Advice on Paris itinerary?

Thanks! The Gregorian mass at ND sounds intriguing. I had originally planned to try to get to the ND tower when it opens - do you think the lines will be terrible on a Sunday at 11, after mass? (Or are the lines always terrible?)

Looks very good to me. I would think about reserving your eiffel tower tickets online as soon as you think the itinerary is set. The line can be quite long, and I think it's a great timesaver. On day 6 you would have enough time for the highlights of the Orsay. If you're really into impressionism, I'd go for longer, but in general you should be OK. I'm not familiar with Nuit Blanche, but it appears to be an arts festival with free museum entry at some museums, and events all around town. I would think this would make the museums very crowded, with the free entry at some and a lot of people interested in art wandering around. Should be an interesting experience, I'd be tempted to get a list of the exhibits and events and see some. I got my very basic info here: http://goparis.about.com/od/events/p/Nuit_Blanche.htm

This looks like an efficient well-planned itinerary, a couple of big sites each day with time for walking and, as you will find necessary, cafe and people-watching stops. I don't know the logistics of your MSM trip but if you're there overnight you should be fine. I would recommend the Carnavalet Museum, especially since you're staying in the Marais. Right in front of Notre Dame, under the pavement, is what's left of the ancient Roman town, easy to fit into your schedule, fascinating and evocative. I also love the Cluny medieval museum in the Latin Quarter, but if you take everyone's recommended favorites you won't have time to turn around. The Chartres/Versailles day does seem "a little crazy." Either one would be a fine day trip, I think you'd have trouble doing both justice in one day. Everyone who goes to Versailles says to get there early in the day with pre-purchased tickets (internet) to minimize the line-standing. The palace is very crowded, to the point that it really detracts from the experience. Lack of bathrooms doesn't help, especially for women. You might consider Chartres and the Versailles gardens (line-free) as a day trip, assuming that there are reasonable rail connections. Another consideration re Chartres, several posters have reported a lot of scaffolding inside the cathedral, making it hard to see the stained glass and other details. You might want to check on how this will be in October. If it will still be up, perhaps just do Versailles that day, first the palace and then the gardens. Have a great time in Paris, you'll love it and want to return.

Christine, we will be in Paris at the same time (I fly in a day earlier and leave a day later) I think your plan is well thought out and very doable. While I don't know all of the details on Nuit Blanche, I'm really excited for it. We have a Nocturne Night in my city which is modeled after Nuit Blance, and it's one of my favorite nights with art installations all over the city, in random and unique places.

Looks good, but you don't have Luxembourg Gardens on your list. My favorite place in Paris and well worth a walk through. I'd also like to recommend the Nissim Camondo museum (former home of a wealthy family) near the Arc next to Parc Monceau, it's outstanding. If you get in line to climb the tower at ND by 8:45 you will be in the first group to be let in at 9 am. If you're not there by 8:45 it could be a long wait.

Here's more on Nuit Blanche. It's an expression that roughly translates all-nighter or awake all night. Museums, metros, and more will be going all night. You might want to sleep in a little Sunday morning. http://goparis.about.com/od/events/p/Nuit_Blanche.htm Lucky you!

Notre Dame doesn't "always have lines" - like when it opens, for example, there is no line, usually. The lines are longer at St. Chapelle so I would hit that first, then Notre Dame. On the whole I think this is a good itinerary. Don't worry about Pigalle, it's fine, but I would suggest it's probably not worth it to walk all the way down to Moulin Rouge just for a picture. The building is not impressive. That said, if you are up for a lot of walking, the walk from Montmarte down to Opera is a neat one, passing through some fairly diverse neighborhoods, many of them non-touristy (once you get past Pigalle, anyway). I would say you do have time for Orsay if it's open late on Thurs, at least for a quick trip. I would consider stashing your luggage at the train station, heading straight for Orsay, then going back to retrieve your luggage and then check in to your hotel late (inform them in advance if you need to). The long museum night sounds like a lot of fun but it WILL be crowded. If you want to stay up all night, you could try to do several museums that night and enjoy the fun atmosphere. If you want to avoid crowds, I'd rearrange the schedule to do your museums at other times, though.

Thanks everyone! Do you think it's worth it to get a Museum Pass for any of the days? Cost-wise, it doesn't really make sense since I didn't group things that way, but we're willing to pay for one if we could shorten wait times.

If all of the museums are free on Nuit Blanche, I'm not sure that it would make sense...if they are not free, than I might do a 3 day pass for days 6, 7, 8 (as long as you go to D'Orsay).