Visited 21 museums/major sites in 6 days

Thank you to the community for helping me plan my first trip to Paris. I just returned from my 8-day solo trip (middle-aged Asian female) and wanted to give back to the community with my experience. Sorry in advance for the wall of text.

Logistics:

Dates - March 1-8, 2025

Hotel - stayed in a hotel in the Bastille area, 3rd arrondissement - it was very convenient/safe, lots of shopping nearby

Transportation - booked G7 with meeting at the airport to go to the hotel (78 euros) and took G7 back to the airport (63 euros) within the city, walked, bus, and metro (as I was very apprehensive of the whole getting cheated by taxis at the airport and pickpockets at the metro, I found booking a meeting at airport transfer with G7 less stressful and worked my comfort up to taking the metro as my trip progressed. The bus was very convenient and you get to see the city more during your journey. Just remember to signal the bus driver to stop for you.) Google Maps, G7, and ile de France mobilités (mobile Navigo pass) apps were used

Museums - visiting the museums was the main purpose for my solo trip. Hence, solo, as no one I knew would do the pace of museums I did. I bought the 6-day Paris Museum Pass. My interests are in architecture, paintings, and fashion.

Day Arrive - got my bearings and just walked around

Day 1 - La Galerie Dior (not included in pass, but a must-see if you love fashion), Musee d’art et d’histoire du Judaisme, Centre Pompidou Musée national d'art moderne (was there during sunset and got great pictures of the orange sky and sparkling Eiffel Tower)

Day 2 - Louvre (I booked the 9am spot of the day, went through the Carrousel entrance via the staircase by the Arch, west of the Pyramid, there was a delayed opening due to an all staff meeting, got in at 10:30, walked through all the galleries, loved the Louvre Couture exhibit, was at the whole museum for 7 hours, brought sandwich in the morning to eat inside under IM Pei's pyramid, saw Mona Lisa at around 3:30pm, not too crowded by then. Overall, felt this museum is overrated, but just the thought that all modern painters were inspired by the works displayed here makes it a must see.)

Day 3 - Conciergerie (booked 9:30am spot, not much to see, but messed up and thought I booked the combo Conciergerie and Sainte Chappelle, tired to go to SC, but line was super long without reso), Pantheon (worth the walk up the hill, was amazed at how big it is), Musée de Cluny, Notre-Dame de Paris (booked time 3pm, but was not necessary), Crypte Archeologique de l’Ile de la Cite, tried SC again at closing (no longer taking no reso visitors)

Day 4 - Sainte-Chapelle (9am arrived right when it opens, line not bad without reso, got in no problem), Cite de l’architecture et du patrimoine (booked 11am slot, but no reso was needed, has a great Le Corbusier section), Eiffel Tower (just walked around the area), Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac (just visited the temp exhibit called Golden Thread - amazing), Musée National Picasso-Paris (late opening visit, a must see if you are a Picasso fan)

Day 5 - Musee de l’institut du Monde Arabe (came to just see the window mechanisms, but exhibits were interesting), Musée des Arts Décoratifs (dark house of the Paris museums, highly recommend), Musée de l'Orangerie (booked at 4pm, but got in at 3pm, not too crowded at all), Musée d'Orsay (best museum, if you had to only go to one museum, this would be the one I recommend, as it has a bit of everything, the number of famous and recognizable paintings out shine one Mona Lisa, did the evening opening and was not that crowded)

Day 6 - shopped and walked covered galleries (overrated and lots are semi abandoned), Bibliotheque nationale de France (not part of Pass, so only went to view the two free main library rooms), Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann (must see just for the dome, and views from rooftop, which I missed), Arc de Triomphe (8pm to closing, nice to see at night with a clear sky, spent most of my time at the top observatory)

Day Depart - last breakfast in Paris, and flew home

Notes: 

Pickpockets - was very apprehensive, but ended up only encountering clipboard wielding ones at the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, you can spot them a mile away. I had my phone on a lanyard and put away with one airpod in ear for walking directions. Just be vigilant, as I saw a lot of tourist with open bags/purses as they went in to retrieve their wallets and forgot to zip back closed

Lactose-Intolerant diet - just ate Asian or vegan food, had Land and Monkey plant-based croissants, baked goods and bagged their sandwiches for lunch almost everyday, used Happy Cow app, was not in Paris for the food scene for obvious reasons 

Toilettes - TMI warning, as someone who believes in hydration and has a small bladder, museums were the best bet for having facilities, fast food chain restaurants, Starbucks when desperate; no toilettes in Notre-Dame or anywhere nearby (Correction: the public toilets for Notre Dame are downstairs near the Charlemagne statue for 2€. Also, a free pod on Rue d'Arcole.)

Conclusion: enjoyed my solo trip immensely, felt safe, and learned a lot from visiting museum exhibits. Never too old to learn.

I hope this helps others in planning their trip to Paris. I look forward to reading any comments and will try to answer anyone if they have specific questions. I will check back when I can. 

merci d'avoir lu

Edited to add a few corrections to my original post from the comments.