I will be reserving the Musee D'Orsay, but hoped to keep a bit of flexibility in our 3 days in Paris. I'm wondering if the Orangerie Museum and Ste. Chapelle are less busy enough during the first week of December that we could get in without reservations? Thank you! (I know that 3 days is not enough time in Paris, but we are celebrating our son's college graduation with a Spanish major with 4 days each in Madrid & Barcelona, so I just had to add a little time in Paris:)
Lower tourism weeks before Christmas break, but it’s risky nonetheless.
Paris is always busy. If you want to be sure not to miss something, I would recommend reserving in advance.
To add on, I appreciated being some of the first people into both Saint Chapelle and the Orangerie, and I doubt that would happen without reservations.
If it's helpful, I just purchased my L'Orangerie ticket for week of Nov 9th. I noticed that the only dates filled were within the next week. So, you may want to purchase ahead but you may not need to purchase that far ahead. I'd keep checking the site every few days. Though...the website will be down for a few days first week of November (check website for complete details.)
I appreciate your replies and I will book ahead to be sure. Thank you!