Item
Paris Museum Pass, 4-day (×2)
inbox, search “Museum Pass”
€216.30 total (€210 + a €6.30 booking fee), bought direct via parismuseumpass.fr. Covers the Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie, Versailles palace, Sainte-Chapelle, Rodin and more.
Day 11 of 18 · Paris
The Louvre without dying in it.
Planned 2.5-hr route · the Water Lilies · the Orsay · a classic bistro night
☼ 58°F / 45°FCloudWear: Layers, the most comfortable shoes you brought.
School-holiday week in France · busier than a normal weekday
A planned route through the Louvre, out in 2.5 hours, then Monet in the round at the Orangerie, then a focused hour and a half with the Impressionists at the Orsay across the river before the big bistro dinner. Still at the Marriott tonight, the move to L'Empire is Sunday.
Today’s shape, roughly
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
09:00
Louvre, pre-booked entry. The route: Winged Victory, the Grande Galerie to the Mona Lisa (and directly behind you, Veronese's vast Wedding at Cana) to Venus de Milo, the French Romantics (Géricault, Delacroix), the Egyptian rooms, out.
Check the live entrance situation that morning: the Pyramid is the primary reserved-entry point; the Carrousel (from the mall) and Porte des Lions can be quicker when they're open, but don't walk to one that's closed. Backup navigation: the official Louvre Masterpieces trail, worth a read before you go. Both Museum Passes (restricted Drive) are also required with this timed slot.
02Afternoon
12:00
Lunch in the Palais-Royal gardens / Rue Saint-Honoré. See Meals.
14:00
Walk the Tuileries to the Musée de l'Orangerie, Monet's Water Lilies in the two oval rooms he designed for them. Dr. Leti: “you have to see that.”
Booked, 14:00, 2 tickets, free with the pass. Pass holders who reserve get priority within about 30 min of the slot. Bring the Paris Museum Pass itself, the Orangerie ticket is a voucher and is not valid on its own. Closed Tuesdays, same as the Louvre; today's Friday. About a 15-20 min walk from the Louvre through the Tuileries; an hour to 90 minutes inside is plenty, it's a small museum.
16:00
Across the river to the Musée d'Orsay for the Impressionists (Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne), a floor up from the giant station clock. A focused, highlights-only visit, not the full collection.
Booked free via billetterie.musee-orsay.fr, 2 tickets. Like the Orangerie earlier today, it is a contremarque, a timed voucher and not a ticket on its own, so bring the Paris Museum Pass and show both. From March 2026 pass holders must book this free slot separately; a pass alone can be turned away without one. It fits this day and no other: the Orsay is closed Mondays (Day 14's problem) and the Museum Pass has expired by the other free Paris days. It's a 10-15 min walk from the Orangerie, straight across the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge from the Tuileries. Open 9:30-18:00 Fridays, last admission 17:00, galleries clear by 17:30, so a 16:00 slot leaves a real look at the fifth-floor Impressionists without cutting it close. Replaces the planned hour back at the Marriott; there's still time afterward to get back to the hotel and change before the 19:15 departure for dinner.
03Evening
19:15
Leave the Marriott for dinner in the 7th, near métro Invalides. Allow time to cross town.
20:00
La Poule au Pot Paris 7, confirmed dinner for two at 121 Rue de l'Université. Not the 9 Rue Vauvilliers restaurant. See Meals.
Yannis confirmed the existing Fri 23 Oct 20:00 table for two in an Oct 10 email. No bank-card guarantee is needed. No card payment has been made; dinner is paid at the restaurant.
The table
Lunch~$45
Kunitoraya (udon) or a Palais-Royal café
house pick Kunitoraya is a tiny udon counter on Rue Villedo, hand-cut noodles, a Japanese institution in the 1st. A calm, quick, non-touristy lunch two minutes from the Louvre.
Order: The Kunitora (pork & salsifis in miso broth) or a katsu curry udon for more protein, karaage (fried chicken) on the side, it's called out as genuinely great here. A Loire white or sake, both on the list, suit the broth better than a heavy red.
Dinner~$78
La Poule au Pot Paris 7, table for 2, Fri 23 Oct 20:00
house pick booked Two Paris restaurants share this name, so check the address. Yours is La Poule au Pot Paris 7, 121 Rue de l'Université, 75007, métro Invalides, +33 1 47 05 16 36. It is not La Poule au Pot at 9 Rue Vauvilliers in the 1st, Jean-François Piège's Michelin-starred bistro by Les Halles. Different restaurant, different side of the river. Yours is a Gros-Caillou neighborhood bistro, worn old dining room, traditional cooking, and the poule au pot itself is the house dish it is named for. Carte runs roughly €21 to €40 a plate. Confirmed for two, Fri 23 Oct at 20:00: Yannis confirmed the existing table by email on Oct 10 and said no bank-card guarantee is needed. The earlier Yonev payment-failed link is not needed.
Order: Poule au pot (poached chicken, the name dish) or the pot-au-feu, diners who've had both call it their best Paris meal. Onion gratinée to start, île flottante to finish. If you're tempted by the Colbert fried whiting, ask for the tartar sauce on the side, it's usually caper-based.
No card guarantee required. The restaurant confirmed the table directly by email on Oct 10. Dinner is paid at the restaurant.
Tickets and bookings
inbox, search “Museum Pass”
€216.30 total (€210 + a €6.30 booking fee), bought direct via parismuseumpass.fr. Covers the Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie, Versailles palace, Sainte-Chapelle, Rodin and more.
Item
Louvre, timed reservation (free w/ pass, must book slot)*
inbox, search “Louvre”
Item
Musée de l'Orangerie, timed reservation (free w/ pass, must book slot)*
Booked free on billetterie.musee-orangerie.fr using the Contremarque Paris Museum Pass category, Fri 23 Oct 14:00, 2 people, which is exactly the time the day was already built around. The order number is on the Drive voucher. It is a contremarque, a voucher and not a standalone ticket, so it only works if you show the Paris Museum Pass with it, carry both. Barcodes are on the ticket PDFs, and each ticket has its own Add to Wallet link there. Open 9:00-18:00 (last entry 17:15), closed Tuesdays, same as the Louvre; you're going Friday. Dr. Leti's recommendation, about a 15-20 min walk from the Louvre through the Tuileries, fits right after the Louvre visit without adding a real detour.
Item
Musée d'Orsay, timed reservation (free w/ pass, must book slot)*
inbox, search “Orsay”
Booked free on billetterie.musee-orsay.fr under the Contremarque Paris Museum Pass category, purchased 20/09/2026 22h00, 2 tickets, €0.00 each, Fri 23 Oct 16:00, 2 people, which is exactly the time the day was already built around. Ticket numbers are on the Drive voucher; the confirmation PDF (both tickets) is on the Drive voucher. It is a contremarque, a voucher and not a standalone ticket, so it only works if you show the Paris Museum Pass with it, carry both. From March 2026 pass holders must book this free slot separately; a pass alone can be turned away without one. Open 9:30-18:00 Fridays, last admission 17:00 (last entry to exhibitions 17:15, galleries clear 17:30). About a 10-15 min walk from the Orangerie, across the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge.
Item
Dinner, La Poule au Pot Paris 7 (table for 2)
inbox, search “La Poule au Pot Paris 7”
Requested via Yonev Sept 18; the processor initially said pending and a later guarantee retry failed. Yannis, the restaurant contact, confirmed the existing Fri Oct 23 20:00 table for two by email Oct 10 and expressly waived the bank-card imprint. No new reservation, deposit or card payment. This is 121 Rue de l'Université in the 7th, not 9 Rue Vauvilliers.
* free with the Museum Pass, no cancellation fee, nothing lost if plans change.
+ add this day to your calendarToday's voucher: Louvre timed-entry tickets (PDF) (Google Drive). Other confirmations remain in the private trip Drive folder. Only travelers with access can open linked files; no ticket contents are embedded here.
Before you leave the door
Insider edge
“You kind of have to walk through it to get to the Mona Lisa anyway” go straight for her at opening (the room is calm before 11:00), then double back slowly. Check which entrances are open that morning, the Carrousel and Porte des Lions are good alternatives to the Pyramid when they're running.
Dr. Trace & Dr. LetiAvoid this
Trying to “see the Louvre.” Pick eight things and leave. Skip the Mona Lisa scrum after 11:00.
House pickBackup move
A strike shuts the Louvre, the Museum Pass walks you straight into the Orsay, the Rodin, the Cluny (medieval) or the Marmottan Monet, no re-booking.
House pickIdeal window
Louvre at 09:00 opening, Mona Lisa room empty until ~11:00. Louvre is closed Tuesdays; you're going Friday. The Orangerie shares that Tuesday closure, so the Friday pairing works for both.
House pickIf time, or if a deal lands
| Option | Added | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Chapelle evening chamber concert | +$80 | the stained glass by candlelight |
What today runs
Estimates. Swap in the real figure as you go.
| Paris Museum Pass, 4-day (×2) | $235 |
| Lunch, Kunitoraya / Palais-Royal | $45 |
| Musée de l'Orangerie (on Museum Pass) | $0 |
| Musée d'Orsay (on Museum Pass) | $0 |
| Dinner, La Poule au Pot Paris 7 | $78 |
| Coffee, Café Kitsuné, Palais-Royal | $10 |
| Today, Paris | $368 |
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.