Thoughts Wanted: Paris Itinerary Advice for April 2025

I think your list is OK but you may have to leave something out.

The Louvre, Versailles and Catacombs will need to be booked ahead of time. Check closure days and then block the rest of your sights around them.

Here’s a suggestion but you’ll need to switch things around based on closure days.

Day 1 : Do you arrive from an overseas flight? If so, what time? You could consider walking to the Luxembourg Gardens this afternoon and possibly seeing the nearby Pantheon.

Day 2: Louvre in the AM, Notre Dame in the afternoon. Perhaps Arc de Triomphe in the evening

Day 3: Versailles. To me this is a full day sight so I wouldn’t book anything else this day.

Day 4: Pantheon in the AM before you go if you didn’t get to it before. Depending on what time you need to leave perhaps you can get to the Catacombs before you go.

Have a wonderful time!

The RS Guide book can answer so many of your questions, and includes sample itineraries. There's one book just for Paris, and one for France.
Have fun planning!

wvovolvo,
Since your plane arrives at 2:00 p.m., expect to get to your hotel probably not before 5:00, if it arrives on time and all goes smoothly through security, etc.. Day 1 will give you time to walk around your neighborhood a bit and have dinner. Then, if you are coming from the US, you will probably crash. Begin your serious sightseeing day 2, 3 and 4. Day 5 (4th morning) you leave for Amboise. I hope I am reading your "mornings" right. I seem to have a different understanding than Pam. Pam's order of sightseeing sounds good on your first full day. It is full, but doable. Versaille also takes the full day, but you could get back in time for a boat ride on the Seine (they take about an hour). Third day Pantheon, catacombs and Luxembourg Gardens.
Yes, you can do all this in your three and one quarter days. Have you also figured in time for lunch and dinner, and planned out how you are going to get from place to place? Walking is good, and the metro is convenient, but not instantaneous. Build in some time to look at things, even if only for fifteen minutes. And sometimes when there are crowds, you simply can't walk fast.
To be honest, I hope you find time to get a a good look at things and don't just fly by. Paris is one of the most enchanting cities in the world. Please take time to enjoy and appreciate her! She deserves your sitting at a cafe with a coffee or aperitif, watching the world pass by. That is one of the best "Paris" things to do!
Get tickets to the Louvre, Versaille and the catacombs ahead of time. Possibly the Pantheon and Arc de Triomph. It's been a long time for me since I've been, so I'm not sure.
Use the search bar above and enter something like "Paris transportation" in it, then filter for forum and less than 6 months. There will be lots of discussions there. And my preference is a taxi from CDG to hotel, but there is the metro also.

Best of luck in your planning!

Hi, wvovolvo, what a wonderful trip for you and your daughter!

I'm jumping in because I will be traveling to Paris in early April of this year with two of my grandchildren (11 and 15) and will only have 2 1/2 full days there. Because of that, we are limiting the sights we will see.

For example, they want to see the Louvre, the Catacombs and Notre Dame, so those will be booked ahead. We also plan to take an evening cruise on the Seine to see the city lit up at night. But other than that, we will mostly be playing it by ear.

So a good portion of our time will be spent wandering through neighborhoods like Montmartre or the Marais, hanging out at Luxembourg Gardens, stopping for chocolate at places like Angelina, getting ice cream at Berthillon, and enjoying pastries, croissants and all the other foods you can find at the many boulangeries and patisseries that dot the neighborhoods of Paris.

It's been decades since I've been to Paris, but the one thing I remember is that it is a city to slow down and enjoy the atmosphere.

Mardee, we are going to Paris spring 2026, so I look forward to your Trip Report. You have spoiled us in the past with the practical and useful info in your reports. Have a great adventure with the grandchildren. You are passing your love of travel onto the next generation. Safe travels!

Wow! Less than 24hrs later and so many replies!
We will be coming from the US on an 8hr flight. I think your responses have already helped orient me. I will post back with my decisions and hopefully have my experience to share post trip!
Thanks for the input and more is always welcome!

Pat, thank you! That is very sweet of you to say! I will say I am really looking forward to this trip, and I think the 2 grandkids are as well. Although right now my granddaughter is more impressed by the fact that I paid for a seat upgrade. When I told her, she ran screaming to her mom, saying, "Mom, Oma got Comfort+ tickets!" :-) She might not be so impressed after seeing the Delta One pods.

So based on the responses and what research I could do (it is overwhelming for a rookie), I have come up with a plan. I would love all thoughts on the plan and possible adjustments.
April 18 (Fri): Fly in to CDG, make way to housing, wander & eat
April 19 (Sat): Louvre in am (reserve ahead), Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe
April 20 (Sun): Versailles in am (reserve ahead), cruise on Seine in pm
April 21 (Mon): Wander, shop, relax OR Pantheon & Luxembourg Gardens
April 22 (Tue): Catacombs in am, wander OR Pantheon & Luxembourg Gardens
April 23 (Wed): drive rented car to Amboise for the rest of our stay

I realize crowds will be tough for the Louvre & Versailles but I am not sure where else to fit them.
I would love thoughts on my plan, on what to buy for public transportation and where I should rent a car for my drive to Amboise. When we return from Amboise we will be heading to CDG for our flight home.

I don't think Amboise has much in the way of car rentals, but have you considered taking the train to Tours, renting a car in Tours and then driving to Amboise? I think that would be much easier. I wouldn't want to drive even on the outskirts of Paris.

Re car rental, what Mardee said.

Well I have purchased my tickets for the Louvre and Versailles and set my calendar to remind me to buy my tickets for the Catacombs when I am 7 days out!

I would love some recommendations on what to purchase for Mass transit I will likely need it to get from CDG to close to our place of stay, get around Paris for our day trips, get to Versailles and back, get to Tours and finally, to get to CDG from returning the rental (I am assuming in Tours). Also, should I attempt to rent a car in Tours in person or should I reserve ahead of time?

Thanks for the advice, you have been so helpful thus far!

So based on the responses and what research I could do (it is overwhelming for a rookie), I have come up with a plan. I would love all thoughts on the plan and possible adjustments.

April 18 (Fri): Fly in to CDG, make way to housing, wander & eat

April 19 (Sat): Louvre in am (reserve ahead), Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe

April 20 (Sun): Versailles in am (reserve ahead), cruise on Seine in pm

April 21 (Mon): Wander, shop, relax OR Pantheon & Luxembourg Gardens

April 22 (Tue): Catacombs in am, wander OR Pantheon & Luxembourg Gardens

April 23 (Wed): drive rented car to Amboise for the rest of our stay

Hi wvovolvo!

If you want to visit Notre Dame as a visitor/tourist (and not attend Mass/liturgical ceremonies), I would strongly recommend moving your visit to Notre Dame to be on Tuesday, April 22nd instead.

Notre Dame from Thursday, April 17th until Tuesday, April 22nd is going to be exceptionally busy due to Easter Celebrations. Easter is one of the busiest times of the year at Notre Dame, and it will be the first Easter after the reopening. Monday, April 21st (Easter Monday) is also a Public Holiday in France. Plus, all the schools in France will be on Spring Break, and tourism season will be picking up.

Another reason why I recommend visiting Notre Dame on Tuesday, April 22nd is because it's quite possible that between Thursday, April 17th until Tuesday, April 22nd, no advanced reservations/time slots will be offered due to the Easter Celebrations (this hasn't been 100% confirmed yet, but it was like this on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, there were no advanced reservations/time slots offered). Notre Dame has a very strict capacity limit and those attending Mass/liturgical ceremonies (ie. Easter Celebrations) always get priority entrance over visitors/tourists.

Based on the days you'll be in Paris, the best day/time to visit Notre Dame (with the lowest crowds) will be on Tuesday, April 22nd with a time slot between 9:00am and 10:00am, so that you'll be able to see everything (explanation following), and still beat the heavy crowds! Notre Dame opens at 7:50am on weekdays and at 8:15am on weekends, however, the front section of the Nave (the centre) and the crossing of the Transept are closed to visitors until approximately 9:00am (once Morning Mass is finished).

Time slots can be reserved on Notre Dame’s free online reservation system for dates up to 2 days in advance: https://resa.notredamedeparis.fr/fr/reservationindividuelle/tickets

• The first batch of new time slots is released at midnight (Paris time), for the date 2 days ahead. For example: At midnight (Paris time) on April 1st, time slots are released for April 3rd. Any dates beyond April 3rd will automatically be greyed out/appear to be full. This first batch can fill up within ~20 minutes of being released, so I recommend opening the reservation system around 11:50pm. For the fastest connection, I recommend accessing it on your computer using Chrome.

• New/additional "same day" time slots are released 4 hours in advance. For example: At 5:00am (Paris time), new time slots are released for 9:00am for that same day. At 5:30am, new time slots are released for 9:30am, etc. However, there are certain hours when no time slots are ever offered, therefore no new time slots are released 4 hours in advance of those hours. For example: No time slots are offered for 12:00pm, therefore no new time slots will be released at 8:00am. The availability of these time slots is based on the planned and/or current capacity available inside the cathedral, and are not guaranteed.

• New/additional "spontaneous" time slots are released sporadically throughout the day. The availability of these time slots is based on the current capacity available inside the cathedral, and are not guaranteed.

If you have any questions, just let me know!

Thanks for the Notre Dame info! I think I will plan to visit it on the Tuesday morning you have suggested!

Now I just need to figure out mass transit and car rental. Getting excited!

Thanks for the Notre Dame info! I think I will plan to visit it on the Tuesday morning you have suggested!

Hi wvovolvo!

You're welcome. I hope you get to visit, enjoy!!

I know I am bucking the trend here but I would skip the Louvre - crowded, expensive and overwhelming. (few took our teens and they were done on an hour - simply too much). If you must go, spend time in advance to decide what you really want to see and map it out. Depending on your timing, know that it is free for all visitors on the first Friday of the month after 6 p.m.

Instead of the Louvre, I would suggest the Musee Jacquemart Andree, a gorgeous mansion filled with fabulous art (advance purchase tickets recommended) or the Rodin -but its really a matter of what you would like to do,

Whatever you do, I hope you love Paris!!