Paris for our 50th Wedding Anniversary!

Paris trains i.e. the metro always involves lots of steep steps so that is out for the mobility impaired. The RER is easier as the stations are accessible which is not generally true of the metro. The bus system will serve you well; I would get a good bus guide. Get the g7 app to order cabs.

The Louvre has an elevator for every staircase; if you don't see it, ask a guard.

We used Overlord Tours for Normandy and were very happy with it. It is hard to do without an overnight in Bayeux.

Monet's house is an easy day trip by train from Gare St. Lazare to Vernon and then a shuttle bus or mini train to the Monet estate. Get tickets on line ahead.

It's possible to do a day trip to the Normandy D-Day sites from Paris. I would check with your hotel for their recommendations.

It was many years ago, but we loved an evening cruise on the Bateaux Mouches. Also, thoroughly enjoyed the Centre Pompidou. Happy 50th!

This is the best post I've ever read on Rick Steves. Such romance!

I recommend you and your love should visit Saint-Germain-des-Pres abbey. Founded in the sixth century, it's the oldest church in Paris -- substantially older than Notre Dame. I first saw Saint-Germain under renovation in 2012; five years later, I saw it again beautifully restored. It's as timeless as your love.

Next, cross the street to Les Deux Magots cafe. Hemingway used to write there. Other visitors were James Joyce, Pablo Picasso and Simone de Beauvoir. It's very romantic.

Then, see the Rodin Museum, a sculpture park with museum. It features probably some of the best sculpture in one spot anywhere in the world (along with the Galleria Borghese in Rome). Though your spouse has a hard time walking, the site isn't overwhelming. The Rodin has the famous sculpture "The Kiss."

Congratulations!

Please look into assistance upon arrival and getting a car service from the airport to your hotel. Ask your hotel specifically about an appropriate car service with your husband’s limitations. Normally I would say get in the official Paris taxi line at CDG but it may too far for your husband.

And download the G7 Paris taxi app. Use it everywhere in Paris (except for leaving the airport). It’s user friendly like the uber app. You can be absolutely anywhere and get yourself a taxi right where you are standing. It usually sends you an authentication code when you use it so get comfortable toggling between the app and retrieving a code. Practice using it without clicking the final button. My husband had a foot injury while we were in Paris last spring. We got around so easily using the app.

I’m my opinion you are staying in the outskirts way out in the 17th.

Oh, yes, Craig is right---the Rodin Museum!

...Saint-Germain-des-Pres abbey...Les Deux Magots cafe...Rodin Museum...

Craig is spot on about these places, even though many people skip them.

For the cruise on the Seine, consider Vedettes Pont Neuf. We've used them several times during the evening hours and have always had a good experience. We've never had a reservation, although that might have changed. Wouldn't hurt to check to be sure.

Le Calif is a Seine River cruise with a gourmet meal. https://calife.com/

Thank you all so very much! Such wonderful suggestions!

The location of the car service at CDG will be a much longer walk than the official taxi line.

Your chosen hotel is in the 17th Arrondisement; it is not centrally located. Not too far from the Bois de Boulogne and also not far from La Defense, where major businesses are quartered in large modern towers, just NW of Paris city limits. So you will be using cabs, I suspect. Since you mention Monet and Giverney, you may already be aware that your hotel is not too far from the Musee Marmottan Monet in the 16th Arrondissement. (Paris’ arrondissements, or neighborhood-districts, are arrayed in a spiral of about 2-1/2 loops starting in the center and the rotating clockwise, outward.)

There are so many museums and neighborhoods to visit in Paris. You should not only spend time with guidebooks, you should also explore websites to get more of a feel for the city.

https://parisjetaime.com/eng/ is one that has much to offer.

https://lesfrenchiestravel.com/ Is another one that is fun and there are also Les Frenchies videos on You Tube.

October may mean rain, so if you can be flexible in your travel that would be best. Big museums like the Louvre, d’Orsay, L’Orangerie or the Pompidou Center if you like modern art on rainy days. Rodin on a fair weather day.

Paris is more than major sights like the Eiffel Tower, its big museums, Seine River cruises and the Arc de Triomphe. It has a wonderful bounty of smaller museums. Carnevalet, Cluny, Petit Palais, Picasso, Art and History of Judaism. There are churches - not just Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur. There’s a 12th century church, Paroisse St Pierre in the shadow of Sacre Coeur. We have enjoyed organ recitals at St Sulpice and one other - perhaps it was at St Anne in the 13th Arr.

Just north of the Louvre and the Palais Royal, you will find some of Paris’ Passages Couverts - covered galleries with bookshops, art galleries, and many quaint shops. That would be one lovely way to minimize rain for 1/2 a day. The Paris Je t’aime website will provide many insights.

With just 7 nights and only 6 full days based in Paris, perhaps you may choose to not venture out to both Normandy and Giverny, unless you are planning your Normandy excursion as an addition to those 7 nights. In any event, both Giverny and Normandy beaches would be too much for a single day trip from Paris.

Whatever you choose, you will have much to enjoy.

Bon Anniversaire et Bon Vacance.

Congratulations!

We're up to 42 years.
I didn't look up the location of your hotel. The hotel sounds wonderful for romance and ambience. If you have a good view (as you say) of the Eiffel tower, just viewing it at night as it twinkles will fit right into the beauty of your hotel.

Our favorite place in Paris is the Musée d'Orsay - It does have split levels but it is not super large and it has wonderful Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. I only watched the beginning of this video - it gives a good viewing intro to it. It is a converted train station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgdD8wXd1VY

I agree that a Seine River cruise is pleasant. We just did an inexpensive cruise. It was nice.

I, personally, would try to see Notre Dame Cathedral since it has been so recently renovated.

Cheers!
Evan

I work for Hyatt Hotels and therefore stay at that Hyatt every time I visit Paris. It's a business hotel, yes, but we are thankful that it's a bit out of the intense tourist zone. I'd confirm that your room has a view of the Eiffel Tower. Half of the hotel faces the other direction, toward Sacre Coeur. That's great, but nothing beats seeing the sun rise and set over the Tower as well as enjoying the nightly twinkling every hour.

That Hyatt is also on the tram line and is a block from the Metro Line 1 and the RER C. It's also walkable (a half mile to the Arc, two miles to the Eiffel Tower). You'll love it!

Congratulations on your upcoming 50th anniversary! I hope it is full of wonderful memories and fulfills your wish to finally see Paris! : ). My husband & I celebrated our 45th anniversary in 2023 with a trip to England & Wales - such a fantastic trip to enjoy the sites & be together!

A bit of advice - be in the moment. Whatever it is that you are doing, whether it’s seeing a special site or just stopping for a coffee at a sidewalk cafe, enjoy that spot and give it a snapshot memory in your mind to enjoy over & over again later when you’re back home. : )

By the way, my favorite garden in Paris is the Luxembourg Garden. I took a croissant pastry class with La Cuisine five years ago, and I have been making croissants regularly since that class. They also offer other types of classes.

https://lacuisineparis.com/

Congratulations on your anniversary, a perfect city to visit for the occasion.
Just an FYI, the Arc de Triumph has an elevator to go up, but it is not advertised. We discovered it because my husband has a pacemaker and can’t go through the security machines. After they patted him down, a woman came over and asked us if we wanted to use the elevator. Much better than climbing all those stairs.

That sounds like an incredible anniversary trip! The views from your hotel will be amazing. Since your husband has mobility concerns, consider booking a Seine dinner cruise to relax while enjoying the sights. Also, the hop-on-hop-off bus could be a great way to see the city without too much walking. Wishing you a fantastic trip!

Thank you so very much for the great suggestions. They all help with my planning.