2 days in Paris in June 2017

I think you've got too much on this visit. The Museum Pass will save you some time in ticket lines but you probably won't get your money's worth on a two-day pass -- not a reason to avoid it, but just a caveat.

Notre Dame is easy and free, but climbing the towers will take too long. The Ste-Chappelle is beautiful and close to Notre Dame, but the security line there takes a long time. Might be best to skip it just for that reason. The Louvre of course could occupy days. Unless there are a few specific things you want to see there, it might be best just to appreciate the building from outside. The Orangerie is nearby and doesn't take long to visit. The Cluny Museum is very good and might be a good place to visit first and get your pass. Visit Napoleon and the Army Museum late in the day before your Eiffel Tower visit, they're close together.

I also responded to your post re London. Gotta say, in general you're trying to cram an awful lot into a short time. This may be your first trip to Europe, but do you have a reason to think it could be your last? I wouldn't try to give even one of these great cities the few days you're giving them both plus Normandy. I think you'll wear yourselves out, but don't blame Europe. ;-)

I was afraid that I was trying to do too much!. My wife is just happy to in Europe and would be totally happy with just wandering around. Maybe I should take that view and see the highlights. Thanks for your input!

On your schedule above, except for those neighborhoods of Tourist Central you'll surely miss out here

"We would also like to walk some of the neighborhoods to get a feel for Parisian lifestyle."

but you will certainly get a feel for the Parisian tourist life style which is interesting in its own way to those of us who live here. Relax and enjoy. The biggest after complaint of Paris visitors is that they did too much without seeing Paris.

I just read Dick's reply to your London thread and agreed with his recommendation there. I also agree you are trying to do too much in Paris.

I assume you are a WWII buff. If so, you could do a quickly edited visit to the Army Museum and perhaps just visit the WWII section. Napoleon's tomb doesn't take that long but you do have to go around to another entrance to get to the Army Museum. Their WWI and WWII displays are very good but I wound up spending 5 hours in there last time I went. I am not a huge military buff but found it very interesting. I actually liked it better than the Imperial War Museum. The only reason I left after 5 hours is that I was completely spent, hungry, foot sore and ready for some sunlight. I had not finished the museum. Depending on where you are staying you also might be able to work it in on the AM of the 8th if you don't get to it on the 7th.

For the 7th I think you need to do some choosing. To me, I would choose either Louvre (with a specific goal of what you want to see) and Orangerie, or St Chapelle/Notre Dame and either Orangerie or Louvre or Cluny.

With your short time frame, I would probably not do a day trip to Normandy but that is just me. I know it is an anniversary date and this may be a must do for you but it is a long way out and back.

I agree with the others; pick a couple of things (as in 2 or maybe 3) that are "must-sees," make sure you see/do those, and then just see how you feel and what you want to do for the rest of your time.

Re visits to the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay (which, I know, is not on your list), and possibly also the Cluny, you don't have to buy the Museum Pass - which almost always is not cost-effective. Just go online and purchase on-line tickets from each museum. That way you can skip the ticket lines (but never the security lines of course) for those museums that you want to visit.

A great evening activity, after a leisurely Parisian dinner, is a boat ride on the Seine. It's a wonderful way to view the city lights at night, especially those on the Eiffel Tower. We prefer the small boats that depart from Pont Neuf, Bateau Vedettes du Pont Neuf.

When we were in Paris, we did Napoleon's Tomb/ Army Museum and the Louvre on the same day and that was a looong day of sight seeing in museums. We loved it, but it was exhausting and we ate at museum cafeterias vs seeing Paris neighborhoods. We crashed hard that evening. You are definitely trying to do too much, but I understand why. It is all just so tempting! If one of your goals is to see Paris, but you don't want to feel like you are wandering aimlessly (although that is quite enjoyable), I would suggest taking one of the Paris Walks Tours (these are highly regarded by many people and you simply show up at the stated time and place) or one of the free Paris Greets Tours. Good luck and have a wonderful time!

These are all great, you can't go wrong, but pick what you like best since you can't do all of them.

A good guidebook will help and provide tips of when to go to avoid long lines. Your museum pass is a big help but not with Notre Dame or St. Chapelle.

St Chapelle is covered by the Museum Pass but you still have to go thru the security line which is also the line for the Department of Justice building so it can be slow. There is often a line at the entrance to the Chapel to get tickets so with your museum pass you can skip this line and just go to the entrance window for the person to check your pass validity.

I appreciate you wanting to see the Louvre but it will take up a lot of your time and suggest you consider the Petit Palais instead as you would just. Walk across the most beautiful bridge from Invalides to Petit Palais so no lost time test, breathtaking view of the Seine while crossing the bridge....the Petit Palais is a beautiful building which holds an amazing array of art etc through Paris's history. A nice intro for those new to the city or want to view the history and culture of Paris thru it's art. There are many amazing treasures here and, it is free? An hour or two here would suffice, take time for a meal or glass of wine in the lovely courtyard.

From here, a walk through the Tuileries would lead to the Orangerie if you felt you had the time. the Cluny is also a treasure...perhaps they have an evening concert on during your stay?

Totally agree with those who advocate picking two (three at the most) of your top items, doing those, and then ambling about the neighborhoods off the beaten paths. Don't overlook the pleasure of sidewalk cafés, wine, and people watching. Paris is a truly great city for "doing nothing".

You must be getting so excited for your trip! Here is a loose itinerary that fits in all of the places you want to visit. The sun doesn't set until close to 10pm, so you will have a lot of daylight hours.

Evening of the 5th - visit Notre Dame (it's open until 6:45pm). Back outside, walk around the entire church to see it from all angles. The small park behind Notre Dame is beautiful and you can sit on one of the many benches and admire the church and the gardens. Take a Seine river cruise or walk around one of the charming Parisian neighborhoods - maybe the Marais? If you go to the Marais, you can stop by the Place des Vosges which is a lovely, romantic park.

6th - Normandy

7th - Cluny (opens at 9:15), Sainte Chapelle, stroll one of the gardens (either Luxembourg or Tuileries), have dinner or a glass of wine at an outdoor cafe, then visit the Louvre, which is open until 9:45pm on Wednesdays

8th - Army musuem, Orangerie

Depending on your stamina, I think your itinerary is doable, it will really just depend on how tired you are and what you feel like doing at the time. I have days where it's a blast to go, go, go and then others where I'm very happy with one museum and a cafe! Bottom line is this is your vacation, and you can do as much or as little as you want! There's no right or wrong. Prioritize the museums you want to see, and go to them first. Everything else will just be a bonus. Have a wonderful time!!!

You really should plan a trip with adequate time in a place. Less is more. A day and a half or so is not enough for Paris. I would think about your dream of Paris and identify a couple of things that you must do and prioritize those. You can get tickets ahead for some of these and others like Napoleon's Tomb and the Cluny don't have lines much, and Notre Dame is free and Ste. Chapelle does not privilege Museum Passes. So the only real use of the pass to skip lines will be at the Orangerie and Louvre where it buys you the right to stand in a designated security line that may be shorter than the other line. Why has Paris gotten such short shrift in the planning?

Thanks to everyone for all the tips. I now have a better idea of what we can fit into the short time we have. There is always the next trip to see all the sights we missed!