Paris 4 day itinerary help

For Versailles, can you make that a full day? If not, I recommend getting in on The Kings Tour in the AM. The tour took us away from the crowds and access to wonderful spaces and decor closed to the public including directly inside the chapel at the end.. We did it in French, but they should have English availability this far out. Book the tour on their website when you get your entrance ticket. We entered at 9 and enjoyed the main square sans crowds before entering the building. Then went directly to Hall of Mirrors, viewed the rooms past the hall, and then went back outside for the Kings Tour. After the tour it was lunch time in the gardens.

The more we travel, the more we realize that less is more.

12 years ago, we spent a week in Paris in late September, never made it out for a day tour. At the Louvre, the long and deep crowds around the Mona Lisa were laughable and we never got close. The Virgin of the Rocks, down the hall, was pretty much unobserved. There are four other Leonardo works in the Louvre's collection. We spent a lot of time with the Dutch masters, again, less crowded.

We skipped the lines at the Eiffel Tower by walking up the stairs to the second level. Probably saved no time, but cost us none, either. We did make many other museums on that trip, the d'Orsay, Orangerie, Pompidou Center, Carnavalet and the History of Judaism in Paris. We also visited Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, St. Chapelle, Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees, the Luxembourg Gardens and Rue Cler, and we explored Montmartre and the Marais. Again, this was a WEEK (7 nights, 6 days), not 4 nights (3-1/2 days). I would suggest no more than two major sites or events in a day. Savor, don't just hit the highlights. Avoid crowds as much as possible.

We are spending a long weekend (four nights) in Paris, now. Going to NONE of the big sites in Paris. Friday, we had a lovely walk through several passages couverte, picnicked in the Gardens of the Palais Royal and then we headed over the the Petite Palais for the current Sarah Bernhardt exhibition. We had dinner near a street that I won't mention - NOT Rue Cler. Since we arrived early, we had a bit of time to explore and enjoy THAT neighborhood's shopping street, markets and stores. Filled with Parisiennes and FEW tourists. It was a delightful day. From the buses, we have seen long lines at St Chapelle and in front of the Louvre and we are happy NOT to be in them.

Yesterday, we had a hot and exhausting day going to Giverny with hordes of crowds on a HOT day. Lovely gardens and the paintings in the house - Monet and his friends like Renoir and Cezanne traded quite a bit with one another, but the crowds made the day more of a challenge than enjoyable.

Today will be our last day of 4 weeks in France. Plan to go to a church to hear the organ played before and during services. Later in the day, another shopping street off the beaten path in the 16th Arrondisement, and a couple of other off the main tourist track stops - Maison Balzac and the Museum IN the Luxembourg Gardens which currently has an exhibit on Leon Monet, Claude's brother. We will see how this goes, but again, we are hoping to experience few crowds and more through the back door.

Thanks SOTL for your Versailles tour advice. I've been researching your suggestion and it looks good.

Fred, I understand what you're saying re not doing too much each day and the CROWDS. A main consideration for us though is it's a disgustingly long trip from Australia (to anywhere haha) and expensive and so it's highly unlikely we'll get to visit Paris twice. Out of interest, what was the lovely area and dinner that was NOT Rue Cler? I'm intrigued.....

OP -

Rather than identify that street, let me instead suggest a restaurant in the 5th, a few blocks off of Blvd St Germaine: Hébé.

http://www.heberestaurant.com/en/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d15147797-Reviews-Hebe-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

The food was imaginative, well seasoned, interesting and quite tasty. The wine list was extensive and there were good wine choices - many for for reasonable prices by the 750 ml bottle (39-65 Euros; there were also more, for more). The staff was genuinely interested in accommodating diners. The menu has vegetarian and vegan options, as well as meat and fish dishes. This is NOT your typical bistro. This was our best meal in Paris and one of our best in four weeks in France.

PS - British Airways cancelled our flight from Paris on Monday, so we actually had a fifth night. Since that was Monday, we decided to spend the afternoon at the Musée Orangerie, a museum that I fondly remembered and that was not crowed a dozen years ago in late September. This week, it was. Two hour line to get in, of course, because we had not made a reservation and we did not have the Paris Museum Pass. Other than the famous rooms with the Monet water lillies, the museum was not too crowded. Let's say that it was full.

Regarding a tour of the Louvre, I just returned from 2 weeks in Paris, and had a wonderful tour with a born and bred Parisian, Florent Cardinaud. He has Youtube and Facebook pages under Pariswith Flo. We started our tour through a quieter door, and he took us through some very quiet galleries, on the way to the highlights. We did the foundations of the building, Roman and Greek statue galleries, Middle eastern and Egyptian statuary and art, the Hammurabi code, as well as the Winged Victory, the Mona Lisa, and the Apollo Gallery. I found it a great tour, and a reasonable pace, and without massive crowds, except at the expected places. We also did a food tour with him that was fantastic on Rue Montorgueil. I highly recommend him.

Thanks Fred re Hebe suggestion, I've added it in.
Thanks bcgirl55 for Florent suggestion, unfortunately there's no appropriate tour but I've found a good one I believe.

I've now created what I hope is a simplified itinerary which I'd appreciate feedback. While I've identified tours that fit in nicely, I haven't yet booked any since a bit too early.

THURSDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER
• Late morning arrive from Lyon, drop bags at accommodation in Marais district
• Explore Marais district, stroll through Place des Vosges
• Lunch in Marais ANY SUGGESTIONS?
• Mid afternoon walk to Sainte-Chapelle for brief visit 3:30pm to view stained glass
• Walk to Luxembourg Gardens and wander through
• Catch train to Place Marie-Madeleine-Fourcade for Night bicycle tour 6pm (including Seine cruise) 4.5 hours
• NB make sure to buy food items for early dinner ANY SUGGESTION IN VICINITY?

FRIDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER
• Early morning stroll along Left Bank past Pont des Arts to Musee d'Orsay for guided tour 10am (2 hours)
• Walk to Latin Quarter to wander around
• Buy food items for lunch and for picnic next day ANY SUGGESTION IN VICINITY?
• Early dinner at Hébé in St Germaine district
• Walk to Louvre for Closing Time guided tour 6:45pm (3 hours)

SATURDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER
• Early morning catch RER-C train to Versailles
• Versailles guided tour TBC
• Picnic lunch in gardens
• Mid afternoon catch RER-C train back to hotel
• Late afternoon walk to Musee de L'Orangerie for brief visit to see Monet Water Lilies 4:30pm
• Wander through Jardin des Tuileries back to hotel
• Dinner in Marais ANY SUGGESTIONS?

SUNDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER
• Early morning catch bus to Pont d'Lena for Fully Guided Tour of the Eiffel Tower 9:45am (1 hour)
• Walk to Arc de Triomphe then back along Champs Elysees
• Lunch ANY SUGGESTIONS?
• Mid afternoon catch metro to Montmartre and wander around
• Dinner in Montmartre ANY SUGGESTIONS?
• Moulin Rouge show with champagne 9pm (2 hours)

A couple of comments. Fred’s suggested restaurant Hebe does not appear to open until 7 pm for dinner.

A wonderful Parisian street of locals and food places is rue des Martyrs. It can be walked up toward Montmartre but possibly not as easily on a Sunday as I’m not sure how much is open that day. We meandered the street recently on a Saturday; it is one of our favourites and even has a book written about it.

The Musee Luxembourg exhibit is a lovely one. Small and no lineups.

Thanks Claire. I'll add Rue des Martyrs and the Musée Luxembourg to my itinerary. And I'll see if I can book Hebe on another night.

Otherwise is my itinerary a good one for our first visit to Paris (and very likely our only visit)?

We are ‘slow’ travellers so our days are not quite as full. But I understand the desire on a first visit to see as much as possible. Eric Kayser is a boulangerie with several locations including rue Monge in the Latin Quarter. They carry lovely take out salads and sandwiches for your picnic ideas. Paris By Mouth is a great restaurant resource (small charge to access all options but you can pay for 1 month’s access) and they do food tours as well. David Lebovitz is a food writer in Paris and his website lists restaurants that he has enjoyed, particularly ‘non touristy’ ones.

If you decide to go to the Musee Luxembourg, add time for the Jardin du Luxembourg which is the same site and is a beautiful spot for eating a take out lunch (there are good boulangeries close by with salads and sandwiches including another Eric Kayser location, Bread and Roses, and La Parisienne; check open days/times).

Wow Claire, that is super helpful, thank you so much! I'm feeling very confident now that I've covered all my bases.