So many people dream about traveling to Paris, and I was never one of them. It was only early last year that I developed a strong desire to go, after experiencing some of the French culture while on a Winter vacation to St. Martin (an overseas collectivity of France). My husband and I sat on a patio there one morning, enjoying champagne and macarons for breakfast, and the owner of the café was from France. He sat and talked to us about the beauty of the Country of France, and I was hooked. For that hour, I didn't feel like I was in the Caribbean, and I wanted to know what it was like to actually experience France for myself. The month after I returned from St. Martin, the flights were booked for Paris and we left 3 months after. I never imagined it would be what it was, and I am so glad we made the trip.
Paris is, in my opinion, the most beautiful city in the world. I haven't been to them all, or even half of them, but I don't need to, to say that with confidence. The architecture, the cobblestone streets, the bakeries, the monuments, the people, everything in Paris is beautiful.
The city is divided into 20 arrondissements, that are arranged in the form of a clockwise spiral starting in the middle of the city. After much research, we decided to stay in the 7th, and I could not have picked a better place for us. It was clean, our hotel was within a 5 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower, and also surrounded by dozens of restaurants and shops, and only a 3 minute walk to Rue Cler, a popular street market where you can pick up wine, cheese, and fresh bread to have a picnic under the Eiffel Tower, which is exactly what we did on our first night in the City.
We arrived in Paris around 1 PM, after leaving Halifax at 10:30 the night before, and connecting in Iceland earlier in the morning. I expected to be jet lagged, but once we arrived, there was far too much excitement surging through me to even think about sleep.
Paris is, in my opinion, the most beautiful city in the world. I haven't been to them all, or even half of them, but I don't need to, to say that with confidence. The architecture, the cobblestone streets, the bakeries, the monuments, the people, everything in Paris is beautiful.
The city is divided into 20 arrondissements, that are arranged in the form of a clockwise spiral starting in the middle of the city. After much research, we decided to stay in the 7th, and I could not have picked a better place for us. It was clean, our hotel was within a 5 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower, and also surrounded by dozens of restaurants and shops, and only a 3 minute walk to Rue Cler, a popular street market where you can pick up wine, cheese, and fresh bread to have a picnic under the Eiffel Tower, which is exactly what we did on our first night in the City.
We arrived in Paris around 1 PM, after leaving Halifax at 10:30 the night before, and connecting in Iceland earlier in the morning. I expected to be jet lagged, but once we arrived, there was far too much excitement surging through me to even think about sleep.
Our picnic under the tower on our first night
When searching for a hotel, I knew I wanted to be close to the Eiffel Tower, and in a hotel different than what I would find in Canada. I wanted small and charming, and I needed a balcony with a view of the tower. After spending weeks reading reviews, I decided on Hotel Splendid Paris which was an older hotel in a great location and matched what I was looking for.
Upon arrival, I knew I made the right choice. The hotel staff were wonderful and made us feel at home right away. In general, all the people in Paris are lovely, and our hotel was a great first impression which reflected that.
Our room was small (expect this almost anywhere- Europe hotel rooms generally are small) and very dated, as expected. None of that mattered when we stepped on our balcony and took in our first view of the Eiffel Tower.
We drank champagne one night in the seating area downstairs, and just enjoyed the conversation we had with the staff working that evening. I think that is one of the things I most love about travel, meeting people who have so much to share with me. Our conversations weren't smooth, as my French is on a beginner level, and their English was broken, but those are often the conversations where you learn the most.
Upon arrival, I knew I made the right choice. The hotel staff were wonderful and made us feel at home right away. In general, all the people in Paris are lovely, and our hotel was a great first impression which reflected that.
Our room was small (expect this almost anywhere- Europe hotel rooms generally are small) and very dated, as expected. None of that mattered when we stepped on our balcony and took in our first view of the Eiffel Tower.
We drank champagne one night in the seating area downstairs, and just enjoyed the conversation we had with the staff working that evening. I think that is one of the things I most love about travel, meeting people who have so much to share with me. Our conversations weren't smooth, as my French is on a beginner level, and their English was broken, but those are often the conversations where you learn the most.
Although the hotel room was small and older, there were good points to mention as well, such as the bed was comfortable, water pressure was good, and most importantly (if you are traveling in the Summer like we were) the air conditioning was ice cold, which was much appreciated as we were in Paris during a heat wave. And I mean.. the view speaks for itself.
I find the best way to get to know a new city is to get tickets for a "hop on, hop off" bus tour if they are available. Luckily, Paris had endless options for these, so we picked Big Bus Tours Paris, and spent our first full day exploring using this bus. We started at the Tower, and hit most of the major attractions we were interested in, such as Notre Dame, the Louvre, Galeries Lafayette, Palais Garnier, Musee d'orsay and of course, Champs-Élysées.
The Louvre is without question, a place you must visit if you are in Paris. It is a massive, gorgeous museum and although it would be impossible to see all of it in one day, you can download maps online and plan ahead so you know exactly where you want to go once you are inside. For me, the main attraction was the Mona Lisa, and seeing such a historic piece of art in person was worth fighting the massive crowds for.
A good tip to remember, as pointed out to me by a friend (looking at you, Karen!) who was in Paris the week before I was, is to avoid the entrance lineup at the Pyramid, and enter through the entrance on the side of the building called Porte des Lions . There was a 2 hour wait to get in at the Pyramid when we arrived, and not a single soul in line at this entrance, so we did not have to wait in line to enter.
I find the best way to get to know a new city is to get tickets for a "hop on, hop off" bus tour if they are available. Luckily, Paris had endless options for these, so we picked Big Bus Tours Paris, and spent our first full day exploring using this bus. We started at the Tower, and hit most of the major attractions we were interested in, such as Notre Dame, the Louvre, Galeries Lafayette, Palais Garnier, Musee d'orsay and of course, Champs-Élysées.
The Louvre is without question, a place you must visit if you are in Paris. It is a massive, gorgeous museum and although it would be impossible to see all of it in one day, you can download maps online and plan ahead so you know exactly where you want to go once you are inside. For me, the main attraction was the Mona Lisa, and seeing such a historic piece of art in person was worth fighting the massive crowds for.
A good tip to remember, as pointed out to me by a friend (looking at you, Karen!) who was in Paris the week before I was, is to avoid the entrance lineup at the Pyramid, and enter through the entrance on the side of the building called Porte des Lions . There was a 2 hour wait to get in at the Pyramid when we arrived, and not a single soul in line at this entrance, so we did not have to wait in line to enter.
One of my favorite places in Paris was the Champs-Élysées. This 1.9 km boulevard is famous for its shopping, cafes, and theatres. I have a small obsession with macarons, so going to the famous Laduree was a must for me. Laduree has been around since 1862 and sells over 15,000 macarons daily, so they must be doing something right.
We sat down inside and ordered drinks and a treat to split, as well as a box of macarons to take back to our hotel with us. I had high expectations for Laduree based on reviews, and I was not disappointed. The service was excellent as was the quality of the food. Although expensive, Laduree is one of the most well known macaron makers in the world, and it is a nice addition to any trip to Paris.
We sat down inside and ordered drinks and a treat to split, as well as a box of macarons to take back to our hotel with us. I had high expectations for Laduree based on reviews, and I was not disappointed. The service was excellent as was the quality of the food. Although expensive, Laduree is one of the most well known macaron makers in the world, and it is a nice addition to any trip to Paris.
Another "must visit" for me was the Arc de Triomphe, which is a monument that honours those who fought and died for France during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.
Everyone has probably seen the Arc de Triomphe in movies, but to see it in person was totally different. It is a truly beautiful monument. It sits in the centre of a very busy roundabout (with no apparent rules), and there is no chance of running across, so to get to it you must go underground and walk through the tunnel that leads to it.
Everyone has probably seen the Arc de Triomphe in movies, but to see it in person was totally different. It is a truly beautiful monument. It sits in the centre of a very busy roundabout (with no apparent rules), and there is no chance of running across, so to get to it you must go underground and walk through the tunnel that leads to it.
If you love shopping, or even if you don't, a trip to Galeries Lafayette is necessary when visiting Paris. This is a 10 storey high end department store, and it's a lot different from the department stores we have here in Canada. The building is gorgeous, and you can find everything you have ever dreamed of inside. I went to the Chanel counter and picked up some perfume, and they were very generous with the free samples they threw in my bag with my purchase.
Just standing on the bottom floor admiring the ceiling was worth the visit.
Just standing on the bottom floor admiring the ceiling was worth the visit.
Many evenings were spent admiring the beauty of the Eiffel tower at night. Another way we spent an evening, and advise to anyone going to Paris, is to go on a Seine River boat tour. You can go down and find boat tours that depart frequesntly and are inexpensive. We found one for 14 euros each that included a drink as well. No need to book ahead of time, although I did see some options to do so.
Watching the sun go down, and the city light up from the river was magical. Paris is known as the City of lights, and it stands true to that name.
We noticed locals sitting along the river banks, baguettes in hand as we were cruising along. It was really like something out of a movie.
Watching the sun go down, and the city light up from the river was magical. Paris is known as the City of lights, and it stands true to that name.
We noticed locals sitting along the river banks, baguettes in hand as we were cruising along. It was really like something out of a movie.
Every memory I made in France, from exploring the Loire Valley on a day where I had much too much wine the evening before, to having to sit on my husband's shoulders to see over the crowds at the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, will stay with me forever. The one that stands out the most, and makes me crave a return trip, was sitting at the park near the tower at night. This was a short walk from our hotel, and we would walk over (feeling completely safe the entire time) at night. We weren't the only ones. Thousands of people, people from Paris, people from all over the world, gathered here at night. Everyone was eating, drinking, mingling, and watching the sparkle of the tower that happens every hour on the hour for 5 minutes. As we sat there, in a city where we were unknown, it didn't feel that way on these nights. The park was full of noise from people talking in all different languages, to champagne corks popping, and it was oddly comforting. I have never been so far from home (as of now), and yet I didn't feel like I was far from home at all. Paris seems to have an easy feel about it, which makes you feel at home right away.
Paris is amazing, and nothing that you read online can ever explain exactly how amazing it really is. My suggestion? Book a ticket, and go.
Paris is amazing, and nothing that you read online can ever explain exactly how amazing it really is. My suggestion? Book a ticket, and go.
