# Three nights in Paris from Spain, by air or on the Barcelona TGV

Friday to Monday, with a hotel in the Marais: the Île de la Cité, the boat on the Seine and the Louvre on Saturday, Montmartre and Orsay on Sunday, the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe at dusk and Monet's Water Lilies before heading home.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/ile-de-france/paris/itineraries/three-nights-from-spain-by-air · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Paris

Three nights is just enough to see the essentials of Paris without spending the trip in queues. You arrive on Friday at midday, by air or train, and return on Monday afternoon. There are direct flights to Paris-Orly or Charles de Gaulle from Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Seville, Málaga and other Spanish airports, and from Barcelona Sants a direct TGV leaves for the Gare de Lyon that takes about six hours three quarters. Once there, you do not need a car: everything is done on foot and by metro, and the hotel is in the Marais, one stop on line 1 from the Louvre.

## How do you get there?

FromHowTo the centre

Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia, Seville, MálagaDirect flight to OrlyMetro line 14 to Gare de Lyon or Châtelet · €14

Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, MálagaDirect flight to Charles de GaulleRER B to Gare du Nord or Châtelet · €14

BarcelonaDirect TGV from Sants to Gare de LyonMetro line 1 to Saint-Paul · €2.55

The Paris Région–Aéroports ticket, at €14, is valid for entering or leaving either airport by metro or RER. From Gare de Lyon, line 1 drops you at Saint-Paul, next to the hotel.

## Where to sleep?

In the Marais, to walk to the Île de la Cité and have line 1 at the door. The three-star Hôtel Jeanne d'Arc is on the rue de Jarente, a quiet street next to the place du Marché-Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Paul metro; check-in is at 14:00, check-out at 11:30, and it stores luggage on the day you leave. If you want something special, Le Pavillon de la Reine is right on the place des Vosges, with a spa. On a tight budget, the MIJE Marais hostels, in old houses in the district, have rooms of 2 to 10 beds and breakfast included.

## How to get around

On foot and by metro. A trip by metro, RER or train within Paris costs €2.55 with transfers; load it on your phone or on the Navigo Easy card. Line 1 links the Marais with the Louvre, the Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe; line 12, Montmartre with Orsay. Do not bring or hire a car.

## El plan

### Friday · 13:00 · Arrival in the Marais
From Orly, line 14 to Gare de Lyon and line 1 to Saint-Paul; from Charles de Gaulle, RER B to Châtelet and line 1; from Barcelona, the TGV drops you at Gare de Lyon. Leave your bags at the hotel.

### Friday · 16:00 · The Marais and the place des Vosges
A free two-hour stroll among 17th-century mansions to the place des Vosges, with its 36 brick-and-stone pavilions.

### Friday · 20:00 · Dinner at Le Train Bleu
The restaurant at Gare de Lyon, built for the 1900 Exposition, with its protected rooms. Two stops on line 1 from Saint-Paul. Book.

### Saturday · 9:00 · Notre-Dame and the Sainte-Chapelle
The Sainte-Chapelle first thing, with a reserved slot, €16. Notre-Dame, free; the towers, €16 with a reservation.

### Saturday · 12:00 · Boat on the Seine
An hour with the Vedettes du Pont Neuf to the Eiffel Tower and back. €15 online.

### Saturday · 13:15 · Galettes at the Breizh Café
On the rue Vieille-du-Temple, round the corner from the hotel: buckwheat galette and cider.

### Saturday · 15:00 · The Louvre
Reserved slot, €22 for EU residents. On Saturday it closes at 18:00.

### Saturday · 20:30 · Eiffel Tower at night
Lift to the second floor, €23.50, or to the top, €36.70. On the hour, every hour, the tower sparkles for a few minutes.

### Sunday · 9:15 · Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur
By funicular with a metro ticket. The basilica is free; the dome, €8.

### Sunday · 12:15 · Lunch at the Bouillon Pigalle
Bistro cooking at bouillon prices, at the foot of the hill. At weekends it opens from 11:30.

### Sunday · 14:00 · Musée d'Orsay
Direct line 12 from Pigalle to Solférino. The Impressionists on the fifth floor. €16 online; free for under-26s from the European Economic Area.

### Sunday · 18:30 · Arc de Triomphe at dusk
The 284 steps up to the terrace above the Champs-Élysées. €16 from October to March, €22 from April to September; free up to age 18.

### Monday · 10:00 · The Water Lilies at the Orangerie
In the Tuileries garden, open on Monday. €12.50 online.

### Monday · 12:30 · Lunch at the Bouillon Chartier and home
The 1896 workers' dining room on the Grands Boulevards, with no bookings and non-stop service. Collect your bags and head for the airport or Gare de Lyon.

## Un consejo más

Book everything sold by time slot before leaving home: the Sainte-Chapelle, the Louvre, Orsay, the Eiffel Tower and the Orangerie. In high season, the good slots run out days ahead.

## Cuándo no ir

Change the days if your getaway falls on a Tuesday, when the Louvre and the Orangerie close, or on a Monday for Orsay.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Is it better to go by air or by train?
From Madrid and the rest of Spain, by air: there are direct flights to Orly and Charles de Gaulle. From Barcelona, the direct TGV takes about 6 h 45 min and leaves you in the centre, at Gare de Lyon.

### How do you get from the airport to the centre?
From Orly, on metro line 14; from Charles de Gaulle, on the RER B. The ticket costs €14.

### Are three nights enough?
For the essentials, yes: the Île de la Cité, the Louvre, Montmartre, Orsay and the Eiffel Tower. With five, add Versailles.

### How much does it cost?
Between €350 and €600 per person excluding the flight or train: three nights in a double room, meals, metro and tickets, which add up to about €150.

### Do you need a car?
No. Parking in Paris is expensive and the metro goes everywhere.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Generator Paris**, desde 24 € / bed: A big hostel next to Colonel Fabien metro (line 2), a 15–20 minute walk from the Gare du Nord. It has dormitories of 4 to 10 beds, some women-only, private rooms and family rooms for four, and a rooftop bar open from April to September.
The rooms
The shared dormitories have 4, 6, 8 and 10 beds, with prices that on its website start at about €24 a bed; there are women-only dormitories. The private rooms range from the deluxe double, from about €107, to the family room for four, from about €160, and some have views over Paris or their own terrace. Towels are an extra in some dormitories: check when booking. Prices change with the date.
Eating and hanging out
On the ground floor is the Café Fabien, with a dining room and a glazed gallery, open Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 2:00 and at weekends from 8:00. Breakfast is served from 7:00 to 10:00 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 11:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. On the ninth floor is the Khayma Rooftop, open from 18:00 to 22:00 from April to September. There is a 24-hour reception, free wifi, left-luggage, lockers, a laundry, lifts and bike hire.
Getting there
From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B to Gare du Nord takes about 30 minutes; from there it is a 15–20 minute walk, or line 2 from La Chapelle to Colonel Fabien. From Orly, line 14 and a change. The Canal Saint-Martin is a ten-minute walk and the Buttes-Chaumont park a little further.
- **MIJE Marais**: The hostels of an association founded in 1958 by teachers, in three old houses in the Marais, between the Seine and place des Vosges. It is the best-located cheap bed in the centre for getting round everything on foot.
The three houses
Fourcy, at 6 rue de Fourcy, is the biggest: 204 beds in 59 rooms, ten of them adapted for reduced mobility, and a lift. Fauconnier, at 11 rue du Fauconnier, has 131 beds in 39 rooms. Maubuisson, at 12 rue des Barres, next to the church of Saint-Gervais, has 99 beds in 29 rooms and a lift. All three are five minutes' walk from one another.
Rooms and services
There are private single, double, triple and quad rooms, and shared rooms of up to ten beds, all with a bathroom. Continental breakfast is included and there is a self-service restaurant. Reception is open 24 hours, left-luggage is free and wifi is unlimited. Beds are handed over made up and towels are optional. They organise screenings, board games and concerts. Animals are not admitted, except guide dogs.
Getting there
Fourcy and Fauconnier are next to Saint-Paul (line 1) and Pont Marie (line 7) metro; Maubuisson, between Pont Marie and Hôtel de Ville. With line 1 you go direct to the Louvre or the Gare de Lyon. On foot you have the Île Saint-Louis, Notre-Dame and place des Vosges in under fifteen minutes.
- **Hôtel Jeanne d'Arc Le Marais**: A three-star hotel on rue de Jarente, a short, quiet street in the Marais, a few steps from place des Vosges. From here you can walk to Notre-Dame, the Hôtel de Ville and the Bastille.
The hotel and the rooms
It is next to place du Marché-Sainte-Catherine, a pedestrian square with terraces, in the south of the Marais. It has single, classic, standard, superior, comfort and family rooms, all with a kettle. There is one wheelchair-adapted room, on request and subject to availability. Reception is open 24 hours, wifi is free and you can leave your bags in left-luggage before check-in or after check-out. Staff speak Spanish, as well as French, English, German and Italian.
Breakfast and services
Continental breakfast is served in the hotel room from 7:15 to 10:45: croissants, bread, butter, jam, orange juice and hot drinks. In the afternoon the same room has hot drinks and there is an honesty bar open at any hour. Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 11:30. Booking on its website gives rates with breakfast included.
Getting there and what's nearby
Saint-Paul metro (line 1) is two minutes away: the same line goes direct to the Louvre, Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. On foot you have place des Vosges, the church of Saint-Paul, rue des Rosiers, the Carnavalet Museum and the Picasso Museum. Notre-Dame and the Hôtel de Ville are about fifteen minutes' walk away.
- **Le Pavillon de la Reine**: A luxury hotel inside place des Vosges, at number 28, with its own garden of fountains and trees, a spa and family suites. It is the place to sleep in silence in the heart of the Marais.
The house and the square
The hotel takes its name from Anne of Austria, who lived in the 17th century in the wing that separated the mansion from the square. Place des Vosges was inaugurated in 1612, on the occasion of her betrothal to Louis XIII, under the name place Royale; it is the oldest square in Paris and Victor Hugo and Colette lived on it. You enter from the square itself, under the arcades, and the building sits back in a garden, away from the street noise.
Rooms, spa and table
There are 56 rooms and suites decorated by Didier Benderli: classic, superior and deluxe for two people, junior suites for three, suites for four and family rooms for up to five, plus a separate cottage, Le Petit Pavillon, for four. There is one adapted room, on request. The spa has a hammam, jacuzzi, fitness room and treatments from the Codage brand. The restaurant is called Anne and there is a bar and brunch.
Getting there and parking
The metro is a step away: Saint-Paul (line 1), Chemin Vert (line 8) or Bastille (lines 1, 5 and 8), 400 m away. According to the hotel, by official taxi it is about 35 minutes from Orly, at a fixed fare of €45, and an hour from Charles de Gaulle, at €56. If you arrive by car, it has free private parking with valet service and electric chargers, with a maximum height of 1.80 m: book the space with the concierge.
- **Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris**: The grand hotel of the Left Bank, now under the Mandarin Oriental name, on boulevard Raspail. For anyone who wants Saint-Germain, its cafés and the Luxembourg Garden ten minutes' walk away.
A 1910 hotel
It was founded in 1910 by the Boucicaut family, owners of Le Bon Marché, for the customers and suppliers of their department store, which is right opposite. It was designed by Léon Binet and Paul Belmondo, between Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Picasso, Matisse, Saint-Exupéry and Josephine Baker passed through, and James Joyce finished Ulysses here. The architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte restored it completely and it reopened in May 2018: he recovered the stained-glass of the central salon and the frescoes in the bar named after Josephine Baker.
Sleeping, eating and the spa
It has rooms, suites, connecting rooms for families and adapted rooms. For eating there is the Brasserie Lutetia, with classic French cooking, and Le Saint-Germain, open all day; for a drink, the Bar Josephine and the Bar Aristide, with music. The spa, created in the restoration, has treatments, a hairdresser and a fitness room.
Getting there
It is at 45 boulevard Raspail, 6th arrondissement, opposite Le Bon Marché. Sèvres-Babylone metro (lines 10 and 12) comes out in front of the door. According to the hotel, by taxi it takes about half an hour from Orly and an hour from Charles de Gaulle, and the concierge arranges transfers if you let them know. On foot you have the Luxembourg Garden, Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Musée d'Orsay.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Generator Paris**, desde 24 € / bed: A big hostel next to Colonel Fabien metro (line 2), a 15–20 minute walk from the Gare du Nord. It has dormitories of 4 to 10 beds, some women-only, private rooms and family rooms for four, and a rooftop bar open from April to September.
The rooms
The shared dormitories have 4, 6, 8 and 10 beds, with prices that on its website start at about €24 a bed; there are women-only dormitories. The private rooms range from the deluxe double, from about €107, to the family room for four, from about €160, and some have views over Paris or their own terrace. Towels are an extra in some dormitories: check when booking. Prices change with the date.
Eating and hanging out
On the ground floor is the Café Fabien, with a dining room and a glazed gallery, open Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 2:00 and at weekends from 8:00. Breakfast is served from 7:00 to 10:00 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 11:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. On the ninth floor is the Khayma Rooftop, open from 18:00 to 22:00 from April to September. There is a 24-hour reception, free wifi, left-luggage, lockers, a laundry, lifts and bike hire.
Getting there
From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B to Gare du Nord takes about 30 minutes; from there it is a 15–20 minute walk, or line 2 from La Chapelle to Colonel Fabien. From Orly, line 14 and a change. The Canal Saint-Martin is a ten-minute walk and the Buttes-Chaumont park a little further.
- **MIJE Marais**: The hostels of an association founded in 1958 by teachers, in three old houses in the Marais, between the Seine and place des Vosges. It is the best-located cheap bed in the centre for getting round everything on foot.
The three houses
Fourcy, at 6 rue de Fourcy, is the biggest: 204 beds in 59 rooms, ten of them adapted for reduced mobility, and a lift. Fauconnier, at 11 rue du Fauconnier, has 131 beds in 39 rooms. Maubuisson, at 12 rue des Barres, next to the church of Saint-Gervais, has 99 beds in 29 rooms and a lift. All three are five minutes' walk from one another.
Rooms and services
There are private single, double, triple and quad rooms, and shared rooms of up to ten beds, all with a bathroom. Continental breakfast is included and there is a self-service restaurant. Reception is open 24 hours, left-luggage is free and wifi is unlimited. Beds are handed over made up and towels are optional. They organise screenings, board games and concerts. Animals are not admitted, except guide dogs.
Getting there
Fourcy and Fauconnier are next to Saint-Paul (line 1) and Pont Marie (line 7) metro; Maubuisson, between Pont Marie and Hôtel de Ville. With line 1 you go direct to the Louvre or the Gare de Lyon. On foot you have the Île Saint-Louis, Notre-Dame and place des Vosges in under fifteen minutes.
- **Hôtel Jeanne d'Arc Le Marais**: A three-star hotel on rue de Jarente, a short, quiet street in the Marais, a few steps from place des Vosges. From here you can walk to Notre-Dame, the Hôtel de Ville and the Bastille.
The hotel and the rooms
It is next to place du Marché-Sainte-Catherine, a pedestrian square with terraces, in the south of the Marais. It has single, classic, standard, superior, comfort and family rooms, all with a kettle. There is one wheelchair-adapted room, on request and subject to availability. Reception is open 24 hours, wifi is free and you can leave your bags in left-luggage before check-in or after check-out. Staff speak Spanish, as well as French, English, German and Italian.
Breakfast and services
Continental breakfast is served in the hotel room from 7:15 to 10:45: croissants, bread, butter, jam, orange juice and hot drinks. In the afternoon the same room has hot drinks and there is an honesty bar open at any hour. Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 11:30. Booking on its website gives rates with breakfast included.
Getting there and what's nearby
Saint-Paul metro (line 1) is two minutes away: the same line goes direct to the Louvre, Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. On foot you have place des Vosges, the church of Saint-Paul, rue des Rosiers, the Carnavalet Museum and the Picasso Museum. Notre-Dame and the Hôtel de Ville are about fifteen minutes' walk away.
- **Le Pavillon de la Reine**: A luxury hotel inside place des Vosges, at number 28, with its own garden of fountains and trees, a spa and family suites. It is the place to sleep in silence in the heart of the Marais.
The house and the square
The hotel takes its name from Anne of Austria, who lived in the 17th century in the wing that separated the mansion from the square. Place des Vosges was inaugurated in 1612, on the occasion of her betrothal to Louis XIII, under the name place Royale; it is the oldest square in Paris and Victor Hugo and Colette lived on it. You enter from the square itself, under the arcades, and the building sits back in a garden, away from the street noise.
Rooms, spa and table
There are 56 rooms and suites decorated by Didier Benderli: classic, superior and deluxe for two people, junior suites for three, suites for four and family rooms for up to five, plus a separate cottage, Le Petit Pavillon, for four. There is one adapted room, on request. The spa has a hammam, jacuzzi, fitness room and treatments from the Codage brand. The restaurant is called Anne and there is a bar and brunch.
Getting there and parking
The metro is a step away: Saint-Paul (line 1), Chemin Vert (line 8) or Bastille (lines 1, 5 and 8), 400 m away. According to the hotel, by official taxi it is about 35 minutes from Orly, at a fixed fare of €45, and an hour from Charles de Gaulle, at €56. If you arrive by car, it has free private parking with valet service and electric chargers, with a maximum height of 1.80 m: book the space with the concierge.

## Dónde dormir in style
- **Le Pavillon de la Reine**: A luxury hotel inside place des Vosges, at number 28, with its own garden of fountains and trees, a spa and family suites. It is the place to sleep in silence in the heart of the Marais.
The house and the square
The hotel takes its name from Anne of Austria, who lived in the 17th century in the wing that separated the mansion from the square. Place des Vosges was inaugurated in 1612, on the occasion of her betrothal to Louis XIII, under the name place Royale; it is the oldest square in Paris and Victor Hugo and Colette lived on it. You enter from the square itself, under the arcades, and the building sits back in a garden, away from the street noise.
Rooms, spa and table
There are 56 rooms and suites decorated by Didier Benderli: classic, superior and deluxe for two people, junior suites for three, suites for four and family rooms for up to five, plus a separate cottage, Le Petit Pavillon, for four. There is one adapted room, on request. The spa has a hammam, jacuzzi, fitness room and treatments from the Codage brand. The restaurant is called Anne and there is a bar and brunch.
Getting there and parking
The metro is a step away: Saint-Paul (line 1), Chemin Vert (line 8) or Bastille (lines 1, 5 and 8), 400 m away. According to the hotel, by official taxi it is about 35 minutes from Orly, at a fixed fare of €45, and an hour from Charles de Gaulle, at €56. If you arrive by car, it has free private parking with valet service and electric chargers, with a maximum height of 1.80 m: book the space with the concierge.
- **Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris**: The grand hotel of the Left Bank, now under the Mandarin Oriental name, on boulevard Raspail. For anyone who wants Saint-Germain, its cafés and the Luxembourg Garden ten minutes' walk away.
A 1910 hotel
It was founded in 1910 by the Boucicaut family, owners of Le Bon Marché, for the customers and suppliers of their department store, which is right opposite. It was designed by Léon Binet and Paul Belmondo, between Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Picasso, Matisse, Saint-Exupéry and Josephine Baker passed through, and James Joyce finished Ulysses here. The architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte restored it completely and it reopened in May 2018: he recovered the stained-glass of the central salon and the frescoes in the bar named after Josephine Baker.
Sleeping, eating and the spa
It has rooms, suites, connecting rooms for families and adapted rooms. For eating there is the Brasserie Lutetia, with classic French cooking, and Le Saint-Germain, open all day; for a drink, the Bar Josephine and the Bar Aristide, with music. The spa, created in the restoration, has treatments, a hairdresser and a fitness room.
Getting there
It is at 45 boulevard Raspail, 6th arrondissement, opposite Le Bon Marché. Sèvres-Babylone metro (lines 10 and 12) comes out in front of the door. According to the hotel, by taxi it takes about half an hour from Orly and an hour from Charles de Gaulle, and the concierge arranges transfers if you let them know. On foot you have the Luxembourg Garden, Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Musée d'Orsay.

## Dónde dormir if you're backpacking
- **Generator Paris**, desde 24 € / bed: A big hostel next to Colonel Fabien metro (line 2), a 15–20 minute walk from the Gare du Nord. It has dormitories of 4 to 10 beds, some women-only, private rooms and family rooms for four, and a rooftop bar open from April to September.
The rooms
The shared dormitories have 4, 6, 8 and 10 beds, with prices that on its website start at about €24 a bed; there are women-only dormitories. The private rooms range from the deluxe double, from about €107, to the family room for four, from about €160, and some have views over Paris or their own terrace. Towels are an extra in some dormitories: check when booking. Prices change with the date.
Eating and hanging out
On the ground floor is the Café Fabien, with a dining room and a glazed gallery, open Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 2:00 and at weekends from 8:00. Breakfast is served from 7:00 to 10:00 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 11:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. On the ninth floor is the Khayma Rooftop, open from 18:00 to 22:00 from April to September. There is a 24-hour reception, free wifi, left-luggage, lockers, a laundry, lifts and bike hire.
Getting there
From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B to Gare du Nord takes about 30 minutes; from there it is a 15–20 minute walk, or line 2 from La Chapelle to Colonel Fabien. From Orly, line 14 and a change. The Canal Saint-Martin is a ten-minute walk and the Buttes-Chaumont park a little further.
- **MIJE Marais**: The hostels of an association founded in 1958 by teachers, in three old houses in the Marais, between the Seine and place des Vosges. It is the best-located cheap bed in the centre for getting round everything on foot.
The three houses
Fourcy, at 6 rue de Fourcy, is the biggest: 204 beds in 59 rooms, ten of them adapted for reduced mobility, and a lift. Fauconnier, at 11 rue du Fauconnier, has 131 beds in 39 rooms. Maubuisson, at 12 rue des Barres, next to the church of Saint-Gervais, has 99 beds in 29 rooms and a lift. All three are five minutes' walk from one another.
Rooms and services
There are private single, double, triple and quad rooms, and shared rooms of up to ten beds, all with a bathroom. Continental breakfast is included and there is a self-service restaurant. Reception is open 24 hours, left-luggage is free and wifi is unlimited. Beds are handed over made up and towels are optional. They organise screenings, board games and concerts. Animals are not admitted, except guide dogs.
Getting there
Fourcy and Fauconnier are next to Saint-Paul (line 1) and Pont Marie (line 7) metro; Maubuisson, between Pont Marie and Hôtel de Ville. With line 1 you go direct to the Louvre or the Gare de Lyon. On foot you have the Île Saint-Louis, Notre-Dame and place des Vosges in under fifteen minutes.