Ultimate 3-day itinerary for Paris

I go to Paris as often as I can. I think I’ve been about 10 times now, maybe more. I always get requests from friends and family on what to do there, where to eat and drink and what to buy, and I thought with the Olympics just finished and all eyes on Paris, it would be best to throw all my recommendations into one comprehensive weekend itinerary for you too.

To start off, I’ve laid out the first day’s recommendations at a gentle pace to help you get your bearings. As the days progress, the itinerary unfolds with more activities in popular neighborhoods and also in the lesser-visited corners of Paris that truly belong to Parisians. But before we get to the fun stuff, here are some things to consider ahead of booking your trip.

• When to arrive: If you can, arrive on Thursday and stay for three days (many museums, shops and restaurants close on Sunday and Monday). Seasonally, March to May and September to October are the best times to visit for thinner crowds and good weather.
• How to get from the airport: Most international flights arrive at Charles de Gaulle Airport. From there, you can take the direct RER B train, which stops at several major stations in Paris, including Gare du Nord, which has excellent city-wide transport connections.
• Getting around town: The quickest way to get around Paris is the Metro and RER trains. Use the RATP, IDF Mobilités and SNCF apps for journey planning. The cheapest way to travel is with the Navigo Easy card, which you can download for free via the RATP app and use it as contactless pay or purchase the card at Metro, RER stations and RATP outlets. Biking is another great way to get around, especially since Paris has recently expanded its extensive network of cycling lanes. You can rent bikes by the hour or at a fixed daily or weekly rate from various operators like Paris à vélo, Rentabike Paris, Vélib and more.
• What to pack: Your checklist is right here.

Thursday: Latin Quarter, Ile de Paris, Charonne

Morning: Start your day with a visit to Mokonuts Bakery for a coffee and sweet treat. It’s a tiny, bustling cafe just off Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine that is well-loved by locals for its irresistibly chewy cookies in flavors like miso-sesame, olive-white chocolate and coconut-Aosa (dried seaweed), but you can keep it simple with peanut butter and chocolate chip too. 

How to spend the day: Stroll across the Seine to the Latin Quarter, one of Paris’s oldest neighborhoods, to browse the…