Need for advance bookings in Paris in November

So I was there in March, which is also supposed to be low season

I would recommend booking a time ticket for the Orsay. It’s very popular . I had a 930 ticket time and it was still a 20 minute line to get in and then security and all that stuff. There was already a long line for people who didn’t have a reservation and I have no idea when they got in. When I left the lines out front were outrageous.

Echoing Carol - we were in Paris in December and without a timed ticket to the Musee d’Orsay we would not have gotten in. Even with timed entry the queue was lengthy!

We were able to get into the Pompidou Center with no reservation and no problem, but could that have been a fluke? Others might know. We weren’t planning on ducking in and did so on a whim, and it worked out.

The Orsay has been selling out and the Louvre and Ste Chapelle require reservations. I understand the desire to explore uncommitted to a time but there are too many tourists. Reserve anywhere you can.

If your husband doesn't like crowds, skip the Orsay. Even with timed tickets, it will likely be very crowded based on my experiences in recent visits to Paris. I seriously doubt Fontainebleau will be a problem at all. Not sure about Pompidou - likely will be crowded, but less so than the Orsay. By crowded, I mean shoulder to shoulder congestion in the Orsay...I did not enjoy my last visit at all, too many people...YMMV.

And I would love to hear about the Cluny from someone in the know...I will be in Paris in October, and the Cluny is on my "to do" list, but I also would prefer to simply show up, am not a fan of the advance timed ticket entry systems...

On December 22, 2022 my family and I visited the Cluny with timed tickets. It was not crowded (but overheated as was the Rodin). The same day we visited Orsay with timed tickets, --as I looked down from the entrance, what flashed in my mind were photos I've seen in malls every Black Friday. The number of people was overwhelming.
These are some of the museums that we visited that were not crowded. We did have timed tickets, though. Sainte Chapelle (others here, though, have reported that it was crowded for them); Musee Carnavalet; Picasso Museum; Marmotten Museum; Chartres (if you take a day trip); Musee Nissim de Camondo (without reservation, but I think it is closed for renovations).
We have climbed both the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe both with tickets--unsure if AdT was timed, though. While it's fun to walk to the top of each (especially the AdT at night to see the ET light up) and take in the view, seeing them from below is also nice and you can just wander around.
I would love to just walk into museums without a timed entry but I find that sometimes, I never make it. A previously purchased ticket with timed entry means I'm going--although there have been times that we just didn't go to wherever because we weren't in the mood/too tired. Yes, wasted money, but it was a good fit for us.
We baby boomers are many and retired--we travel whenever we want and help to create those crowds, so maybe they won't be diminishing any time soon.

A previously purchased ticket with timed entry means I'm going--although there have been times that we just didn't go to wherever because we weren't in the mood/too tired.

We have done that twice, not using timed entry tickets, the "mistake" being they were timed entries deeper into our trip (like in the final week of a 3 or 4 week trip) and we were just too damn tired at that point, sick of getting into lines, and rubbing shoulders with others. As a result, at the most, I will buy timed entry tickets for just one museum on our October trip, and it will be fairly early in our trip, too.

Truth is, we have done all the big museums multiple times through the years, particularly in Paris, and at this point in our travels we are focused on the smaller, less crowded museums these days. For our upcoming week+ stop in Paris, we have only one or 2 "ticketed" sites on our radar anyway, we prefer our days to be free and unstructured, roaming neighborhoods, window shopping, walking in the parks...eating at favorite cafes and restaurants, and discovering new ones...

My experience with the Cluny (April 2023) was similar to Lindy's although I just walked up, no timed entry. No problem at all. It IS a place where a lot of local school groups go but if you can let them race ahead you will have many rooms to yourself including the room with the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.

The Orsay...yes, I'd go for a timed entry. If your husband is not interested can you send him off to do something else while you enjoy the art?

a few years ago there was a Hopper exhibit at the Grand Palais -- we though we had plenty of time to get tickets -- it was November after all. I thought I might have to wait a few days -- but by the time I connected with friends who also wanted to go they were sold out for all of November. I had to buy an expensive membership in several exhibits across the year to get in -- it was a fabulous exhibit but a costly mistake.

Everyone reserves tickets post COVID for everything so it is more important now to reserve things that are important to you especially if your trip is not many weeks long.

AussieNomad,
Ditto Pam re the Cluny, even re the school groups. They were not a problem.

AussieNomad,
We went to the Cluny on a weekday the first week of June, in the morning.
We made reservations for Ste. Chappelle the same day we went there. Lines for security were a bit slow, crowded, but not unbearably so. You look up at the windows, so people around you aren't impacting your view of what you came to see there.
This was the same day as the Cluny. Try not to miss either place!

You could combine your walk around the Eiffel Tower with a walk to the Invalides, then a visit to the Rodin Museum (the gardens, mainly). All in a morning and early afternoon, without rushing. Afterward, the day is yours (cafe, Vedettes ride on the Seine, Grand Palais, Opera Garnier....)a walk or metro ride away. Just check about reservations to the Opera, etc.
Bonne chance!

November--my birthday month so always in Europe, mostly Paris and was there November 2021, 2023. I believe this year the school holiday extends to Nov 4. In the past I had a tendency to get up and go. Be there (wherever) right away. Encountered school groups, tour groups and lots of tourists. Now I try to schedule the timed entry for early to mid afternoon and even the late night opening. Has been working much better. Also 1st Sunday of November, November 3, 2024 is free in most museums. So free 1st Sunday, school holiday and that might play into when you tour the sites you want to go to. I am 70+ also. Some museums have entry tics for the day and some are timed.

Thanks everyone. I might ditch my husband for Musee d'Orsay as he really, really hates crowds or see if we can get free tickets as we will be in Paris on Sunday 3rd November. I also see that they have discounted tickets for Thursday evenings.

Our Paris week will be the last week of our seven week trip so fatigue will be a factor and we may well both be happy just to wander around and enjoy the atmosphere.

We visited the Cluny last April and there were no lines and it was kinda empty. I would take my chances and not reserve.

Warning …..if your husband hates crowds skip the free day. It will be PACKED even more than on a normal day based on my experience on a free Sunday. (I won’t be going on those days again)

What Carol said.

Thanks Carol and Kim. I just thought he might feel better about a quick visit if it didn't cost anything. He is mostly interested in seeing the architectural elements of the building and not the art.