7 day Paris tour questions

Every time we visit Paris we make visits to the Rodin Museum and l’Orangerie; don’t miss either of them!

We've been on 3 RS tours, but not on this specific tour, but your itinerary tour says it includes a 7-day metro and bus pass. Day 6 after d'Orsay is a suggested day to visit l'Orangerie on your free time. You will definitely want to make a reservation for the marvelous l'Orangerie. The best way to plan for that is to reach out to the Rick Steves' office. They can tell you specifically what time your d'Orsay tour (at least the organized part) is over; then you can figure out from there your timing for other things. (This was very helpful for us in planning our free time on the Amsterdam tour.)

Also, we were in Paris in the spring on our own. The Rodin gardens are wonderful. It's such a beautiful, intimate, calm place to enjoy the outdoor sculptures and view of the top of the Eiffel Tower. If the weather permits, I'd suggest starting outside first. It's the best part of the museum. We missed the VR at Notre Dame but hear it's marvelous. We of course are sorry we were too early to see the scaffolding come down on the catheral. So amazing that it reopens in a few weeks.

Enjoy your tour!

Don't worry, KD. There will still be scaffolding on Notre Dame for a long while yet. They are reopening it, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

I remember our bus and metro card was good for the last day of the tour, too. We did this tour in 2018 and after the group orientation we did a bus tour versus a walking tour that gave us several opportunities to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower. It looks like they still use the same hotels one of which is close to the Eiffel Tower. We also got great pictures of it on our Seine boat tour with the twinkle lights and the last night we walked to it and did a Champaign toast as a group. On our time on our own, we visited a variety of museums not covered on the tour including Rodin and the Musee des Hospitalieres to see Napolean’s tomb. On our tour we did the Louvre and the l’orangerie as a group with city guides but were given tickets to the Orsay to do on our own. It may be different now and it’s too bad because the tour of the Louvre was done in the evening and the guide was wonderful. We also just walked, a lot, down the Champs d’ elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, thru street markets, spent more time in the Montmartre area, etc. There’s so much to see and do, have a great time.

Kim, that makes so much sense! I said aloud to my husband when we were there; there's no way that scaffolding will be down by December.

On the first night neighborhood walk we did not walk by the Eiffel Tower but my tour date was also not staying in that neighborhood. Some stay at the Hotel Londres Eiffel which is literally a 5 minute walk to the Tower.

We were given the Navigo Decouverte which is a week pass. You need to bring a photo although I'd missed that bit of info so the hotel just photocopied my passport picture for me and that worked fine.

I do recommend you arrive a day early to give yourself time for travel hiccups. I generally stay in the Rue Cler area and walk over to the Eiffel Tower on my arrival afternoon. That would work if your tour departure stays at Londres Eiffel.

All three of your choices are excellent options for your afternoons. You'll need a timed entry for the Orangerie. You do not need it for the Rodin. I'm not sure about the Eternelle Notre Dame presentation.

Thanks! This is all good info. We are arriving Friday before the tour starts Sunday so will take the opportunity to walk over to it that day. We are staying at Hotel Londres Eiffel which looks very close so will try and be outside to fight jet lag. I think we will try a food tour on Saturday but it also looks like the hotel is very close to Rue Cler which looks to have many options for good easy food.

If the metro/ bus ticket is good for a week that would be convenient. I might email the office once I have all questions lined up. The tour isn’t for 4 months. Can you tell I’m excited?

Oh, you will LOVE this tour! The ONLY bad thing is that it has cost me a LOT of money...in return trips to Paris, hahaha!

And yes, at Londres Eiffel you are literally right there for the Eiffel Tower.

Be really cautious about eating at the restaurants at the intersection of Rue Saint-Dominique/Avenue Rapp/Avenue de la Bourdenaisse, particularly the one called Le Champ de Mars. I see it listed on the Les Frenchies FB page as being a place where people are ripped off for tips and charged exorbitantly for water, etc. Any of the restaurants on Saint-Dominique east to and past Rue Cler, or down Rue Augereau and on Rue de Grenelle are fine. Just that corner and that particular restaurant.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/pdi8ATydyA8jy16h9

Here are some things to get you excited!!

This is a link to a Corey Frye pre-Covid video walk that starts on Avenue Rapp near your hotel and walks down Rue Saint-Dominique. At 9:50 into the walk there is a street that goes off to the right and this is where your hotel is located. Just at the end of the restaurant on the corner but he doesn't pan in that direction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAY8vsAbpFs

The restaurant he walks by with the red awning at 22:32 is one of my favorites - Cafe Roussillon. Nice food, nice people who will accommodate English.

He starts the walk at Square Rapp and shows some Art Nouveau architecture if that is of interest to you.

https://www.parisperfect.com/blog/2011/03/art-nouveau-7th-arrondissement/
https://parisadele.com/portfolio/lavirotte-building-and-square-rapp/?fbclid=IwAR0ewCFJJSQ-dsJpEx6Ax4gVPAx9adU-k00kFVJLAhHRTngXax8Tb3R7n6Q

Any interest in military history including WWII? On one end of the Champ de Mars is the Eiffel Tower. At the other end of the green space is the Ecole Militaire (also the name of the Metro stop) and that is where Napoleon went to school! There is also a cafe on Avenue de la Motte Picquet that was used by the resistance in WWII to spy on German soldiers who were billetted at both the Army Museum complex and the Ecole Militaire.

I will shut up! I just came back home 3 weeks on Wednesday and I wish I were back there!

Thanks Pam, you’ve given me tons of info to look into! I had heard about Les Frenchies and have their YouTube channel bookmarked to start watching. I had also read a couple of posts about people who got sick at the restaurant you mentioned. Too many restaurants to try to even take a chance.

Hi ncangelose, I’ve done this tour twice. It’s a great intro to Paris and you will have a wonderful time! As discussed, the Londres Eiffel Hotel is steps away from the Eiffel Tower (we walked over every evening to watch it twinkle). It’s a very nice, clean hotel. The neighborhood is safe, staff is helpful, included breakfast is great, rooms are small.

Many shops and restaurants in the area. Avoid the Champs de Mars Brasserie, we were ripped off there twice. We’d been there many times in the past (which is why it got a second chance), but in the past few years management or something has changed. Food still good but we got royally ripped off with the “after 9 pm surcharge” and excessive tip the server helped himself to. Many other choices.

The Notre Dame virtual reality experience was really unique and fun.

Have a great trip!

Ive been there a few times and have gone on some bike tours. The bike company was called Fat Tire bike tours and they have a day time one that is more history based and very good. I also did the night bike tour which has less history, but it includes a boat cruise of the seine with wine, and on your bike home, they stop at the Eiffel tower to watch the light show. Both were very fun, just depends what you are looking for. Enjoy your tour!

The Rodin and L’Orangerie museums are definitely going on the “must do” list. So many have recommended it. But a bike tour probably not, because we are well into our 70’s Oh to be young again! Enjoy every minute you can be so active.
There is so much to see I must remember to try and not do too much but instead savor, like a fine wine or chocolate.

My friend and I did the virtual reality Notre Dame experience in June. We are both in our 50s, had never done any type of virtual reality experience and we both loved it! We thought it was well done, you learned a lot and it was amazing that you did feel like you were looking at the real things! I have been in Notre Dame before the fire and while that is an amazing experience it was equally impressive to have the virtual reality experience to be able to see things like the Rose window up close at eye level.

We have the VR Notre Dame experience on our list but on another thread here someone who just did it said the personnel told them the location by Notre Dame will be closing sometime in 2025. So that will be on the “maybe” list to check into closer to the time. I also read that we will be able to book tickets to actually go inside Notre Dame once it reopens in December since the tour group doesn’t go inside together on Day 2. So I definitely want to do that.
We are looking at going to Monet’s garden after the tour ends. It seems that it should be easy by train but we live in a very limited public transport area. We did use the metro ( with the guide) and bus system ( on our own) in Rome, and caught a train from Rome to Venice so I don’t know why this makes me kind of apprehensive about doing it on our own, but it does.
Also Musee Marmotten has popped up as another option to satisfy my Impressionist cravings. Anyone go to it too?

Musee Marmottan is excellent. You'll need a timed entry there but should be able to wait until a couple of weeks before you travel to purchase that.

"We are looking at going to Monet’s garden after the tour ends. It seems that it should be easy by train but we live in a very limited public transport area."

I totally understand! Never having lived anywhere with public transport I will tell you that this is easy! I have gone a number of times and just went a couple of weeks ago. Here is how I handled things:

1. Check the SNCF scheduling on trains from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon. There has been some work on tracks so there was only one choice for a non-stop train to Vernon (and on beyond) which left at 10:11AM. Otherwise you have to change trains and I'd rather do a non-stop. The return train is at 4-something and that worked fine. I booked a RT ticket on the SNCF app a few days ahead of time.

2. We were seriously delayed (signalling problems leaving Saint-Lazare) but we got to Giverny in time for lunch and then a timed entry at 1:30. I ate at Les Nympheas where I've eaten before and is right next to the garden complex. They are fast, food is pretty good and staff is very pleasant.

3. Book tickets to the House and Garden a few days ahead of time. Look for the signs for the entrance for the timed entry tickets. It's down around on the back side of the garden (not where everyone is standing in line!). Do the Waterlily ponds first by turning right after you come thru the entrance onto the main path. This takes you under the road and to the pond. Then back track and head for the main gardens, the house, the toilettes lol and the gift shop.

4. At the Vernon train station, there are shuttle buses that will take you to Giverny and Monet's home. The train was late, only one bus was there and filled quickly so I had to wait for another shuttle. The charge was I think 10E paid to the driver for a round trip bus ticket. I suggest you also download the BOLT taxi app. Wound up using them to get back to the station as it felt like time was running out. That worked great. BOLT driver was awesome and gave me a mini-tour on the way to the train station, lol. I'd not used BOLT before but wow, it worked really well. Others were using BOLT to pickup from the station. I think the taxi ride was about 15E?? Not 100% sure. For myself this was an instance of throwing money at something to decrease my anxiety. It turned out there was plenty of time to get to the station. They have awful toilettes at the station - takes a 50 Euro Cent piece (no option to use a card or Applepay) so go before you leave Giverny.

5. Be sure to do a screen shot of your train ticket and the garden entrance tickets in case there is a glitch and you can't access on your phone.

Thanks Pam, your info makes it seem like we can do it. Do you think it is necessary to book a specific return ticket? Could you get it at the Vernon station? I was thinking I’d like to be flexible since I don’t know how long we would want to be there. But I also don’t want to not be able to get back to Paris if the trains are very crowded and sell out.

This is a “local-ish” train and it’s my understanding they do not sell out. IF Kim from Paris says something different go with her answer. Yes, you can buy at the station (although the ticket line was long) but I would just download the SNCF app and purchase thru there. VERY easy! You would need a data connection to make this work.

Do look ahead to see when the non-stops are to return to Paris. I think they were something like 4:50/5:50/6:50 PM or a few minutes either side of that. Look at the closure time for the gardens as well as the sunset time.

I use www.sunrisesunset.com to print out a calendar of times for my trips. I tick the box for Civil Twilight which gives me the end of darkness in the AM and beginning of darkness in the PM.

My sister and I experienced this amazing tour last July. We added the Cluny and Rodin on our free time. We ate at a place recommended by our guide for the day but I can't recall the place. It was know for it's crepes. So good! We stayed at the Hotel Londres Eiffel and walked to the Eiffel Tower several times. Night time is not to be missed! Enjoy! Be sure to take the carts into Versailles after touring thee palace. The Marie Antoinette hamlet is well worth the extra time. The outdoor restaurant has a nice, relaxed atmosphere.

Thanks all for the recommendations and info. This group is the best. I will spend the next few weeks fine tuning our plans and backup plans ( if weather interferes with things) and see if any other questions come up.

The Marmottan Museum owns Monet's "Impression, Sunrise" - art historians will know the significance of this 1872 work. They had a fine selection of Berthe Morisot works which are really worthwhile. Take a taxi to get there in the morning and back as well...but it's also possible to walk back to the Eiffel and the 7th in decent weather. We took advantage of a day that the Louvre stays open until 9 pm - it was definitely less crowded for a 2nd visit. Note that 2 of our tour days were completely swapped. Our Montmartre day was switched with another so I was glad we didn't make too many plans for those 2 days.

That’s interesting Silas Marner. Which days were switched and what was the reason given?
I know things can change and will try and plan things that can be booked last minute for the afternoons off. On the one involving Montmarte I think we will just amble back to the hotel. The other one I think we will try and book tickets to see the inside Notre Dame once it is open again..

I sincerely hope they don't switch days around because I bought tickets for an evening concert on a day we're supposed to be free.

I hope you have a great trip! If you want me to share what I have planned for our afternoons, I'm happy to type them! I have been looking at the Paris map and trying to line it up with our scheduled activities. But my daughter and I are going in April, so I can't share how it actually went just yet!

PBScd, I also hope days don’t get switched around too much, but if the weather looks bad for one of the walking tours or Versailles maybe that would be a reason. Also some of the tours start on a different day of the week and maybe a museum is closed etc.
I have sent you a private message with my tentative plans in more detail so we could compare notes.

ncangelose, I don't recall offhand what was swapped with Montmartre. It happened a few years ago. I will see if I still have the original and changed itinerary. I'm sure Virginie had a valid reason. Last month our Greece tour was changed. Apostolos swapped the Acropolis Museum visit afternoon with our National Archeological Museum visit because the latter museum was not going to be open on it's normal schedule. It did cause some havoc for a few tour members. So it happens....

Silas Marner,
I can understand swapping days, especially if the hours of museums suddenly switch. So I’ll keep my plans flexible and fingers crossed. I have a couple of extra days at the end of the tour ( one for Monet’s Garden) so I can switch around. The only tickets I plan to purchase ahead of time during the tour days are for L’ Orangerie. If I can’t use them I’ll try and get them for my flex day. That would be the only real disappointment if I don’t get there.

ncangelose, it certainly is a good idea to have some extra days to enable flexibility. I think you will have a wonderful time. If you have something that's very important to you it's perfectly acceptable to choose that over a tour activity. All you need to do is let your guide know and possibly your buddy.

My partner and I like to do those activities that are really important to us before the tour or alternatively afterwards. That way we aren't disappointed if something goes awry with the tour.

Did this tour last April. Go at least one day early. We stopped in London first for several days and trained to Paris. Extras we planned: Monet’s water Lilly’s first day and walk through gardens. We splurged on lunch at Jules Verne as a birthday celebration. Left Versailles a little early (you go back to Paris on your own when you want to leave the gardens) to attend 5 or 6 pm opera tour after closing (wonderful!). Make sure you take time to go to top of department stores for amazing views. We had tickets to Dior museum Sat afternoon and Sunday attended outdoor market. The market experience is what I woke up thinking about this am. Flew home on Monday. Rodin museum packed and very hot inside, gardens relaxing. This is a busy tour. Nice to have time before and/or after to savor Paris at a more relaxed pace.

Thanks Jill,
We are arriving the Friday before our tour starts Sunday. So far we have planned to walk around the Eiffel Tower area on Friday. Saturday will be Arc de Triumph and Champs L’Elysee then a food tour in the afternoon. Sunday morning Rodin’s museum. During the tour we hope to visit the depart store that has the amazing views and the Orangerie.. Monet’s garden will be the weekend after the tour ( maybe Saturday) so we can go to the Sunday market. That sounds like a lot of fun. On Sunday we will also wanted to go to Musee Marmotten. Number one to fit in will be trying to get tickets for inside Notre Dame now that is open, so whenever that info becomes more reliable we will be going there. Best possible outcome will be going the afternoon we will be in the area.

What wonderful advice from all. My wife and I are on this tour next October so I am keeping track of all the other than tour ideas, as well as places to eat. We did the Paris and the Heart of France tour in 2023 with four days pre tour and two day post. While I wish we could arrive sooner for our 2025 tour, we are ending the best of Spain tour on the day the Paris tour starts. So hoping our flight from Seville has no issues. I highly recommend a visit to Napoleon’s tomb. We did the Monte’s Gardens as part of the HOF tour but it is well worth a visit. Unless you really really want to brace the crowds I don’t recommend a tour to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I do recommend a visit to Sacre-Coeur. The views of the city are fantastic especially at night with the Tower in all its glory.
I emailed with the RS staff on the Norte-Dame visit and you are correct the tour is not planned for an inside. From my email response:”If there is no line then sometimes the guide will take that opportunity to let the tour members go in ~ but that all depends on how the guided tour is going. Usually a local guide is giving the tour and will make the call.”

While a timed entry ticket is not required to get inside I do plan a visit inside. I just need to figure out when to schedule the time.

Good luck!