Item
Musée Carnavalet (free) or Picasso ($30 / on the pass)
Day 12 of 18 · Paris
Montmartre early, the Marais by night.
Sacré-Cœur at 08:30 · Carnavalet · l'As du Fallafel · Berthillon
☼ 57°F / 45°FCloud, a shower possibleWear: Layers, waterproof, comfortable shoes, Montmartre is steep and cobbled.
School-holiday week in France · busier than a normal weekday
Beat the Montmartre crowd by being there at 08:30, then spend the evening in the Marais.
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
08:30
Montmartre, Sacré-Cœur (free, the highest point in Paris), Place du Tertre before the painters set up, the vineyard, Rue de l'Abreuvoir, the Café des Deux Moulins (Amélie).
11:00
Funicular or the steps down. Back to the hotel, regroup.
The Montmartre funicular takes the same Navigo Semaine on your phone as the Metro, one standard fare, nothing separate to buy.
02Afternoon
13:00
Le Marais, Place des Vosges (the oldest square in Paris, arcades all the way round), the Musée Carnavalet (free, the history of Paris) or the Musée Picasso.
15:00
Rue des Rosiers, falafel at l'As du Fallafel, the old Jewish quarter. See Meals.
16:15
Keep the afternoon in the Marais. Your only Paris LV consultation is the booked Oct21 Saint-Germain visit. Any collection must follow the store's confirmed readiness, not another appointment.
16:45
Cross to the Île Saint-Louis, a Berthillon ice cream, the quiet quays.
03Evening
20:00
Dinner in the Marais, Provençal or a bistro. See Meals.
22:30
Last night at the Marriott. Pack tonight. L'Empire's front desk will hold bags for an early drop tomorrow (Sun) on your way to Versailles if you want to call ahead, or the Marriott bell desk holds them for the day either way.
The table
Breakfast~$14
A Montmartre boulangerie
house pick Coffee + a croissant, on your feet.
Lunch~$22
l'As du Fallafel, Rue des Rosiers
house pick Green door, always a queue, and it moves fast. Take it away and eat walking (the one time it's fine) or grab a stool inside.
Order: The falafel spécial for the classic order, or a shawarma sandwich if John wants more protein than falafel gives. A mint citronnade (house lemonade) over anything else, this is a quick stop, not a wine stop.
Dinner~$70
Chez Janou (Provençal) or Robert et Louise (Marais)
house pick Chez Janou is a lively corner bistro with 80 pastis and a self-serve chocolate mousse in a giant bowl. Robert et Louise cooks over an open wood fire in a tiny room. Chez Janou's own online booking system shows no table for 2 this October at all as of mid-September, it's phone or walk-in only for this date: call +33 1 42 72 28 41 and ask directly, or just go, their own site says they hold tables back for walk-ins.
Order: At Chez Janou: the chocolate mousse is the real reason to go, bottomless out of the terracotta bowl, and worth trying one of the 80 pastis (an anise apéritif, a novelty rather than an everyday pour for either of you). At Robert et Louise: the côte de bœuf for two, off the fire.
Tickets and bookings
Confirmations and vouchers live in the private Europe 2026 / Reservations & Vouchers folder on Google Drive. Exact booking links appear above when verified; no ticket contents are embedded here.
Before you leave the door
Insider edge
“It's super crowded, and you'll see people from home in the queue for Sacré-Cœur.” Beat it by being there by 08:30, the church opens at 06:30 and the light off the city is best early.
Dr. Trace & Dr. LetiAvoid this
The string-bracelet men on the steps below Sacré-Cœur, they grab your wrist. Hands in pockets, don't stop. Skip the restaurants on Place du Tertre.
House pickBackup move
Rain on those cobbles is miserable, flip the day: the Marais and its covered spots (Carnavalet, Picasso, the Marché des Enfants Rouges) by day, Montmartre another morning.
House pickIdeal window
Sacré-Cœur 08:30; the Marais is best late afternoon into evening. Carnavalet and the Picasso are closed Mondays, today is Saturday, fine.
House pickIf time, or if a deal lands
| Option | Added | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Musée Picasso, Paris (on the pass) | +$0 | the Hôtel Salé, Marais, not the Barcelona one |
| Catacombs of Paris | +$58 | book well ahead; near Denfert-Rochereau |
What today runs
Estimates. Swap in the real figure as you go.
| Breakfast, Montmartre boulangerie | $14 |
| Musée Carnavalet (free) / Picasso | $0 |
| Lunch, l'As du Fallafel | $22 |
| Berthillon ice cream, Île Saint-Louis | $12 |
| Dinner, Chez Janou / Robert et Louise | $70 |
| Wine | $16 |
| Today, Paris | $134 |
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.