gonna be tres busy

because we're going over what will be a bank holiday weekend in england, we'll have to share Paris with more tourists than would be ideal....

from The Guardian : Warning of the week: tout le monde à Paris

Another weekend, another public holiday - at least in France, where Monday marks the end of the Second World War in Europe. If the experience of last weekend is repeated, key landmarks in the French capital are sure to be overcrowded.

If you want to visit the Eiffel Tower, get there early, ideally at 9.30am. The worst times are between 11am and 4pm, and 7-8pm.

For the Musée d'Orsay visit during the week after 4pm; last admission is 5.15pm, and you should be able to linger until 6pm. Best of all, visit on Thursdays after 6pm; the museum opens until 10pm.

Visit the Louvre at 9am, weekdays. Late-opening nights are Wednesdays and Fridays, to 10pm. Avoid weekends, school holidays - and any time after The Da Vinci Code film, which starts at the Louvre, has been released (17 May).