What can be said about Paris that hasn't been said till now? Paris is world famous and on the top of the travel wishlist for so many people. However, if you have limited time in Paris and need some suggestions on the places to see and things to do, this post is for you. I arrived in Paris from Zurich by the TGV which takes approximately four hours to reach. Although the train was fast, I did not find it to be that comfortable and it felt claustrophobic as it was a double-decker train car and the height of the train ceiling was very low. Try if you can to get seats on the top-decker of the train to maybe feel more comfortable. Anyway, this was the most efficient mode of travel as it did not require checking in your bags on a flight and arriving hours early at the airport. We reached Gare de Lyon station in Paris and we had booked a hotel just next door (Novotel) so thankfully as we walked out of the station it was hardly a two-minute walk with the bags to our hotel. I had wanted to explore Paris on the first day that we arrived in the evening but was somehow so tired after all the days of train travel, so we just decided to rest that day. The next day was dedicated to traveling on a day trip to Amsterdam, you can read all about it here. Then finally on the day after that, we started exploring Paris. We were a little behind in our schedule having missed out the first evening but that did not deter us from having the best day ever in the romantic city of Paris.
Like I do in most cities I visit, the metro was my best friend. It is the most efficient form of transport to get from point A to point B quickly. Another helpful tip was getting the Mobilis day pass which allowed me unlimited travel in public transport in designated zones in Paris for the day. We visited the Le Marais district of Paris which had many of the stores and restaurants we wanted to visit. Our first stop was L'As du Fallafel which is world-famous for its falafel sandwiches and infamous for its long lines. My strategy involved getting to this place as soon as it opened i.e. at 11 am to hope for lesser lines. And voila we got absolutely no lines! We got the falafel sandwiches with an add-on of fried eggplant. Point to note - you have to get that add-on it makes all the difference! It was quite a filling sandwich for one person, if you just want to eat it as a snack and not as a whole meal, two people can share one sandwich.
We then walked around the various streets there just admiring the general splendor of this gorgeous city and the uniformity of the beautiful houses and buildings which were so elegant. It is called the Haussmann style of architecture and oh my god it is stunning. I can understand why Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, just walking around everywhere I looked I was in awe of the beauty and grace of this city.
After that, we visited Carette because we wanted to try their famous hot chocolate. We visited the branch which was next to the beautiful garden Place Des Vosges. Their rule is that everyone must get their own hot chocolate so if there are two of us we had to get two portions of hot chocolate. Thankfully as we reached around 12:30 PM we did not have to wait in line as around one o clock the lines started forming. This hot chocolate which went viral on Instagram (that's how I came to know about this place) was worth the hype. The hot chocolate was rich and indulgent, had just the right amount of thickness and the whipped cream complimented the drink perfectly.
We then walked through the garden just admiring it and taking some pictures before proceeding on to our next destination.
Did you know that Paris has a huge gaming scene? I didn't know this too! My husband took us to explore an area that had so many amazing stores that catered to all the needs of avid gamers and Marvel, DC fans, etc. These stores were located near the Oberkampf metro station. After spending a good two hours in that area we then headed towards Chatelet Les Halles which housed the famous Westfield Forum des Halles shopping mall. Here we visited a tech store called FNAC, which was a huge store dedicated to all things tech.
After this, we walked close by to reach Glace Bachir, another place on my must-try list. This place was again made famous by Instagram for its creamy Lebanese-style ice cream topped with roasted pistachios. However, I found their famous fleur de lait flavor underwhelming, only the roasted pistachios surrounding the ice cream were nice. We then went to the room to rest for an hour and to stash our shopping bags.
After that, we went to the Saint Ambroise area to have dinner at this famous Italian restaurant called Big Love. It is from the same chain of restaurants that we had enjoyed one of the best meals in London of their truffle mafalde pasta at Circolo Popolare. This particular restaurant was an all-vegetarian trattoria! And we had the same pasta here and enjoyed it a lot, the other dishes though were just ok. I strongly advise if you want to visit any popular restaurant in Paris you need a reservation. I had taken my reservation months in advance from the Google Maps online reservation feature. Even on a Wednesday this place was packed.
We were pretty tired with all the walking and exploring, however, we wanted to make up for the time we missed out on the first day. So instead of heading back to our room, we headed to the Arc De Triomphe and reached at around 9 pm. It was breathtaking, especially with the light of the setting sun. It was surrounded by these twelve roads forming a star all around it and it was a sight to behold. The best part about traveling to Europe in the summer is that there was still light at 9 PM! The sun still hadn't set! This made us feel safer exploring during late hours. We then headed towards yes of course the famous Eiffel Tower.
We went there during the evening time to see the twinkling lights which happen during the evening at the start of every hour for five minutes. We reached by 9:50 PM to the Jardin de la Tour Eiffel. I found a good vantage point amongst the crowds and waited patiently for the clock to strike ten, with my phone camera ready to record this spectacle that I'd dreamed of seeing for years. (The last time I visited Paris I was a teenager and I had visited the Eiffel Tower during the daytime) As it struck ten, twinkling lights started illuminating the beautiful tower and I was so happy. In the background, a local musician played La Vie En Rose on his accordion setting the mood even more. It was a perfect and truly memorable moment. A memory I will cherish for a lifetime.
Then came the last day of my Europe trip, the final day in Paris. There were many things I wanted to accomplish on this day and very little time. I first proceeded to Du Pain et des Idees for the quintessential Parisian boulangerie experience. This bakery is the poster child for many videos and posts due to its vintage exterior and interiors. There was a line here at 11 am and after waiting about twenty minutes our turn came. I did not enjoy the croissant here it was not crisp or flaky. However, the signature escargot chocolate pistachio pastry was worth the hype. We also had a few of the savory French bread-style filled pastries they were nice.
After this we headed by metro to the famous Sacre-Coeur (first picture in this post), which along with its beauty stands at a great height in the city of Paris and it gave us some spectacular views of the city. At the time that we traveled, the Mobilis pass included the funicular that took us to the top. This was very helpful as we had a hectic day ahead and did not want to get too tired climbing loads of steps.
When here do not forget to also visit the Place du Tertre - a famous square close by which has some great cafes and skillful caricaturists. This area and the church were both pretty crowded for a weekday afternoon as I guess it was a national holiday that day. Despite that, we had a smooth visit and then went to the nearest metro station to head to our next stop.
I had booked tickets in advance online for one of Paris's most famous attractions, the Louvre Museum. These were timed tickets and I had booked from their official website, thus saving me loads of time standing in line and buying tickets on the spot. The kind of rush here on a Thursday afternoon was appalling however our entry was smooth because we had an advance ticket and we chose to enter from the Carrousel du Louvre entrance below the pyramid. This entrance as I read online is not as crowded usually as the main entrance to the Louvre which is located inside the main pyramid above ground. Carrousel du Louvre is also where I tried the macarons from Laduree. I know it's cliched and there must be better patisseries for the same, but Laduree hits differently in Paris! The vanilla macarons were the best macarons I have ever had in my entire life. My husband and I gobbled up several pieces of this wonderfully delicious macaron.
We entered the Louvre and we aimed to see a few of the main art pieces that are hugely famous. (I know I should have removed an entire day for this as this museum was very interesting and huge, I will come back here again someday and spend the whole day exploring) We wanted to see the Mona Lisa (of course), the Venus de Milo and the Coronation of Napoleon. We also loved the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Madonna and Child with Four Angels.
But it was the Mona Lisa, maybe because of all the hype, or because I just loved the movie Da Vinci Code, or because it is that stunning a portrait, that I was most excited to see. There was a huge line leading close to the painting and as I stood for my turn to go to the front of the line for a good pic, amongst all the commotion and chaos of the crowds I just had a moment of pure joy as I marveled at this world-famous painting. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Another cherished memory for a lifetime.
After this, we headed towards the famous Ritz Hotel. We had decided to visit their famous patisserie called Ritz Le Comptoir. There was no reserved seating here but we were lucky that we got a table to sit and enjoy our treats as the seating was quite limited. The staff was also very polite and helpful and not snobbish at all. We had some of their French specialties like the madeleine, their interpretation of a croissant and a marble cake. I only liked their marble cake out of the three items. But the highlight for me was after that when I wanted to visit their ladies' room, I was guided outside towards an access-controlled entrance to the hotel where there was also a bodyguard. He politely guided me towards the ladies' room and wow their ladies' room was like a palace! Monogrammed towels, gold and crystal bathroom fittings and each bathroom was like its own little suite. It was all so royal! I wonder how opulent their entire hotel must be from the inside! Adding it to my bucket list for next time, a meal at the Ritz!
We then headed to take a stroll at the famous mall Galeries Lafayette on Haussman Street. The dome in the interior of this mall was stunning and there were luxurious shopping experiences all around. Tip: when we visited France they had a tourist tax refund scheme, so do carry your passport when you go shopping if during your visit France still has that scheme. Check their official website for details. The final stop on our Parisian tour was none other than the Cathedrale Notre-Dame. Walking along the serene river Seine and some stunning bridges to get to this attraction was a bonus. We just stayed a few minutes admiring the cathedral before heading back as there was a lot of rush in this area. Plus renovations were going on as in 2019 there was a fire that took place here. We decided to retire a bit early that day as we had to go back to our room and pack for our flight the next day. But not before we headed back by the metro to Chatelet Les Halles for one last browse and a quick meal.
Tip: at the airport on your way back, do get some French vanilla macarons from Laduree they are wonderful, also buy the packed madeleines from Bonne Maman, available at the stores at the airport. Those madeleines were the best, even better than the ones I found in Paris itself. I would have liked to do more things in Paris, but time was a constraint, I hope to be better planned next time. Even then I was able to explore a lot and enjoyed myself thoroughly. Other places I would have liked to see were the Luxembourg Gardens, the Palace of Versailles, the Pantheon, the Emily in Paris filming locations (pl. de l'Estrapade, Terra Nera and Cafe Marly), the famous Shakespeare and Company book store and a day picnic in the gardens near the Eiffel Tower with baguettes and brie. I would have also liked to go to the Trocadero gardens and steps for some more scenic photos of the Eiffel Tower. Some other things on my list were to visit La Grande Epicerie de Paris to check out French cheeses and other gourmet food and to try more croissants at award-winning bakeries like La Maison d'Isabelle. But I will be back soon to enjoy this amazing city some more! Until next time Paris, you were lovely!
Thank you for reading! ❤️
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