First time in Paris – Early June 2019 – Looking for itinerary suggestions

I think your itinerary is reasonable and interesting. In terms of views/photos, I know you said you weren't into churches, but are you aware you can climb to the roof of the Notre Dame? That is one of my favorite places for views and photos. I think its fun because you can get the Eiffel tower and other landmarks with gargoyles in the photo. Also, another great spot for views of Paris is the Pompidou museum at dusk/sunset. They have a couple large balconies that you can go out and admire the views. Also, just know that the museums are lovely in their own right. On our first trip we had no intention of going to the Louvre. It felt like it was too big, and we thought filled with art that we mostly wouldn't enjoy. But, the building itself was a royal palace and it is something to see. Plus, there are Napoleon's furnished rooms to see as well. I have found the information desk to be very helpful and not "art snooty" in the least. They will circle "crowd favorites" on the map, or if you tell them your interests, they will indicate where you might enjoy wandering around. The Orsay museum used to be a train station and its architecture is quite beautiful as well. Lastly, if you are at all interested in Monet, his lily pad paintings at the Orangerie are something to see. The huge paintings fill a rather large room. And now since you enjoy museums so much, ;) I will suggest a Paris Museum Pass. It is quite reasonable, and it includes Versailles and the Arc de Triomphe, Versailles and the places I've mentioned. It also allows you to pop into a museum, the Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle and more without feeling any kind of commitment to stay for a lengthy time.

Regarding Switzerland, I'm wondering what your plans are. Three days is a pretty short time to spend in that amazing country. Luzern and Berner Oberland are favorites of mine and many others. You didn't ask, but I would suggest spending the 3 days in Luzern because you can enjoy that city and take an excursion across the large lake and up to a mountain top. You could also day trip into Berner Oberland or Bern if that's of interest. I'm suggesting Luzern over Berner Oberland because its closer to Paris by a bit and I don't really feel 3 days is enough for BO, others will probably agree, but suggest you go anyway. It also would depend on whether you want a city experience or more rural experience. I think Luzern does offer you the option of both and size wise, I consider it still a fairly small city especially in comparison to Paris.

I will also add that I took a "Paris Walks" tour of Montmarte and found it excellent. They hit the more famous/popular spots and provide details, as well as some spots you may otherwise miss. The views of the Sacre Cour from Paris are beautiful and if you choose you could pop into the Sacre Cour as it is free (and often a bit crowded)

When my husband and I arrived in Paris, just after checking into our hotel, we went out to explore and walked along the river for a while then spontaneously jumped on to one of the river cruise boats. We hit it just as the sun was setting and the lights on the Eiffel Tower came on right in front us. Even though it’s a super touristy thing to do, it was pretty magical and very romantic. Obviously you are coming in earlier in the day but this would be a wonderful way to end your first day in Paris.

I am not a museum person either and there are very few sights I find worth standing in line for more than a few minutes. We skipped the Louvre, didn’t do the tower at Notre Dame because of the line, etc. But we did go to the Orsay and I would recommend it. I can’t remmebr if we boutght tickets ahead of time but we went around 9am and it was very manageable. The building itself is an old train station. It has a lot of impressionist paintings so much of the art is very relevant to Paris, either by Parisian artists or set in Paris.

Lastly, one of our favorite activities was shopping for a picnic on rue Cler then walking to the park under the Eiffel Tower to enjoy it.

I’m so excited for your wife! What a wonderful surprise. But Rick Steve’s Paris book so she can read it on the plane. It was our bible on that trip.

I love Rue Cler, too. There are also other wonderful markets. I like the one on St. Germain. You should be able to find a market close to where you stay. Rue Cler was pretty dead on Monday and Tuesdays. I love picnics anywhere in France, especially Paris. Don't forget the wine.

Regarding the Notre Dame tower, there now is an app and each morning you can use it to pick a time to avoid the lines. Also the Notre Dame tower is on the Paris Museum Pass.

Also, I will add that the Paris Museum Pass does provide the opportunity at some places to skip the entrance/ticket line. You still would have to clear security. This includes the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre and the Orsay. In terms of Versailles, lines were pretty long, and you should arrive with ticket in hand whether its the museum pass or otherwise.

Hey Austin here is an Itinerary idea for the entire trip and i have kept some of your original ideas as well:

Paris:

June 6 Paris -

Explore St. Germain Des Pres, Luxembourg Gardens, St. Sulpice Church, and sit and rest at the iconic Café Les Deux Magots and do people watch like the Parisians do.

June 7 Paris -

Arch De Triomphe, Trocadero, Le Marais, self-guided food tour of the area (L'as du Fallafel, L’Éclair de genie, Pierre Hermé Paris,
Patrick Roger, Popelini, Blé sucré, and more). Back to the hotel for the afternoon to rest until 9 PM women’s world cup game (France vs Korea).

June 8 Paris -

Explore Montmartre. Rest in the afternoon, show at Moulin Rouge in the evening.

June 9 Paris –

Instead of day trip to Disneyland Paris, do a day trip to Fontainebleau castle or visit Giverny Claude Monet’s home and gardens.

Am Train to Lausanne From Gare de Lyon in Paris

Switzerland:

June 10 Lausanne -

Tour Lausanne Cathedral, Ouchy Promenade, Esplanade de Montbenon, and city.

June 11 Lausanne –

Olympic Museum, Montreux Chocolate train and Chateau de Chillon.

June 12 Lausanne –

Palais de Rumine, Railway Museum Blonay - Chamby, and Ferry cruise on Lake Geneva

Highspeed Train on 6/13 back to Paris

Paris:

June 13 Paris -

Arrive back in Paris around 4:30 PM. Check in at our AirBnB near the Eiffel Tower. Enjoy the evening around the tower, picnic at Champ de Mars park near the river/tower.

June 14 Paris –

Possible day trip to either Versailles, Chartres, or visit Burlesque show.

June 15 Paris –

Explore Ile De St. Louis, Notre Dame, sample Berthillon Glacier (best ice cream shop in Paris) Rue Mouffetard Market, Shakespeare and Co, Fromagerie Laurent Dubois, Night time food tour Montmartre.

June 16 Paris -

Photo shoot in the morning at Jardin des tuileries or Jardins du Trocadéro, mass at St. Germain-Des-Pres cathedral church after lunch, rest back at hotel until 6 PM women’s world cup game (USA vs Chile).

June 17 Paris -

Spend the morning relaxing and/or shopping for souvenirs for family. Flight back to US at 4 PM.

Not every sight or museum comes with a long line in Paris, and not every sight with a long line is all that worth seeing. For instance, I would not wait in line to see Notre Dame’s interior. I would totally wait in line to see Saint-Chapelle’s. You’re not museum folks and that’s fine, but Paris has a lot of museums that don’t feel like museums. Marmottan and Jacquemart-Andres are small, manageable places. They’re not all time and energy sapping enterprises.

That said, you’re there in a great time of year and plan on doing a lot of exploring and wandering. That’s solid, and you almost don’t need to do more than that. Make some time to visit Luxembourg Gardens, Parc Royal, and Tuileries.

Things to not do? The “walk down Champs Elyeese” thing is a bust. It is literally the least interesting, least romantic street in all of Paris. It’s also FAR. Take the metro. Also, obviously this is probably just a thing you really want to do, but I can’t imagine going all the way to Paris to then spend a day in a place that is very much not Paris (Disneyland.) Also, you’re doing a food tour in Montemarte and also exploring on your own. That’s going to be a lot of overlap. I would not plan on exploring Montemarte on your own. It’s fine up there, but it helps viewing it in contrast to the rest of the city.

Thank everyone for the replies so far. I appreciate so much time being put into the responses.

I think we will plan on going to a museum or two. There are a lot of good ideas here. Maybe the Orsay. - We do plan on visiting Sacre Cour. - I had not planned a river cruise. I didn't think it would be much different from strolling along the banks, but, I will definitely look into. Possibly on our arrival day. - I'll have to think about the Disney trip. I have little interest. My wife on the other hand, is a Disney Nut. - Our second location is very near Rue Cler and we plan on visiting. - I already have Steve's book and have been highlighting stuff for her to cram on the way over. - It sounds like the Museum Pass may be worth it if I add a museum or two (Arc de Triomphe, Orsay, Norte Dame, Versailles). - I like the idea for the first day (Explore St. Germain Des Pres, Luxembourg Gardens, St. Sulpice Church, and sit and rest at the iconic Café Les Deux Magots), maybe add the river cruise at the end if we are still upright. - Also, someone guessed correctly, the Switzerland trip is to Lausanne / Vevey / Montreux. I know that area gets some bad press on the Switzerland boards, but she has mentioned the UNESCO Lavaux vineyard terraces and the city of Montreux.

What stands out out of your itinerary, is that it is uniquely yours, tailored to your interests and to yours wife's. That say, you could never drag me to Disney Paris or to see a burlesque show (and IMO you should see a burlesque show only if you enjoy striptease shows because the French will not shy away from nudity). But that is the beauty of Paris, there are many layers and flavors.

The river cruise on the Seine can be done jet lagged. Actually it will be nice in the evening on the water, relaxing and you can see many exquisite monuments along the way. No need to choose a dinner cruise, where the food is mediocre and you can't pay attention to your surroundings.

Just to clarify, My favorite city is Luzern (also spelled Lucerne) and is in the Berner oberland mountains. Lausanne is on Lake Geneva. In my opinion, it is not quite as wonderful as Luzern, but its nice, especially if you have plans to see the wineries/grapes. We visited the chateau in Montreaux and it is interesting and situated on a beautiful part of the lake.

I also will say I did walk down Champs Elyeese. We were at the Arc de Triomphe anyway and we like to walk. I would say it is a pleasant walk from there to the Touilleries. It wouldn't rank real high on my list for Paris, but if you have the time and desire, I think it'd be nice.

You wrote:
"It sounds like the Museum Pass may be worth it if I add a museum or two (Arc de Triomphe, Orsay, Norte Dame, Versailles)"

The interior of Notre Dame does not require an admission fee or museum pass, only the tour of the Towers (note: Tower in French is "tour"). There will be a long security line at Notre Dame but it moves rapidly. The Tower tour is no longer a wait - they have timed entry (you book it at 7:30 that morning using a a smartphone, an app, Duck the Line, and your hotel wireless). It's a lot of climbing but the view is worth it.