Confusion on details of 3/29-4/8/24 Paris & Heart of France in 11 days tour

I have not been on the tour, but it reads to me that the Orsay is given as an example, so you need to purchase tickets if that is what you would like to do. Edit: Basically anytime it reads "you have the afternoon/morning free" that is on your own.

Same with day 3, for the Arc de Triomphe, l' Orangerie, and the Pompidou.

But that is just my word, contact the Rick Steves Tour Office for the official word.

If you are really looking forward to the Orsay, I would suggest going to l' Orangerie as well, I think they nicely complement each other.

Please check with the RS tour office. We have not done this tour but on the Paris city tour we were given a museum pass for the Orsay to visit on our own.

On the tour page description down near the bottom find the fine print under each category. Under What’s Included it says:

What's Included
You'll get at least 12 group sightseeing events — at no extra cost!
Here's what you'll see and do on this tour of France: Historic Paris walking tour, Sainte-Chapelle, Paris neighborhood walk, Louvre Museum, Château de Guédelon, walking tour and Cathédrale St-Étienne, Château de Chambord, Château de Chenonceau, Mont St-Michel, and abbey, Bayeux Tapestry, D-Day tour (American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, and Sainte-Mère Eglise) Monet's gardens at Giverny

From the Itinerary:

Your afternoon will be free to be inspired by Monet's incredible Water Lilies at the Orangerie, perplexed by whimsical water fountains and modern art at the Pompidou, or compelled to climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, followed by a classy stroll along the Champs-Elysées.

"Your afternoon will be free" or the aforementioned "This afternoon, you'll be free to explore more of Paris..." is standard tour company verbiage for NOT included. They are essentially saying the structured time is over, and you are free to pursue your own interests. The suggestions of the Orsay, Orangerie, Pompidou, and/or Arc de Triomphe are all just that -- suggestions for how you might fill your time on your own (hence the "or.") Of course, you are free to pursue other things as well -- the time is yours.

The other place to look is the What's Included section. You'll see Sainte-Chapelle and the Louvre on that list, as are Château de Guédelon and Cathédrale St-Étienne. The others discussed above are not.

I have not been on this trip and like others, encourage a call to Customer Service on Monday -- that's what they are there for. But having read literally thousands of tour itineraries, that is my takeaway from the verbiage.

Thank you, Paul, Margie, Linda, and History Traveler!

I appreciate your quick responses and insights. I'll make a call to Customer Service tomorrow!

When it says you are free to explore, that means you are on your own to do as you wish. You are reading it correctly, that the Orsay Museum is not included. But, yes you are going to the Louvre on day 3, as it states "we are off to the Louvre Museum." Then the rest of the afternoon on day 3 you are free to do as you please.

When you look at the Tour Itinerary online it has a section that describes all the activities that are included in your tour:
"You'll get at least 12 group sightseeing events — at no extra cost!
Here's what you'll see and do on this tour of France: Historic Paris walking tour Sainte-Chapelle Paris neighborhood walk Louvre Museum Château de Guédelon Bourges walking tour and Cathédrale St-Étienne Château de Chambord Château de Chenonceau Mont St-Michel and abbey Bayeux Tapestry D-Day tour (American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, and Sainte-Mère Eglise) Monet's gardens at Giverny."

All of the 3 previous RS tours (not this one specifically) we've taken have been written this same way. When they say you are free to explore, read "on your own." Honestly, try not to feel a bit anxious. You are well taken care of on RS Tours, and will have a wonderful time.

We went on this tour last year. The D'Orsay museum is NOT included. After Sainte Chapelle, you are free to visit whatever other museum you wish. But you will have to book a reservation time and buy a ticket and use the metro to get yourself there.

The Louvre was included on Day 3. You are given a museum pass and then set free to wander the Louvre by yourself. There is no Rick Steves guided tour of the Louvre, but you can use the free audio tour if you want.

We used the same museum pass they gave to us to visit the Orangerie, which a short walk from the Louvre. But frankly, you could spend all day at the Louvre if you wanted too. We had visited the Louvre before and it was so crowded, we decided to skip the Louvre and visit something else.

chateau de Guedelon is included. Cathedral St-Etienne, is included.

I believe someone else had said that the museum pass is no longer given as part of the tour, so check on that, too, when you call, Janelle.