Itinerary Help for Six Days in Paris

You could do a day trip to Chartres cathedral, although if you're going in the summer and don't already have a room booked in Paris, you should spend the night in Chartres so you can see the light show. If you like music, a concert at Sainte-Chapelle would be a highlight of your stay. I haven't been but it's on my bucket list-I think Monet's garden at Giverny is also a day trip from Paris. We really enjoyed a Secret Food Tour of Paris.

I love museums and have been to the Louvre maybe two dozen times and would never do both the Louvre and the Orsay on the same day. Organize an itinerary with some variety.

I would suggest you visit St. Denis on the metro line 13 -- IMHO the best often overlooked site:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/confronting-mortality-at-st-denis/
I would also suggest getting a good Paris walks book, Frommers has a good one, and do a couple of self guided walks. We did an architecture walk in the 16th that we really enjoyed. Think about some things you haven't seen before like the Passages (covered shopping streets), or some of the parks (e.g. Butte Chaumont) or catch a performance at the Bastille (opera) or Garnier (dance).

I've been to Paris numerous times and have helped dozens of friends plan Paris itineraries. I think you'll get better advice from the helpful people on this forum if you provide us with your interests/likes/dislikes. The one piece of advice I always start with is: be true to yourself. In other words, if someone has never stepped foot in an art museum and has no interest in art, I'd never suggest they HAVE to go to the Louvre. But if you love Impressionism, I'd recommend the Orsay, Orangerie, Marmottan and a day trip to Giverny.
What generally appeals to you? Food, churches, music, history, architecture...? Do you like to walk a lot, or want to walk very little?
As far as what's "most important" -- only you know what's important to you; what's important to others really isn't the point.
To me, Paris is one of my most favorite places in the world. But what I love to see/do isn't the same as you'd love.

Hey Fran, when are you going & where are you staying? A couple of walks I like: rue Montorgueil to the Centre G. Pompidou-take the Metro to Mo: Sentier, exit the Petits Carreaux exit & you are at the head of the rue Montorgueil. Walk down the scenic shopping street to Les Halles & Paroisse Saint-Eustache, turn to your left and walk over to the Pompidou. Another walk: take the Metro to Mo: Ecole Militaire, walk past the Ecole Militaire (view of the Eiffel Tower from the other end of the Champ des Mars) down Ave. de La Motte Picquet-Grenelle and continue down the somewhat newly chic shopping street rue du Commerce. On Sundays & Wednesdays, there is an outdoor market until 2ish pm under the metro tracks on the Blvd. de Grenelle that starts at the intersection of Grenelle & La Motte Picquet. Also, the biggest Starbucks I have ever seen you'll pass by right there.

Take the Seine river cruises both during the day (dusk is really nice) & at night when everything is lit up. If you have not explored Cimetiere Pere Lachaise, take some time to do that. Be advised it is really big, full of hills & stairs. Edith Piaf's grave is all the way at the back of the cemetery from the main entrance & I felt like it took me a half day to get there. Second Jane's suggestion on Saint-Denis. One of the most least visited sights yet incredibly historic. Enjoy!

I suggest you look at these groupings if you are considering a 6 day Paris Museum Pass. Be careful if you are staying over Monday and Tuesday as most museums close on one of these days.

Wednesday
St Chapelle (amazing stained glass) ...opens 9.30am (summer)
Conciergerie (where Marie Antoinette imprisoned)
Decorative Arts (furniture)
Mode & Textile Museum (fashion)
Louvre ...closes 9.45pm Wed, Fri

Thursday
Musee Cluny (museum of the middle ages) ...opens 9.15am
Pantheon (dedicated to the greats of France)
Musee Delacroix (the artist’s former house + studio)
Orangerie (Monet's waterlillies)
Musee d'Orsay (Impressionism) ...closes 9.45pm Thu

Friday
Tours de Notre Dame (walk up the towers to get up close and personal with the gargoyles) ...opens 10am
Crypt Archeologique (dig site in front of Notre Dame)
Musee Picasso (recently renovated)
Musee Nissim de Camondo (lavish city home with art and furnishing from early 20th century)
Pompidou Centre (modern art collection) ...closes 9pm daily ex Tue

Saturday
Arc de Triomphe (must see view from top) ...opens 10am
Musee Rodin (famous bronzes in beautiful gardens)
Invalides (Napoleons tomb)
Les Egouts (the sewer tour) ...closed Thu, Fri
Musee Quai Branly (artefacts from Africa, Americas, Asia, Oceania) ...closes 9pm Thu, Fri, Sat

Sunday
Versailles (closed Mon)

Monday
Fontainbleau (closed Tue)

As others have said, it's difficult to know what is 'important' but, to me, it is simply Paris, my favorite city in all the world!

So, my suggestion would be to enjoy Paris by walking and eating and taking in a museum or two... Try a walking tour (Paris Walks gives very good overviews of different neighborhoods, laced with historical information and anecdotes), a wonderful long lunch - or two - (think Closerie de Lilas, le Grand Vefour, Spring, Cafe Constant, Bistrot Paul Bert -- I could go on and on...) and some manageable museums - but only one a day because wandering Paris is simply magic.

I think that the Louvre is more exhausting than enjoyable (a personal view - but I can't imaging doing both the Louvre and the Orsay in one day unless you simply run thru the collections)) but suggest manageable museums which focus on specific themes -- Musee Jacquemart Andree for a view of how the wealthy lived in the late 1800s, , which also has a lovely tea room, the Petit Palais which offers a good audio-guide to the collection, the Invalides (if interested in French military history -- the film on how De Gaulle won WWII is fascinating), the Carnavalet (a window into the history of the city - and it's free), Musee Rodin, the Cluny for medieval art, Musee Picasso, Musee Guimet for Asian art, Musee Nissan Camondo combined with a walk in Park Monceau...

A lovely lunch, a museum and strolling Paris, with perhaps a macaroon from Laduree, hot chocolate from Angelina's and a kir from anyplace at all...

"What's most important" is up to you. What did you miss seeing, or wish you'd had more time for, on your first trip? Look at a good guidebook (RS or Lonely Planet or the beautiful DK one or whatever you can get from your library) to help you decide your priorities. Then use a map to locate those sights and plan days around different parts of the city, closure days, etc. The Museum Pass can save you money and waiting time in ticket (but not security) lines, but may not pay for itself without planning or high-energy sightseeing. Paris Walks offers many tours of interesting neighborhoods with various themes, with no reservations required for most of them. (Their Montmartre walk is very good but not offered on Thursdays, at least in winter.)

While the Louvre is open Friday evenings, combining it with Orsay on the same day could be very tiring. Why would you want to visit both on the same day?

Near Moulin Rouge is Denise Acabo's chocolate and candy shop A L' Etoile D'Or at 30 Rue Pierre Fontaine. What is so unique, besides Denise herself, is that she is able to feature candy from all over France as well as the best chocolate in France, Bernachon, from Lyon. Last time we were in Paris, we found out her shop had just reopened after the gas explosion several years earlier, brought her flowers and we all cried. Her shop is her life and selling the best French candy to friends and visitors makes this a must stop when in Paris.

There are so many things to see and do in Paris. What are your special interests? When will you be there? I wouldn't usually recommend both the Orsay and the Louvre on the same day, but on Friday it could work. Get to the Orsay when the open and start your visit to the Louvre late in the afternoon, with something low key in-between - a Seine cruise, lunch on the left bank, a leisurely walk around the Latin Quarter and/or the Luxembourg Gardens.

Paris Walks are usually good, though it depends a great deal on the guide.

Chani describes a gorgeous day ...
On opening to Musee d'Orsay for 2 hours
Stroll thru Luxembourg Gardens
Late lunch in a St Germain bistro/bar
Seine River cruise from Pont Neuf
The Louvre to take advantage of late closing (Wed/Fri)

Every day in Paris is a gorgeous day.

I wish every day was a peaceful day, though - Paris, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Mosul, Aleppo.

To all.....I cannot express my gratitude for the wonderful guidelines and suggestions for our trip to Paris. We love to walk (especially since I've had a knee replacement), love to eat and are quite the "foodies," love drinking wine, love to visit churches, etc. Everything that Paris has to offer we want to experience. I've taken each suggestion and have narrowed down to fit our agenda. Once again, thank you.

We enjoyed the Eiffel Tower and a day trip to Versailles.

So many great ideas… It makes me long to go back again! We really enjoyed the late hours at both the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay. In some galleries we had the place to ourselves! That was a wonderful contrast to the overcrowded experiences on previous trips.

We did see the light show in the evening at Chartres, and it truly was beautiful. If you haven't visited that cathedral and city, you might enjoy adding that to your itinerary. There is a little train that drives through the city streets at dusk, and there are light shows on the sides of many buildings and bridges reflecting on the river. The finale is spectacular at the Cathedral façade.

Many people advised us of this, but we didn't actually manage to do it until our most recent trip to Paris… Really take time to enjoy being where you are, not rushing from place to place. There's so much to see there, and just relaxing and enjoying the ambiance of wherever you are will make for a memorable trip with less exhaustion!

Laurie

Four museums in one day? That might give you boasting rights but you won't have invested enough time to actually learn much about the contents. My limit is two, morning and afternoon, separated by a robust lunch to reinvigorate my curiosity and attention. A guided tour with a museum staff member is always a good introduction, usually about 45 minutes long and pointing out some highlights as a starting point for further wandering. An audio guide, if available, is an essential tool and worth every euro it costs.