How would you spend 5 days in Paris?

The Opera district is a super fun and nutty area the wander around in. The window shopping is amazing and even though crowded, the big department store in the area is a blast to wander through. Consider doing a tour of the opera building, if you can manage it. (You’d need to call as I don’t think they do tours on performance days.)

Montmartre is another area that’s fun but definitely only go during the day time and be cautious of which metro you get off at. Rick Steves ain’t kidding when he says some of the area around there are dicey. We went in 2015 and the area had enough military around to make it feel safe but per my parents, who were there in March, it feels a little less so now. Maybe someone else can corroborate.

I know you said you are a little museumed out but two less crowded/less visit but seriously amazing museums are the Marmotten (all the Monets you could ever ask for without the crowds of the Orsay or Orangerie) and the Cluny. The Cluny is the medieval museum. It contains the seriously beautiful unicorn tapistries and a ton of great art, furniture, and statues. It is one of my favorite museums in the city. It’s undergoing renovations currently but I think it might be due to reopen in time for your trip. And Napoleon’s Tomb at Les Invalides is a worthwhile stop to me. The Army museum is cool before if you haven’t been.

Consider just taking a stroll through some of the great gardens too. The Tuileries up from the Louvre to the Egyptian oblisque is nice but also consider exploring the Luxembourg Gardens or the Jardin des Plantes.

It also may sound cheesy but no matter how often I’m in Paris, I still always do a river cruise. There’s nothing like seeing the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame from the Siene. Notre Dame is always a must for me and Sainte Chappelle as well. Going super early in the morning when it opens is awesome. You’ll be with maybe 100 people tops and it completely changes the experience. That’s when I finally understood why ND is so amazing. I know you said your churched out as well but there are some truly amazing little churches in/around the 6th and on Ile St Louis. The Paris RS book gives a pretty good account of those.

If you decide you have time to spare, getting out of the city for the day could be worth it. Most people book it to Versailles but why not visit some of the less crowded/visited chateaus? Fontainebleau is a ramshackle history lesson (get the audio guide) and then there is my all time favorite chateau (this is coming from someone who was in the Loire in May) Vaux le Vicomte. It was the inspiration/reason Versailles was built. Both are an easy train ride away and can actually be seen in the same day, even using public transport alone,, if planned carefully. But if I had to pick only one, I’d pick Vaux (get the audio guide).

OK, you don't like museums but these are some of my favorite sights -- Musee Marmatton (lots of Monets and other Impressionists), Orangerie (incredible murals of the Giverny waterlilies), boat ride on the Seine, Sainte Chapelle for stained glass, Notre Dame, free viewing platform at the top of Galleries Lafayette (and watching people walk by outside the store)

Irene,
I agree with the previous poster and would add a day trip to Giverny, Monet’s home and gardens! I just spent 4 days in Paris in April and we did many of the “small” sights. And, Giverny was a highlight, highly recommend.
And, I would add the Rodin Museum and its lovely garden.

Would you be interested in a walk with Paris Walks? I wound up doing 4 of them last Fall when I was in Paris for 12 days. They offer a few each day with varying topics. I’ve done the Paris during the Occupation twice and also enjoyed one on Hemingway’s Paris as well as Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin in Paris.

No reservation necessary - just show up at the appointed time and place.

www.paris-walks.com

I did a Paris Walk in Montmarte and really enjoyed it. I ended up going to the art museum in Montmarte after the tour. I also second Luxembourg Gardens. You could go to the Rodin Museum especially the outdoor sculpture garden. I haven't been but I've heard good things about Fountainbleu. Its just a day trip from Paris. Also, Chartres can be a day trip if you haven't been there. Besides the cathedral, Chartres city is a lovely place to stroll and there is a light show in the evening.

Check out Chez Janou. They have an "all you can eat chocolate mousse" for dessert. My daughter and I also enjoyed eating their fried smelt. It is off the tourist paths, so you'll get to use your French.

If you'll be in Paris before September 23, 2018, the Gobelins Manufacture is having an exhibit on 100 years of tapestries. I had previously not been that enthralled by tapestries, but some of the ones in this exhibit are amazing. Many are done by famous painters in all kinds of styles - impressionist, op art, etc. As technology advanced, they were able to simulate various styles of painting in the tapestries, to the point where from a distance it's impossible to believe you're looking at a carpet! They can really capture the look of a watercolor wash, or paint put on with a palette knife - amazing!

It's at 42 avenue des Gobelins in the 13th arrondissement (metro Les Gobelins). Open 11-8, closed Mondays. Admission €8. Be aware that they have no bag check, and you can't wear a backpack on your back, but must wear it in the front. Website only in French: http://www.mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr/fr

I would:

--Even if you've been to any major museum many times, they always have changing special exhibitions. So check out what's "playing." Last time we were in Paris, I was delighted to find out that one of my favorite photographers' work (Henri Cartier Bresson) was being exhibited at the Pompidou.

--Same goes for music and other special events...google Paris events September 2018. - Paris Jazz Fest was happening when we were there a couple of times ago...saw some great music, hanging with a whole lot of Parisians, too!

--Check out the La Promenade Plantée (but it might have been renamed recently), It's the Paris version of rails to trails!

--This is our favorite restaurant in Paris.... La Librarie

--If you need a spot for dinner in Avignon: We ate at Restaurant L'Épicerie several times. Loved the courtyard setting outside a basilica and wonderful food! L'epicerie facebook page

Another vote for Paris Walks. We really loved the Hemingway Walk.

A much underrated sight is the Buttes-Chaumont park in north-east Paris. It's in a former stone quarry and was spectacularly landscaped in the nineteenth-century. Note that there are some steep gradients, although you say you don't have problems walking.

Since it is a special time, I suggest springing for an evening tour in a vintage Citroen 2CV. We took the 2 hour tour and at their suggestion, we started at 8:00, after rush hour traffic. You get a tour around the usual suspects, including a 10 minute stop to watch the Eiffel Tower light show. Then it was off again to drive up to Montmartre. Our driver was great. When he heard we were from Macon, Georgia, he alternated his pointing out the sites with playing Otis Redding and blues songs on his Blutooth speaker. There's nothing like driving through the streets of Paris in a 2CV, singing along with your driver to Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign" ("you know wine and women is all I crave...").

RE Buttes-Chaumont....lovely park! They have a hip, little outdoor bar area, too. Great place to grab an afternoon/pre-dinner beverage !

Paris Walks!! Interesting topics, intelligent guides, and you meet people from all over.

Wow, this is awesome everyone. Thanks, lots of stuff to look into!!! Now we need a month there :)

I will be going there at the beginning of August and have signed up and been matched with a Paris Greeter to tour us around Mountmartre. It's done by volunteers suited to you and is free! I used the service in New York and had a great time. So excited for this one!

I made a list of the supposed top 10 chocolate shops in the city and planned the rest of our stay around them. As we were in each part of the city, we’d stop in for a couple chocolates after seeing the sights. One place we unexpectedly came across is Saint Chapell near Notee Dame. The stained glass upstairs is stunning.

Have a look in the Petit Palais.
Full of art, very few visitors, amazing building with a courtyard/garden café, and...it's free!
Walk along the Canal St. Martin, or take a boat cruise along it.
Spend the day in Chartres; well worth it, not just for the cathedral but the town itself.
Go to the top of the Tour de Montparnasse; where there is an outside deck on top (56th floor, I believe.)
Great views of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower.
The Pantheon.
The Cluny Museum.
Sunday morning mass at St. Sulpice; then afterward there is a short (loud!) organ concert!

Well I am with all of the group who suggest Paris Walks. We always use them and find we learn so many new things.

I also suggest Giverny as the gardens will still be lovely in September.

If you like classical music, St. Julien le Pauvre Church has night concerts. We have been to concerts inside St. Chapelle, but find the intimacy of the ancient St. Julien le Pauvre more appealing. www.ConcertInParis.com.

How about exploring the world of cheese? There is a little cheese shop / restaurant called l'affineur affine near Notre Dame de Lorette, close to Rue des Martyrs. You order a cheese lunch and the couple who runs it kind of gives you a class on cheese. We are going back there again this coming trip then wandering up the Rue des Martyrs to the top to visit an ancient crypt that only opens up on Fridays. A few blocks up and you are at Sacre Coeur Basilica and can check out Montmarte.

Le Coupe Chou is a restaurant in the Latin Quarter that is in an ancient building. It has a romantic atmosphere and we have always enjoyed the food and ambiance. We will be there this September for our 20th wedding anniversary.

Enjoy your trip.

I love open air food markets so I often plan my day around visiting one most days; Monday has no big market. My faves are Grenelle that is under the above ground metro from the Motte Piquet Grenelle metro to Dupliex and President Wilson. As I depart the President Wilson, I walk away from the Eiffel tower passing the Shangri La hotel and some high end buildings. Markets are fun even if I just browse.

This is fantastic info, than you so much!!

If you are near Place de la Madeleine, there is a restaurant in the La Madeleine church, accessible way round at the back. I think it is just open at lunch time. The Parish ladies in sensible shoes do the serving. Menu is limited but it is a unique experience. And while you are the area, Fauchon is a very fancy grocery store and fun to visit.

Have you gone to the top of the Notre Dame, up with the gargoyles? I've done it twice and love it. The views are great and fun to get the gargoyles with a view in a pic. I can't say that the Pompidou is my kind of art, but, there is some that I enjoy and you never know what special exhibition could be there. But, what I really love about the Pompidou is the views of the city at dusk and sunset from the top of the museum.