Paris Suggestions, s'il vous plait

September is a nice time to visit Giverny.

You've got a fantastic list! I vote for Maison Victor Hugo. During my most recent visit in December, I really enjoyed visiting this spot.

Well, I love the Louvre so if you have the interest I would say yes. Do get your tickets well ahead of time so you can get your preferred time slot on your Monday.

Ditto Musee d'Orsay. I love the 5th floor.

Jardin des Plantes is always nice as well. If you enter at the corner of Rue Linne and Rue Cuvier, there is a very cool sculpture by Henri Jacquemart.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lion-of-the-botanical-gardens

Check on the Cluny website to see if any of the galleries are closed. Last time I went, October 2024, more than half the museum was closed (not sure why? Maybe a staffing issue?). They did not charge the full rate and the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries were on view which was my main goal. No need to book ahead.

Rodin, always a good idea on a beautiful afternoon, lol!! No need to book ahead.

Musee Jacquemart-Andre - I have not been since they reopened from a renovation. I was going to slot it in last Fall but waited too late and they were sold out on the day that worked for me so check their ticketing website ahead of time to see how the timed entries are booking.

++ on seeing Notre Dame.

Canal St Martin? I stayed in that general area once, and I was not a big fan of the neighborhood or the canal itself (it was not attractive, kind of filthy in fact)...not as interesting or inviting as the boosters and pictures suggest...not a place I wanted to spend much time...YMMV

We walked around Pere-Lachaise cemetery on a recent trip, really enjoyed it.

I've been to many of the places you mentioned, and I'd put Cluny at the top of my list.

We saw the Paris 1874 exhibit in Paris last spring. It was very nice, but then we headed up to the 5th floor which to me is the absolute best; so I say the d'Orsay is a must!

But, have you seen The Thinker in the Rodin garden with the Eiffel Tower behind it? The garden is lovely!

We arrived at St Suplice to hear the organ prior to Sunday morning mass. That's pretty amazing!

You've got a great list!!! ENJOY!

fred, Well, you have already visited a lot of places, so if it were me I would try something new. That being said, I return to the Rodin Museum every time I am in Paris. The garden is a nice place to spend an hour an a half. I don't feel the interior of the house is worth a repeat. The sculptures never fail to impress, especially The Burgers of Calais.

I doubt if there will be any concerts at Notre Dame, but there probably will be some at other churches. The Palais Garnier is definitely worth going to, and maybe there will be a performance one of your evenings. It is beautiful, and the Chagall ceiling is joyful.

The Basilica St. Denis is where many of the French kings are interred. It is often ignored by tourists, but I finally got there in 2017 and am so glad I did. And if the Cluny is fully open, do go there. The medieval art and artifacts are abundant and impressive, plus the building and space contributes to its impressiveness.
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The boat ride on the Seine only takes an hour. We prefer the Vedettes de Pont Neuf and get in line a bit early to get a seat on the top for the better view. It is narrated by a live person, not a recording, often in English as well as French of course. The price is very affordable. You can reserve a time online and get a small discount. We did that to be sure of being on the river when the Eiffel Tower lights went on. I wouldn't do a dinner cruise because you miss too much of the scenery while eating.

It sounds like you have all day Monday and Tuesday, plus Sunday evening. Is that correct? Check opening days and times for your sights. In one day you could visit the Rodin and the Cluny, then finish up with the vedette ride. The other day could include St. Denis in the morning, a Paris Walks tour, and the Opera. St. Denis would take an hour, the Opera 2 hours. I don't know about the walking tour, but you have time for the metro ride between locations and a nice lunch. (Rodin 1 1/2 hrs, Cluny 3-4 hrs. Still time to rest at a cafe and have a nice lunch also.)

Of course,you can switch things around. I have divided days by left bank (Mon.) and right bank (Tues.), but it is just a suggestion.
Happy travels!

There are a lot of special concerts at Notre Dame this year, so absolutely try to fit one in !

Merci a tous.

Laurie, what did you like about Maison Victor Hugo? (My motive for asking: Will I enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Maison Balzac? Will my wife enjoy it more than she enjoyed Maison Balzac?)

Judy, good thought on right bank one day, left bank another. And with museum open/closed days, that works to combine Louvre & Jacquemart-Andre on Monday ... so long as we we can have time during the day for Notre Dame as well, one day or the other. And thanks for your comments about the vedettes. Jaquemart-Andre hit my radar thanks to a TR a few months back: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/thanksgiving-in-paris-more-trip-report

Kim & Judy ... Perhaps we are a little far out yet to see Notre Dame concerts or recitals into September on-line. I do see many Tuesday evening musical offerings there from now through August. https://billetterie-musiquesacree.mapado.com/en Does Notre Dame's music season end with the conclusion of this series end at the end of August, or will others be slated later, for September? Perhaps our choices for classical evenings in churches or chapels are limited to St Germain des Pres on Tuesday and St. Chapelle on Sunday. https://www.parisdiscoveryguide.com/paris-concert.html#september.

Judy, Your suggestion of the Opera is great ... I had thought of it a few months back and not seen anything, but that has certainly changed, with Aida and La Boheme both on the horizon as possibilities. https://www.operadeparis.fr/en (those tix are not yet on sale)

Thanks to Pam and KD for mentioning the 5th Floor at the d'Orsay. When we were there in 2010, the 5th floor was closed for renovation, with many of those works distributed elsewhere in the museum, while others were out on loan.

As to the Rodin Gardens and Museum, this is something that I wanted to see - and failed - twice before. But with so little time in Paris on this trip, I don't know that we will get there given these other potential visits (perhaps including the Cluny on Tuesday) in just 2 or 2-1/2 days.

Pam, thanks for your comments about the Jardin des Plantes. I am thinking we may walk from Gare de Lyon to our hotel through there; 2 km with small rolling suitcases on Sunday afternoon.

Jojo, thanks for throwing cold water on the canal. I am sure your knowlegeable comments have merit.

I totally enjoyed walking through Père-Lachaise cemetery, and it's at the top of my list for a repeat visit.

Fred, my suggestion for the Orsay is after you go thru the ticket barriers and down the steps to the main hall, continue straight back not looking side to side, lol. As you near the back wall, veer to the left and continue to the hidden escalators that go directly to 5! Spend time on 5 then work your way back down thru the rest of the museum until you reach max saturation.

If you go on a Tuesday it will be very busy as the Louvre is closed. I recommend you go as early in the day as you can. If you are the first admission time, if you go to the escalators you will get to the 5th floor before many others and can view in relative peace!

I was last in Paris in 2022 for 5 nights (8th time for me and 2nd for wife) and we visited the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay and Luxembourg Garden. I got around the centre with Batau Bus (my fav way to get around in Paris) and walked everywhere else.

We found it very enjoyable because we had more time to take our time walking the neighborhoods, the seine and lounging in cafes. It was great!

My daughter and I recently went to Maison Victor Hugo. It's small so it won't take a lot of time from your day regardless, but we really liked the illustrations from Les Miserables (especially since we're reading it this school year).

Seine cruise at evening was really special, too.

Cluny had part of their museum closed off but the unicorn tapestries were open and we really enjoyed what we did see.

We enjoyed just sitting in Eglise St Germain des Pres and listening to the organist practice. They have WW1 and WW2 memorial, beautiful stained glass, and it was just a peaceful time.

Take Pam's very good advice about how to approach your visit to the Orsay !

As pbscd said, Maison Victor Hugo is small, but my husband and I both found it interesting. We lingered in each room. We have both read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, and I love the musical version of Les Misérables. Throughout the home, there are illustrations depicting scenes from these works and others. Also, neither of us knew much about Victor Hugo, so we learned a few things along the way. It was really cool seeing the furniture Hugo crafted himself.

I haven't been to Maison Balzac, so I can't compare experiences. At the Musée Rodin, there was a special exhibit about the creation of Rodin's statue of Balzac in a dressing gown. Unfortunately, I think that this exhibit is no longer on display.

Thank you Laurie and pbscd,

At Maison Balzac, I quite enjoyed the original wood blocks for the illustrations of characters in La Comedie Humaine. Hundreds of them. Plus a lovely view to the Tour Eiffel. 50 years ago, Rodin’s statue of Balzac gave me an impression of the man that is very different than the impression I developed after reading one of his novels, Pere Goriot.

Thanks for mentioning Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris / Hunchback of Notre Dame which is on my reading list. Perhaps we’ll watch Les Miz again, too.

So nice to marry reading with visiting places, isn’t it? That allows us to be better travelers in time as well as space.

I definitely recommend visiting the Cluny. The Lady and Unicorn tapestries are beautiful! This museum was not crowded at all when we visited in 2012. Not sure if that has changed. It was a very pleasant and very quiet experience.

My daughter and I went to Cluny right before opening time Sunday morning (first Sunday, free admission) and it was not crowded. (then walked right to Saint Sulpice from there)

Go up to the top of the Tour Montparnasse for amazing 360 degree views over the whole city.
Be sure to pick a clear day so you can see for miles!
There’s a cafe/bar at the top.

Fred, you don't seem to have yet visited Le Musee de l'Armée in Les Invalides. I recommend it.

I just returned from Paris and couldn't get into Notre Dame. It was totally sold out EVERY DAY. The crowd outside was massive. St. Chapelle was sold out. Sacre Coeur had a big line but it moved quickly. It was okay but I liked some other beautiful churches much more such as St. Severin which is right near Notre Dame and also St Mary Magdalene near Champs de Elysees which has a bone of hers in a reliquary.

I agree with the previous poster about Le Musee de l'Armee. This was one of my favorite museums in Paris.

Cluny was very interesting. Orsay was a mob scene and it was difficult to enjoy the art with the crowds. I was literally dodging people and snapping pictures on the fly.

I suggest the Picasso museum which wasn't crowded when I visited it late in the day. It was very close to my hotel in the Marais.

The Louvre was spectacular of course.

I'm not too interested in sculpture so I didn't get to Rodin. There is a Rodin museum in Philadelphia so I wouldn't waste time going there in Paris.

Notre Dame was not available last week due to the Pope's death. We visited twice in early April.

Invalides /Armee musee was good. We saw it our first day on the ground. Probably would have enjoyed it more if we had been more alert, but that's how it goes. It was not crowded when we went (April 1).

Fondation Louis Vuitton (in Neuilly, near Les Sablons metro). The big David Hockney exhibit will be over by the time you come, unfortunately, but to me the building and the setting are so impressive that it would be worth heading out there regardless of what's on show at the time.
Also, I really like the Institut du Monde Arabe. Great views from the rooftop, museum of a culture that I'm unfamiliar with - but will depend on your interests.

We just took our daughter to St. Denis yesterday, It is IMHO the most interesting site often overlooked in the Ile de France. It is the oldest Gothic church in Europe and the site of the tombs of the kings of France -- Their bodies were trashed in the revolution but some wise revolutionary declared the tombs to be works of art and they were preserved; they are amazing. Supposedly the kings' remains were recovered during the Napoleonic era and reburied in the crypt -- I have my doubts. Fascinating place. Here is a report from a trip we took a longtime ago. It is reached on hte 13 metro
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/confronting-mortality-at-st-denis/
the church facade has been cleaned since our earlier visit 15 years ago and barriers installed which make it harder to get close to the tombs, but it is still a wonderful experience.

After we visited the Basilica and got lunch at one of the places on the town square, we walked a few blocks to the Legion of Honor Park which was simply lovely -- full of spring flowers, lots of benches in lovely nooks, kids' playground -- just a wonderful end to the day. We took the 13 to Basilica St. DEnis stop but from the park walked over to the St. Denis Port de Paris stop.

Janet, you’ve joined Judy in recommending St Denis, so I will take a look, though with just two full days in Paris, I am thinking we will likely keep our visits close into the center - Arr 1-6, 10 and perhaps 7. Thank you both for suggesting St Denis.

Several of you have spoken fondly of Musée de l’Armee/Invalides and I believe that the Michelin Guide gives in 3 stars, but I think that’s too much to add to this visit.

I am also thinking of dropping the idea of going to the Louvre. (LATE NOTE A re-visit to the Louvre is back in the running since Cluny will have to be Tuesday; thanks to Pam’s message below).) My wife is far more interested in revisiting the d’Orsay than in revisiting the Louvre. Pam, thanks for your strategic advice on tackling the d’Orsay.

I remain quite interested in the Musee Jacquemart-Andre, which seems to be open Monday as is the Cluny. (LATE NOTE - Thanks to Pam, for pointing out my error and that the Cluny is closed Mondays). Those two on Monday (and Parc Monceau), the d’Orsay and Musee Rodin on Tuesday, visits to Notre Dame and Hugo House, perhaps hearing music at St Germain des Pres or St Chapelle, strolling through the Jardin des Plantes on our way to our hotel from Gare de Lyon on Sunday afternoon, wandering the 4th and 5th and eating well sounds like a pretty good 2-1/2 days to me. Potential vedettes tour Monday at sunset, in addition? Thank you Judy for mentioning vedettes in particular.

Clawsmith, you mentioned Institut du Monde Arabe. That is a 7 minute walk from where we will be staying so perhaps we should explore it.

I will also explore what Paris Walks may have in the 4th or 5th/6th. I am a little surprised no one has talked about those walks. Their September offerings are not on line yet.

Again, these 2-1/2 days will be our third visit to Paris and this quick visit immediately follows 2 weeks we will have spent in SW Germany and 2 weeks we will have spent in Alsace, Burgundy and Lyon. (Late addition for posterity. I see that this is my 500th post on the forum.)

On ne peut pas faire tout. Merci a tous, encore.

"*I remain quite interested in the Musee Jacquemart-Andre, which seems to be open Monday as is the Cluny. *"

Unfortunately Cluny is closed on Monday but Jacquemart-Andre IS open.

https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/en/visiter/practical-information.html

And BTW...I finally had to make myself a spreadsheet with Monday and Tuesday closures! I have it in my google docs and yes, I have to pull it up while I am IN Paris most of the time, lol.

I also love Basilica Saint-Denis but agree with your plan of deferring it this trip since you only have 2 days. I love the little carvings on the columns in the crypt and usually spend a good deal of time down there looking at them, lol. Also, yes to putting off the Louvre if you are not sold on it. Jacquemart-Andre is a much more manageable substitute.

It sounds like your plan is coming together! The problem with Paris is that there is so much to see and do...your trip will be more fun if you just select things that work for your interests and travel style.

I greatly enjoyed Paris Walks tours of Hemingway's Paris and The Village of Montmartre but I think that those were on Wednesdays and Fridays, days you won't be in Paris. They have many other tours which sound quite interesting, however. The tours are small--@12 people, only. Peter (the guide and owner) is from England but has lived in France for decades. We had him as our guide for both tours.

"Walks in March will continue all summer season until end December 2025 - except for a reduced programme in August." If I'm reading the website correctly, you can view the September tours on the March 2025 page as it appears to be the same until the end of 2025. Anyway, you can email Peter/Oriel with questions. They have responded quickly to me in the past.

We visited Invalides and its museum last fall on what was at least our 20th trip to Paris -- we don't keep count. It just never seemed that interesting and having seen it, it would still not go on my top ten for Paris. If one is very interested in Napoleon and int military paraphenalia then sure -- but for us definitely a fourth tier visit. So many treasures in Paris that for a short trip the key is to be selective.

We visited Invalides and its museum last fall on what was at least our 20th trip to Paris -- we don't keep count. It just never seemed that interesting and having seen it, it would still not go on my top ten for Paris.

I concur with this opinion (that it is not a top tier attraction for Paris). I have visited this museum I think 3 or 4 times in the last 40 years (the first time on a solo trip in 1985, the other times taking family members (mainly to see Napoleon's sarcophagus), and most recently 2 years ago for a special exhibition on the religious wars of the late 1500s (that was fantastic). But the military museum itself? Umm, no, not so much...

My daughter and I really enjoyed Napoleon's tomb and his taxidermed horse, Vizier. And Napoleon II's tomb (who Napoleon Bonaparte made emperor of Rome as a young child). But my daughter is a very big Napoleon Bonaparte fan. Probably for the average person, it's not in their top 5.

Merci a tous

We have pretty much figured it out with your help. The Louvre, Hugo House, and the Marais District have not survived. Not only can you not do it all, you really can’t in just two days and three nights. But I like what we have as a manageable plan.

SUNDAY

• Arrive mid to late afternoon (Gare de Lyon, from Lyon)
• Walk through Jardin des Plantes on way to 5th Arr hotel.
• Dinner in the 5th
• Possible St Chapelle concert? Jazz? Just Crash?

MONDAY

• Possible Paris Walks tour of the 5th?
• Musee Jacquemart-Andre and lunch there!
• Notre Dame!
• Vedettes Seine Sunset tour!
• Dinner in the 5th
• Walks , if we have time: Place St Michel (5th Arr., near Notre Dame) and/or Parc Monceau (8th Arr; not too far from Jaquemart-Andre)

TUESDAY

• d’Orsay!
• Rodin!
• Cluny!
• Dinner in 5th or 6th
• Music? Jazz? Or Piano concert at St Ephrem Church in 5th

REMAINING QUESTIONS

Good websites to look for jazz offerings 6 to 8 to 10 weeks in advance? Clubs you know and like?

Can one have a picnic in the Rodin Museum Gardens?

Lunch possibilities at or near Musee Rodin?

Dinners in the 5th or 6th? Present thoughts include

• Something casual on Rue Mouffetard
• l’Initial (Tues)
• Hébé (we enjoyed it two years ago) (any day)
• Assanabel St Germaine (Lebanese) (Mon or Tues)

Thanks for anything further you might suggest.

fred, your plans sound great. I don't know about the picnic in the Rodin Museum gardens, but we has lunch in the cafe there and it was very nice...tasty and reasonable. Come to thinbk of it, I seem to recall seeing someone eating something in the garden, but it was a few years ago. Perhaps the website has info. One of my favorite museums! Enjoy!