3 Days in Paris in the Fall: Where to Go and What to Wear

For several weeks I’ve been wanting to tell you about our trip to Paris last fall, but between the holidays and home projects, I’m just now getting around to it.  This trip was something my husband and I dreamed of for years, but it wasn’t until we saw the photos from our daughter’s recent trip to Europe that we knew it was time to stop dreaming and just go. 

Today I’m sharing our complete 3 days in Paris itinerary, including travel tips, what to wear, how to get around, and typical and unique places to visit.  If you’re thinking of visiting Paris in the fall (or any time of year), I hope this post will encourage you to start planning your trip!

By the way, if you’re looking for a 2 days in Paris itinerary, you could easily omit the third day of this itinerary, as we packed all the best things to see and do in Paris in our first 2 days.

You might also be interested in my post, 7 days in Italy in the fall, which shares a daily itinerary, what to wear, what the weather is like in the fall, our favorite meals, and what to do in Venice, Florence, Tuscany, and Rome in autumn.

Is fall a good time to visit Paris?

Our trip to Paris and Italy took place in late October / early November, which turned out to be a great time to go.  In fact, I think fall is the best time to travel to Paris.

Even though the weather was chilly, we loved the lack of crowds and lines.  As you’ll see, most of my photos have very few people in them! 

We packed a ton of sightseeing (and walking) into each day.  In retrospect, it was probably too much.  But we loved everything we saw so much, I’m not sure what we could have eliminated.

In fact, we were so enamored with Paris that we’re already planning our next visit.  Next time, though, we plan to take it slow, allowing plenty of time to meander and discover even more to love about this magical city. 

And, although we loved traveling to Paris in the fall, we’ll probably plan our next visit for early to mid October, so we can enjoy longer days and warmer weather.

Fall in Paris: What to Wear

Wondering what to wear in Paris in the fall?  While I definitely think autumn is the best time to visit Paris (no crowds!), the weather in Paris in the fall can be on the cool side.

The average temperatures in Paris in October are 63° F for the high and 50° F for the low.  And the average temperatures in Paris in November are 52° F for the high and 43° F for the low.

While the days were generally sunny and warm, the evenings definitely required a coat, scarf, hat and gloves. Each day I layered my clothing so I could add or remove items as needed. 

Most days, my outfit consisted of a cotton tank top, jeans, a long cardigan sweater, a scarf, coat, flat cross-body bag, and comfortable boots and/or sneakers. 

The coat I took was too thin for the chilly nights, so I definitely recommend taking a lightweight but very warm packable coat, especially if you’re visiting Paris in November.

I also recommend packing an umbrella in your day bag, as we did encounter one quick rain shower while we were in Paris.

Tips for traveling to Paris

Following is a list of things I jotted in my travel journal that I wanted to share with you about our trip to Paris in fall:

• Speaking of a journal, make sure you take one!  You’d be surprised at how quickly you forget what you did and where you ate each day.
• If you plan to use the Metro, download the Paris Metro app for your phone.  You can buy Metro tickets at the Tourist Information desk at the airport or at Metro stops. My husband and I each bought a “carnet” of 10 Metro tickets and used them all during our 3-day stay.  (You’ll need to buy a separate train ticket if you plan to travel to Versailles.)
• Download the Google Translate app for your phone.  You can use it to scan signs and menus and it will translate it to English.
• You’ll need to pay a separate city tax when you check out of your hotel, and many places only take cash for the tax.
• Buy a Paris Museum Pass at the airport or Tourist Information.  If you’re visiting lots of places, you’ll save quite a bit of money.
• Pack light. My husband and I both took carry-on suitcases on our 12-day trip to Paris and Italy.  These are lightweight, and at 22 x 10 x 14″ are within most airlines’ size limits. 
• Take comfy shoes for the plane that slip off and on easily. I took these sneakers and loved them.
• Take walking shoes or boots in a 1/2 size bigger than you usually wear. I wore these boots on our trip and they were surprisingly comfortable!
• Take a flat crossbody bag for every day use (great for hopping on and off the Metro) and a roomy tote or travel bag for the plane.
• Also, you might want to take a folding duffel bag to bring back gifts and souvenirs.
• Rick Steves’ Paris guidebook and You Tube videos were a huge help in planning our trip!  We also listened to his podcasts as we toured museums and sights.
• Trip Advisor is a great resource for finding places to eat and things to do.  We also used it to make reservations at several restaurants.
• We booked all our travel (hotels, flights, train tickets, and transfers to and from the airport) through European Destinations (now called Tripmasters), and we were very happy with them–no glitches whatsoever! I’m not affiliated with this company but wanted to mention them since we were very impressed with the level of service we received.

3 Days in Paris Itinerary: Where to Go and What to Do in Paris in Fall

Paris Day 1

Our itinerary for our first day in Paris looked like this:

1. Metro to Notre-Dame
2. Breakfast on Ile St. Louis
3. Walk through Latin Quarter
4. Sainte-Chapelle
5. Metro to Musee D’Orsay
6. Walk along the Seine to Eiffel Tower – watch the sun set
7. Walk to Rue Cler for dinner
8. Metro back to hotel

We arrived in Paris very early in the morning and, not wanting to miss anything, filled the day with activities.  Even though we hadn’t slept in over 24 hours, we were so excited to be there we barely noticed how tired we were. 

Imagine our delight when we arrived in our hotel room, opened the window, and were greeted with this beautiful view!

After a quick shower, we headed towards the nearest Metro station, which was only a block away.

Even though I visited Paris with my parents when I was a teenager, everything was even more charming than I remembered!

My poor husband had to backtrack over and over again as I stopped to take a photo of every door, window box, dog or cat!

Notre-Dame was our first stop.  I’m so thankful we were able to visit before the fire. 

We happened to arrive during a Sunday morning service, which made our visit even more special.  The sound of the congregation singing in such glorious surroundings was something I’ll never forget!

Next, we walked over the bridge to Ile St. Louis and enjoyed a delicious breakfast (and a much-needed cup of coffee) at the Café Saint Regis.

This open-air market next to the Seine was a book lover’s dream!

We loved exploring the Latin Quarter.  Remember this iconic book store from Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris?

One of the many advantages of visiting Paris off-season is you’re able to get people-free shots like this one!

The rest of our very full day included visits to Sainte-Chapelle, the Musee D’Orsay and the Eiffel Tower.

After watching the sun begin to set from the Eiffel Tower, we walked toward Rue Cler for dinner, stopping to take photos every few minutes.

I’m so glad we took the time to visit Rue Cler, a charming street filled with boutiques and restaurants. 

I’d love to go back and explore it further on our next trip to Paris.

I was amazed at how beautiful the flowers in the window boxes were, despite the chilly autumn temperatures!

A delicious meal at Le Petit Cler was the perfect ending to our first day in Paris.

Paris Day 2

Our itinerary for our second day in Paris included:

1. Breakfast at hotel
2. Metro to the Louvre
3. Walk through Tuileries Gardens
4. Musee de l’Orangerie (Monet’s Water Lily Paintings)
5. Walk to the Champs Elysees
6. Lunch at Fouquet’s
7. Stop for macarons at Laduree
8. Arc de Triomphe – took the stairs to the top for view of Paris
9. Metro to Montmartre / Sacre Coeur
10. Dinner
11. Metro to Trocadero for nighttime view of Eiffel Tower
12. Twilight cruise on the Seine
13. Metro back to hotel

We began our second day in Paris with a visit to the Louvre, stopping mid-morning for coffee and croissants in the Louvre coffee shop. 

We could easily have spent an entire day in the Louvre, but since our time was limited we made sure to see all the highlights (loosely following Rick Steves’ podcast tour), which took about 3 hours. 

One of the benefits of visiting Paris in the fall is enjoying (almost) people-free views!

After exiting the Louvre (through the attached mall) , we walked through the Tuileries Gardens.

At the other end of the gardens is the Musee de l’Orangerie, home of Monet’s Water Lily paintings.

If you love Monet, I highly recommend stopping at the Musee de l’Orangerie.  It was a peaceful and rejuvenating interlude in our very full day.

Afterward, we strolled down Avenue des Champs-Elysees and stopped at Fouquet’s Paris to rest our legs and warm up with a café latte and a bowl of fabulous French onion soup.

We also couldn’t miss stopping at Laduree for a box of their famous macarons.  Even if you don’t sample anything, it’s worth popping in just to see the charming interior!

And admire the gorgeous pastries!

I still can’t believe we braved the climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe.  But I’m so glad we did, because the views were amazing! 

By the way, to cross the street to the Arc de Triomphe, you go through an underground tunnel.  You can see the entrance to the tunnel in my photo below, near where all the people are standing.

After we descended, we took the Metro to Montmartre, giving our wobbly legs another chance to rest for a few minutes.  By the way, using the Paris Metro system ended up being one of the highlights of our trip!

After walking up the hill to Sacre Coeur (which was a challenge after just climbing to the top of the Arc!) we strolled around the charming streets of Montmartre.

By then, we’d worked up an enormous appetite so we stopped at a quaint little bistro, L’Anvers du Décor, for a hearty dinner of boeuf bourguignon for Dave and mussels and frites for me (recommended by my friend Anita Yokota).

After dinner, we took the Metro to Trocadero for fabulous nighttime views of the Eiffel Tower, followed by a romantic twilight cruise on the Seine–the perfect way to end an amazing day in Paris!

Paris Day 3

The itinerary for our third day in Paris looked like this:

1. Breakfast at the hotel
2. Metro then train to Versailles
3. Toured palace and gardens
4. Train back to Paris, then Metro to Le Marais district
5. Lunch
6. Walk around Le Marais
7. Metro back to hotel
8. Dinner
9. Evening bus or car tour of the city (canceled because we were too tired!)

On our final day in Paris we took the train to Versailles (about a 40-minute trip) and toured the palace and part of the gardens. 

We were able to buy our tickets to Versailles at the window in the Metro station near our hotel.

Although we enjoyed Versailles, we missed seeing the spectacular flowers and fountains we’d heard so much about, so it might be best to visit during the warmer months. 

As you can see, there was frost on the grass the day we visited, so it was too chilly to spend much time in the gardens!  They’re still pretty spectacular though, aren’t they?

After reveling in opulence for a few hours, we returned to Paris for a wonderful late lunch of crepes and wine at Chez Imogene in Le Marais.

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling the neighborhoods, wishing we could spend at least one or two more days in Paris.  Our final day was capped off with a wonderful dinner at Le Cappiello.  

We originally planned to take a bus or car tour of the city on our last evening in Paris.  However, after a very full 3 days, we were just too pooped. 

Plus, with an early morning flight to Venice to catch, we decided to go back to our hotel and get a good night’s sleep before continuing on the rest of our trip.

Thank you so much for stopping by to read my post on visiting Paris in the fall! Let me know in the comments below or contact me here if you have any questions about our trip.

This beautiful city has my heart, and I hope that by sharing my 3 day itinerary, what to wear, where to go, and what to do, I’ve encouraged you to start planning a trip to Paris.

Here are a few of the items I packed and/or mentioned in this post:

To learn more about the second part of our trip, see my post, Visiting Italy in the Fall.

xo Jane