Paris in 2 days: €147.70 in tickets

Three Gothic landmarks on the island in the morning, all within a few minutes' walk, then across the river to the Louvre for the afternoon.

1. 1

   Notre-Dame Towers

   €16 Towers climb, individual ticket about US$18 · £13

   424 steps up the South Tower, with no lift, for the gargoyles and the view. There are no tickets on site: book a time slot ahead.

   Hours, free entry and booking

   Opening hours: 9am to 11pm from 1 April to 30 September; 9am to 5:30pm from 1 October to 31 March. Last entry an hour before closing. Closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December, and in bad weather.

   Free entry: Under 18s (with an adult); EU nationals aged 18 to 25 (and non-EU residents of France of that age); disabled visitors and a companion; jobseekers with proof. Everyone on the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December. Free tickets still need a booked time slot.

   Booking: No tickets on site: book a time slot online with the Centre des monuments nationaux, even for free entry. No groups, luggage, pushchairs or rucksacks bigger than 40 × 40 × 20 cm; no lockers. Entry is on the right as you face the cathedral.

2. 2

   Sainte-Chapelle

   €30 Combined with the Conciergerie, visitors from outside the EEA about US$34 · £25

   Go on a sunny morning for the stained glass. The twin ticket with the Conciergerie saves €5 and is sold only on the Sainte-Chapelle's site. Arrive at your booked time, not earlier, and allow for the security check.

   Hours, free entry and booking

   Opening hours: 9am to 7pm from 1 April to 30 September; 9am to 5pm from 1 October to 31 March. Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

   Free entry: Under 18s; EU nationals aged 18 to 25 (and non-EU residents of France of that age); disabled visitors and one companion; jobseekers with proof. Everyone on the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December.

   Booking: Book a time slot on the Centre des monuments nationaux's ticket site and arrive exactly at that time, not earlier. The chapel is inside the Palais de Justice, so expect security and ID checks; no large bags, helmets, glass bottles or sharp objects.

3. 3

   Conciergerie

   Included in the Sainte-Chapelle ticket

   The medieval royal palace that became the Revolution's prison, where Marie-Antoinette was held. Next door to the Sainte-Chapelle.

   Hours, free entry and booking

   Opening hours: Every day 9:30am to 6pm, last entry 5:30pm. Closed 1 May and 25 December. HistoPad tablets until 4:15pm.

   Free entry: Under 18s; EU nationals aged 18 to 25 (and non-EU residents of France of that age); disabled visitors and one companion; jobseekers with a certificate under 6 months old. Everyone on the first Sunday of January, February, March and November.

   Booking: Buy online through the monument's e-ticket service. The Conciergerie is part of the Palais de Justice: allow time for security checks; no large bags, helmets, glass bottles or sharp objects, and pushchairs must fold small. There's no step-free access.

4. 4

   Louvre

   €32 Visitors from outside the EEA (including the UK and US) about US$36 · £27

   Book a time slot even if you go free. On Wednesdays and Fridays it's open until 9pm, which suits an afternoon start. Pick two or three wings rather than trying to see it all.

   Hours, free entry and booking

   Opening hours: 9am to 6pm; until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. Closed Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Last entry an hour before closing.

   Free entry: Under 18s, and EEA citizens and residents under 26. Everyone on the first Friday of the month after 6pm (not July or August) and on 14 July. Also disabled visitors and one companion.

   Booking: Book a time slot on ticket.louvre.fr, even for free entry; tickets are sold on site only when it's quiet. The museum warns against copycat sites and street sellers.

The Impressionists at the Musée d'Orsay, Napoleon's tomb at Les Invalides, and the Eiffel Tower at dusk, all along the river's south bank.

1. 5

   Musée d'Orsay

   €16 Full rate, booked online about US$18 · £13

   Booking online costs €2 more than at the museum but gives you a time slot; timed tickets use Entrance 1, by the river.

   Hours, free entry and booking

   Opening hours: 9:30am to 6pm, Tuesday to Sunday, and until 9:45pm on Thursdays. Last entry 5pm (9pm on Thursdays). Closed Mondays, 1 May and 25 December.

   Free entry: Under 18s, and EEA residents under 26. Everyone on the first Sunday of the month (booking a time slot is required). Also disabled visitors and one companion.

   Booking: Book only on billetterie.musee-orsay.fr: the museum warns of fake booking sites. Entrance 1 (by the river) is for timed tickets. The reception areas are being renovated from March 2026 to summer 2028, so check access before you go.

2. 6

   Les Invalides (Musée de l'Armée)

   €17 Museum and exhibitions: collections, Dôme church and Napoleon's tomb, temporary exhibition about US$19 · £14

   The Army Museum, the Dôme church and Napoleon's tomb on one ticket. A 15-minute walk from the Musée d'Orsay.

   Hours, free entry and booking

   Opening hours: Every day 10am to 6pm; until 10pm on the first Friday of the month. Closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Tills close 30 minutes before the museum.

   Free entry: Under 18s go free, and residents of the EEA under 26 for the permanent collections. Also disabled visitors and a companion, serving and retired military, job seekers from the EU/EEA, ICOM members and journalists. Free visitors still collect a ticket at the tills. The Paris Museum Pass covers entry with no booking.

   Booking: Buy online at the museum's ticket office (billetterie.musee-armee.fr) or at the tills.

3. 7

   Eiffel Tower

   €36.70 Top, by lift about US$41 · £31

   The top by lift is the dearest ticket; going up the stairs to the second floor costs less. Go up before sunset to see Paris in daylight and lit up.

   Hours, free entry and booking

   Opening hours: 9:30am to 11pm in October 2026 (last lift up 10:45pm); times change through the year, so check the calendar on the official site. The top can close in bad weather or at busy times.

   Free entry: Children under 4 (they still need a free ticket). Disabled visitors and one companion pay the child rate.

   Booking: Top tickets are sold online and on site at the same official prices; packages with champagne, meals or tours are online only. No large luggage, and no left-luggage office.

4. 8

   Arc de Triomphe Optional

   €16 Individual ticket, 1 October to 31 March about US$18 · £13

   If you have energy left: 284 steps to the roof (the lift is out of service until 2027) and the view down the Champs-Élysées. This is the winter price; it rises from 1 April.

   Hours, free entry and booking

   Opening hours: 1 October to 31 March: 10am to 10.30pm (Tuesdays from 11am). 1 April to 30 September: 10am to 11pm (Tuesdays from 11am). Last entry 45 minutes before closing. Closed 1 May, 8 May, 14 July and the morning of 11 November; closes at 4pm on 24 and 31 December 2026.

   Free entry: Under 18s; EU nationals aged 18 to 25 (and non-EU residents of France of that age); disabled visitors and one companion; jobseekers with recent proof; members of ICOM and ICOMOS. Everyone on the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is always free to see.

   Booking: Buy at the ticket office or online through the Centre des monuments nationaux. Reach the arch by the underpass (Passage du Souvenir) at the top of the Champs-Élysées or the Avenue de la Grande-Armée. The lift is out of service until some time in 2027, so the only way up is 284 steps. No pushchairs inside (leave them at the entrance), no luggage over 40×40×20cm, and no left-luggage office.