Paris, France Travel Diary

Paris, France Travel Guide.

Continued from London, England Travel Guide.

Ahh Paris – the land of mouthwatering pastries, sparking towers and charming city streets. We combined London and Paris into one trip and opted to take the Eurostar train between the two cities because they are fairly close. Here’s a summary of our trip and some travel tips for getting the most out of your trip to Paris!

Eurostar Train from London to Paris

The Eurostar train departs from the heart of London at St. Pancras international station and arrives to Gare du Norde station in France. The entire train ride was only about 2 hours and 15 minutes (although there is an hour time change between the two cities, so be prepared to lose an hour!) Make SURE to buy your train tickets in advance to get the best price – I bought our Eurostar tickets online at the same time that I bought our plane tickets. I found the ticket prices to be fairly affordable and the train was clean and comfortable – it made for a great ride through the countryside and a quick transition to another country!

We arrived to the Gare du Norde station and decided to jump on the Paris metro system to get to our hotel, which was located in the 7th arrondissement (about a 5 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower).

Transportation in Paris

We used public transportation for pretty much everywhere we went in Paris. Not only was it the most affordable option, but we also found it to be much easier than taxis because we didn’t have to deal with traffic. I decided to go with the Visitors Pass, which allows you to pay by the day for unlimited trips within certain zone ranges. We paid 12 euros per day for unlimited travel in zones 1-3 (which is pretty much everywhere we needed to go). For a bit more, you can do zones 1-5, which includes the airport and Versailles. The tickets can be purchased at any metro station and also allow you to ride on the bus or RER train. Read more about the Paris visitors pass here.

Eiffel Tower

Of course, you CAN’T visit Paris without stopping by the Eiffel Tower. This was our first stop in Paris and we couldn’t get over how absolutely stunning it was.

Eiffel Tower Tours: There are varying tiers of the Eiffel Tower that you can choose to go to. It was about 20 euros per person to go to the top level (which is what we did), but the lower levels are cheaper. I think the top was definitely worth it – it’s windy and cold up there, so make sure you have a hat and jacket depending on what time of the year you go! Be prepared to wait in long lines – we pre-bought our tickets online and used the East Entrance, which saved us some time. I’d recommend getting there a bit before your schedule reservation time. Click here to see more information and prices.

The view from the top was beautiful and gave a sprawling view of the city, which really puts into perspective where everything is! They also have an ice skating rink on the second floor, which we didn’t stop at but is definitely a draw for some people!

Eiffel Tower at Night: Because our hotel was only a five minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, we walked over every night to watch the light show. The Eiffel Tower light show occurs during the first five minutes of every hour after sunset! It’s a must-see and absolutely stunning to see it dazzle the night sky.

*PRO TIP: Get a Nutella crepe and roll out a picnic blanket in the park to watch at night! Absolutely magical!

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is another MUST see/do in Paris. This iconic arc is located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées and honors all those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It actually as all the names of the French generals and battle victories inscribed on it and the “eternal flame” is re-lit every evening at 6:30pm.

Believe it or not, you can go up to the top of the arch – this might be a great option if you want to avoid the ridiculous crowds at the Eiffel Tower or if you want a cheaper option (only about 8 euros) to still get a fairly good view of the city. The top is only accessible via the 40 stairs, but do NOT try crossing the traffic circle – it is one of the busiest traffic circles I’ve ever seen! There is actually an underground tunnel on the Avenue de la Grande Armee side of the circle which will take you underneath the ground to access the arch’s entrance.

*PRO-TIP: If you want to get a perfect photo in front of the arch, we walked down the divider in the middle of the street to get an unobstructed view. Do this at your own risk as it could potentially be dangerous!

Champs-Élysées

After visiting the Arc de Triomphe, we took a leisurely stroll down Champs-Élysées to do some shopping and eating. This is one of the most famous avenues in Paris, running from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. This historic thoroughfare is a mecca for shopping, pastries and everything in between.

Make sure to stop at the Paris Laduree to get some delicious macaroons – we tried a selection of different flavors and they were all amazing! Sadly, a gust of wind actually blew them off our table, but we still ate them anyways because we paid so much for them (don’t judge haha!)

The Louvre

I feel like I keep saying that every location I mention is “iconic,” but you truly cannot visit Paris without stopping by The Louvre, the largest and most-visited art museum in the world. This world-famous spot displays works from artists like Michaelangeo, Da Vinci and Raphael. Tickets range from 15-17 euros (it’s cheaper if you buy it in-person at the museum). They also have the beautiful Tuileries Garden which is free to all guests! Make sure that you stop and snap a photo in the courtyard outside in front of the pyramids!

Keep in mind that the museum closes early (6pm), so you’ll want to do this earlier in the day so you have time to get your money’s worth! Click here for ticket info.

Palais-Royal

Right around the corner from The Louvre, we visited the Palais-Royal, a jaw-dropping palace and gardens that is famous for the courtyard filled with rows of striped columns. It was actually the childhood home of Louis XIV and although the inside isn’t open to the public anymore, you can still wander through the stunning gardens and walkways for free! Depending on what time of day you go, it may be very crowded, but we found it to be a serene and beautiful place to explore. I think out of all of the places that we visited during our time in Paris, these courtyards were my favorite!

The palace is also surrounded by lots of wonderful shops and restaurants. We stopped and grabbed a bite (and of course a crepe) at a nearby bistro after exploring!

Petit & Grand Palais

Petit Palais: Located in the 8^th arrondissement of Paris, The Petit Palais is a French art museum that was originally created for the Great Exposition of 1900. Entrance is free and this is a great spot if you want to browse a lesser-known and less crowded museum.

*PRO-TIP: If you want to capture a photo in front of the magnificent golden gates out front, make sure you go before the museum opens of after it closes, otherwise the gates will be open (which could still make for a great shot!)

Grand Palais: The Grand Palais is a famous exhibition hall known for the massive stone colonnades and the beautiful conservatory-style glass roof which makes it a major tourist attraction and landmark in Paris. If you’re under 26 years old (which we were), admission is free. They also have other specific days/times where admission is free, so be sure to check those times out before you go.

Notre Dame

We chose to save Notre Dame for our last day, and I’m so glad we did because it ended the trip on a high note! Full disclosure, we did not go inside the cathedral – we were perfectly content with wandering around the gardens and down the river walk. However, if you do want to go inside, it’s only 10 euros, so if 13^th century gothic architecture is your thing, I’m sure it would be a great experience! This cathedral is considered one of the best examples of French Gothic architecture in the world and the size of it is absolutely awe-inspiring! It’s also probably one of the most recognizable churches in the world (can you say “The Hunchback of Notre Dame?”).

The gardens were so beautiful and peaceful and the courtyard in front of the cathedral gave a beautiful view. There were also pigeons everywhere and it was fun to walk through hundreds of pigeons, just like you see in the movies (don’t touch them though haha!)

The area surrounding Notre Dame was one of our favorite parts of town. From crepe stands (note to self: they only take cash) to the numerous bridges over the Seine River, it was such a vibrant and welcoming part of town. We got about an hour of rain (the only rain we got during our entire trip in both London and Paris), so we ducked into a little café and had a nice lunch while looking out the window at the cathedral and river.

Where We Stayed in Paris

I was pretty adamant about staying within walking distance to the Eiffel Tower, so we made it a priority to find a hotel in the 7th arrondissement. If you are able to swing the potential higher price of doing this, I would highly recommend it. We had only a short walk to see the tower and light show at night and could get a clear view just around the corner from our hotel as well. Furthermore, I felt that we were located in a very populated area and we never felt unsafe or like we couldn’t find someone who could speak English. There were TONS of cafes and restaurants located on the same street or a few minutes walk from our hotel. We were also close to buses, metro and other public transportation which was great.

Where We Ate in Paris

Many of the cafes and restaurants located right around the Eiffel tend to have slightly higher prices and may be a bit more “touristy”, but we often ate in whatever part of town we happened to be exploring in. I truly don’t remember any of the names of the places that we went to, because they almost all look the same to me and there is one literally every few feet! We just found one that looked cute and felt as though they generally had the same menu offerings, regardless of where we went. Some of our favorite spots were the boulangeries and patisseries (bakeries and pastry shops). You can get a loaf of fresh-baked French bread for only 1 euro! Definitely make sure you stop and grab some pastries – these were definitely the best in the world!

Currency in Paris

Paris is part of the European Union, which means that they use the euro. 1 euro equals approximately 1.13 US dollars, so honestly pretty even. Again, I used my mastercard credit card with no foreign transaction fee and most everywhere took credit card (except for the crepe carts or street vendors, so you might want to bring a few physical euros if you’re planning on doing that).

What We Missed

Montramarte: We had heard RAVE reviews about Montmartre, so we allotted ourselves half a day to explore it. It was about a 40 minute metro ride outside of the 7^th arrondissement, so a bit on the outskirts of Paris. However, almost as soon as we stepped out of the metro, we turned around and left. The streets were almost unwalkable due to how busy they were and it definitely seemed like a much rougher crowd. I’m not really sure what it was about the area, but we did NOT have a good feel about it/like it, so we went back and explored some other parts closer to central Paris. However, there definitely has to be a reason that everyone recommends this place, so maybe we missed something.

Versailles: We were heartbroken that we missed Versailles as this was one of the top things on our list initially. However, due to the fact that we only stopped over in Paris for 3 days, we simply did not have enough time to see it. Versailles is located pretty far away from Paris (over an hour away) and notorious for the wild lines and crowds. After giving it some serious thought, we thought it seemed more worthwhile to hit as many of the big monuments and locations that were actually IN Paris. If you’ve been to Paris before or are going for a longer amount of time, I think this is something that comes highly recommended as something that you don’t want to miss.  We’ll definitely be heading to Versailles the next time we visit Paris!

Musée d’Orsay: This was another one that I was sad we missed. Surprisingly, I when I mentioned to SEVERAL different co-workers that I was going to Paris, they all recommended this museum as their favorite spot in Paris. Two of them also recommended it over the Louvre.

Overall, our entire trip to both London and Paris was a dream. Both cities were charming in their own ways – London in a hip, cute, floral kinda way. Paris, in a regal, historic, whimsical way. I would highly suggest visiting either of these cities, and I loved the ability to combine them into one trip – would definitely recommend!

Have you visited either London or Paris before? Which was your favorite?!