks, one or two museum visits and unhurried neighbourhood walks. Adapt the route to your mobility, interests and arrival time.
Tips
Choose your Paris skyline experience
The Eiffel Tower offers different ascent and destination options; select the second floor or summit and stairs or lifts deliberately. The Arc de Triomphe offers another viewpoint and access to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is free. Choose one ascent as your main commitment. Reach the Arc through the Passage du Souvenir rather than trying to cross the roundabout. For an outdoor tower view, start with Trocadéro and continue towards the river.
Give a museum a clear purpose
The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays; consult its calendar before assigning a museum day. Use its official booking information and choose a small selection of works or rooms instead of trying to see everything. Orsay offers Impressionist galleries in a former railway station. Make it your alternative if that art appeals more. Keep a meal and an outdoor pause after the visit, and avoid booking both museums back to back.
Separate the two island visits
Notre-Dame cathedral entry is free, with an optional free reservation on its official portal. Sainte-Chapelle has its own ticket and time-slot arrangements. Treat them as separate visits even though they belong in the same island outing. Sainte-Chapelle lies within the Palais de Justice and has specific security restrictions, including glass bottles and sharp objects. Read the entry conditions before setting out with your day bag.
Give Montmartre its own outing
Montmartre combines Sacré-Cœur, Place du Tertre and smaller streets on a hill. The tourist office identifies both steps and the funicular as ways to reach the basilica area. Decide the uphill approach before starting, especially with tired children or limited mobility. After the viewpoint, explore a quieter side street rather than immediately travelling across Paris to another landmark.
Plan the arrival separately from city travel
RATP describes airport rail journeys as a distinct ticketing category. Check the option for your arrival airport and accommodation rather than assuming that an ordinary city ticket covers it. Save the route, destination station and alternative connection before departure. Recheck transport updates on the day. Choose a light first outing after arrival, since a delayed journey should not put an expensive reservation at risk.
Use neighbourhoods to slow the pace
The official tourist office highlights the Marais, the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés among the districts worth exploring. Pick a compact area for lunch and a walk instead of treating neighbourhoods as quick photo stops. In the Marais, start around Place des Vosges; on the Left Bank, combine a street walk with a pause in the Luxembourg Garden. Check any garden access notices locally and let the afternoon follow your energy.
Build flexibility around the bookings
Check each attraction’s access and luggage information before committing to a tightly packed day. Eiffel Tower access differs by ticket type; Sainte-Chapelle has strict checks; the Arc can close exceptionally for ceremonies or weather. Leave a gap between reservations and keep an outdoor alternative nearby. For accessibility, consult the relevant official page directly: a monument’s entrance, terrace and summit can have different arrangements.
The checklist
30 items, grouped like in the Cartdock app.
Print this page to tick items off on paper: the printout keeps only the checklist, with a box before every item.
To do
Western landmarks and a museum choice
- Eiffel Tower — Choose an outside view or a booked ascent; check the destination and access on your ticket.
- Trocadéro — Use this viewpoint for an overview of the tower before approaching the river.
- Champ de Mars — Add a walk beside the tower if conditions and local access allow.
- Arc de Triomphe — Use the underground passage; decide whether to visit the terrace or the memorial area.
- Champs-Élysées — Walk a selected stretch after the Arc instead of making the whole avenue compulsory.
- Louvre — Choose a focused collection route and check the calendar and ticket instructions.
- Tuileries Garden — Plan a pause near the Louvre and check the garden’s current access.
- Musée d’Orsay — Choose this museum for Impressionist art and its railway-station setting.
- Pont Alexandre III — Add the decorated bridge to a western river walk, with time to enjoy the view.
- Seine riverbanks — Choose a manageable walking section; check local access and weather before descending.
The islands, Left Bank and Montmartre
- Notre-Dame cathedral — Visit the cathedral or view it from outside; consider its optional free reservation.
- Sainte-Chapelle — Choose a separate ticketed visit for the stained glass and review security restrictions.
- Île Saint-Louis — Add an island stroll after the cathedral if you want a quieter transition.
- Latin Quarter — Explore the streets south of the islands and choose a place for lunch.
- Luxembourg Garden — Leave time for a seated outdoor pause; check access for your visit.
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés — Choose a compact street walk rather than rushing through the neighbourhood.
- Place des Vosges and the Marais — Use the square as the starting point for a neighbourhood walk.
- Sacré-Cœur and Place du Tertre — Make this a Montmartre outing; choose steps or the funicular approach.
Planning tasks for a smoother visit
- Select the sights that matter most — Agree your essential interiors and optional walks before buying tickets.
- Group stops on a map — Keep river, western landmarks and Montmartre outings separate where practical.
- Check attraction calendars — Look for closures and temporary notices for your actual dates.
- Book chosen museum visits through official links — Confirm the date, entry instructions and what the ticket covers.
- Choose the Eiffel Tower ticket type — Check summit versus second floor and stairs versus lifts before paying.
- Review Notre-Dame reservation options near the visit — Use the official portal and keep the cathedral visit flexible.
- Read monument security and luggage conditions — Leave prohibited items at your accommodation and choose a small day bag.
- Check accessible routes and attraction facilities — Ask the relevant venue about arrangements that match your needs.
- Plan your airport or station transfer — Save the route to the accommodation and confirm the correct ticket option.
- Save tickets and entrance instructions offline — Keep confirmations accessible if mobile data or battery is unavailable.
- Add meal breaks and an outdoor alternative — Choose pauses near booked visits and a fallback if plans change.
- Recheck weather and transport updates — Adjust the walk on the day and leave time for the return journey.
Questions and answers
Can I use this list for only one day?
Yes. Choose a central river-and-island walk, a single museum or monument interior, and a meal nearby. Keep Montmartre or the western landmarks for another trip if travelling between them would consume your day.
Do I need to pay to enter Notre-Dame?
Cathedral entry is free, and the official reservation portal also offers free slots. Booking is optional and available slots change. Follow the portal’s current instructions close to your visit rather than relying on a fixed release schedule. This advice concerns cathedral entry; check separately for any additional visit or guided service you choose.
Should I choose the Louvre or Orsay?
Choose by what you want to see. At the Louvre, select a focused route through the collections; at Orsay, consider the Impressionist galleries and the station setting. Check each museum’s calendar and reservation instructions before deciding. There is no need to visit both on a short first trip, and temporary exhibitions may need separate attention.
What should I check when travelling with limited mobility?
Check the official accessibility guidance for every interior and viewpoint you select, and contact the attraction if your needs are unclear. Review the route between stops as well as the entrance arrangements. Stairs, security checks, restricted luggage and different access to upper levels can change the plan. Choose a shorter route and a realistic place to rest.
Make your own list in Cartdock
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