Extra days before RS tour?

We took this tour in 2023 and also came in 3 days early and stayed at the Hotel Lenox Montparnasse before the tour.

(BTW: we booked the largest room on the top floor (most expensive), and when it came time for the tour to start, we asked how much extra to stay in that room, rather than move to the smaller rooms that RS books and it was a reasonable upgrade of 50 euros per night.)

During those three days pre- tour we visited:

Food tour of the Marais

Seine dinner cruise

Paris sewer tour

Galerie d'Dior tour

Dinner at Jules Verne in the Eiffel tower

Opera House tour

Moulin Rouge show and dinner

Paris catacombs tour

Luxembourg gardens and lunch at Mme. Angelina

On our free time during the tour we visited:

Basilica San Denis

Montmartre walking tour and dinner at La Maison Rose (but your tour may visit Montmartre. Ours did not)

we'd already visited the D'Orsay museum on a previous visit, so we didn't visit again, but I do not think it is included with the current RS tours

None of these activities or places were on the tour.

I dont think Versailles is on the tour, or is a trip up the Eiffel Tower. So those would be good options. Just do your research.

Lots of good places to eat in all directions from the hotel. The street called Rue du Montparnasse (not the Boulevard du Montparnasse) is just one block from hotel entrance and has multiple casual places for Breton crêpes.

Some more unusual activities we have done and loved are: Bus Toque Tour - at night in Paris, taken around all the wonderful sites BUT you have champagne, wine and a wonderful five-course meal! https://bustoque.fr/en/. We did this at the beginning of a month in Paris - and it was a great reorientation to the city and wonderful at night. Food was outstanding!
Then, another most unusual activity, Museeu des Arts Forains - a Carousel museum where you can ride the carousel that was used in Midnight in Paris. This was GREAT fun and they have English tours, BUT we got there for a French tour, and the guide just added what a few of us needed in English - worked out very well. There is also a park fairly nearby. https://arts-forains.com/en/visitors
Also love the Catacombs!

Oh gosh, I agree with the others, there is so much to do! Do you have any particular interests?

WWII - Resistance and Liberation Museum, Army Museum, a Paris Walk of WWII sites if you’re there on the right day

Gardens - Luxembourg, Jardin des Plantes, Tuileries

Impressionist painters - Musee Orangerie, Musee Marmottan

Cemeteries - the Montparnasse cemetery is just around the corner from your hotel, Pere Lachaise, Montmartre Cemetery

Museums - Cluny, Rodin, Carnavalet, a bunch of small ones are interesting too

I do recommend waterproof rain jackets for this tour. This year April was dry but that’s not been my experience on prior visits.

Also, if either of you have seasonal allergies, pack allergy meds. The blooming horse chestnuts drive me nuts and they are in full bloom by mid-month.

Are either of you artistic? In April I did a watercolor class in Luxembourg Gardens one morning and had a wonderful time. I found it on Air BnB experiences which I’d never used before. The instructor was awesome and made a great experience for all of us.

A second for AirBnB Experiences. Great options there. Also, glad to see a competitor for Bustronome.com, a favorite of mine. If you haven't already seen the water lilies, then visit the Orangerie. It looks like your tour with stop at Giverny, so nice to have them fresh in mind. And since it's in the neighborhood, the roof of the Montparnasse Tower offers a great view across Paris.

I think the Montparnasse Tower closed for renovations this spring.

G3rryCee, I am not an Air BnB user so I was a little concerned about the art experience in the garden and whether it would work out. I figured if worse came to worse, I would be outside on a lovely sunny morning and could leave if I wasn't having fun. The instructor was excellent at directing a group (5 of us) of inexperienced watercolor users and I enjoyed her so much I signed up for another of her classes the next week. This really made a fun addition to my trip.

The Marmottan museum was lovely, a little off the beaten path, but well worth the visit. I also really enjoyed the Cluny museum, it’s not far from Luxembourg Gardens.