Day One: Central Sights
Begin on the Île de la Cité with Notre Dame, then move inland over the Pont Neuf to the Louvre. If you’re not too jetlagged, either the Marais or Montmartre will be good afternoon options—both have plenty of cafés for cooling your heels and lowkey sights. The 3ème’s Musée Picasso and Musée Carnavalet are both fascinating; the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, at the height of Montmartre’s hill, holds a different type of fascination.
Day Two: the Tower, Orsay, and Rodin
Step out of the métro under the Eiffel Tower’s legs and then scale her if you dare. Bop along the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay and then if you can stomach any more art, lounge in the delicious gardens of the Musée Rodin for the remains of the day. Sample some of Paris’s Champs-Elysées nightlife when the sun goes down.
Day Three: the Latin Quarter
The Left Bank is full of romantic students and fancy-pants intellectuals. Visit the Sorbonne to catch them where they live, or stroll the Mouff’ to view the places they shop. The Musée de Cluny has classy medieval art. The Jardin des Plantes holds gorgeous vegetation. The Mosquée presents a lovely facade and an even lovelier tea room; its sister, the Institut du Monde Arabe du Paris exhibits art from the Arab world. Enjoy the jazz at central Au Duc des Lombards on your last night out.
