Sample Interary - Paris

Posted by Sheila H (Chicago Metro Area) on 08/02/26 11:08 PM

Hello, I hope those of you familiar with Paris can help me.....I am going to add some vacation time on in Paris right after a RS tour of Central Europe. My husband and I will be arriving in Paris on October 6 and that is entirely a travel day from Slovenia. We will get in late afternoon/early evening, so my goal is just to get to the hotel, a bite to eat and get my bearings. We are staying at a hotel in Le Marais, close to the St. Paul Metro stop.

We like to see a lot, but I am also trying to be strategic. I am thinking on day 1 Wed Oct 7 visiting St. Chapelle and consiergerie; then Notre Dame--finding a place for lunch and then visiting L'Orangerie and d'Orsay in the afternoon with a stroll in Tuileries Gardens. Dinner will be what we decide or make of it.

Day two Thurs Oct 8 Maybe the Picasso Museum first, take metro over to Arc de Triomphe, and toward early evening the Eiffel Tower. Stops for lunch and dinner, of course and will depend on timing and maybe recommendations we can get from our hotel staff.

Day Three -- all day planned for Versaille

Day Four - Strolling, picking up a site we may still want to see. I love browsing through markets and food halls....not sure if the food halls are plentiful in Paris...I did not read about them

Having said all this.......I have not purchased my Paris Museum pass yet. Can I reserve times at sites/entry times without having my Museum Pass in hand yet? I thought October was not a busy season in Paris, and now based on things I am reading, it sounds like it is going to be difficult. I may not have an option but to get it on our phones, but I typically prefer tickets to using my phone. Technology is my friend until it isn't and I do not have the newest phone!

I have read, and re-read the Rick Steves Guide for Paris and starting to get more confused than helpful now. Would appreciate any guidance from your experiences.

Posted by Judy

Long Beach, Ca, usa

08/03/26 12:56 AM

3463 posts

Sheila, What fun you will have! Am I reading your post correctly, you have four full days (Wed through Sat, leaving on Sunday)? if so, you have wisely chosen to not overdo things, except maybe for day 1, Wed. You may find that you can easily spend 2-4 hours at the Orsay. And the Orangerie might take you 1-2 hours (just my guess), but doing both the same afternoon is scrunching things up a bit, plus you may have art museum overload. (Then again, I am an old lady who moves kind of slowly.) The Tuileries gardens will be a stroll between the Orsay and Orangerie. Be sure you go to the official PMP website, parismuseumpass.fr/en when you check things out and make a purchase of the pass. (Or do so at your first venue, as has been mentioned.)

Also, you may find getting individual tickets to the places you will visit may be more economical than getting the Paris Museum Pass. Yes, it has lots of entries available on it, but it wouldn't hurt to add up the individual entries for where you will go and compare the total to the cost of the pass. (I believe it is 105 euros for a four day pass?) Do be sure to make your entry reservations as soon as you can to pick the earlier hours (smaller crowds), when possible. And don't try to plan on too many places just because they are on the pass. The days just aren't long enough.

(Just remembered...somewhere I read that some venues limit the number of entries for pass holders per day. I hope I am wrong or am confusing this with something else. Anyone out there who can address this?)

If you are looking for something else to do in Paris, may I suggest the Rodin Museum, especially the outdoor sculpture garden (I go every time I am in Paris). And the cafe on site is a nice little spot for lunch. Also, the Cluny Museum is a gem (medieval art in a fantastic old Abbey, recently refurbished) not far from the Luxembourg Gardens. Just a thought.

I am sure you will have a wonderful time. Paris is a city like no other. Amusez-vous bien!