Well hello to you my reader chums! I've been wanting to see Paris for the longest time and I'm glad I've finally been able to experience the city in all its glory.
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I did a lot of research into Paris prior to visiting as it may sound crazy but I didn't realise quite how big the city was and the many different neighbourhoods there were. The hotel was 2 minutes from a tube station and located out of the city centre, around a 30-minute tube journey to commute in. This was super convenient as once we got the hang of the tubes, we learnt how to get to the main hot spots easily. If you'd like to stay a bit more central, there are lots of accommodation options ranging in price.
Here's my take on a 5-day guide to Paris...
Day 1: Wednesday 14th February - Eiffel Tower and Louvre museum
I got the Eurostar from Ebbsfleet to Paris Nord at 8am and arrived around 11am in Paris. From there I checked into the hotel and went straight into exploring the main sights. My first step had to be the Eiffel Tower, Paris' most iconic landmark. When I arrived, I couldn't believe it at first and how big the tower really was (again sounds super silly). Unfortunately, construction work was going on around the tower during my visit, but that didn't stop us from marvelling at its beauty and getting candid Instagram shots. I walked around the Eiffel Tower area to soak up the main hub of the biggest tourist attraction and then got a bite to eat.
Around the Eiffel Tower, there's plenty of spots to get candid snaps of the landmark. There's the main terrace where you can strike a pose, the wall next to the terrace that overlooks the tower, or the grass area to the side for a different angle.
As the big tourist, I am, after a spot of lunch I got the tube over to the Louvre museum. I'm not the biggest art enthusiast, however, I find nothing more relaxing than strolling around art museums, admiring different pieces of work. The Louvre was absolutely massive with a range of astounding artwork including the famous Mona Lisa. It was pretty cool to finally see it in person and look at the pieces of worldwide art from across the centuries.
The Louvre backs onto an area that leads towards the Paris version of the London eye so I headed towards that way in a hunt to find a good restaurant and finally came across 'Le Café de la Regence'. I adored this place - the food was on point, cooked to perfection and they even laid our flower petals on the table for the occasion. I would highly recommend it if you're in the area.
Day 2: Thursday 15th February - Eiffel Tower meal and Notre Dame
On the second day, I had lunch up the Eiffel Tower booked. Even though I walked around the tower on the first day, there was no point going up it as I had the tickets to use on this day. The meal was booked for 12 so after a quick lift ride up there (super scary but ever so exciting), I was greeted at the restaurant doors and seated. The food was on a set menu and you got to pick 3 different courses with a complimentary glass of champagne, alcoholic beverage, and a hot drink. I can honestly say the food was delicious - and my highlight is the chocolate mousse for dessert (I wish I had 10 of them). There was a professional photographer that also came around to take a few snaps. I never thought I'd have a meal up the Eiffel Tower and it was one of those things I can now tick off the bucket list!
The next stop after the Eiffel Tower was Notre Dame. I'm a big lover of churches that I couldn't miss out on the Notre Dame when in Paris. I headed over there and fell in love with the area straight away. The Notre Dame has a river to its right and is surrounded by the most magnificent buildings, a park behind it, and many quaint streets. Inside Notre Dame, I was amazed by the design! I sat in there for a while to take it all in, walked around, and lit a candle. Churches will always be a place that I feel at ease so when I'm in a new country, I like to visit a church to experience a sense of calm.
Around the quieter streets in this area, there were vintage shops, boutiques, macaroon shops, and a wide range of different restaurants. I had dinner in one of the tucked-away restaurants and made my way back to the Eiffel Tower to see it glisten at night.
You can't really get much better than watching the Eiffel Tower lit up in the night sky! It's an image that will always stay in my mind.
Day 3: Friday 16th February - Disneyland Paris
I'm a huge Disney fan so a trip to Paris wouldn't be complete without a day at Disneyland itself. I bought the tickets in advance for the main park on Disney's website and they cost £43 to use between certain dates. As I walked through the gates, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the famous hotel and then again when Cinderella's castle came into view. It was a magical moment that my inner child came out in full force.
I was super lucky with the weather on Disney day as there were bright blue skies all around, compared to the first two drizzly days in Paris. The park wasn't as packed as expected given it was half term, however, some queues were much bigger than others. I managed to go on a few of the big rides including Indiana Jones, Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain as well as meeting Mickey Mouse.
Lining up to meet Mickey was the biggest queue out of them all but it was worth it for the snap and hug from one of the best Disney characters.
Even though I adored the rides and walking around the different park areas, my highlights had to be the shows. The 5pm parade was such a feel-good showcase with all the Disney characters dancing and singing on the colourful floats, whilst the firework display pulled on every single heartstring. As the animation played, fireworks went off and classic Disney tunes boomed out, I felt every emotion. The display was as magical as each Disney guest says it is. On your next visit, make sure you wait and watch the fireworks at the very end!
Day 4: Saturday 17th February - Champs-Elysees, Montemarte and Sacre Coeur Basilica
When it comes to shopping, it's safe to say I'm a bit of an addict. Which means, of course, I had to see what the Champs-Elysees aka Paris' best shopping street was all about and I absolutely loved it. From top designer stores, car shops, high-street clothing to the beloved Sephora, there's something for everyone and if you're in need of a big shop, this is the place to go. As I walked all the way up, I finally arrived at the Arc de Triomphe. Like all Paris' architecture, it was astonishing to see in person. I didn't go up it, however, there is that option if you'd like to - I bet you'd get a fantastic view of the shopping street!
The surrounding area is certainly something to explore - there's two art galleries, the grand palace, and the petit palace. I walked around the smaller one which featured the finest collection of different artwork. Also next to the galleries, there's a long bridge that overlooks the Eiffel Tower - another spot to get that perfect photo.
After exploring around there, I headed to Montemarte and visited the Sacre Coeur, a Catholic Chuch. This stood right at the top of the hill and took a bit of walking up high to reach, however, it was completely worth it. For a fee of 6 euros, you're able to walk up the 300 steps inside the church and experience what is the best view of Paris. I was lucky, on the day of our visit blue skies were all around that we got to see the view of Paris in all its glory, glistening in the sunshine.
Even though heights most certainly aren't my thing, there was something so mesmerising seeing Paris from above, with the thousands of buildings and Eiffel Tower that stood in the distance.
Montemarte had to be one of my favourite areas I saw. The most popular street was surrounded by quirky cafés and filled with art stalls of locals selling their paintings. There was a charismatic atmosphere like something else and I'd love to return here one day! I ate the most delicious waffles at lunch and found a super cute, diner-esque style pub which did the most delicious burgers and cocktails, for our evening meal. Montemarte is a complete hidden gem that every Paris newbie should see.
Day 5: Sunday 18th February - Retuning to our favourite sights and park strolls
The last day was all about revisiting my favourite spots and exploring the last few new neighbourhoods. We returned to the Eiffel Tower and luckily it was blue skies this time instead of the cloudy weather we had on our first visit here. After a mooch around, I headed to the German quarter for a little explore. Here it was super quaint with market stalls along the river and little coffee shops. This area actually had a bridge that led on to the back of the Louvre and we decided to browse around that area again as we loved it.
After a hot chocolate break and a lot of walking, I hopped on the tube to Monteparnasse and walked around that area. I saw on the map that there was a massive park nearby and headed over there. It's called 'Jardin du Luxembourg', a gorgeous open-space area with pristine gardens, a massive pond, and a striking building that stood at the end. As the day was super sunny, I sat down for a bit and soaked up the last bit of Paris, reminiscing over our past few days in the city of love.
To finish our special trip, we found a restaurant that served the best hot chocolate and banana spilt for dessert, then hopped on the tube back to our hotel and returned home via the Eurostar.
Tips and tricks
- If you're staying out of the main city centre, investing in a tube pass is worthwhile. I believe there's a 1 day, 3 day, 5 day and 7 day pass option - we went for the 5 day.
- Disneyland's train station is in zone 5 so if you'd like to include that in your tube day pass, make sure you buy zone 1-5 instead of zone 1-3. We made this mistake as we didn't realise our ticket wouldn't work when we got to Disney!
- Buy your tickets in advance for Disneyland, otherwise, they'll be more expensive at the gates.
- If you're under 26 and an EU citizen, visiting the Louvre museum is completely free.
- Food can be super-pricey in Paris - search for restaurants away from the main attractions to save on money.
- Walk around - there are so many hidden gems in Paris that you'll find if you simply take a stroll round various neighbourhoods and away from top attractions.
- Churches, Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur are free to enter.
- Parisians eat dinner later than us in the UK so if you're planning to go to dinner at 5pm, you'll probably be the only person eating in the restaurant.
Experiencing 5 days in Paris was everything I ever dreamt of. The tucked-away streets, beautiful architecture, delicious foods and magic of Disneyland will always hold a place in my heart. Au revoir Paris!
I hope you enjoyed this post! Have you visited Paris?
Thank you for reading <3
You guys look so cute! 😍 Lovely blog post, Della! 😊✨ I need to visit Paris again one day!
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Shirley | https://shirleycuypers.blogspot.be
Thank you so much Shirley! xx
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ReplyDeleteLooks like you had an absolutely amazing time, your photos are beautiful especially that one of you at the meal in the Eiffel Tower!
ReplyDeleteJess xx
foundationsandfairytales.wordpress.com
Aww thank you lovely! xx
DeleteSounds like you had an amazing trip! I envy you so much, Paris is somewhere I’d love to go to. If I ever get the chance i’ll be referring to your tips! Xx
ReplyDeleteThank you lovely, I hope you get to visit one day xx
DeleteI adored Paris when I went for my 21st last year 💖 I really want to go back again, and get myself back to Disneyland (near enough cried with joy when I was there )
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a fab trip and hope you get to experience the Disney magic again sometime soon! xx
DeleteI went to Paris in 2016 and would love to go back there one day! It looks like you had such a lovely trip!! :)
ReplyDelete-Charlotte x
myownblogofthoughts.blogspot.com
Thank you! I hope you get to go back one day xx
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