If you’ve followed me for awhile, you know that I have traveled Europe every summer for the past three years. With summer just around the corner I am reminiscing on past trips and trying to make some plans for this summer (fingers crossed). That being said I wanted to share some of the places I went and things I did in Paris that I thought were noteworthy (as if all of Pairs isn’t noteworthy itself).
Paris quickly became one of the best places I have ever been. How could it not? I was there with one of my very best friends, in the Summer, pretending we were Parisian girls in the most touristy way ever. From the cafes, to the baguettes, to siping rosé watching the Eiffel Tower light up, it was magical. We stayed in the cutest little hotel and enjoyed the hell out of ourselves. It was a very quick trip, but it certainly was not the last trip I will be taking to Pairs. People had filled my head with their negative opinions about Paris before I went, but let me tell you, anything negative I heard I found to be false. Parisians are SO nice, willing to help us English speaking folk, the city isn’t any dirtier than some of our cities, and it didn’t smell. Maybe I got lucky, but that was my experience-all positive! With that being said I wanted to share my highlights with you from my very quick trip. So, if you are looking for a “How To See Paris In 3 Days” guide, you’ve come to the right place.
Pick a quaint, charming place to stay.
By all means, go for the 5 star luxury hotel, but if you are traveling like I was, choose the cute little cottage or B&B. One, it is much cheaper, two, you cannot get the charm anywhere else, and three, who stays in their room for hours when you are in Paris unless you are sleeping? We stayed at MHIF Le Marais by HappyCulture. I could not get over how cute our windows were. My favorite part was sleeping with them swung open and waking up to the sun, hearing the city come alive.
Find a cafe near the Eiffel Tower for dinner, get a bottle of wine, and stay awhile.
Europe is known for their long meals, they never want you to leave the restaurant-I’m not kidding. The most magical part of my whole time in Paris was when we were sitting at this little cafe outside, enjoying a glass of rosé, and all of a sudden the Eiffel tower began sparkling. No joke, I started to cry because it was so pretty. Note: it only lights up for 5 minutes every hour on the hour in the evening. Note II: Make reservations at restaurants weeks in advance, something we didn’t realize until we couldn’t get into the places we wanted.
Do a river cruise up the Seine.
After SO much walking, doing the boat cruise (+ wine) up the Seine was so relaxing. Since we walked everywhere, we decided to take it at the furthest point we could and go in the direction of our hotel (so, just a one way cruise) to avoid more walking. Great way to travel back!
Find a cafe in the A.M and order the option that includes coffee, orange juice, and assorted croissants.
This is where I started drinking coffee. After 20 years of being alive, I finally found a coffee I actually liked, there is truly nothing like it.
If you are on a time crunch, see everything, but don’t stand in line for hours for museums.
This is something I am going to go back and do because we simply didn’t have time to wait to go to all of the museums, instead we walked around the ENTIRE city seeing everything we could. While there is so much to learn inside the museums, the outside is just as remarkable (and it’s free!).
Take in the architecture.
This is what made the biggest impact on me-the architecture of the city. I. Could. Not. Get. Over. It. I still can’t. The history that lies within the walls, and the intricacy of the structures is mind blowing. I could sit and stare at the building, bridges, statues, you name it, for hours!
Do it with someone dear to you.
Weather that is a boyfriend, a girlfriend, spouse, parent, or best friend, there is nothing like sharing Paris with someone you love.
Eat a Crepe.
Just do it. You won’t be sorry.
Eat Escargot.
I wasn’t going to try it until I was forced to and now I dream of it.
There you have it, my crash course of what to do when in paris for a short amount of time. Please share your favorites with me so next time I go I can include those to my list!
Loved your photo’s, thanks for sharing …the one thing I noticed whenever I’m in Europe ….only the American’s
wear white sneakers….