Itinerary Critique

Not sure which of those nights is a Thursday nights, but the d'Orsay is open late Thursdays.

Probably not as long as a wait as we had in early Oct, but we waited in line at St Chappelle for about an hour, and were in the 2nd to last group to get in, so make sure you check the hours. You may also want to see what the weather is like that day and change if needed - it's going to look much more stunning if there is sunlight streaming thru, as opposed to an overcast day.

You can of course spend as much time as you like at the Army Museum/Invalides - we spent about 3 1/2 hrs and saw maybe 2/3rds of it - we did have a bite to eat at the restaurant.

Also wanted to mention but perhaps you know - you don't need to wait in the outside line at the Louvre. There is a spot indoors where you can get tickets - we used it when we went this year - there were 4 or 5 humans and a dozen or more machines where you could purchase tickets. We had maybe a 5 min wait, compared to the huge lineup of people outside.

You go in thru the underground shopping mall, past the museum shops and will come across a room with the people/machines.

Hi km727!
As you haven't included the actual dates for your trip, I'll assume that you've already arranged your itinerary around the days that the museums on your list are open?

You'd mentioned in a previous post that you'll be 25 weeks pregnant (congratulations!) so I'm a little concerned that your arrival-day plan is overly ambitious? Arrival days are often a fog of jet lag, and your energy level may be especially taxed what with expecting a little one. You are the best judge of how you're feeling and what you'll be able to take on but you may be too pooped by early evening to manage both a cruise and the Eiffel (did you order tickets for that one or are just planning to see it from the ground?).

Unless you've ordered tickets for the tower, I might keep the evening plan loose and play it by ear? You can do the cruise another night, if it turns out to be too much, and same for the Eiffel if intending to see it from, say, the Trocadero or another ground-level viewpoint. A leisurely, early dinner and bedtime might be welcome after a long flight.

Just returned on 9 days and I'd only mention that the above itinerary is a bit ambitious.
I think trying to hit Notre Dame, Sante-Chappelle and D'Orsay in a single day may be intense.
Also, the weather was cold, which can zap some energy.
I believe the Picasso Museum may have floor closures. Marais is wonderful, I'd carve out more time there, particularly if that is on a weekend day.
The D'Orsay has the dancers exhibit opening which will be a treat.
What was said about day 1 activity being rough, is right on the money.

You are my kind of travelers.
This agenda is very full, but it looks quite a bit like what we did last month in Paris in a five day stay (not nearly long enough).
With so much planning and consideration, you have obviously invested a great deal of time including and excluding Parisian sites based on time, location and interest. I am reluctant to add to your agenda - but, if you pardon the intrusion, I do have a suggestion for your "Day Six".
If you take the #2 Metro Line to Anvers as your first stop, you can either walk to Sacre-Coeur (a steep one) or take the "Funiculaire de Montmartre" to the top. A commanding view awaits, lots of interesting places in the area, etc. If you backtrack by walking down to the Anvers station, make a right and walk down the promenade toward the Moulin Rouge. The #2 Metro line is directly under your feet as you pass the Pagalle and the Blanche Metro stations. (Stop by a street vendor for a crepe). When you arrive at the Place de Cliche Metro station, take the #13 Metro Line north to the Basilique de St. Denis stop. The Louie's are buried at St. Denis - nearly all of them. A "well worth it" Parisian experience. Take the tour of the interior and crypt - 7 eruo.
Others have suggested your itinerary is heavy on museums and walking. I disagree - I love your plans. We tried to visit the Louvre, D'Orsay and Orangerie in one day.....and discovered we didn't have time to make the Orangerie.
After 5 hours in the Louvre, we didn't even scratch the surface and we limited ourselves to paintings, exclusively. Too bad they don't rent apartments inside the Louvre!

Best wishes for a wonderful adventure.

I would need a couple of "just enjoy being in Paris" days, with no set agenda. I would gladly give up a few museums for more time sitting outside a cafe with a hot chocolate.

Aaron

All great feedback- thank you! Yes, I'll be 25/26 weeks pregnant, but I've been feeling great (knock on wood...) so hoping that energy will stick around at least till we're back home :)

We got museum passes, which is probably why we're thinking we can cram everything in there :) And yes, did double check on hours to make sure things are currently aligned in a sensible way. Since the weather will be chilly, we also figured we'd want to spend more time indoors than we normally might. We can definitely shift things around as needed to accommodate things like hopefully seeing St. Chappelle in the sunshine.

We did book the river cruise ahead of time, but it's flexible dates/times; we plan to do it after dark since there seems to be near universal agreement that it would be prettiest then. I agree it's ambitious to think we can manage it on the first night, so if we're feeling too drained, we can do that another time. I added the Eiffel Tower in there since the boat leaves from a port near there, so figured we might as well do both at once, but again, that can change as needed.

Yes, the day we're in the Marais is currently scheduled for a Sunday, so we can spend the morning there exploring before the walking tour in the afternoon.

Thank you for reminding me of St. Denis, Blue439! I've heard similarly wonderful things, so hopefully we will be up for that!

On day 2, be sure to go to Ste-Chapelle first. The lines can be really slow, even with a museum pass, because you must go through security. Maybe it won’t be bad in December; I’m not sure. The line for Notre Dame moves fast, so that would not be a problem, unless you want to do the tower, in which case do that first.

Sitting around in a cafe staring at people would bore me to tears, so I think your itinerary is fine, especially since you are flexible.

These are how my list usually look when I am planning BUT when I am actually there and the day unfolds and yea...the day lands up looking quite a bit different.

Can I suggest you make an "A" list for the day and a "B" list for each day? This way you can accomplish the most important thing and if something does not happen it is not a big deal. You have no idea what demands the baby will be putting on your body (no one does!). Have snacks on hand at all times and shoot, you may just need to rest in a café more often than you think.

I would not do Eiffel Tower on your arrival day, too many variable for an event that you will probably be pre-booking? What if your plane is delayed, huge traffic from the airport into Paris or the baby decides you need a nap? I would plan that for the next morning.

Day Three- Tuleries Garden is right outside the Louvre, combine the two...your already right there. Also doing a Walking tour and the Louvre in one day is a lot of walking. I would split these up on separate days.

Have fun!!

Here is a slight bit of advice about day one. You could be at your hotel by 10 a.m. but don't expect a full breakfast. It's usually continental, hotels charge stiff prices for that coffee and croissant, and anyhow may be finished by that time. You can get the same for less in a café or maybe a bakeshop. However (and here is the advice bit) lunch at bistros won't start serving until around noon and often later. There are always exceptions but those exceptions will be aimed at tourists. A set menu for a full meal will help carry the day and will be priced below the evening menu, although with fewer choices. Keep going to either the Eiffel or a cruise. Check in late in the afternoon (they already know you're there); take a light meal after 7: retreat to bed to recharge.

A couple thoughts:

I think a boat cruise is much nicer in the evening when the city lights come on. On your first day, however, I'm not sure jet lag and a sit down boat cruise are compatible.

Louvre is huge, you may want to only do the RS suggested tour (roughly two hours) or you may want to focus on something else. The entire Louvre would easily take your entire week, so plan ahead what you are most interested in seeing.

Army museum is similar. You can make it a fairly short stop if you visit only Napoleon's tomb. If you really get into it, however, there is a ton to see. You are best off considering which part of French military history interests you the most and focus only on that. I wanted to see medieval armor, having seen collections around Europe. I didn't dream so much armor would be in one place. There are literally thousands of complete sets of armor and much more weapons, shields, etc. I added a walk through the Napoleonic wars and listened to explanations of a handful of battles. Those two areas alone consumed half a day and I didn't even touch the rest of the place.

You could be at your hotel by 10 a.m. but don't expect a full
breakfast. It's usually continental, hotels charge stiff prices for
that coffee and croissant, and anyhow may be finished by that time.

If arriving on an international flight (major airline) we've always been fed breakfast before landing so haven't needed more than a snack or an early dinner on Day 1. I think it's all those hours of sitting? We're just not really very hungry until the next day. Anyway, could be you will have already had breakfast.