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Paris

 

Introduction

During my study abroad program in London, my friends and I flew to Paris for a weekend so we could make the most of our trip! Paris is a beautiful city with lots of architecture and landmarks to admire. I wished I could speak French to get the most out of the city. Paris intrigued me, and I can't wait to come back in the future! Until then, I'll try to describe my weekend in Paris.

 

Day 1

My friends and I landed at Orly Airport, which is smaller than the main international airport, Charles de Gaulle (CDG). We landed pretty late, so we called an Uber to Bastille Hostel, the place we were staying at for the weekend. Here is the moment where knowing French would have been handy, as when the driver dropped us off, he told us there was an issue - but we had no idea how to communicate. Eventually, the driver resolved it and left but it was a little nerve-wracking. 

We checked into the hostel relatively quickly, and the room was very average. There were two bunk beds for the four of us and a small bathroom. The beds were a little creaky, but hey it was cheap. This is also the moment when I realized I left my iPad on the plane, so I had to borrow my friend's phone to call the airline - basically, no one found the iPad and I lost it. As you can tell, this trip is going off to a great start. 

We slept in for a bit and then headed to The Louvre for the first attraction of the day. First of all, there is so much amazing artwork to be seen - you could easily wander the museum for days. However, we decided to see the famous Mona Lisa which was quite underwhelming. ​
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The Mona Lisa basically sits in a big room, with guards on each side. There's a barrier so you can't get too close, and literally everyone is trying to get a picture. I got really lucky and was able to squeeze to the front (this is when being small is a good thing!) and I was able to get a clear, unobstructed view of the painting. Take pictures and get out - your time is better spent elsewhere in the museum. We left the museum after a little bit and walked past Notre Dame, went into this shopping alley and got these amazing macarons. 

We went to Champs-Elysess next on the way to the Arc de Triomphe, which was an interesting experience in itself. Think of Champs-Elysees as a huge shopping street, filled with name brands and such. A very important thing to know is that the Arc in the center of a 6+ lane traffic circle/roundabout thing. During the moment, my friends and I didn't know that there was an underpass to the Arc. So, we decided to cross 6+ of traffic with no crosswalk. It wasn't my best idea as cars honked at us and we nearly got ran over. It was a very exhilarating experience, but I would not recommend this for next time. Once you get to the Arc, you can pay to go up but my friends and I didn't have the time to do that. 

Towards the end of the day, my friends and I went on a dinner cruise on the Seine which was absolutely amazing. We got the tour off of Viator, and the meeting place was at Le Capitaine Fracasse. It was quite expensive, but the dinner was really good. You're paying more for the privilege of eating while on the river and watching the Parisian scenery go by. We had a fantastic time, and then it was off to the next attraction. 
​
Picture
​After dinner, we went to the Eiffel Tower. On the way there, we had to avoid dodgy people, wait in a long line, and then we were able to buy our tickets. My advice is to not engage in anyone that tries to get your attention - usually it's going to lead to a scam or something being taken away from you. 

While we were waiting in line, my friends and I ran into other people we knew from the program! What a small world. We decided to wait and go up the tower together. The city at night is absolutely breathtaking - even at 10PM there was still a lot of people trying to get pictures. I would definitely recommend going up and taking in the view. ​

 

Day 2

We started off Day 2 by heading to the ​Jardin de Luxembourg, a park with very nice lawns, statues, and a very grand villa in the center. I was in awe of the park because it was simply so pretty and captivating. There was a circular lake/pond hybrid where some people were sailing boats, with lots of people walking around. We ended up playing a bad prank on one of our friends that decided to sit and take a nap. She's afraid of birds, so my other friend and I were tossing crumbs of the leftover cookie I had from breakfast near her chair so birds would go to where she was. It was very amusing but she thought otherwise. After that, we stopped at a cute restaurant called Bullier for lunch. Everything was pretty good, but it wasn't the best food I've had. After that, it was time to go to the airport and fly back to London. ​
Picture

 

More recommendations

Here are some more things I recommend if you have the time!

Food
  • Boulangerie L'Essentiel - Anthony Bosson
  • Pink Mamma - they have AMAZING truffle pasta and the decor is super cute as well. It’s great for a photo opp. This spot is popular so if you don’t make a reservation, you’ll have to wait in line. I got lucky and didn’t have to wait too long because I was by myself and they were looking to fill a seat! If you can order more, I would also recommend the bavette e salsa chimichurri, spaghetti ai scampi, and the croquettes. However, the spaghetti and the croquetts felt a little small for the cost, so I would just go with the first one.
  • BO&MIE - get the raspberry croissant! It’s so good, and they have a lot of other great pastries too. 
  • Season Marais - this place reminded me of what a chic brunch place in LA would serve but with a cuter vibe. I got one of the bowls which was super tasty!
  • McDonalds @ Champs-Elysees - not a must do but if you’re on the hunt for a cheap macaron, they sell them for €1.20 each. They only sell them at this particular McDonalds! And the macaron was honestly really good, compared to the other top macaron places serving it for >€4 per macaron!
  • P'tite Bougnate - the food was pretty decent (I got the vegetarian lasagna and my friends got the fries and crepes), but the real gem is the happy hour deal that’s €5/drink. 
Attractions
  • Rue Mouffetard - I would start walking from one end of the street to the other, since there are a lot of restaurants and shops as you walk! Great place if you’re undecided on lunch and just want to stroll. 
  • Tour Saint-Jacques
  • Place des Vosges
  • Wall of Love
Nature
  • Gardens/Palace of Versailles - I learned my lesson from my time in Vienna and opted to just walk around the gardens instead. Usually it’s free, but they charge on days with garden performances which is usually during the summer. But Versailles is beautiful and if you’re doing it on a budget, you can still get nice pictures of the palace! I loved walking around the grounds and taking it all in. 
  • Jardin des Plantes - I loved this spot, all the flowers and plants makes it kind of feel like an oasis. Highly recommend!
  • Tuileries Garden - a little bit touristy but still very pretty. Some part of it is dedicated to some “rides” and the two big fountains at either end of the park makes for a good photo opp. 
  • Parc des Buttes-Chaumont - this park felt more “local” since it’s further away from the city center. But the park is very peaceful and is just a nice place to relax!

​Just passing by
​
I didn’t have time to visit these places below in depth, but it’s worth visiting the site to look and admire them anyways!
  • Domaine National du Palais-Royal
  • Pont Neuf
  • Sainte-Chapelle
  • Panthéon
  • Musée d'Orsay
  • Shakespeare and Company - if visiting the bookstore is on top of your list, be prepared to wait in line. ​

 

OTHER THINGS TO DO + Reflection

Other things to do
If you have time, I would recommend doing these additional things.
  • Vedettes de Paris - a boat cruise on the Seine is always a classic, and there's a bunch of boat providers that do cruises as well. 
  • Marché Président Wilson - cute little farmer's market (ish) on Saturdays! 
  • Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre - the church is really pretty and is free to go inside, but you might have to wait in a queue to get in. There's also a beautiful view of Paris, but there are a lot of street vendors trying to sell you things.​
  • Le Florentin - Thought it was going to be touristy, but was surprisingly tasty. We had the vegetable soup, escargot, and the salmon filet.
  • ACCENTS table bourse - This Michelin star place was great for a nice meal out. The staff was really attentive and introduced what was in every dish. I loved the level of detail!
  • Baguett's Café - super cute cafe where we had the French toast, crazy crossiant, chai latte and mocha.​

Reflection
Overall, I had a fantastic time in Paris - I only wish I had more time in this city. There's simply so much that I didn't have the chance to do, and France in general is a country I'll like to get to know more of. If you're thinking of heading to Paris, I would give it at least 3-4 days so you could fully explore everything. Until next time, Paris! 
​

Contents

Introduction
Day 1
Day 2
​
More Recommendations
Reflection
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