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.