Paris itinerary review

Here are my thoughts:

Day 1 - Can you get into your Air BnB this early? I usually figure 3 hours from the time I deplane to when I am at my hotel in Paris via taxi. Walking and seeing the Luxembourg Gardens sounds like a great idea. I enjoy the small terrace cafe in the gardens near the Medici Fountains although the last few years it seems to have gotten a little pricy for lunch. Oh well, if it's a beautiful day it's worth it. It's La Terrasse de Madame.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9vcHvfrd7DzXfRzA8

Day 2 - This looks good. You'll need a timed entry for Saint-Chapelle. What day of the week is this? If it's a weekday the security line is also for the law courts so make sure you are in the line for timed entries for Saint-Chapelle.

Day 3 - Just check to see this is a day Versailles is open.

Day 4 - This looks fine. Are you doing a walking tour out of Rick's book or are you going to do one with a walking company like Paris Walks? There is plenty to see if you are not crazy about Dali!

Day 5 - I am guessing you are taking a bus tour out to Normandy?

Day 6 - This is light. I'd skip the Champs-Elysses as it's just a long street with chain stores. I like looking at it either from the Arc de Triomphe or from the other end at the Place de la Concorde but walking down it doesn't thrill me. Still, it's your trip not mine and you might enjoy it. Are you going up in the ET in the AM? Any interest in the Army Museum or Les Invalides? You could also do the Rodin today or if you have an interest, the Musee du Quai Branley which is the art from Africa, SE Asia, and a teeny display of American Indian art. No need to have reservations for the Army Museum, Quai Branley or Rodin so you can just know they are available.

Day 7 - This looks fine. Do you have your entry ticket for the Louvre yet? If not, I'd try to go as early as you can. Then by lunch time you'll be ready to go outside. I like to eat in the Tuileries Garden at the cafe called Les Marrionniers (Chestnuts because it's under the chestnut trees there!). If you go into the Louvre early and plan for lunch, I'd get the Orangerie tickets for 230 or so.

Day 8 - You can easily do the Rodin this afternoon if you get in to the Orsay in the AM.

This sounds great. IF you go via taxi, I usually leave 4 hours before my flight.

Have a wonderful time!

If you are arriving that early, you could be in the city within 2 hours if all goes smoothly. (That was our timeline last year.) Anytime we arrive at an international destination that early we reserve our accommodations for the night prior and let them know we are arriving the next morning. You may have done that!

The Rodin Gardens are lovely and small and perhaps something you might want to add on day 1; as the more fresh air the better! Enjoy a peek of the Eiffel Tower from the gardens.

As for evening dinner cruise, I'd just do a cruise and have dinner somewhere else. The dinner cruises aren't the best.

Is Normandy a must as a day trip? I love the region, but wow talk about rushed. What about instead a morning at Giverny?
No matter what you decide, enjoy!

Great suggestions so far . . . keep it coming! Appreciate your willingness to offer input! Please let me know if you see anything that's a must do that I missed!

I agree that day 6 looks light, but I'd leave it this way to allow for some time to wander. Pick an area (Marais, Latin Quarter, islands) and wander. There's a new delight around every corner. Stop and have a drink at a café and watch the world go by. It's one of the best parts of seeing Paris with someone you love.

Normandy as a day trip can be done, but it is a very long and intense day. My husband and son-in-law did it in December 2021 (a time of very low tourism due to covid restrictions in place). They picked up a rental car at 7 am from the train station nearest our hotel, drove to Normandy for a nearly full-day tour with Chris at Visit D-Day, drove back, dropped off car and were back to the hotel around 9. I'm sure someone else can advise on logistics for doing it by train. They wanted to drive and needed the car for the tour with Chris (he navigates/narrates while you drive).

Highly recommend him, if you choose to drive. This was our second tour with him, he's fantastic.

I agree that day 6 looks light, but I'd leave it this way to allow for some time to wander.

Too funny as I was thinking how "busy" most of the days looks (to my preference) and thinking how I would rearrange to get it all (or pare it down).

My philosophy is generally to do one "big" item per day, and if it's a museum like the Louvre or d'Orsay, to be firm about that. I've luckily had several visits to Paris, so have spread that grouping out over many more days there. As we love Paris as a city more than simply as a collection of tourist sites, the city parts are what we end up spending the majority of our time on. That works well with the one big site philosophy as 3-4 hours in the morning at the d'Orsay leaves the whole afternoon and evening for "relaxed city life" where you might do the walking tour of the Marais or visit Jim Morrison's grave or wander Luxembourg gardens or visit the big department stores or eat a crepe with a beer on the Seine or grab a chair in the Jardin du Palais Royal or sit for hours with a drink in a cafe watching folks wander about or ... a million low stress "city life" ideas.

I love the OP's list of things to do (we loved Rodin museum, so don't drop it). I just might - like I write - spread it out a little more, and if not married to it, I'd drop Normandy and use that day to share the load of the Paris sites and city life. Normandy and that region of France could/should be their own mini or full trip.

If you are definitely doing a concert at Sainte-Chapelle, you may want to look into Passion Monuments Subscription.

It is €70 annual subscription for 2 and includes free admission to over 90 sites in France including Sainte-Chapelle, Conciergerie and Arc de Triomphe. It also allows you to purchase reduced price tickets for concerts at Sainte Chapelle saving at least €30 per ticket. In addition, it gives you "cut the security line" privileges for your daytime Sainte-Chapelle/Conciergerie visit.

I purchased a single subscription for my stay in Paris last week and it worked great. I saved over €60 in admissions and enjoyed a wonderful concert at Sainte-Chapelle.

Normandy is too much. The plan is way too packed. To each their own but never understood packing so many things into a trip where you barely spend any time in the places that deserve a lot of time.

I am more in line with the poster that said 1 major thing a day but I would push that to 2 things a day.

The way I would do it is assign priority to the places you want to see. Focus on the important ones, give them the time they deserve and get to the secondary stuff if time permits.

Also give yourself some time for rest and enjoying Paris instead of just running from 1 sight to another.