Paris & Île-de-France

Monuments and Riverbanks

Three days in Paris between landmark monuments and the UNESCO-listed Seine riverbanks.

From the Bastille to the Champs-Élysées, this route links Paris's major monuments along the pedestrian banks of the Seine. The Coulée verte and the quays open the walk, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Eiffel Tower pace the days, before a final morning on La Seine à Vélo heading towards Normandy.

Duration: 3 days
Distance: Environ 22 km à pied
Pace: On foot and metro
Season: All year round

The circuit on the map

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Day-by-day stages

Day 1

1
The Coulée verte from BastilleTrail
Paris 12e
Climb onto the former railway viaduct for an elevated walk above the city.
Trail details
2
Louvre Museum and Tuileries GardenVisit
Paris 1er
Two or three departments are enough; end with a rest in the garden.
Place guide
3
Eiffel Tower and Champ-de-MarsVisit
Paris 7e
The riverbanks between the Louvre and the tower belong to the UNESCO-listed site.
Place guide

Day 2

1
Notre-Dame de Paris and Île de la CitéVisit
Paris 4e
Both islands are explored on foot, between cathedral, bridges and quays.
Place guide
2
Sainte-ChapelleVisit
Paris 4e
Come in the morning for the stained-glass light, five minutes' walk from Notre-Dame.
Place guide
3
Arc de Triomphe and Champs-ÉlyséesVisit
Paris 8e
The terrace offers the finest view over the twelve avenues of the Étoile.
Place guide

Day 3

1
On La Seine à Vélo, heading to NormandyTrail
Paris → Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
A final morning cycling along the river; the route continues to Deauville and connects with our Normandy circuits.
Trail details

Photos

Tour Eiffel — Benh LIEU SONG · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Louvre et pyramide — Benh LIEU SONG · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Façade de Notre-Dame de Paris — Benh LIEU SONG · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Arc de Triomphe — Wilfredor · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

History

Paris began on Île de la Cité, the river port of the Parisii, before becoming the capital of the kings of France. Each era left its monuments: the medieval fortress of the Louvre and Notre-Dame cathedral in the Middle Ages, Louis IX's Sainte-Chapelle in the 13th century, Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe in the 19th, then the Eiffel Tower built for the 1889 World's Fair. Walking from one monument to the next means crossing eight centuries of French history.

The banks of the Seine, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1991, link most of these monuments on foot. The Coulée verte René-Dumont, opened in 1988 on a former railway viaduct, offers a unique elevated walk above the 12th arrondissement. The river remains the axis of the journey: it once carried the boats of the Parisii, has inspired painters since the 19th century and, since 2020, La Seine à Vélo carries cyclists to the sea and to our Normandy circuits.

Tips

Book your time slots (Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Sainte-Chapelle) several weeks ahead, especially from April to October.
Metro line 1 links the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées; between the two, the riverbanks are best explored on foot or by self-service bike.
On the first Sunday of the month, several national monuments are free: queues grow accordingly.
End the day at the Trocadéro or on the Pont Alexandre III: the finest light on the Eiffel Tower.

Trails and cycle routes used

Sentier urbain

The Coulée verte and the Seine quays on foot

13 km · Easy

See the stages

Véloroute V30

The Seine by Bike — from Paris to the sea

430 km · Easy