How to organize 3 full days in Paris Friday to Sunday to avoid massive crowds

Book earliest ticket possible for Musee d'Orsay and Sainte-Chapelle. For Notre Dame go early morning. For all of these places, there will be a huge difference in crowds between a 9 am admission and a 10 am admission. Towers of Notre Dame require advance booking, so there will be a limit to the number of people climbing the tower at any one time. I visited Memorial de la Shoah on a weekday around 11 am with no crowds.

You really don't need an organized tour for Notre Dame or Sainte-Chapelle. Rent the audio guides or use a good book, like Rick Steves' Paris, to "guide" you through. Sainte-Chapelle also has boards with descriptions of the window in English.

I wouldn't worry about crowds with the walking tour companies you're thinking of. They know how to route the group through the area.

I've never taken a guided tour of Musée d'Orsay or l'Orangerie. However, both can be crowded with lots of folks taking selfies. L'Orangerie was uncomfortably crowded last April.

The Seine cruises are capacity controlled and the companies want to have a full boat. I enjoyed an evening cruise with Vedettes du Pont Neuf last April. They use smaller boats with live commentary. No matter which company you choose, arrive early for boarding so you can get good seats.

Again, book early morning when possible.

DSG,
Easter is April 5 this year, so Easter holidays will begin after Friday, Mar 27. I hope your weekend isn't the Friday, Saturday and Sunday March 27-29. There will almost certainly be more crowds than the weekend before, as many schools will have the week before Easter off. If your weekend IS then, I would just prepare myself for good-sized crowds. (Not as bad as summer though.)

As Jean says, no guided tour is necessary for Notre Dame, Ste. Chappelle, Orangerie or the Orsay. I would get my reservations for Ste. Chappelle and the Orsay as soon as possible so as to get the earlest times possible. Both are kind of slow with their security lines. That is your best guarantee to avoid massive crowds. (You've probably read here to go straight to the top floor at the Orsay, then work your way down. Good advice!) If you can't fit all four things in with your plans and timing, I would drop the Orangerie before the other three. Go to Notre Dame right after Ste. Chappelle, as they are close to each other. There will be a line at ND if you don't have reservations, but they move quickly. Expect crowds inside the church. Just don't focus on them if possible and relish the cathedral and what it has to offer for its art and history and architecture and the sacred spaces. Allow 2 hours for Ste. Chappelle, and an hour inside the church for Notre Dame. (Of course, that is just a general suggestion re times. I could spend longer.) By the way, a visit to ND on Sunday would be more crowded IMO, so maybe Friday or Saturday?

You can buy your tickets for the Vedettes Du Pont Neuf Seine boat ride online ahead of time. If you find you want to go earlier, if there is space they will let you board at a different time than your tickets. Be there 20-30 minutes ahead of time to snag a top deck seat for the best views. Dress warmly as it is colder on that outside deck. I would do the cruise the evening after visiting the Orsay and walking along the Left Bank of the Seine. The Orsay could easily take 3 hours (or more if you don't get overwhelmed by the art). Follow that with a nice lunch where you can people watch (outside or open-air seating dependent on weather, of course). You could walk to the Orangerie for an afternoon reservation. Or maybe take the metro to see the Eiffel Tower (from below) from the Champs de Mars or the Trocadero. Or do your food walking tour that afternoon, before dinner I(if you aren't full from the food walking tour) and the boat ride. When you make your reservations for the museums, etc., make your walking tour reservations as well. This is the skeleton of your 3 days.

Sunday the occupation tour and Shoah Memorial can both be done (I assume). All of your places to visit in the morning (Ste. C., ND, Orsay) leave you some free time in the afternoons to arrange your walking tours, the Shoah Memorial and Orangerie, and still have some free time.

You might want to make a secondary list in case you find yourself with some free time you want to fill. Get a tourist's map of Paris to see what other things there are in and around the locations of your planned visits. The map will also let your see your routes to walk between places, such as Ste. Chappelle and Notre Dame.

One more thing is to see if there are any concerts (at churches, for instance) to spend the evening. Accept the fact that there may be large crowds. Just be patient and don't plan your days so you feel rushed to get to the next place quickly. Space out your activities to avoid anxiety. You are in Paris! Enjoy yourself! You will have a wonderful time!

I totally forgot Holy Week, thanks Judy.

Keep an eye for Notre Dame schedules. There will be special services on Fridays during Lent for the Veneration of the Crown along with special services on Palm Sunday.

No school holidays that weekend. The earliest zone to have its spring break doesn’t begin until April 4th. The other zones are later.
Yes, Notre Dame de Paris will have additional services but Holy Week isn’t part of the general culture…anymore.

Skip the Orangerie. Go to the Musee Marmatton Monet instead, it's much better. And a lot less crowded. Skip the WWII tour and go to the Army museum at the Invalides. No need to get a guide for the d'Orsay, but try to get the very first entry time, and immediately go to the top floor and work downward; you'll have entire rooms to yourself for about an hour.

I've not been inside Notre Dame since the rebuild. I refuse to fight the crowds, which are ridiculous. And I'm not about to pay a "guide" for entry when they snap up all the free ones to make a buck.

March is still cold and windy. Be prepared.

While the lines outside Notre Dame look daunting, I found, in October, they moved quickly. Paris was shockingly crowded and reservations were needed for most museums...not to mention restaurants for dinner.

The advice you have gotten to book tickets as early in the day as you can--or line up at Notre Dame early - is solid. d'Orsay is great early in the day. I am glad you didn't mention the Louvre-too crowded to enjoy at least in October.

We had no trouble booking and boarding at Pont Neuf....this I recommend for when the sun will go down and the lights will sparkle.

If there is a concert at Sainte Chapelle Friday night, consider that as a way to see it. Very nice 1-hour experience.

The Marais, which I love, is both very walkable and very crowded Sundays...when you might go to the Shoah memorial. (You can see that right after leaving Notre Dame, if desired.) Rather than stand in line for falafel, consider Miznon or l'Ebouillante for lunch or dinner nearby. Informal--no reservation required.

Seeing a department store is great at least once--I mean going inside and gazing up. I am a big fan of Paris-Walks tours. I get much more out of them than walking somewhere by myself or trying to read too many wall labels in a museum. Paris Walks tour of Opera Garnier was wonderful, far better than the Opera's own tour.

My two cents-anyway--soak in the atmosphere. Find a street market--Place de Republique 8:30 Sunday morning perhaps? And do say Bonjour whenever you walk into a shop.

I am also from NYC and Orangerie on a sunny day is unbeatable.

Thanks to all who replied. I appreciate the input. When I booked my Rhone river cruise (which follows my days in Paris) I did not pay attention to the dates and the holidays. Big mistake, but I will manage. Glad to hear my Paris dates (March 26-30) are not school holidays.

In response to the recommendations - I am definitely doing some tours, and am looking for small groups (under 10 guests). I know that many of you think they are unnecessary, but my time is short, and I enjoy seeing things with an educated guide. The Marais is not on my list of must do/see because I stayed there for 8 days 15 years ago, including doing a Paris Greeter stroll (which was fantastic!). I saw the Marmotan at that time when the d'Orsay was closed for renovations and a strike. I love the Water Lilies triptych at MOMA - I visit it every time I'm there - and am looking forward to the Monets at l'Orangerie. Sainte Chapelle and the river cruise are repeats. I'd love to return to the Rodin, but I do not want to cram a month of sightseeing into my 3 days. Even my choice of a hotel allows me to get some refuge if I'm tired.

At this point, I have to find my tours (several choices have not panned out), and divide my activities into the 3 1/2 days. I'm guessing I avoid the churches on Easter Sunday? At d'Orsay and the churches, does it make a difference between Friday or Saturday morning, especially with the holiday?

Please continue to weigh in with suggestions, itineraries, etc. I'll be looking for help on restaurants (neighborhood casual with good food and welcoming to solo diners) on another thread. Stay tuned :-)

Easter Sunday is April 5. Perhaps you meant Palm Sunday which is March 29 during your stay. We were in Paris in mid April last year and it was marvelous, and it's a big city so of course busy. I mean it's busy in the d'Orsay and it's a small interior in Sainte Chapelle so you are surrounded by people, but I didn't feel we were caught in mob scenes anywhere.

Loved Cafe Varenne. It may suit you! Delicious food, neighborhood feel, welcoming host, and seems suited to accommodate a solo diner. Make a reservation.

hey hey DSG
hate to say it but you will be in crowds with it being the weekend before easter, spring breaks, people getting away for weekend from other places in europe, from USA, canada. plus a religious holiday for many and wanting to attend mass. just go with the flow
guruwalk.com
look at what is offered, some are free tours, some charge. you decide. they do have notre dame & sainte chapelle plus other things may interest you
discoverwalks.com
click paris and see what they do under different topics.
your days are short which you know, start out as early as you can to get it done. good luck & enjoy
aloha