France – Paris and beyond

Written by | Destinations, France, Itineraries

Paris

Paris:

Paris is one of the great cities of the world and a tough challenge to do in a day, but we’re going to help try. If we can conquer Paris in a day then that leaves us time to explore some of the more unique experiences Paris has to offer.

Metro (subway) cards are available for €7 (Central Paris) to €11.20 (including Versailles) but the key to discovering Paris is going on foot so pack your best walking shoes. Paris is a sprawling city filled with parks, footbridges, and side streets that allow you to explore and fall in love with the city the same way Hemingway, Picasso and F.Scott Fitzgerald did almost 100 years ago.

Once you get off the plane, take the Metro (subway) all the way to the end of the line (Chatellet les Halles) and then take the light Yellow line towards “Defense”. You need to get off at Porte Maillot and begin your walk down the Champs Elysee towards the Arc de Triomphe.

As you’re in for a long walk I would stop off at Laduree to stock up on their amazing Macaroons for a sugar hit later in the day.

At the end of the Champs Elysee you’ll see the Grand (& Petit) Palais as you enter the Jardin de Tuilleries. Keep walking through this park and soon the Louvre will begin to appear ahead of you.

After the Louvre go away from the Seine to see the Palais Royale and then take a right and head East towards and through The Nelson Mandela Gardens all the way to Rue Beaubourg where the Avant Garde Centre Pompidou (the inside out modern art Gallery) will give you a taste of modern Paris.

For here turn right and head south down Beauborg until you reach the river Seine and the Hotel de Ville. Cross the river onto the Ile de la Cite, home to the famous Pont Neuf and Notre Dame Cathedral.

From here cross the South side of the Seine, turn right, and follow the river taking the beautiful bridges to your right and looking out for the Musee D’Orsay on your left and then the Hotel des Invalides. Here, take a left down Rue Constantine and then continue onto Boulevard des Invalides and pop into the Musee Rodin .

From turn west and take Avenue de Tourville all the way to the Champ de Mars park which serve as the finishing straight for walking tour as we walk up to the Eiffel tower.

Once you’ve taken it in up close, make sure you also get a good view of it from across the Seine from the steps of the Trocadero where there’s also the Palais de Chaillot here.

If you made it this far on Laduree Macaroons alone then it may be time for some real food and there are several great restaurants at the Trocadero that offer good food at reasonable prices and stunning views of the tower.

However, to complete the tour of Paris we have one more sigh to see. Hop on the Trocadero metro lime green line towards Mairie De Montreuil and change at Miromesnil and take the green line towards Porte De La Chapelle, getting off at Jules Joffrin to climb the dome of the Sacre Coer basilica to get the best view of Paris.

Paris by Night

Paris by Night

If there is one thing more beautiful than seeing Paris in the daylight, it is seeing Paris by night. For dinner, take one of the many Seine dinner cruises. The food is high quality, the views stunning, and the wine will seduce you into dancing. We would recommend “Come to Paris” who over a variety of packages including cruise + Cabaret options which includes entry to and drops you off next to Paris’ premier nightclub the crazy horse.

Sunday:

So, we’ve ticked all the Parisian boxes and now we have the day really get to know the place. There are the obvious options, such as go to one of the many places we visited yesterday and actually spend the day there.

Alternatively there is the great palace of Versailles which is open from 9am to 6:30pm and easily reached by getting the RER subway line. Last admission to the palace is 5:50pm. It’s €15 for just the palace and €18 for the palace, gardens, The other buildings and Marie Antoinette’s private home.

Reims and Champagne-Ardenne is only a 45 minute train ride from Paris where you can find a plethora of great Champagne Houses. We would recommend the Philippe Brugnon champagne house in Rilly la Montagne. The tour is 15 euros and includes the chance slice the top off a bottle of champagne with sword.

If you are in town on a Saturday and don’t fancy going outside the city then La Derniere Goutte has famous wine tasting afternoon from 11:30 onwards which are popular among both Parisians and tourists alike.

Happy Travels

Last modified: 1st February 2016

One Response to :
France – Paris and beyond

  1. Xam says:

    This is amazing! Makes me want to pack my bags and head back to Paris for the second time 🙁

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