Here’s how to spend three unforgettable days in the French capital.

Whether it’s your first time in Paris or you feel like you know it like the back of your hand, there are always new and exciting things to discover.

With the trendy Le Marais neighbourhood as your base, this 72-hour guide is best suited to first- or second-time visitors, or those yet to fall in love with the City of Lights. It mixes both classic things to do with trendy restaurants and bars.

If you’re a first-timer looking for the must-do activities, you can also check out our guide on unmissable things to do in Paris.

Day 1

Afternoon

Regardless of what your itinerary involves, checking into Le Grand Mazarin is guaranteed to make your trip unforgettable. Located in the stylish Le Marais neighbourhood, its eclectic design features lashings of bold patterns and colour that would fit right at home in a Wes Anderson film. Rooms feature beautiful tapestry bed canopies and Diptyque bath products, some with terraces overlooking the Parisian rooftops.

Spend some time exploring the surrounding cobblestone street neighbourhood,  which is peppered with vintage and boutique shops, favourites include Officine Universelle Buly 1803, THE ROOM – Vintage Shop, Mariage Frères, Cire Trudon and Ofr. Bookshop.

The restoration work on Notre-Dame Cathedral was completed at the end of 2024, and the monument is just a 10-minute walk from Le Grand Mazarin. Take a leisurely stroll along the Seine and marvel at the design. A short walk from the cathedral across the Seine, you’ll find Shakespeare and Company, a famous English-language bookshop within an early 17th-century building.

Evening

For dinner, make a beeline for Terra Bar à Vins, just a 10-minute walk from the hotel. A French-style teppanyaki experience, this wine bar serves mouthwatering, refined small plates such as squid with sun-dried tomatoes, sage, flame-roasted onions and capers, and candied peach with vanilla, lemon, chocolate siphon, ginger crumble.

Staff make fantastic and sometimes unexpected wine recommendations from their expansive list of French drops, so lean on their expertise.

Day 2

Morning

Hotel breakfasts can be hit and miss, but the offering at Le Grand Mazarin is well worth it. Served in the hotel’s onsite restaurant, Boubalé, expect both buffet and à la carte styles with deliciously fresh pastries, French cheese and cured meats, as well as heartier plates such as omelettes and the babka French toast.

Spend the rest of the morning at the Louvre, which is a 15-minute walk from the hotel. ​​Home to the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, it’s a must-visit for anyone who hasn’t visited before. Or even if you have, its housing over 35,000 works of art makes it always awe-inspiring.

Afternoon

For lunch, choose between LOTTA and La Renommée, both within a 5-minute walk of the museum. The former serves Mediterranean-meets-French fare such as Escabèche mussels and Madeleines lathered in caramel sauce in a sleek ‘70s-style Milanese space. The latter is an upscale bistro-meets-New York supper club serving classic French fare within a historic 1823 building.

Enjoy a post-lunch stroll through the Tuileries Garden, a classic French formal garden sitting in front of the Seine and where you’ll find the Musée de l’Orangerie. This intimate art gallery’s masterpiece is Monet’s Water Lilies murals, eight expansive oil-on-canvas compositions by the French impressionist.

Evening

Dinner and drinks at Classique in Montmartre is the perfect way to end the day. Housed within a former decades-old French pharmacy, the menu offers natural wines, Champagne and modern cocktails paired with crab rolls and octopus carpaccio. Sacré-Cœur is a 10-minute walk from the neighbourhood bistro and one of the loveliest spots to watch the sunset in Paris.

Those with extra stamina should book the Moulin Rouge for either the 9:00pm or 11:30pm shows. The 2-hour, high-energy spectacle is seriously dazzling, featuring 60 dancers and artists who flip, turn and sing on stage dressed in feathered, glittery costumes. It’s a cliché thing to do in the city, but it’s earned its reputation for good reason.

Day 3

Morning

Catch the metro up to Charles de Gaulle Étoile, where you can exit right by the Arc de Triomphe for prime viewing of the monument. It’s worth taking a 10-minute detour to walk to Torré Coffee Shop, a cute cafe serving Australian-quality coffee, pistachio bread slices, cheese scones and French pastries. Head back to the Arc de Triomphe to walk down the Champs-Élysées, a 1.5-kilometre stretch of shops including Galeries Lafayette, Louis Vuitton and Ladurée.

Afternoon

Take the metro or walk 20 minutes to the Musée Rodin on the Left Bank. The 18th-century rococo mansion celebrates the works of French sculptor Auguste Rodin, with thousands of his sculptures sitting within the manicured gardens and within the building.

Grab a fresh brie sandwich from traditional French bakery Maison Bergeron and walk over to the Champ de Mars for front-row seats of the Eiffel Tower, before jumping on the metro back to Le Grand Mazarin for a dip in the hotel’s stunning indoor pool with its hand-painted ceiling fresco.

Evening

A relaxing evening begins with drinks at Le Petit Bazar, a theatrical small bar serving unique tipples inspired by the tales of One Thousand and One Nights – ‘The Man of Upper Egypt and His Frankish Wife’ with rum, Yeni Raki Ala, watermelon, hibiscus, rhubarb, jasmine and honey is a no-brainer. Roll on over to Boubalé for the Levantine-meets-Mediterranean menu curated by Michelin-starred Chef Assaf Granit. Expect bold flavours in dishes such as lamb tomahawk with roasted carrots and açaí-maple reduction, and amberjack crudo with cherry, passionfruit and white balsamic pearls.

Planning a trip to Paris? Check out more of our recommendations here…

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