Paris itinerary planning/logistics

I plan by area. Make a list, then mark up a map. You can easily see which museums etc are in proximity. I actually use the Paris Museum Pass site to get a list of what is covered. In the past it was sorted by arrondisement, so easy to see at a glance.
Edit- just looked at the museum pass site and the list I used isn’t available anymore.

Rick Steves self-guided walking tours are the best way to see it all but with six people and three being children I don’t recommend it. You would be better off hiring a guide who knows their way around. These walks require patience and are best when alone.
What do the kids want to do? Rick Steves guidebook has recommendations on where to take the kiddos which I recommend reading.
I also suggest visiting one museum in the morning and the rest of the day center it around what the kids want to see and do. The eleven-and-16-year-old will like the Latin Quarter and would also be a good place to sleep and the six-year-old will appreciate Luxembourg Garden. There’s also the Aquaboulevard water park that maybe even the adults will enjoy.
When it comes to building an itinerary I use TripIt: https://www.tripit.com/web/free/how-it-works that also has its own app.

What an exciting plan! I love Paris!

I use travel apps such as TripIt, etc. but for my initial rough plan, I love to have an overall visual. So I tape some papers together to create a large 3-week calendar with daily squares the size of a Post-It. Then I write the city & add an item, such as the Louvre. I will also add in smaller writing days closed, time open, reservation needed.

As I’m building the itinerary, I can easily shift around days by moving around the Post-Its, and the “day closed” keep me from placing it on a closed day.

I usually use different colors of Post-Its for different cities, but you could easily do the same for different sections of Paris. Then it’s a quick look to pair up some activities in the same area. I don’t see a river cruise, so I will recommend taking one in the evening (the boats where you sit outside - not a dinner cruise). Paris is beautiful lit up at night, and we always enjoy doing this each time we’re there.

I’ve found that a late afternoon stroll or sitting on the green chairs in the Luxembourg Garden with a gelato is always relaxing and puts us in a good mood if we’re tired.

Once your itinerary has a good overall look, you can load it into TripIt.

I second the map idea. It really helps with grouping things geographically and saves you time and energy backtracking- leaving you more time to enjoy yourself.

I also do post its with the name of the site and information on hours/days of the week they’re open late. I chart out the days I’ll be there and put the post its on the corresponding day. Then I can easily move things around and get a sense of what to do on a specific date.

Sorry to say this but the almost six year old will run the show here. Simply put the -almost six- member of your party will greatly affect you or the parents activities in Paris. I’m a nurse and mother who had the privilege of taking my daughter to Paris in 2010 when she was 29 years old and we made memories to last a lifetime. That being said I would heed the previous advice of staying as close as possible to the area where you are staying. Keep it simple. Perhaps the Luxembourg gardens would offer opportunities for a child to get outside and play while the parents enjoy the atmosphere. My experience is the child needs to get their energy out first- then you can do what you want to do…. Good luck!

Thanks everyone! We definitely know the 6 year old will dictate our schedule and ability to see things, but we will also take turns if needed so that the others can get as much museum time as they want. She went to Italy with us at 3, and we didn't go to a single museum except the DaVinci museum in Florence - we really tried to set our expectations accordingly. The teens are the ones that want to go to all these museums and they are super excited about all of the options.

I will add the Luxembourg Gardens to our list, letting the 6 year old run around will absolutely be worthwhile. Especially if there is gelato!

Jean & Dana - I love the idea of the map & post-it notes for organizing, so thank you for that!

We’ve travelled quite a bit with our teens over the years. What works best for us is to pick one “must do” each day and do that in the morning. Then we have lunch, hopefully someplace with a view. Then we wander a bit, and head back to the hotel/apartment for a break. An hour or two off our feet (maybe a little nap), and we’re ready to go back out for the evening for dinner and some more exploring. Keep in mind that dinner is generally much later than in the US. Some places might not even open for dinner until 7:00.

One thing that really helped my kids stayed engaged was collecting things. I recommend something easy/cheap/small like key chains or pens. (My son picked coffee mugs once, which didn’t make packing easy) I was amazed how much it helped keep energy levels up by looking forward to searching for cool keychains. The promise of gelato certainly helps, too!

With your list, I would
1) group by vicinity
2) look at days when places are closed and coordinate that
3) prioritize
4) be realistic - don’t do two museums in one day, and think of “museums” as a child might (wandering around looking at boring stuff). This applies to Louvre, d’Orsay, Les Invalides, Catacombs, Saint Chapelle). If you have two in a day, be prepared to make the second one optional for part of the group based on tolerance levels.

Here is how I would group things over 5+ days, not necessarily in this order.

Arrival day: walk by Pantheon. Do the evening river cruise from Pont Neuf. You didn’t mention this, but I think the group would enjoy it.

1) Louvre in the am. Lunch, break. Sacre Coeur & walk around Monmartre.

2) Arc de Triomphe / Champs Elysees
Eiffel Tower
Les Invalides - Napoleon’s tomb, armor, wwi and wwii history, & the resistance

3) Versailles day trip

4) Notre Dame (just walking by) & Saint Chapelle in the am. Lunch. Break. Musee D’orsay

5) Catacombs (approx 1 hr tour?). Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages (hopefully open by July). Lunch. Break. Galleries Lafayette - interior & exterior views (don’t miss the great views from the roof!)

Know that by day 4 or 5, the youngest may not be the only one who is dragging. Also, don’t underestimate the affect of the heat. Hopefully your apartment has ac. It will make those afternoon breaks that much more refreshing.

Definitely do a cruise with Vedettes du Pont Neuf (1 hour leaving from and returning to the Ile de la Cité, smaller boats than other companies, live commentary in French and English, by the same person, and quite interesting). Of course, during your trip, days will be long and to see the Eiffel Tower with lights blinking for 5 min. at the top of the hour, you may have to take a late cruise.

Go to the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann for the splendid cupola and make sure to visit the 8th floor roof terrace for an impressive (and free) view of Paris. I suppose this is what you mean by interior and exterior views.

If any of you are interested in modern architecture, you could visit the Louis Vuitton Foundation, an impressive Frank Gehry building in the northern part of the Bois de Boulogne (metro Line 1, Les Sablons). For the 6-year old, a visit to the adjacent Jardin d'Acclimatation amusement park should be fun.
Enjoy Paris!

Travel4fun - this is amazing, thank you for the suggestions! Also love the idea of the collections - having a mission always helps! And the idea of taking. a break in the afternoon before venturing out for dinner. I think that will also work well for having enough stamina to see the city at night!

And thank you all for the suggestions of the boat ride - I have seen that mentioned before. Also a nice way to experience the city without a lot of walking if we are tired!

If you don't plan to go up the Eiffel Tower, just look at it; then go up the Tour de Monparnasse instead.
There is a 360 degree view from the top and I think the kids would like it.
They can pick out all the major landmarks from there.
There's also a cafe one floor down from the top to feed your six year old (and others!) if he/she gets "Hangry' or bored.

If it's a cloudy day, the ticket desk will phone up top for you, to check the visibility up there before you buy your tickets!

Since you mention several art museums, you will have the opportunity of buying posters for the shows you are seeing. A fine, and permanent, souvenir. Private galleries often have posters available too; you will see them as advertisements in the Metro.
Take a cardboard mailing tube from home so you can safely carry any poster in your luggage.