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4 nights Paris end of March - finalizing itinerary

Posted by (New York) on

Hi everyone. I'm finalizing my itinerary. I'm staying in the 6th at Hotel Left Bank. I am not looking for a jam packed exhausting few days. I want to get places primarily by walking. Not looking for monuments or the Louvre.

Day 1 Thursday - Arriving at CDG late morning, jet lagged. Plan to walk in daylight in my neighborhood, check out starting point of my Friday morning tour, eat locally.

Day 2 Friday - 8:45 AM - Notre Dame small group tour with Memories France.
6:00-7:00 PM - Sainte Chapelle concert.

Day 3 Saturday - 10:00 AM Musée d'Orsay small group tour with Connecting France (waitlisted for 9:30).
3:30-6:30 - Paris by Mouth Left Bank Food Walking Tour.

Day 4 Sunday - nothing booked yet. Maybe Musée de l'Orangerie and Tuileries in early morning; maybe afternoon tour with Paris Walks - The Occupation and the Resistance, left bank circuit at 2:30.

I'd like to fill in Friday and maybe Saturday afternoons, and all day Sunday. Will Musée de l'Orangerie be too crowded to enjoy in the afternoon? (I also don't want to feel I'm squishing too much into a short time on Saturday even though it's near d'Orsay.)

Other things I'm interested in are Memorial de la Shoah (closed Saturday); an evening cruise on the Seine when the Eiffel Tower is twinkling, better on Friday or Saturday given the change of clocks; walking on the riverbanks and on the small streets; local beauty and parks.

Any ideas on how to fill in my spaces are much appreciated. TIA

Posted by
426 posts

Shoah memorial is a short walk from Notre Dame. Deportation Martyrs memorial is very close.

Just get timed tickets for Orangerie and I think it's ok. It was busy in April but we got right in with our timed tickets.

Posted by
1715 posts

Sounds like a wonderful selection of things to see and do! Weather in March can be a little breezy and cloudy with some bits of sunshine. Good time for indoor touring. Temperatures vary throughout the day: bring layered windbreaker raincoat/jacket. Wear comfortable shoes with water resisant non-slip soles. Sweaters will be handy! Bon Voyage!

Posted by
16840 posts

Here are my thoughts:

Day 1: You could easily see some of the things on Rick's "Historic Paris Walk" since it sounds like you want to go toward Notre Dame. If you look at this map from the website, your hotel is just steps away from the Odeon Metro stop that is shown in the lower left of the map.

https://d3dqioy2sca31t.cloudfront.net/Projects/cms/production/000/004/448/original/b3ffaff94c20a9face6bdb25adf3adbf/map-audiotours-historic-paris.pdf

Day 2: You could do either the Shoah Museum or the Orangerie this afternoon.

Day 3: With the food tour at 3:30, I do not think you have time to do the Orangerie today BUT I tend to spend quite a bit of time at the Orsay. You'd be able to stay in after your group tour.

Day 4: Orangerie looks good to me for today and then yes, walk thru the Tuileries afterward. I'm guessing your Left Bank walk is with Paris Walks? This is the walk they offer on March 29.

https://www.paris-walks.com/cariboost_files/2026_20MARCH_20WALKS_20-_203.pdf

If you are comfortable with the Metro it is an easy journey on Line 12 from the Place de la Concorde Metro stop near the Orangerie and that end of the Tuileries to the Sevres-Babylone Metro stop where the walk begins.

Eiffel Tower sparkles:

www.sunrisesunset.com give the following for sunset times on the 28th and 29th:

Saturday 28:
Twi: 6:06am
Sunrise: 6:37am
Sunset: 7:14pm
Twi: 7:46pm

Sunday 29:
Twi: 7:03am
Sunrise: 7:35am
Sunset: 8:16pm
Twi: 8:48pm

The twinkle doesn't start until 8PM or later if during the summer so either will work. Depends on how adjusted you are to the time and how much the time change normally affects you.

What a fun time you will have!

Posted by
25 posts

Thanks for the suggestions. I am now planning on the l'Orangerie and Tuileries for Sunday morning, then the Paris Walks outing in the mid afternoon. Also, the Shoah Memorial after the Notre Dame tour, with lunch in the Marais. One of the nights I will try to get on the Seine river cruise, and hope I don't fall asleep.

Any additional suggestions are of course appreciated. TIA. (Next up - restaurants, and Timeshifting to limit jet lag - stay tuned.)

PS - thanks Pam for the correction on the Paris Walks tour. I made the correction.

Posted by
88 posts

For Friday afternoon, check out Le Marais. It is just above Notre Dame and a great area for shopping, food, city life. Context Travel has audio guide walking tours. Eating Europe has a food tour.

Posted by
2598 posts

I'll be in Paris that weekend also. I have a ticket for the Renoir exhibition at the Orsay for Saturday 0930. After that it's really going to depend on the weather. If it's nice I'll walk along the river and spend some money with the booksellers. If it sucks I'll probably head to Invalides and spend the afternoon there.

If it's not raining walking the Tuileries on a Sunday morning is a great way to start the day. l'Orangerie is always too crowded to enjoy. If you want to see Monet go to the Marmottan.

It's been a couple months since I was in town last, but now that the Petite Palace is open it's a very good place to visit. They still had some scaffolding up on the interior, but it's nice and clean, and shiny, inside.

If you want to shop for vintage stuff the area from Châtelet les Halles to Place de la Bastille is the area to look around. For pastry try The French Bastards.

If you want/need some really good kitchen cutlery, or want an excellent pocket knife as a souvenir, stop in Laguiole en Aubrac, the only cutler still in the city, where you can get hand made knives that are very good, and unique. It's just a short walk from Notre Dame. (I like things I can use that remind me of places I've been over the usual tourist tatt.)

You should be prepared for rain, at least 2 days out of 4, and it could be cold (mid-30's). Waterproof boots are a must.

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