Day 3 – Paris Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées & An Afternoon at the Louvre Museum : France (Sep’26)

On 4th September 2026, our third day in Paris, we had a fairly ambitious plan. We wanted to start with one of the city’s most recognizable monuments, walk along its famous avenue, enjoy lunch, and then dedicate almost the entire second half of the day to one place — the Louvre Museum.

By the time we finished around 6 PM, we were tired. It had been a lot of walking and a lot to take in, but it was also one of those days in Paris that I knew I would remember.

Morning Start with some office work at our AirBnB

Starting Day 3 at the Arc de Triomphe

We started our morning by heading to the Arc de Triomphe.

Standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, it is one of those Paris landmarks that you have seen countless times in photographs. But seeing it in front of you, surrounded by the movement of the city, gives you a very different feeling.

The monument itself is impressive, but I also enjoyed simply spending some time around the area and observing Paris going about its day.

It was a good starting point because from here, our next destination didn’t require rushing anywhere.

We simply started walking.

Chinese Lunch in Paris

For lunch, we decided to have Chinese food.

When travelling for several days, I don’t always feel the need to eat local cuisine at every meal. Sometimes you simply want something familiar or something different from what you have been eating during the trip.

After lunch, we didn’t plan another attraction in between.

We headed directly towards the Louvre because we already knew that the museum was going to take most of our afternoon.

Walking Along the Champs-Élysées

From the Arc de Triomphe, we continued our morning with a walk along the Champs-Élysées.

This famous avenue is lined with shops, cafés, restaurants and beautiful Parisian buildings. There was no particular rush or complicated plan for this part of the day. We just wanted to walk, look around and experience the atmosphere.

Sometimes this is my favourite way to discover a city.

Not every travel experience needs to be about reaching another attraction. Walking through a famous neighbourhood or street gives you time to notice smaller details that you might completely miss when travelling from one sightseeing point to another.

After spending the morning around the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées, it was time for lunch.

Coffee Before Entering the Louvre Museum

Before going inside, we stopped for coffee near the Louvre.

It turned out to be a useful little break.

The Louvre is enormous, and we knew there would be plenty of walking once we entered. Sitting down with a coffee for a while gave us a chance to relax before starting what would become the longest part of our day.

Then it was finally time to enter one of the world’s most famous museums.

Our Afternoon Inside the Louvre Museum

The Louvre Museum is difficult to describe simply because of its scale.

You can arrive thinking that you will see a few famous works of art, but once you start walking through the galleries, you quickly understand how enormous the collection really is.

Paintings, sculptures, historical objects and beautiful rooms seemed to continue endlessly.

We had decided beforehand that instead of trying to understand everything ourselves, we would begin with a two-hour guided tour.

For us, that was a good decision.

Seeing the Mona Lisa

Of course, one of the moments we were waiting for was seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

It is probably one of the most recognizable paintings in the world, so naturally there were many people around it.

Seeing something in person that you have known through books, television, photographs and the internet for so many years feels quite different.

But the Mona Lisa was only one small part of our Louvre experience.

Throughout the afternoon, we saw many other paintings, sculptures and historical works. Some were famous and recognizable, while others were completely new to us.

That is one of the interesting things about visiting a museum of this size — even if you arrive for the famous masterpieces, you often find yourself stopping in front of works you had never heard of before.

Taking a Two-Hour Guided Tour of the Louvre

Our guided tour lasted approximately two hours.

Having a guide helped us navigate the museum and understand more about some of the important works we were seeing.

A museum like the Louvre can easily become overwhelming if you enter without any direction. There are so many galleries and collections that deciding where to go next can become part of the challenge.

The guided tour gave the first part of our visit some structure.

Once the tour was finished, however, we weren’t ready to leave.

We continued exploring the museum by ourselves.

African Dinner After the Louvre

After leaving the museum, we went directly for dinner at an African restaurant.

We ordered Poulet Black Chicken, which was something different for us after such a long day of sightseeing.

After spending hours walking through the Louvre, sitting down for a proper meal was exactly what we needed. It was also nice to end a very Paris-focused sightseeing day with a completely different food experience.

Travel for me is not only about famous monuments and museums. Food is also part of the journey, especially when you get an opportunity to try something from a different culture.

FAQs

1. What did we visit on Day 3 in Paris?
We started at the Arc de Triomphe, walked along Champs-Élysées, had Chinese food for lunch and spent most of the afternoon exploring the Louvre Museum.

2. Did we walk from the Arc de Triomphe along Champs-Élysées?
Yes. After visiting the Arc de Triomphe area, we spent time walking along the Champs-Élysées and enjoying the atmosphere of this famous Paris avenue.

3. Where did we have lunch on Day 3?
We chose Chinese food for lunch before continuing towards the Louvre Museum.

4. Did we visit the Louvre Museum on Day 3?
Yes. The Louvre was the main attraction of our afternoon, and we spent several hours inside the museum.

5. Did we take a guided tour of the Louvre?
Yes. We joined a guided tour lasting approximately two hours before continuing to explore the museum independently.

6. Did we see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre?
Yes. Seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was one of the highlights of our Louvre visit.

7. How long should you allow for visiting the Louvre Museum?
Based on our experience, it is worth keeping several hours available. Even after a two-hour guided tour, we continued walking around by ourselves because there was still so much to see.

8. Can you see the entire Louvre Museum in one afternoon?
We certainly couldn’t. The museum is extremely large, so we focused on experiencing as much as possible rather than trying to see every gallery.

9. What time did we finish visiting the Louvre?
We finished our museum visit at around 6 PM after spending most of the afternoon there.

10. Was Day 3 in Paris tiring?
Yes, it was a long day with plenty of walking, particularly inside the Louvre. But the combination of the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées and Louvre Museum made it one of our memorable Paris sightseeing days.