If you were taking a sprightly but elderly female relative to Paris for the first time...

[Iamblossom]

...for a milestone birthday, what would you do and where would you stay?

Key Facts:

Time of Year = April
Just the two of us
Like shopping, eating and wine
She has never been so should do the key tourist things but not loads of walking

All help much appreciated.

You can get a boat down the river and see quite a few sights as well as use it as a hop on and hop off transport.

I would stay somewhere central so that all her energy is kept for fun things rather than commuting in. Are you looking for a hotel or self catering?

Maybe make a list of places you want to visit & work out an itinerary to minimise walking. It is a compact city. If you want to go to any museums see if you can pre-book tickets so you don't need to queue.

What does she want to see in Paris or is she leaving it up to you?

If you go to Notre Dame, Ile-de-St-Louis is directly over the bridge and beautiful. Minimal walking, nice restaurants and cafes, Berthillon ice cream. It's one of the most historic areas of Paris.

Second the idea for hop on hop off bus and boat trip.

If you do the Louvre, do a highlights tour.

Sainte Chappelle and the Conciergerie are next door to each other. If you have a sunny day, Saint Chappelle is breathtaking for the stained glass chapel. Conciergerie is really interesting as well as the prison of Marie Antoinette. Both are near Notre Dame but depends how much you want to minimize walking.