Day 10 of 18 · Paris

The tower, the river, the dinner.

Eiffel summit · Rodin garden · the Seine at dusk with champagne · the big dinner

☼ 59°F / 46°FSun and cloudWear: Warm layers, a scarf, something nice for dinner. Comfortable shoes; umbrella just in case.

School-holiday week in France · busier than a normal weekday

The big night. Built around Dr. Leticia's exact recommendation: the tower, then the Seine at dusk with champagne as they light it.

Optional, before the day starts. A 1-hour gym session or a run (nearest option is on the Paris page), and an afternoon nap block is built into the schedule below, take it on the long days.

01Morning

Trocadéro

10:00

A slow start after the earlier mornings, coffee near the hotel, no rush. The Eiffel slot moved to 12:30 (10:00-12:00 sold out before it got booked), so there's a real morning free.

11:00

Lunch early, on Rue Cler (the market street), a traiteur picnic and wine, eaten before the tower rather than after. See Meals.

12:00

Trocadéro for the photo, then walk down through the gardens to the Eiffel Tower.

02Afternoon

Eiffel summit · Rodin garden

12:30-14:30

Eiffel Tower, booked, summit by lift, plus the Champagne Ballet Cocktail for two. Do the 2nd floor first, look around, then queue there for the summit lift.

15:00

Musée Rodin garden, cheap, roses still out, The Thinker, The Gates of Hell. A shorter, calm visit, the later tower slot ate into this window.

16:15

Back to the hotel to change. Rest.

03Evening

Seine at dusk

~dusk

Seine cruise with champagne. Book the departure closest to dusk so you're on the water as the light goes. The tower's golden lighting comes on at nightfall; once lit, it sparkles for five minutes at the top of every hour.

Reconfirm before departure: the exact sunset time for 22 Oct and the cruise timetable, then pick the slot that lands you mid-river at nightfall.

20:00

The big dinner at Le Train Bleu, booked, table for 2 (Belle Époque, up the staircase in Gare de Lyon). See Meals.

Booked through TheFork for 20:00. Ask to be seated in the main room, not the bar. The cruise has to leave you time to cross town to Gare de Lyon, build in a margin.

The table

Lunch, 11:00 (moved earlier)~$90 / ~$185 inside

Rue Cler picnic, or Madame Brasserie inside the Eiffel

Dr. Trace & Dr. Leticia reserve ahead Rue Cler is the classic Paris market street, buy a baguette, jambon, comté, a rotisserie chicken, a bottle, and eat on the Champ de Mars. Madame Brasserie (tower, 1st floor) is the splurge Dr. Leticia loved: “the food's fine, the view is the point.” With the tower slot now 12:30-14:30, eating before makes more sense than after; Madame Brasserie only works if you book a table that lands before the summit lift.

Order: Picnic: baguette tradition, jambon de Paris, a runny cheese, a tarte from the boulangerie. Or at Madame Brasserie, the set lunch menu.

mapreserve

Dinner~$185

Le Train Bleu (Gare de Lyon), booked 20:00

house pick booked An 1901 dining room inside the station, gilt, frescoes of the whole PLM railway line, a listed monument. Booked, table for 2 at 20:00.

Order: The gigot d'agneau carved tableside, a soufflé to finish, champagne. Or the set menu, which is the value play.

mapreserve

Tickets and bookings

Item	When	Est.	Link	Status
Eiffel Tower, summit by lift + Champagne Ballet Cocktail (×2) inbox, search “Eiffel Tower”	BOOKED · 12:30 (10:00 sold out)	€117.40	open	booked
Seine cruise, Bateaux Parisiens, champagne (×2) inbox, search “Bateaux Parisiens”	the departure closest to dusk	~$75	open	to book
The big dinner, Le Train Bleu (table for 2) inbox, search “Train Bleu”	BOOKED · Thu 22 Oct, 20:00 · table for 2	table only	open	booked

+ add this day to your calendar

Today's voucher: Eiffel Tower ticket (Google Drive). All confirmations live in Europe 2026 / Reservations & Vouchers, shared with the two of you. Nothing sensitive is on this page.

Before you leave the door

Insider edge

Split the tower, lift to the 2nd floor, look around, then queue there for the summit lift. And do the river at dusk, not midday, with the champagne option, so you're on the water when they light it.

Dr. Trace & Dr. Leticia

Avoid this

The sellers at the base of the tower (roses, shell games) and anyone offering to take your photo. Going up the Arc de Triomphe (paid) Galeries Lafayette's roof is free and higher.

Dr. Trace & Dr. Leticia

Backup move

Wind closes the summit, they refund that portion automatically; do the 2nd floor, then the Musée d'Orsay (15 min away, open till 21:45 Thursdays).

House pick

Ideal window

Eiffel at 12:30 (the 10:00 opening slot was gone by the time it was booked); the cruise timed to dusk so you're mid-river when the tower lights, and ideally through one hourly sparkle; dinner at 20:00.

House pick

If time, or if a deal lands

Option	Added	Note
Seine DINNER cruise instead (upgrade)	+$175	full dinner on the water, the bigger swing
Madame Brasserie, lunch inside the Eiffel	+$95	the delta over the Rue Cler picnic

What today runs

Estimates. Swap in the real figure as you go.

Eiffel Tower, summit by lift + champagne (×2)	$127
Musée Rodin, garden (×2)	$10
Seine sunset cruise, champagne (×2)	$75
Lunch, Rue Cler picnic	$90
The big dinner, Le Train Bleu (booked)	$185
Coffee	$8
Today, Paris	$495

Flights and the places to stay are on the costs page, not counted here.

How it went

Written after the day: what you did, what you loved, what you'd skip, the photographs, a voice note or two. It fills in here and in the album.