Like any big city, Paris has more than enough to keep you busy. Whether you’re hitting the town for one hot day, having a cheeky weekend-getaway or planning a three-week extravaganza – you’ll never be short of things to do.
Even if you don’t want to do anything much at all, Paris is the place for you.
Apart from being the capital of food, fashion, love, light, culture and museums, Paris is also people watching Mecca. It’s where you go to see and to be seen. Bring your sunglasses, find a cafe and plonk yourself down at a street-facing table.
If it’s your first time to Paris, then you probably want to check off a few boxes – view all the sites, hear all the sounds and smell all the smells that Paris has to offer.
The Métro in Paris is fantastic and the buses let you take in the world – but the best way to see it all, is to pull on your walking shoes.
While it’s not exactly a small city, it is pretty compact, and if you’re willing to walk a bit you can see it all.
Day 1
First things first, my preference would be to stay on the Right Bank. I’d choose somewhere in Le Marais – which is both Paris’ Old Town and it’s Jewish Quarter. It’s always buzzing, has heaps of cool restaurant and chic designer boutiques, and is right in the thick of it with fantastic transport connections.
Be warned though, it’s not cheap, and like London, Paris doesn’t give you a lot of bang for your buck.
When you’ve settled in to your hotel (or Air B&B could be a good option), head down to Notre Dame. The cathedral is more than a couple of hundred years older than my country, and is very much a part of both folklore and pop culture.
The cathedral sits right in the middle of the River Seine, L’Ile de la Cite and Paris as a whole, and is a good place to start.
You’ll probably pass Hôtel de Ville on your way down to the River which is worth a photo or two, too.
A little bit in front of the Cathedral is Sainte-Chapelle and la Conciergerie – the 14th-century royal palace, prison and place where Marie-Antoinette ultimately lost her head.
Next up, head back across the river and walk along Voie Georges Pompidou towards Le Louvre. I probably wouldn’t go inside at this stage because it’ll eat the rest of your day away. 
Take some pictures, enjoy the courtyard and (in)famous glass Pyramide du Louvre, before continuing through the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel to Tuilerie Gardens. 
Don’t forget to look back over your shoulder along your way to take in the sheer size of the Louvre. It’s humongous.
Next up you’ll hit Place de la Concorde – with it’s hieroglyph-scarred and gold-leaf-tipped Luxor Obelisk. I once heard that they brought it in from Luxor in Egypt on a boat and had to dig a canal from the Seine so it could be erected as the Egyptians would have. It’s pretty impressive – as is the jumble of traffic tearing around the square – so watch out!
On the west side of La Concorde you’ll find the beginning of the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysée. Apart from dozens of the most famous French Boutiques and Restaurants lining the boulevard, you’ll find the President’s 18th century official mansion home – Élysée Palace and the Grand and Petit Palais.
At the top of the Avenue you’ll come to the Arc de Triomphe in the centre of Charles de Gaulle Etoile. The arc is definitely worth the climb but today is all about getting your bearings so put a cross next to it in your guidebooks and mark it for a return visit.
Continuing southwest down Avenue Kléber you’ll come to Trocadéro – which will give you one of the most iconic panoramas of both France and the world.
As you walk around the corner you’ll be treated to fantastic, unobstructed views of the Eiffel Tower.
Wander down past the fountains and souvenir touts towards Gustave Eiffel’s wrought-iron 1889 tower and marvel at the original Iron Lady’s size and strength.
From the chilled Champs de Mars opposite Trocadéro you’ll be treated to more fabulous views of the tower.
At the foot of the gardens you’ll come to the relatively new Mur de la Paix and the Ecole Militarie.
Just north of the Military school is Napoleon’s impressive tomb and the fantastic Army Museum – again, mark it for a look another time.
From here you can cross back across the Seine, via Pont Alexandre III back to the Champs Elysees and you’re done for the day. 
Head back to the Marais to rest your tired feet during a low key dinner with a few glasses of wine.
From Hotel de Ville all the way past the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, and the Champs-Élysée there are Métro stops, so if you get tired duck down and take a ride up towards the L’Arc du Triomphe.
You can also easily get the Métro a few stops from the Arc du Triomphe across to Trocadéro.
Today you’ll have covered about 12km, so hardly a walk in the park – but when you sit down for a rich, fatty, divine dinner in the evening, you’ll know you’ve earned it!
For practical information and current exhibitions visit the official websites of the Cathedrale Notre-Dame, Le Grand Palais, Le Petit Palais, L’Arc de Triomphe, Trocadéro, La Tour Eiffel, L”École Militaire, Napoleon’s Tomb and L’Hôtel national des Invalides and Pont Alexandre III.
Day 2
Get up early and make a b-line for the Catacombs – the World’s Largest Grave. This has to be one of my favourite things to see in Paris. But I’m not alone, and you won’t be either. I’ve been there maybe half-a-dozen times and only once managed to get in twice. The lines are always horrendously long – no matter what time you go, lining up for more than an hour isn’t unusual – so go early. 
They open at 1000 and you’d be wise to get there closer to 0900. When you finally climb down the dark stairs, it opens into a cool an eerie place. It’s a series of tunnels are caverns housing the remains of about six-million people. It costs about 15 dollars to get in and while they didn’t have the ability to buy tickets online last time I went, they do now, and I’d recommend checking it out.
When you’re ready to re-join the land of the living, hop on the Métro and head north Montmartre to the Sacre Coeur. Anvers is the closest stop, but it’s not a bad walk from Pigalle, which may provide better connections. From Anvers take the steps rather than the Funiculaire for amazing views of both the city and the Basilica. Keep your belongings close to you – the area is very busy and packed with preying touts and thieves.
Just around the corner, on the the west side of the church is Place du Tertre. It’s a bit of a tourist trap, but with dozens of artists and buskers setting up each day, it’s worth a look. Once upon a time you’d have found many penniless painters hanging out around this cafe-lined square – from Picasso to Utrillo.
Spend a bit of time exploring the winding little cobble streets clinging precariously to the side of Montmartre before heading down to take a look at the electric and saucy Pigalle.
A little further down the Boulevard de Clichy you’ll stumble upon the Moulin Rouge. It’s not really what you expect, but it’s worth a look/photo all the same. I probably wouldn’t bother going to see a show there. It’s not super special and the prices are pretty steep – from $100 just for a show; $214 for dinner and a show; and more than $600 for a special VIP special. 
The entire strip is still lined with sex shops and strip clubs, in keeping with the quartier’s saucy past – it’s rough and raw and ready to go.
If you’re craving a snack and a bit of a pop-culture hit, duck into Cafe des Deux Moulins – where part of the whimsical French film Amelie was filmed.
There’s also the Musée de l’érotisme which is always an eye-opening experience and worth a look and laugh. It’ll cost you around $15 (cheaper if you buy online) and the place is heaving with all sort of sexy, saucy, sensual and smutty artefacts, from all over the world.
Just down the road are the Grands Magasins – Paris’ huge, famous department stores. A look at their windows alone is worth the trip. The shops huddle around the Opera House, so if you’re in the neighbourhood, you might as well take a look.
If you can’t bare the thought of the shops, grab some cheese, bread and wine and head down to the river. I’ve spent countless balmy summer evenings sitting on the banks of the river near Square du Vert-Galant.
For more practical information visit the official sites of Les Catacombes de Paris, La Basilique du Sacré Cœur, Le Moulin Rouge, Musée de l’érotisme, and L’Opéra national de Paris.
Day 3
I guess today you have to brave the crowds and climb the tower. The climb will set you back about $25 and even if you book your tickets online, you’re going to have to line up. I’ve always found the quickest option to head to the south pylon and take the 704 steps to level two. It’s a hard slog, but provides the best way to really appreciate Gustave Eiffel’s engineering prowess.
If you can’t bare the thought of dealing with the crowds, other good options, in order of my preference, would be to climb the Arc de Triomphe, Tour Montparanasse (for the only view of Paris without the tower itself in it), or climb to the roof of La Grande Arche de la Défense.
From the Eiffel tower, you can take a Bateau Mouche down the seine back towards Notre Dame. The trip take about an hour and will set you back $20. 
You’ll probably be packed on like sardines with a million and one other tourists, it’s a great way to see the city amble on by.
For Lunch you can stop off at Saint-Germain-des-Prés – just south of Notre Dame. Again, it’s a bit of a tourist trap, but it’s cheap and easy and there are heaps of options.
After lunch check out the nearby Sorbonne University – one of the oldest in the world – in the nearby Latin Quarter, or continue on for a relaxing afternoon in Luxembourg Gardens.
You could also head up and while away the afternoon, wandering through the star-studded Père Lachaise cemetery. 
Check out the final resting places of some of the world’s most famous people – from the lipstick stained Tomb of Oscar Wilde to the grave of Jim Morrison. There’s Chopin, Bourdieu, Balzac, Moliere, Proust, Delacroix and many, many more. It’s calm, quiet and best of all, free.
Alternatively, spend the afternoon exploring one of Pairs’ hundreds of world-world renowned museums.
In the evening head over to La Bastille for dinner and a couple of drinks. The area is buzzing day and night.
For more practical information visit the official sites of the La Tour Eiffel, L’Arc de Triomphe, Tour Montparnass, La Grande Arche de la Défense, Bateuax-Mouches, L’Université de Paris La Sorbonne, Cimetière du Père Lachais and Le Jardin du Luxembourg.
Cheeky extra day
If you find yourself with nothing to do in Paris (yeah, right!), it could be worth getting out of town for a day. Heaps of the Loire Valley Chateaux are within an easy day-trip’s distance, and you could also head north to Normandy to check out some of the D Day beaches.
Probably the most popular day trip though, would be a visit of the Palace of Versailles.
If the Chateau itself doesn’t keep you busy enough, you can check out the fabulous estate of Marie-Antoinette or the grand Trianon of Louis XIV. The best thing about the palace for me though, is the gardens. You could easily get lost out there for hours and it’s always been my preference over wandering around the palace.
Versailles is about an hour from Paris on a suburban train and only cost you about 15 dollars return.
Entry to the palace costs around $30.
Check it out if you have a spare day. You won’t be disappointed.
For more information on how to get to Versailles, opening hours, ticket prices, options and reservations, check out the chateau’s official page.
There’s also Eurodisney if you’ve got kids.
It’s about the same distance as Versailles and is a bundle of laughs.
The parades are always great and the fireworks displays are a fantastic way to finish off a long day.
With prices starting at about $110 for kids, it’s not a cheap day out, but it’s close and easy and fun.
For transport details, opening times and ticket reservations, check out Disneyland Paris’ official site.