MAKING THE MOST OF THE CITY: PARIS HIGHLIGHTS

Paris was where we stayed the longest, And with good reason. The city has so much to feast your eyes on, and to learn. we knew there was no way around it if we wanted to do a fair amount of activities and sightseeing.

Paris left us in awe, especially me. The first night after arriving at the hotel, we were so happy to realize that we were steps away from Place du Trocadero which offers one of the most beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower which meant that it was walking distance away from us. 

We took full advantage of this. Every morning, we had breakfast there and took a look at her (yes I’ve accustomed myself with the Eiffel tower like that, It was love at first sight, she’s my girl now! lol

 

 

Speaking of breakfast and this is a quick tip for us balers on a budget. When in Paris, I 100% recommend getting your breakfast, lunch or dinner at a street kiosk! Choose one meal that you want to catch at a street kiosk for Hot dog gratine, crepe, or croque monsieur, and another meal that you can get at a nice sit down restaurants. And alternate the days, like us we mostly had breakfast or lunch at a street kiosk and for dinner we picked a restaurant to try. Doing this will be much easier on your pocket.

The Highlight on eating from a kiosk, was the Hot dog gratine! Ahhhh the Hot Dog gratine! This is a hot dog topped with shredded cheese then grilled, it is PERFECTION. That was my breakfast of choice, hubs was more torn with crepes. I promised myself and hubs that I would try to remake it once we got back home 

For the first 2 days our mornings consisted of exploring and riding the hop-on hop-off bus (read about what it is here). Again were able to see plenty of the historic sites we wanted to and got off at the ones we wanted to get a closer look at. 

Like the Louvre, let me tell you, it looked like we stepped into a cartoon, in a very good way though.  Almost unreal, the colors so vibrant and the facade looked like nothing changed from 1793.

Unfortunately there was a protest therefore we were not able to go in, but we took a nice stroll down to Jardin des Tuileries. 

We also went down to the Carrousel du Louvre. The underground shopping mall and where you can see the upside triangle as well.

What to do

Beside the obvious historic site, We carved out some time for evening activities. 

Our first day, we ended the evening with a cabaret show at Le Lido de Paris. I would say a cabaret show in Paris is a must, simply because this is where cabaret shows originated at a time called La Belle Epoque! I’ll start by warning that there is partial nudity but in a tasteful way. Besides this, the show was very well put together. In addition to the Bluebell girls, there was different dancing acts, acrobatics, singing and bling and feathers added a nice luxe flair.

Cabaret shows are pretty late and they do offer a dinner option but I found that it was much more expensive. So choose from the many restaurants the avenue des champs-Élysées has to offer like La Durée, or George V , or even McDonald’s! Whatever floats your boat.

Another great evening activity was the diner cruise along the seine river. Sailing through the seine was so dreamy, with soft french music in the background, this is the recipe for a very romantic evening.

Here’s a tip: when I was in the process of booking, I came across an early evening dinner cruise. I picked it thinking that we would be able to witness a beautiful sunset, but I was totally unaware that sunset is super late in Europe. So go for a regular dinner time and hopefully you and your honey catch a breathtaking sunset along La Seine

 

Our last morning my husband insisted we go at the top of the Eiffel Tower. The fact that we did not get a chance to visit the Musee du Louvre, and it was pouring that morning when  we planned on going to Versailles, we wanted to visit at least one historic site.

Well we had one walking distance from us! I was a bit apprehensive about going, only because I always heard and read that going at the top of the Eiffel tower was a waste of time and money because the lines are super long. Well let me debunk that myth now: It is not! I wished I timed it but we spent about 20 minutes in line and for as big of an attraction, that is not bad at all. I’m guessing that all the people who read about the long lines decide not to go and the lines become shorter and shorter lol! When you’re traveling always try to check out for yourself if there’s a site your really want to experience.

The panoramic view from the top takes your breath away! You can see almost all of Paris up there. 

Fun fact: you can get married at the Eiffel Tower! On the second floor, they have a beautiful glass wall room and open terrace. There was one going on while we there. It looked very nice, you know I always have an eye out for a beautiful venue.

Favorites? 

My best highlight of Paris was the Eiffel Tower. Almost everywhere you turn you can see her, she’s always there. I cried our last night there. After our outing with my husband’s cousin, we went to get one last crepe at the Place du Trocadero. With the live romantic music and the Eiffel lighting up in front of us for the last time (for now) I couldn’t help but cry. Im such a cry baby lol. 

 

How many pictures of the Eiffel Tower does one need you ask? As many you see fit!

 

Les Invalides for sure left me speechless. So grandiose and again feeling like I stepped back in time. I think  everyone should take on a that sight! Les Invalides is an establishment that King Louis had built for the war veterans. Inside, there’s a hospital, retirement home for the war veterans, a church, and the tombs of Napoleon Bonaparte along with other french military leaders. You can’t miss the Gold dome and royal blue large gate adorned with gold.

 

 

Palais Garnier was major too. This is the opera built by architect Charles Garnier. The only word that comes to mind for it is extravagant. This man did not stop at nothing to make the opera house as extravagant and regal as possible. Normally it was named the Opera Garnier, but the establishment was such a chef-d’oeuvre that it was referred to as Palais Garnier. It took 14 years to complete. The facade is adorned with sculptures and engraved names of guys like Mozart, and Beethoven. Palais Garnier is another absolute must.

And Last but not least, we put our love on lock at Pont des Arts after our dinner Cruise. It was a special moment knowing that we may come back years later on this bridge and have our lock be the tangible memory of this time in our lives.

Paris was all we geared up for and more. It goes without saying that Paris is somewhere you have to go at least once or twice, so after doing your own research don’t be afraid to go there, to explore, feast your mind with history, get lost in the beauty that this city offers.

I love how travel experiences will always vary from person to person. So if any of you have been to Paris, do let me know in the comments about your experience. And If it is in your plans to go there, don’t be shy to share what your are looking forward to and what your game plan is.

I will see you guys here again this week for some more Paris goodness. Keep an eye out for it by adding you email to my mailing list to be notified.

Thank you for reading!