Thanks for visiting. If you are reading this when first drafted in January 2023, you will notice several incomplete blogs from the last 15 months covering Lisbon, Milan, Egypt and Brussels so I will try and get those done in this lifetime.
Overview
Paris is the capital city of France and although there are many tourism options in the country, Paris knocks them out of the park with both sights to see and statistics, with nearly 20 million international travelers per year making it the second most visited city in the world after Bankok (according to here, that lists NYC in 7th?!).
Lucky for us Paris is less than a 90 minute flight away from Bristol airport thus flying there is one of the cheaper destinations. Paris is also reachable by car/ferry and the EuroStar. Some packages to Disneyland no doubt offer a short trip to the City central areas too. On this occasion we flew with Easyjet to Paris Orly, staying in an Ibis Budget (very budget!) hotel that was a little too far away from the centre being the penultimate stop on one of the metro lines. Not to worry, as it was completely adequate, considering our last trip, to Egypt in August, had us in a hotel room with no aircon!
Getting Around
It’s worth noting Paris has two main airports that link to the city, Orly and the busier Charles De Gaulle. We arrived at Orly and decided to catch the express train to the city. This wasn’t as easy as you’d expect, as you have to get off at Antony (nowhere near central) to be able to use the public transport network in to the centre. We flew out of Paris at CDG, by the end of the trip we were more confident using public transport but still had to buy an additional ticket to get us as far as the airport.
Once you’re in Paris there are many ways to get around. I didn’t quite know the difference between the Metro and the RER trains that seemed to do the same thing, plus you have ‘normal’ trains located at several points. We really enjoyed using the bus transport though, which was on time and not as crowded as you would expect – less convenient than the hop-on-hop-off services but included in your travel pass. eScooters are popping up here too, but getting around using the river seems limited as the tours we seen started and ended at the same place. The travel pass will set you back around £22 each for three days, but you’re going to get your money’s worth.
Things we didn’t do
Our time in Paris worked out to be around 3.5 days. We thought this was ample with our style of holidaying; marching around during the day with time to chill in the evenings. As you will see below we certainly got a lot of stuff ticked off. The major thing we wanted to see but couldn’t were the Catacombs. Once we looked to book tickets they were all sold out so make sure you book in advance.
There were a few things to see, which we did, but didn’t bother going inside such as the Musée d’Orsay, Les Invalides, Père Lachaise Cemetery where Oscar Wilde’s tomb is located. You’re unable to go in to Notre Dame whilst they are rebuilding it still. Get yourself a decent guidebook for a more comprehensive list as there are undoubtedly lesser known worthy sights. If you visit Sacre-Cour basilica be sure to go up to the dome for the best views (unlike us – see below!).
Obviously Disneyland too, which is about as much Paris as Legoland is London. I’ve been there once, Kay’s been umpteen times and we are due to go again early 2023 with family (update, been). I reckon if you had a week in Paris you could at least fit in a day trip, but I would advise at least two.
Costs
For two people our flights were £132 with hand-luggage only. Our hotel was £148 for 4 nights, which although a bargain, we should have forked out a bit more to be a little more central.
Monday morning to Thursday evening cost us in the region of £700 spending money including transport and attractions. Most attractions are £20-25 per person and a 3-day travel pass is about the same but travel altogether was £100 or so considering airport transfers and the additional day pass we required. Worth noting we really cut back on expensive food (six fucking snails cost 16 euro like) so add a good few quid if that’s your thing.
Generally, things like snacks and drinks are similar to London prices so there shouldn’t be any major surprises. We didn’t have a beer, known to be really expensive, but I reckon it depends where you go for that too.
What we did
Day One
Prior to the trip we already bought tickets for the Louvre on day 1 and the Eiffel Tower on day 3. Thankfully our flight was early morning, so we had plenty of time to work out the public transport systems and a rest in our hotel before getting to the Louvre.
The Louvre is conveniently located in between two metro stops, and on street level it’s a case of following the crowd until you arrive in the open space in the middle of the palace buildings and the famous glass pyramids.
Although we booked a specific time the queues were horrendous even this late in the afternoon. There seemed to be two queues, one for pre-booked and one for tickets on the day, both taking it in turns to enter. Not ideal when there were hundreds slowly getting in, but luckily it was dry and we had no urgency. We entered around an hour later than our time slot so certainly something to take in to account if you’re expecting to squeeze in a visit.
You should know I’m not really one for art or museums but I was taken aback by this place. It was absolutely huge. As well as the surrounding buildings shown above, there’s a massive amount of underground passages, plaza’s and a whole shopping center too.
You could easily spend all day looking through the galleries and exhibits but of course the main attraction is the Mona Lisa. Conveniently tucked away enough so you have to see a few of the other bits on the way beforehand, it was located in a large hall, looking out of place considering how small the painting itself is. Still, there was a constant stream of probably 500 people tripping over themselves to try and get a decent photo. To be honest my pic above was from about 30 yards after a LOT of image editing!
Getting that done and dusted meant we could take a more relaxed approach around the rest of the museum starting at the Venus de Milo. Or the lady with no arms if you asked me prior to our visit. This has a fascinating back story if you care to look. We proceeded to wind our way through the rest of the exhibits especially enjoyed looking at sections from Egypt (why aren’t these in Egypt… sigh) and Iran.
Leaving the museum we managed to find a cheap spot for dinner in a Chinese fast food type place on our way to the second and final plan of the day, Montparnasse Tower.
This was quite high up on to-do lists we reviewed but approaching the office block you wouldn’t have really thought so. The entrance and reception were rather gloomy, not somewhere linked with a nice restaurant and great rooftop views of Paris 210 metres up. That, and the drizzly weather made the visit not the most pleasurable, but as it was our first decent view of big Eiffel, we were content before returning to our digs.
Day Two
After having a lot of bread and ham for breakfast (i.e. continental breakfast for fussy eaters) we headed out on what we planned to be a day sight hopping with no reservations.
The first stop was the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret venue. Could we go there? Yes we Can-Can! (sorry). I did consider buying tickets for a show and whilst the reviews are great, considering the cost amounted to 50% of the whole trip I’ll think about it next time.
Next up traversing the metro network was a visit to Ille de la Cite (guessing that translates to Island in they City) where the famous Notre-Dame cathedral is based. After a quick gaze at the 13th century gothic Saint-Chappelle, we followed the swarm of tourists to the square outside Notre-Dame.
The cathedral was severely damaged by fire in April 2019 and scaffolding and cranes have been ever-present since. This was a shame, as although I tend not to make a hobby out of going inside churches etc, this would have been one to tick off. It’ll probably be closed to the public for some time yet I thought.
Still, the square outside was vibrant with tourists and street performers and it was a good point to try and get a candid (definitely not candid) photo of my admiring the building – didn’t quite make the cut for the blog!
From here we crossed the Pont Nuef, the oldest standing bridge across the Seine. We were close our next stop, a big park called Jardin de Luxembourg and decided to walk for a change, a good choice to stop an appreciate the Saint-Michel fountain before heading onwards south to the park.
There’s a ‘funny’ story about my visit to a public toilet here but I won’t bring that up on behalf of the elderly lady I may well have traumatised. (If you’re reading this, sorry, but the sign clearly said WAIT UNTIL THE TOILET FINISHES FLUSHING BEFORE ENTERING THE CUBICLE, in an array of languages.)
Approaching the park from the east, after an Autumnal walk along a tree lined path the area opened up with fields, flowerbeds and a man-made lake enjoyed by families sailing remote control boats, with the Eiffel tower visible above the skyline. How wonderful.
We enjoyed the views for a while once we planned our next steps. Lunch obviously, we hadn’t eaten for at least 3 hours(!), so found an independent burger joint. On the way we also stumbled across our first of two Statue of Liberty’s on the trip. The one based in the park was to commemorate those who lost their lives on 9/11.
For the afternoon I had a real treat planned for Mikayla; to drag her around no less than three sporting venues in succession. Although outside of the centre, but still easy to access by the metro. Conveniently, these are all based within a 30 minute walk
First up was Roland Garros, the tennis venue, the French Wimbledon if you like. Although closed as no events were on, we were able to walk close to some of the stadiums. Whilst not confusing both of us stating names or numbers, the first court was peculiar due to the fact from the outside it looked like some sort of greenhouse in a botanical garden. Once we peeked through the railings we could see the court dug quite deep in to the ground with 5,000 seats surrounding it. I didn’t count each seat but no way was there 5,000 seats there looking at it from the outside!
From here it was a short walk to the 15,000 Centre Court, understandable the largest and outstanding building in the complex. Sadly, the external gates were as close as we could get. I’ve not been to Wimbledon so can’t comment on any similarities but did think it would have a similar relaxed and pleasant vibe that SW19 tends to portray.
I had done well differentiating from my beloved football to go see some tennis stuff, but that was nothing compared to the next stop, a bloody rugby stadium! In defence, it was on the way to the football ground….
The 20,000 Stade Jean-Bouin is a mixed-use stadium and primary home to Rugby Union team Stade Francais. Why a team of that name don’t play at the Stade de France is anyone’s guess but there we go. The stadium itself was fascinating due to two sides being absolutely massive with this strange webbed cladding on the outside. You wouldn’t be blamed for mistaken this for better-known Parc des Princes, that was our next stop.
The Parc des Princes is home to French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and holds 48,000 people, yet looking no bigger than the aforementioned stadium literally next door. More importantly, this was were Wales beat Northern Ireland to progress in to the quarter finals of Euro 2016, two games before I started on the Wales away game bandwagon.
A token selfie outside the main entrance alongside the likes of Messi, Neymar, Mbappe et al and refusing to pay for a stadium tour, we walked around the circumference of the ground, not getting the slightest peak in to the stadium bowl or the pitch. A bit different from our Milan San Siro visit in April where they had a large viewing window inside the club shop! The stadium is quite easy on the eye considering it’s a big lump of concrete.
If you’re not in to your sports, you’ll be glad to know that we then headed back in the centre.
We caught a public bus (included in the travel pass) towards the Champs-Élysées, perhaps the most well-known street in Paris that runs between The Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde.
The Arc de Triomphe is quite spectacular in stature when you’re close to it, in between any of the twelve radiating avenues that approach. Surrounded by a god-knows-how-many-lanes-because-there-are-no-markings roundabout the only was you’re *supposed* to enter the central area is through an underground subway that doubles up as a ticket office should you wish to venture up to the top of the arch.
At the arch itself, there didn’t seem to be a lot to do apart from marvel at the monument, get out the way of people’s photo’s, and tut at the families who decide to run from the roundabout through multiple lanes of continuous traffic.
At the other end of the avenue is the Place de la Concorde, identified by an Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics towering 23 meters. Incredibly this is believed to be over 3,000 years old.
The square is the biggest in Paris and beginning in 1789, the Place was a central stage for the events of the French Revolution. In October 1792, the first executions by guillotine in the square took place, including King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Thankfully, today the square is rather more peaceful, giving an opportunity to enjoy the fountains, impressive buildings and of course, the Eiffel Tower popping up in the background.
At this point we realised that we kinda’ done everything we wanted to do for the day, but with sun just starting to fall felt it necessary to fit at least one more thing in before returning to the hotel. Thankfully, Mikayla remembered something she looked at prior to the trip and 5 minutes later we were on what was hopefully the right bus to Sacré-Cœur. This ‘something’ we didn’t really plan to visit is in fact the second-most visited destination in the City!
Sacré-Cœur is a basilica in the northern area of the city 200 metres above the Siene. Built quite recently in 1914, its appeal is not only that it is the Church of the “Sacred Heart of Jesus” but certainly the views it offers across the City. I can’t honestly think of another hill we walked up in the city!
As soon as we decided to visit, we know that time was against us as I really wanted to get a panoramic photo of the city at sunset. Once we stopped off at the bus I probably walked/dad-jogged faster than I had for many months trying to reach the summit in time. You’re talking about a good 15 minutes here and up hundreds of steps. Once arrived at the viewing platform I was pleased that it was still light enough, but the sun had already set and to my dismay the view offered no view of the Eiffel Tower as it was too far to the right thus behind buildings and trees! What the?
Still, the views were worth taking in, with Montparnasse tower sticking out amongst the otherwise very flat area of central Paris.
I have since found out that if you enter the basilica, you can visit the dome at the top, that does indeed provide an unbeatable view of the city landscape. We didn’t bother due to the crowds and increasing darkness. This was one regret for the trip and I’m a bit scared to tell Kay! – there’s always next time…
That was that for day two.
Day Three
This morning was the big one, our visit to the Eiffel Tower! Before today we hadn’t been that close to the tower so was able to gaze in awe at one of the most recognisable structures in the world. I think we saved some time by pre-booking our tickets and time-slot beforehand, but seem to recall even if the website is sold out of tickets you can still visit on the day, capacity dependant.
After an initial security check, we entered in to the tower grounds and waited for our specific time to be called. A further queue and security check and we were good to up the list to the second floor a paltry 116m high, to start queuing for the lifts to the top at 276m. I should state that although it was VERY busy, and the queues did take some time (an hour-ish), they were constantly moving. On the second floor you already have brilliant views to admire whilst waiting.
The lift (cage) to the top could be quite scary to a few people but never at any point did it feel unsafe. Remember millions of people make the same journey every year. The lift stops in a inside windowed room and it’s a few stairs to the outside platform. Aside from the views, the top also houses an insight to Gustave Eiffel’s office, toilets and a champagne bar.
The views at the top were nothing short of incredible, I’ll let the photo’s do the talking.
Whilst waiting for the lift back down, the queue winds around the inside room, indicating the direction and distance of countless countries and Parisian sights.
Back at the second floor, we decided to descend by the stairs. You can buy slightly cheaper tickets to walk UP the stairs from base to second floor, but I really wouldn’t advise it. 674 steps even going down was a dizzying episode without stopping. By the time we reached level ground we needed 5 minutes so that our legs started working again!
You know some things you go to see, you leave a bit disappointed? This was not one of them.
The next activity practically fell in to our lap as we exited the tower grounds along the Siene. We considered a boat tour along the river and agreed now was a good of time as any. We used a company called “Bateaux Parisiens” that seemed to be the only one in the close vicinity but there are obviously more a bit further afield from what was our location.
The cruise was pretty basic going up the Siene for 30 minutes before doubling back. It took you under several bridges including the most ornate Pont Alexandre III, a celebration of the relationship between France and Russia…. That has not aged well in 2022….
The tour did require using their website on your phone to listen to the voice guide, which prevented picture taking, but couldn’t complain with the €16 cost. May have avoided it if it was pissing down as I doubt the inside area offered similar views.
After a busy morning we certainly deserved a hearty lunch. However, my wonderful fiancé moaned on a considerable amount of occasions to try some snails for lunch. I said there was no point as she wouldn’t like them. We compromised. We had snails for lunch.
Finding an upmarket café in an area between the Eiffel Tower and Hôtel des Invalides we were ‘treated’ to six fat snails in a garlic and butter dressing.
With Mikayla giving it the billy-big-bollocks and me being a gentleman, I insisted that she went first. As soon as the slug hit her tongue I could tell she was thinking “fuck, he’s going to say I told you so…”.
My turn next. Once I was able to actually use the tongs and fork combo correctly (ish…) I bravely chewed mine rather than swallow. The garlic taste overwhelmed whatever a snail is supposed to taste like, thankfully, but yeah, they were fucking atrocious, the texture, just what is the point?
The problem, we looked like right dickheads now. Ordered 6 snails for €16, tried two then left. Nope, I persuaded myself to have another two or three whilst simultaneously frowning at Kay for forcing me through such torture.
We paid the bill and I went to get a portion of chips from the kebab shop next door.
We’re still engaged.
French fries devoured we had a wander over Pont Alexander III bridge and caught a bus to start a round up of a few bits we would do itlf we had the time.
Slightly tucked away from the tourism hotspot on an island a little further down (or up?) river from the Eiffel Tower is another Statue of Liberty, larger than the park but still micro in comparison to NYC. My memory of these moments include getting an email with our wedding quote! How exciting (and expensive…)
From here we checked out an area named La Defense, visible from the tower earlier in that day, travelling the end of a metro line to get there. We were greeted with what I describe as an uber modern mini city with shopping complex, offices and flats.
It was cool to walk through the car free central street looking ahead at the boulevard that linked this area to the Arc de Triomphe. Although we were knackered by know, the other side of town from our hotel and with one stop left our our final evening.
… which was to visit the Eiffel Tower area at night to take a few pictures. We just about caught the hourly event where the tower glitters for a few minutes. Very nice.
Day Four
Our final day was a bit of a ball ache as we had to check out of our hotel early and didn’t think we’d have time to trapse back for our bags, thus lugging them around with us.
It started off quite pleasant as we metro-hopped to Nation square (above) and Bastille (below).
At this point Mikayla disclosed that there was a cool little book store she wanted to visit, she had yet to mention in previous days or when we walked right bloody past it! Still, as the days went on we had a preference to use the buses and it wasn’t far away.
Sadly when we got there we didn’t really have enough time to queue so travelled the short distance near the Hotel de Ville, the current Parisian city hall.
The main purpose of the day however, was to visit the Palace of Versailles. The palace is on the outskirts of Paris and it took a bit of homework to find out how to get there. I would be happy to recommend our choice, taking the metro line 9 as far as it goes to Pont de Sevres and then get a frequent 30 minute bus to the front gates. We expected to pay extra for the bus, being out of the zones but didn’t have to for reasons I care not. You can also get the RER to the palace, but I’m unsure if you have to pay extra on top of your day pass. Or walk. The world’s your oyster (which I have also tried since the snails and writing this. That was a dreadful decision an’all…).
Anyway, at the palace. It started raining whilst waiting to get in. That wasn’t fun with all of our luggage on our backs. The palace and surrounding area is stupendous in size and you would need a full day to see all the area, that we didn’t have, so just focused on the main palace.
I really don’t want to give a history lesson here so to sum it up before the next picture….
The palace and grounds were built and lived in by the French royals until 1789 the French people, living in squalor finally had a guts full and BOOM, the French Revolution. Since then the royals are no more and the area has been in the public domain since. Power to the people.
Walking around the ridiculously posh and oversized rooms in the palace, I think they done well to keep that “you’re taking the piss out of us” vibe that led us common people to kick off all those years ago. Gosh, imagine if the UK had such an over the top equivalent palace or sorts during a cost of living crisis?!?….
Did you spot the sarcasm?
Anyway, we’re nearly done. A soaking walk, bus and metro back in to the city to catch our final route to Charles de Gualle airport.
… With a pit stop at the Stade de France on the way obviously. Quite a structure I have yet to enter. I’ll wait patiently for a Wales football fixture over a biannual Six Nations rugby meeting between the two countries, thanks.
Cheers for taking the time to read! I’ve done quite well writing this up only 4 months after I returned, finishing it off on a drive home from Disneyland Paris of all places!
And don’t bother with the snails, ya wierdo.
How Not 2 Life 