My husband, myself and a friend took a weekend trip to Paris, from Amsterdam, in March of 2019. This itinerary is based on that experience. Additional information & tips and a link to a video of the trip can be found at the end of the post.
Flight/Transportation: We had a late flight into Orly. Normally we would utilize public transport to save money, but due to the time and there being three of us, we used Uber. It appeared that Paris has a good transit system, with a metro ride costing €1.90.
Stay: Paris is divided into 12 arrondissements (different sections of town). As we wanted to be in a central location, so we stayed in the 6th. You will spend a little more, but for two nights, it's worth not having to travel into town. We opted for an airbnb.
Night 1: After checking in, we had my favorite meal of the trip at Café Pierre Hermé - Odéon. I ordered a Buckwheat Crêpe/Galette and then a dessert crêpe; everything was fantastic. A must eat.
Day 1: Waking up to a drizzly day, we opted for a quick, traditional French breakfast at a nearby cafe - coffee, juice, baguette and croissant. Heading out, we passed Place Saint Michel; a nice plaza with a fountain. Walk across the bridge - Pont Saint-Michel - for a view of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris; the infamous 13th century Gothic architecture including gargoyle statues (my favorite part). Free to enter, €10 to go up the tower (use the app Duck the Line to get a time slot). It was worth the few seconds it took to download. A must do.
As you leave the front entrance, make sure to look at the ground as you will find France’s km 0; it is a plaque that marks the center of Paris, it is the starting point from which all distances from Paris are measured. There is also Sainte-Chapelle (€10) that you can visit; it has a beautiful stained glass interior.
Next stop was Pont Neuf; the oldest and longest stone bridge in Paris. We simply walked along the Seine river to get there (passing by La Conciergerie; which was both once a palace and a prison). After crossing the bridge, we headed toward the Louvre Museum; art museum which houses the 'Mona Lisa' (€17). We decided to opt out of this experience and spend the time walking around the grounds, taking in the beautiful Louvre Pyramid. For museum lovers, there is also the Musée d’Orsay nearby; 19th & 20th European art collections.
We walked through the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel into the Tuileries Garden; oldest French garden in the city. It is a beautiful park, and would have been even better on a sunny day! We decided to warm up with the hot chocolate from Angelina, and of course a macaroon. We ordered them to go; if there are two of you, one hot chocolate is plenty. It is basically drinking melted chocolate. A must eat.
Wandering North, we passed Palais Garnier (an opera house) and admired all of the beautiful buildings with the infamous wrought iron. Needing a bathroom break, we stopped at KB CaféShop for a coffee and some views of the carousel in Place Lino Ventura. Continuing up the hill to Sacré-Cœur; an iconic, white domed church. It is free to enter and €8 to climb the dome (which we planned on doing, but it was closed). Even so, we were able to get a decent view of the city. A must do.
On our way back down, we stopped at the Wall of Love; it has the words 'I love you' in multiple languages. This has replaced Pont des Arts (the bridge with the locks). A must do. Near here, you will see the Paroisse Saint Jean de Montmartre; a red-brick church completed in 1904, with stained glass, mosaics & sculptures.
We were overdue for food, so we ended up randomly choosing a restaurant; Café des Deux Moulins; which unknown to us was the place where part of 'Amélie' was filmed. They had good food at a decent price. To finish off our sightseeing, we popped over to see the exterior of Moulin Rouge (€85-200). I only wish we could have seen it at night! A must do.
Before heading for drinks and dinner, we went into Galeries Lafayette (shopping mall), mainly to warm up, but I would recommend stopping in. There is a magnificent glass dome ceiling (called a Coupole) and each store looks like they are tucked into their own balcony - or galerie- seating in a theatre.
Night 2: We met up with friends in the 11th arrondissement of town for drinks and dinner. It was cool to see a part of town that was much less touristy; however, it was farther away so we opted for Uber for our transportation. We spent a few hours at L'Incognit; a lovely wine cellar/cave (you pick out the bottle, they open it for you, and you drink it there). I would recommend this experience (with any wine cave near where you are staying). A must drink. We finished the night with a meal at Clamato; a mostly raw seafood restaurant. Not surprisingly, it was not the most filling meal - especially after lots of wine - so on our way home, we could not resist getting a royal with cheese (Pulp Fiction anyone?).
Day 2: With only a few hours left in Paris, we gathered up our backpacks and headed out for another quick breakfast at a nearby cafe. We then took an Uber across town to the Statue of Liberty; located on the Ile aux Cygnes, right by the Pont de Grenelle bridge. This is the bronze model version of the New York statue. As an expat, it was fun to see a bit of home. As we walked back towards our final sightseeing point, we stumbled upon a bridge that we recognized, turns out the Pont de Bir-Hakeim is a filming location of 'Inception'. Be mindful of bikes when attempting any pictures. A must do.
In my opinion, the best view of the Eiffel Tower is right under the Pont d'Iéna, on Port Debilly (there are stairs you can go down). We then simply took our time wandering the Jardins du Trocadéro; this would be a great spot to have lunch and gaze at the tower. I must say, sometimes monuments or places are overrated, but the Eiffel Tower was not. It is absolutely a must do. I only regret not being able to see it at night. We walked around the area for a while, simply trying to see the tower from all angles; we opted not to climb up, but you can if you are so inclined. Prices vary by how far up you go and if you use the elevator. Before we knew it, we were saying Au revoir to Paris.
Notes:
Watch the video of our full trip.
Things I would change:
Go inside Sainte-Chapelle
Splurge and see a show at Moulin Rouge (and see the exterior at night)
See the Eiffel Tower at night
Have a proper French dinner. We had lots of the snacks/breakfast items that the French are known for, but maybe a Boeuf Bourguignon or even Duck confit
Take public transit! It would have saved a lot of money.
Foods to try:
All the bread (baguettes, pain au chocolat, croissants), crêpes, éclairs, chocolate, cheese, wine and macarons. For the adventurous; escargots or steak tartare.
Travel tips:
Figure out an idea of sites you want to see; this will determine a centralized area for where you should stay.
Google reviews seem to be the most accurate rating system for restaurants around Europe. If you want good food, stay away from main streets with lots of neon signs.
Mark everything on your google maps. This also seems to be the best (walking) navigation app.
If you are going during off season, there is no need to buy 'skip the line' tickets for most things.
Other:
Planning for a trip, especially overseas, can be stressful and overwhelming and a lot of blogs are an overflow of information. I try to do as many quick links as possible, to send you directly to the website of the attraction, restaurant, hotel etc. so you can get the most accurate and up-to-date information possible (fees and timetables).
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Safe and Happy Wandering.
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