Paris New Year: 3-Day Itinerary

30 December – 1 January: the Louvre, the Christmas market and the Eiffel Tower, then New Year’s Eve and 1 January.

Relaxed pace — The city, the Seine and the New Year celebration

The city, the Seine and the New Year celebration: 1–2 main stops a day is plenty; the rest is for long meals, café breaks and a rest before midnight.

Day 1 · Wednesday 30 December10:00–16:55

The Louvre, the Tuileries Christmas market & the Eiffel sparkle

The day’s visit inside is the Louvre; then a long lunch, the Christmas market in the Tuileries, Concorde and the Pont Alexandre III; the Eiffel sparkle from the Trocadéro at dusk.

10:00
Palais-Royal gardens & the Buren columns 25 min
The quiet garden framed by arcades and the black-and-white striped columns in the courtyard.
10:25
Walk · 5 min
Across Rue de Rivoli to the pyramid.
10:30
The Louvre (inside) 150 min
The Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo and the Napoleon III apartments. Some sections (Roman antiquities, Islamic art) are closed for works in autumn 2026.
20 min security + 2 h of masterpieces + 10 min out
Ticket needed: book at least 14 days ahead
13:00
Lunch: Rue Saint-Honoré 75 min
An unhurried brasserie lunch in the streets north of the Louvre.
14:15
Walk · 10 min
Across Rue de Rivoli into the Tuileries.
14:25
The Tuileries Christmas market 50 min
Wooden chalets, a big wheel and mulled wine (vin chaud) in the garden between the Louvre and Concorde. 14 November 2026 – 3 January 2027; 2026 hours not yet announced.
15:15
Walk · 5 min
Out of the garden’s west gate to the square.
15:20
Place de la Concorde 15 min
The Egyptian obelisk, the fountains, the Champs-Élysées at one end and the Tuileries at the other.
15:35
Walk · 15 min
Along the Cours la Reine to the bridge.
15:50
Pont Alexandre III 15 min
The most ornate bridge in Paris, with gilded winged horses and lamps; the glass dome of the Grand Palais opposite.
16:05
Metro · 20 min
RER C from Invalides to Champ de Mars, then over the Pont d’Iéna to the Trocadéro.
16:25
The Eiffel Tower sparkle (from the Trocadéro) 30 min
After dark the tower sparkles with thousands of bulbs for five minutes on the hour. Watch from the Trocadéro gardens.

Open the route on the map or open in Apple Maps

Day 2 · Thursday 31 December10:00–01:00

New Year’s Eve: Notre-Dame & Midnight on the Champs-Élysées

One main stop: inside Notre-Dame in the morning. Then Île Saint-Louis, lunch in the Marais and a long rest; New Year’s Eve dinner at Madeleine and midnight on the Champs-Élysées. If you’d rather skip the crowds, see in the New Year at your restaurant.

10:00
Notre-Dame Cathedral (inside) 50 min
The cathedral restored after the 2019 fire and reopened in December 2024: bright stone vaults, the rose windows and the new altar. Entry is free; the queue is shorter in the morning.
15 min queue + inside + the façade
10:50
Walk · 15 min
Behind Notre-Dame to the Pont Saint-Louis.
11:05
Île Saint-Louis & an ice cream 45 min
The quiet island in the middle of the Seine: 17th-century mansions, famous ice-cream makers and the quay facing the back of Notre-Dame.
11:50
Walk · 15 min
Over the Pont Marie into the Marais.
12:05
Place des Vosges 30 min
The oldest square in Paris: red-brick arcades, lime trees and the garden in the middle.
12:35
Walk · 8 min
Along Rue des Francs-Bourgeois.
12:43
Lunch: the Marais 75 min
An unhurried bistro lunch in the Marais; dinner will be late and long.
13:58
Metro · 25 min
Line 1 from Saint-Paul back to your hotel.
14:23
Rest at the Hotel 302 min
Rest at the hotel; it’s a long night.
19:25
Metro · 25 min
From your hotel to Madeleine (lines 8, 12 and 14). Last year the stations at Concorde and on the Champs-Élysées were closed from 4 pm, so don’t get off at Concorde.
19:50
New Year’s Eve dinner: Madeleine 150 min
A 15-minute walk from the Concorde entrance. Restaurants serve a set réveillon menu (menu de la Saint-Sylvestre) and fill up early, so book in October or November.
22:20
Walk · 20 min
Down Rue Royale to Concorde and the entrance to the Champs-Élysées; security check.
22:40
Midnight: the Champs-Élysées & the Arc de Triomphe 105 min Our pick
The 2026/27 programme comes out in early December. Last year the Champs-Élysées went pedestrian from 7 pm; at 11:50 pm there was a video-mapping show and countdown on the Arc de Triomphe, with fireworks around the Arc at midnight. Free and very crowded: the main way in is from Concorde, with security checks, so don’t bring a big bag. Find your spot on the lower half of the avenue by 11 pm.
Other options
The Trocadéro: The Eiffel Tower view and smaller crowds; last year there were no fireworks from the tower.
A New Year’s Eve boat on the Seine: See in midnight on the Seine aboard a dinner cruise. Sells out early. Find tickets
Midnight at your restaurant: If you’d rather skip the crowds, linger over the réveillon menu and toast midnight with champagne at your table.
00:25
Metro · 35 min
Back to your hotel: last year the metro, RER and suburban trains ran free all night; stations nearby stayed closed until 1 am. Walk to Madeleine; line 14 is the easiest. The 2026 arrangements will be announced in late December.

Open the route on the map or open in Apple Maps

Day 3 · Friday 1 January11:00–15:50

New Year’s Day: Saint-Germain & the Orsay

A late start: breakfast in Saint-Germain, the Impressionists at the Orsay and the Pont des Arts; an afternoon break on Place Dauphine.

11:00
Late breakfast: Saint-Germain 60 min
No rush: croissants, a tartine and a café crème; most cafés are open on 1 January too.
12:00
Walk · 5 min
To the church square.
12:05
Saint-Germain-des-Prés 20 min
One of the oldest churches in Paris and the corner of the Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots: the Existentialists’ neighbourhood.
12:25
Walk · 15 min
Down Rue Bonaparte to the quay and the Orsay.
12:40
Musée d’Orsay (inside) 105 min
The world’s largest Impressionist collection in a former railway station: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh. Seine and Louvre views from behind the giant clock on the 5th floor. It was open on 1 January 2026; 2027 hours will be announced in December.
15 min security + 1.5 h of Impressionists
Ticket needed: book at least 7 days ahead
14:25
Walk · 10 min
East along the quay.
14:35
Pont des Arts & the bouquinistes 20 min
The footbridge between the Louvre and the Institut de France, and the green booksellers’ boxes along the quay.
14:55
Walk · 10 min
Over the Pont Neuf to the island.
15:05
Place Dauphine & a café break 45 min
A hot chocolate (chocolat chaud) or a coffee, and something from the pâtisserie window.

Open the route on the map or open in Apple Maps

Balanced pace — The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and midnight on the Champs-Élysées

Explore the city: nearby stops come in one flow (Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Marais; the Louvre, the Tuileries and the Eiffel Tower; Montmartre, the Opera and Galeries Lafayette). You can skip anything marked “Optional” and the day still works.

Day 1 · Wednesday 30 December09:00–17:50

The Louvre, the Tuileries Christmas market & the Eiffel Tower at dusk

Inside the Louvre in the morning; the Palais-Royal and the Christmas market in the Tuileries, Concorde and the Pont Alexandre III; the Eiffel Tower’s 2nd floor as the lights come on and the sparkle from the Trocadéro.

09:00
The Louvre (inside) 180 min
The Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo and the Napoleon III apartments. Some sections (Roman antiquities, Islamic art) are closed for works in autumn 2026.
20 min security + 2.5 h inside + 10 min out
Ticket needed: book at least 14 days ahead
12:00
Lunch: Rue Saint-Honoré 60 min
A brasserie in the streets north of the Louvre.
13:00
Walk · 5 min
Via Rue de Valois to the garden.
13:05
Palais-Royal gardens & the Buren columns 20 min
The quiet garden framed by arcades and the black-and-white striped columns in the courtyard.
13:25
Walk · 10 min
Across Rue de Rivoli into the Tuileries.
13:35
The Tuileries Christmas market 45 min
Wooden chalets, a big wheel and mulled wine (vin chaud) in the garden between the Louvre and Concorde. 14 November 2026 – 3 January 2027; 2026 hours not yet announced.
14:20
Walk · 5 min
Out of the garden’s west gate to the square.
14:25
Place de la Concorde 15 min
The Egyptian obelisk, the fountains, the Champs-Élysées at one end and the Tuileries at the other.
14:40
Walk · 15 min
Along the Cours la Reine to the bridge.
14:55
Pont Alexandre III 15 min
The most ornate bridge in Paris, with gilded winged horses and lamps; the glass dome of the Grand Palais opposite.
15:10
Walk · 25 min
Along the Left Bank quay to the Eiffel Tower.
15:35
The Eiffel Tower (2nd floor) 90 min
By lift to the 2nd floor (116 m): the clearest view of the Seine, the Trocadéro and Montmartre.
20 min security + 15 min lift + the views
Ticket needed: book at least 14 days ahead
17:05
Walk · 15 min
Over the Pont d’Iéna to the Trocadéro gardens.
17:20
The Eiffel Tower sparkle (from the Trocadéro) 30 min
After dark the tower sparkles with thousands of bulbs for five minutes on the hour. Watch from the Trocadéro gardens.

Open the route on the map or open in Apple Maps

Day 2 · Thursday 31 December09:00–01:00

New Year’s Eve: Notre-Dame, the Marais & Midnight on the Champs-Élysées

Inside Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle in the morning, Île Saint-Louis and the Marais; a long rest in the afternoon, New Year’s Eve dinner at Madeleine and midnight on the Champs-Élysées: video mapping and fireworks on the Arc de Triomphe.

09:00
Notre-Dame Cathedral (inside) 50 min
The cathedral restored after the 2019 fire and reopened in December 2024: bright stone vaults, the rose windows and the new altar. Entry is free; the queue is shorter in the morning.
15 min queue + inside + the façade
09:50
Walk · 5 min
Across the island to the Palais de Justice.
09:55
Sainte-Chapelle (inside) 50 min
The upper chapel, walls made almost entirely of stained glass: 1,113 scenes of 13th-century glass. Brightest in the midday sun.
20 min security (through the law courts) + inside
Ticket needed: book at least 5 days ahead
10:45
Walk · 15 min
Behind Notre-Dame to the Pont Saint-Louis.
11:00
Île Saint-Louis & an ice cream 35 min
The quiet island in the middle of the Seine: 17th-century mansions, famous ice-cream makers and the quay facing the back of Notre-Dame.
11:35
Walk · 15 min
Over the Pont Marie into the Marais.
11:50
Place des Vosges 25 min
The oldest square in Paris: red-brick arcades, lime trees and the garden in the middle.
12:15
Walk · 8 min
Along Rue des Francs-Bourgeois.
12:23
Lunch: the Marais 60 min
A Marais bistro; dinner is late and long, so keep lunch light.
13:23
Rue des Rosiers 20 min
The Marais’ historic Jewish street: falafel counters, bakeries and small boutiques. Some shops close on Saturdays.
13:43
Metro · 25 min
Line 1 from Saint-Paul back to your hotel.
14:08
Rest at the Hotel 317 min
Rest at the hotel; it’s a long night.
19:25
Metro · 25 min
From your hotel to Madeleine (lines 8, 12 and 14). Last year the stations at Concorde and on the Champs-Élysées were closed from 4 pm, so don’t get off at Concorde.
19:50
New Year’s Eve dinner: Madeleine 150 min
A 15-minute walk from the Concorde entrance. Restaurants serve a set réveillon menu (menu de la Saint-Sylvestre) and fill up early, so book in October or November.
22:20
Walk · 20 min
Down Rue Royale to Concorde and the entrance to the Champs-Élysées; security check.
22:40
Midnight: the Champs-Élysées & the Arc de Triomphe 105 min Our pick
The 2026/27 programme comes out in early December. Last year the Champs-Élysées went pedestrian from 7 pm; at 11:50 pm there was a video-mapping show and countdown on the Arc de Triomphe, with fireworks around the Arc at midnight. Free and very crowded: the main way in is from Concorde, with security checks, so don’t bring a big bag. Find your spot on the lower half of the avenue by 11 pm.
Other options
The Trocadéro: The Eiffel Tower view and smaller crowds; last year there were no fireworks from the tower.
A New Year’s Eve boat on the Seine: See in midnight on the Seine aboard a dinner cruise. Sells out early. Find tickets
Midnight at your restaurant: If you’d rather skip the crowds, linger over the réveillon menu and toast midnight with champagne at your table.
00:25
Metro · 35 min
Back to your hotel: last year the metro, RER and suburban trains ran free all night; stations nearby stayed closed until 1 am. Walk to Madeleine; line 14 is the easiest. The 2026 arrangements will be announced in late December.

Open the route on the map or open in Apple Maps

Day 3 · Friday 1 January10:30–16:25

New Year’s Day: the Orsay & a boat on the Seine

A late breakfast and Saint-Germain; the Impressionists at the Orsay, open on 1 January too; the Pont des Arts, Place Dauphine and a boat on the Seine as the lights come on.

10:30
Late breakfast: Saint-Germain 60 min
No rush: croissants, a tartine and a café crème; most cafés are open on 1 January too.
11:30
Walk · 5 min
To the church square.
11:35
Saint-Germain-des-Prés 20 min
One of the oldest churches in Paris and the corner of the Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots: the Existentialists’ neighbourhood.
11:55
Walk · 15 min
Down Rue Bonaparte to the quay and the Orsay.
12:10
Musée d’Orsay (inside) 120 min
The world’s largest Impressionist collection in a former railway station: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh. Seine and Louvre views from behind the giant clock on the 5th floor. It was open on 1 January 2026; 2027 hours will be announced in December.
15 min security + 2 h inside + the clock window
Ticket needed: book at least 7 days ahead
14:10
Walk · 10 min
East along the quay.
14:20
Pont des Arts & the bouquinistes 15 min
The footbridge between the Louvre and the Institut de France, and the green booksellers’ boxes along the quay.
14:35
Walk · 10 min
Over the Pont Neuf to the island.
14:45
Place Dauphine & a café break 35 min
A hot chocolate (chocolat chaud) or a coffee, and something from the pâtisserie window.
15:20
Walk · 5 min
To the landing at the tip of the island.
15:25
A boat trip on the Seine (from the Pont Neuf) 60 min
An hour-long trip from the tip of the island: the Louvre, the Orsay, the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame from the water as the lights come on.
Ticket needed: book at least 2 days ahead

Open the route on the map or open in Apple Maps

Tips

Since October 2026 there have been cost-of-living protests and strikes (the next big day is 5 November). Big marches usually run between Bastille, République and Nation, and on those days some metro stations and museums can close. Check the RATP and the museum’s website before you go, and keep away from the crowds.
Staying 2–4 days and visiting 2–3 museums a day? The Paris Museum Pass can pay off; it covers the Louvre, the Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe. Even with the pass, most places need a timed booking. Paris Museum Pass
Paper metro tickets are gone: buy a Navigo Easy card from the station machines and load single tickets or a day pass onto it. You can also pay by phone (the Bonjour RATP app).
Pickpockets work the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadéro, the Sacré-Cœur steps and the metro: keep your bag in front and don’t stop for petition or bracelet sellers.
If you live outside the EU, tax free works in the department stores: ask at the till and complete it at the PABLO kiosk at the airport on your way home.
Restaurants serve lunch from 12 to 2 pm and dinner from 7:30 pm; the kitchen may be closed in between. The lunchtime set menu (formule) is the best value, and service is included in the bill.

Times are for Wednesday 30 December – Friday 1 January. Some are official for 2026, some are last year’s; check before you go. The guide’s table shows which is which: New Year’s Eve in Paris

Frequently asked questions

Is 3 days enough for Paris New Year?

Three days is ideal to enjoy New Year without rushing and see the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower too.

Which museums and landmarks can you visit inside on a 3-day New Year trip to Paris?

Relaxed: The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay. Balanced: The Louvre, The Eiffel Tower, Sainte-Chapelle, Musée d’Orsay, Vedettes du Pont-Neuf.

How far ahead should I book tickets?

The Louvre at least 14 days ahead; Musée d’Orsay at least 7 days ahead; The Eiffel Tower at least 14 days ahead; Sainte-Chapelle at least 5 days ahead; Vedettes du Pont-Neuf at least 2 days ahead. Queues are long in the holiday week.

I’m going on different dates; how does the route change?

Enter Paris and your arrival and departure in the planner on the home page. If your trip includes 31 December or 1 January and is up to 4 full days, you get the New Year routes; on other dates, our year-round Paris routes, built around that day’s opening hours.

Paris New Year: 3-Day Itinerary

Relaxed pace — The city, the Seine and the New Year celebration

The Louvre, the Tuileries Christmas market & the Eiffel sparkle

Palais-Royal gardens & the Buren columns 25 min

The Louvre (inside) 150 min

Lunch: Rue Saint-Honoré 75 min

The Tuileries Christmas market 50 min

Place de la Concorde 15 min

Pont Alexandre III 15 min

The Eiffel Tower sparkle (from the Trocadéro) 30 min

New Year’s Eve: Notre-Dame & Midnight on the Champs-Élysées

Notre-Dame Cathedral (inside) 50 min

Île Saint-Louis & an ice cream 45 min

Place des Vosges 30 min

Lunch: the Marais 75 min

Rest at the Hotel 302 min

New Year’s Eve dinner: Madeleine 150 min

Midnight: the Champs-Élysées & the Arc de Triomphe 105 min Our pick

New Year’s Day: Saint-Germain & the Orsay

Late breakfast: Saint-Germain 60 min

Saint-Germain-des-Prés 20 min

Musée d’Orsay (inside) 105 min

Pont des Arts & the bouquinistes 20 min

Place Dauphine & a café break 45 min

Balanced pace — The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and midnight on the Champs-Élysées

The Louvre, the Tuileries Christmas market & the Eiffel Tower at dusk

The Louvre (inside) 180 min

Lunch: Rue Saint-Honoré 60 min

Palais-Royal gardens & the Buren columns 20 min

The Tuileries Christmas market 45 min

Place de la Concorde 15 min

Pont Alexandre III 15 min

The Eiffel Tower (2nd floor) 90 min

The Eiffel Tower sparkle (from the Trocadéro) 30 min

New Year’s Eve: Notre-Dame, the Marais & Midnight on the Champs-Élysées

Notre-Dame Cathedral (inside) 50 min

Sainte-Chapelle (inside) 50 min

Île Saint-Louis & an ice cream 35 min

Place des Vosges 25 min

Lunch: the Marais 60 min

Rue des Rosiers 20 min

Rest at the Hotel 317 min

New Year’s Eve dinner: Madeleine 150 min

Midnight: the Champs-Élysées & the Arc de Triomphe 105 min Our pick

New Year’s Day: the Orsay & a boat on the Seine

Late breakfast: Saint-Germain 60 min

Saint-Germain-des-Prés 20 min

Musée d’Orsay (inside) 120 min

Pont des Arts & the bouquinistes 15 min

Place Dauphine & a café break 35 min

A boat trip on the Seine (from the Pont Neuf) 60 min

Tips

Frequently asked questions