I have been absolutely amazed by the ease and affordability of travel between countries in Europe. Most tickets cost less than a train ride from Philly to Boston. I have really been trying to take advantage of this during my time abroad. My most recent trip was to Paris. My friend and I left on a Saturday morning for a four-day trip. We planned out our long weekend completely before traveling to make sure we would go to every attraction we wanted to see. I was nervous about traveling to France because of the stereotype that Parisians hate Americans. Also, about a week or so before we traveled, Yellow Vest riots began and quickly turned violent. Very recently, after our trip was over, the riots escalated and major attractions such as the Eiffel Tower were closed. My friend and I were very lucky and had close to no contact with the riots during our trip. Overall, Paris was absolutely amazing! Beautiful, delicious, artistic. . . there are an infinite amount of words to describe Paris. We saw so much in just a few days but my friend and I both agreed that there was still so much to see and do. The following is run down of our four days and the sites we decided to see:
Day One: Saturday
Our plane landed in the Paris in the afternoon and, after picking up our bags, we went to the information desk to buy a 3 Day Paris Visite Pass good for any travel in zones 1-3 (which is how the city is broken up). The airport was in zone 5 so we still had to buy a metro ticket to get to our Airbnb. The metro was very easy to use, clean and fast. We got to apartment within 30-40 minutes. After dropping our bags off, we hit the streets to explore! The Airbnb was situated almost right next to the Seine. We crossed a bridge over the water and got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower (as well as the Statue of Liberty). The Eiffel Tower took us by surprise since we didn’t think we would be able to see it from where we were staying. By that time, it had already gotten dark, so we got to see it all little up. After stopping for a few photos, we continued across the bridge to get to the Javel metro station to catch a train to the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral.
When we arrived at the Cathedral, mass was being held which made the experience much more special. The interior was breathtaking with a sky-high vaulted ceiling and extremely intricate carvings. We were allowed to explore the right and left sides of the cathedral, but the back part was roped off to visitors. It was one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. ‘Notre Dame’ is French for ‘Our Lady of Paris’ and her two towers made the Cathedral the tallest structure in Paris until the Eiffel Tower was constructed in 1889. It is situated right next to the Latin Quarter which we explored after exiting the cathedral. The Latin Quarter was filled with restaurants (as well as crepe stands where I found the best Nutella crepe I have ever had) and shops including the famous Shakespeare and Company Bookshop and Café. We waited in line for about ten minutes before entering into the shop. People entered in increments, so the shop would not get over crowded. The shop reminded me of a labyrinth; it seemed like the store was never ending. When I thought I hit a dead end, I was pleasantly surprised to fit two more rooms to explore. There was even an upstairs section with a few rooms stocked full of books to peruse. I could have spent hours there exploring all the unique sections of books. It has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Paris, and because of this the books are very pricey. I ended up getting a Shakespeare and Co. mug to use for tea instead of going through the arduous act of choosing which book to buy (I am very indecisive). As the shop was filling up with more and more people, we took our leave to find a good restaurant. We walked around the Latin Quarter more and got lucky with La Chaumiere.
They were having a very reasonably priced three course meal deal, so I seized my opportunity and tried French delicacies including escargot (it tasted almost like mussels), beef bourguignon and crème brulee. Feeling stuffed and tired, we headed back to our Airbnb to rest up for another day of exploring.
Day Two: Sunday
We were very lucky in that we went to Paris during the first Sunday of December. Many museums give free entry to visitors every first Sunday of the month, including the Louvre. Knowing that the Louvre would probably fill up quickly, we decided to make this our first stop of the day. After heading to a local bakery to buy chocolate croissants and a baguette to share while in line for the museum, we hopped on a bus and went to the Louvre. It was actually still dark when we first arrived. The glass pyramid that is the icon of the Louvre sits in the middle of a huge courtyard surrounded by a U-shaped building that is a part of the museum.
After taking some photos, we got in line and was in the first round of people admitted to the museum. Before entering, we looked up the exact location of the Mona Lisa so we could get a good look at it before the museum filled up. We made a beeline for the painting and found it easily with a small crowd in front of it. The Mona Lisa was by itself on a large bland colored wall making the painting really stand out. It was a surreal moment to stand in front of the actual Mona Lisa. Though the painting is beautiful, I do not understand the hype that surrounds it. We stayed there for maybe ten minutes before exploring the rest of the museum. You could easily spend an entire day in the Louvre. There seems to be an infinite amount of art and you will get tired just walking around the museum. We did see the Venus de Milo as well as a couple sphinx sculptures which was stunning. After about two hours, we left the museum to walk the Tuileries Garden, situated right in front of the Louvre. Between the two was a mini Arc de Triomphe which was convenient to see since we never went to the real Arc de Triomphe because of the riots. Right next to the Garden was a large Christmas market. The market was organized very well since it ran from one end of the street to the other and you could walk straight through it and get to see everything. They had some very nice shopping and food stalls as well as lots of rides. After walking the full length of the market, we headed to the Musee d'Orsay but found a ridiculously long line of people waiting to get in. We quickly decided to skip it. I really cannot believe people were actually waiting in that long of a line. They must really love their art! We rerouted to the Rodin Museum next and found it to be a small peaceful exhibit. Sculptures like the famous Thinker statue was included in the exhibit. It was a nice contrast from the busy and bustling Louvre Museum. From there, we went to the Picasso museum and I discovered that I am not a big fan of his work. I was also a little sick of museums by this point since we saw so much at once. Our next stop, Montmartre Village and the Sacre Coeur Basilica was a nice change of pace.
We first went to the Basilica and had to climb a lot of steps to get to it. It stood at the top of a tall hill which gave us fantastic views of the city. We took lots of photos of the amazing view before climbing more steps to get to the church. We entered when a mass was being held and I was absolutely awestruck by everything. The interior had the most beautiful stained glass I have ever seen, and the ceiling had rounded arches in it that made the church feel very open and welcoming despite it being a little dark. We were allowed to see every part of the church. As I was making my way around the church, the nuns began to sing so beautifully. I sat for a little to hear the end of the song before exiting the church. The outside was just as wonderful as the inside. The building was made up of several intricate onion shaped domes. I thought the Notre Dame was amazing, but I was blown away by the Sacre Coeur. We enjoyed a short walk to Montmartre Village where we found lots of souvenir shops, artists sketching portraits as well as a few dessert spots. We found one shop with macarons where my friend and I both bought some to try (delicious!). Before heading back to our Airbnb, we stopped at Bouillon for dinner. We managed to arrive at the perfect time, so we did not have to wait in line but within an hour there was a line of people out the door waiting to get a table. The menu was very reasonably priced, especially the wine list. I ended up ordering all sides since I was a little sick of all the meat meals that is popular in France. My sides consisted of French fries, a salad and crab bisque soup. The soup was delicious but not what I was expecting. In America, bisque is usually a little chunky, but this soup was creamy and smooth and still had a strong crab flavor. So good!
Day Three: Monday
Monday morning, my friend and I headed out early to start our day with the Eiffel Tower! We got a good place in line and waited for about a half hour before we were allowed in. We took the lift up to the second floor and got off to take some photos. It was on this floor that I found a penny press machine! We then headed to the lift to go to the top but accidently got on the wrong elevator due to bad sign placement. Instead of going to the top, we were taken down to the first floor. There was no elevators going back up, so we had to walk a TON of stairs to the second floor. In the pictures, it doesn’t look like a lot of space in between the two floors but there is. I started thinking the second floor was like a mirage we would never reach, but we finally did and went immediately to the correct elevator. It took about five minutes to reach the top and we were almost blown away when we exited the elevator. It was extremely windy and cold. We quickly took photos before going back down.
I think it was definitely worth it to buy a ticket to the top but I thought the pictures from the second floor were better than the ones from the very top. After buying a couple souvenirs, we left to go to the Pantheon near the Sorbonne. In front of the Pantheon was a ring of Christmas trees all decorated. It was nice to have pictures there but if I were to do the trip again I would skip the Pantheon. We did not pay to go in, so we stayed for a few minutes before walking straight to the Luxembourg Gardens. We had very rainy weather that day, so the Gardens wasn’t as impressive as I am sure it usually is. We then walked to the Montparnasse Tower in search of the Lafayette Galeries (which was pretty much a mall) which we did find but apparently there are two Galeries and the Montparnasse one is not the beautiful one. It is just your average mall, so we quickly left and went to the correct one, the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann. At the Haussmann we found an exquisite, flashy, over the top but amazing Christmas display in the center of the mall. We went to every level to get a better look at the display.
It was very impressive. Since all the stores were not in our price range (not the in the slightest) we went up to the rooftop terrace which overlooked the city. It was very peaceful and scenic, and we got great photos. From there, we took the metro back to the Christmas market near the Louvre to do some more shopping. At the market, we agreed on the brilliant idea of walking along the Seine to get to the Statue of Liberty. Worst idea ever. We walked for over an hour! My feet were killing me by then. We were hungry for dinner. It was cold. At one point we past a bridge filled with all police and ambulance cars because of the riots. We walked through it easily, but it was a sight to see. We finally made it to the Statue of Liberty and was sorely disappointed. Her back was too us and it was too dark to get any good photos. Oh well. Now I can say I have (technically) been to the Statue of Liberty.
Day Four: Tuesday
We spent the morning at the Monet Museum and I was so surprised by how much I loved Monet. The museum was laid out perfectly. Each room showcased something different. The lower level of the building was all Monet paintings and the room was very bright and open, exactly what you would picture an art exhibit to look like. The Monet Museum was my favorite we visited, and I bought postcard versions of the painting I liked the best at the gift shop.
Afterwards we returned to our Airbnb to grab our bags and then we left. My friend and I got on the same trains but split up half way since she was leaving for a train headed to Brussels and I was going to the airport to return to Scotland. I arrived about an hour early just in case there was extra security due to the riots but there wasn’t. I had no trouble at the airport besides a delayed flight. I did buy one last croissant before bidding Paris au revoir!
I was honestly surprised at how much I liked Paris! There did not seem to be a language barrier at all and we faced no more hostility than is normal for tourists. It was a great trip and we saw almost everything that was on our list. I did do a little too much shopping and eating but that is what you are supposed to do when in Paris!
Wishing you warm drinks and Parisian adventures,
Maria
PS: Food I ate in Paris (so healthy I know)
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