My Proposed Itinerary

Hi Patrick,
I love that you've included the most important part of a day in Paris in your itinerary: Pastries! That said ... Unless each of the pastry stops (I know some of those have multiple locations) you've planned are very near where you'll already be each afternoon, I wouldn't worry so much about getting to a specific one each day. There are so many fabulous patisseries that it's hard to go wrong, and you don't want to travel far just to visit a particular shop.
The other suggestions I'd make: on your arrival day, I wouldn't make a lunch reservation unless your flight gets in super early -- and even then, you may not feel up to a sit down meal then. I don't know how long your Louvre tour is, but I'd be hesitant to include a second museum for your Louvre day. The Marmottan is one of my faves, and if you're an Impressionism fan, I'd hate for it to get short shrifted. Friday is museum heavy (3) -- maybe you could swap the Eiffel Tower from Sunday with the Rodin? Your restaurants are very nice (although I've only eaten at 2 of them), but I would allow for some spontaneity and don't reserve/feel locked into a certain restaurant every day for lunch. Also, keep in mind that by eating lunch every day at a nice restaurant takes at least a 2-hour (probably 3 with travel) chunk out of your day, when museums, etc. are open.
Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you, Shelly, for your constructive feedback. I can't change my Eiffel Tower time. I also understand that most of the Rodin Museum is closed. You are right: my plan is filled with museums. Can you suggest one or more that I should delete? Thanks.

Patrick,
I would consider the Musee de Cluny in the 5th Arr., a marvelous museum built on top of Roman ruins started by the Abbots in 1334. It has marvelous medieval art, the heads of the Kings knocked down in the French Revolution and the enigmatic The Lady in the Unicorn tapestries, gorgeous! Also some lovely stained glass.

Speaking of stained glass, the Chapel of Saint Chappelle is glorious.

You will have such a good time - one place I did not have time for is the Marmottan Museum. I guess that means I have to return! We did go to Giverny, have you been there? It is a quick trip day trip from Paris and lovely.

Best,
Judy B

Judy B,

Giverny is well worth the visit. I love the colors Monet used in his home, so I used them in my home when I returned home.

Friday is a bit museum intense for my taste, even if you skip the Rodin due to its closures. Usually we can only pay attention to one museum a day, and even that is lot. Give yourself permission to skip something if you are tired. There's no sense pushing yourself to the point the trip is a drag. You might also look at some evening events. We wlike to have downtime in the afternoon for 2-4 hours, then go do something else before dinner, which we usually eat at 20:30. Many museums have hours that allow a later visit, like after 17:00, and it is a nice, quiet time.

As a previous poster stated you will see patisseries everywhere you go. Perhaps though in the late afternoon they may not have the best selection and freshest ones. Most (non tourist) people buy their bread and pastries early in the day. I would perhaps put the pastry run at the beginning of the day....

I would have set aside Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun to make use of a 4 day Paris Museum Pass ...
Louvre / Rodin Museum / Picasso Museum / Musée D'Orsay / Army Museum and Napoleon's Tomb / Arc de Triomphe / Pantheon / Orangerie Museum / Centre Pompidou
Note that the Louvre opens til late on Wed+Fri and Musee d'Orsay on Thu.

That would have left Mon/Tue/Wed for the remainder ...
Carnavalet / Marmottan Museum / Eiffel Tower / Pere Lachaise Cemetery / Victor Hugo house / Montmartre (Sacre Coeur) / Opera Garnier / Notre Dame

Note that most museums close on either Monday or Tuesday.
Quai Branly and Cluny are 2 other museums that may be of interest.

Hi Patrick,

Your trip is getting close - you must be getting so excited!!

One thing I did notice in your itinerary... you have the Orangerie Museum slotted for Tuesday, but that's the one day of the week that it is closed, so you'll want to switch that to another day.

I also see that you're going to the Opera Garnier on Wednesday. You probably already know this, but that's one of the days where they have guided tours in English, if you're interested. The guided tours start at 11:30 and 2:30.

I'm like you - I love going to museums! And with the museum pass (which I believe you are getting), you can pop into a museum for 30 minutes or 3 hours, it all just depends on your interest level. Plus, if you feel like you're getting "museumed out", you can leave and come back another day (and head to a patisserie for a nice break!)

Have a wonderful time in Paris. I'm sure we'd all love to read a trip report when you get back!