Paris, France. The worlds most visited city…. for good reason
Paris is a place that you can visit time and time again and although we had both visited this amazing city in 2004, we were both excited about spending 5 days there to see the sights again and enjoy the Parisian lifestyle too. It is the worlds most visited city, or so we’ve heard, and for good reason…
We caught the Eurostar from St Pancras Kingcross Train Station, London and arrived in the heart of Paris (Gare De Nord – station) mid afternoon (cost for Eurostar if you book 2-3 months in advance is a lot cheaper than closer to the date of departure – $124 pp return). We had a couple of days to take in all the main sights before spending the last few days with our friends Georgie and Sam.
Getting around Paris is quite easy. Maps of Paris are available at stations, hotels or airports. The Metro (train system) is also straight forward. Buy a 10 billet (ticket) bundle at the station if you are spending a few days.
In our first couple of days, we managed to see:
The Eiffel Tower – France’s most iconic land mark. Entry – 9.50euro pp – ~12 euro if you take the elevator all the way.
The Louvre – Don’t worry if you don’t get to see every piece of art in there, its not possible in a week let alone a day. Mona Lisa lives here. Entry – 9.50euro pp.
Sacre Coeur – Well worth visiting at mass time. You can still walk through it or sit and celebrate mass. We did both and enjoyed the experience, even through we didn’t understand much of it. Entry – FREE
Arc de Triomphe – We highly recommend climbing to the top. You get a great view down the famous Champes Elysees and at night enjoy when the Eiffel Tower sparkles.
Our next few days with Georgie and Sam included the following:
A shopping expedition for the girls to Galleries L’Affayette and a trip to the market for the boys to fetch goods for lunch.
Picnics in Luxembourg Garden – its a great way to have lunch and avoid another meal in a restaurant…
Another picnic in the gardens of beautiful Versailles. To get there you need to get a train (RER C) from Paris to Versaille. It takes around 30 minutes and costs around 13 euro return pp. Trains come every 15 minutes. Once you get off at Versailles follow signs to the Palace. Should only take 5 or so minutes.
When we were eating picnics we were enjoying some delights in french restaurants. The food in France is world renowned and Paris is the mecca for foodies world wide. Be prepared to put on a kilogram or two if you are dining out each night.
A couple of other things we did which were great was:
The free walking tour of Paris – a good opportunity to see some of the smaller landmarks and a quick history lesson;
Shopping in the Latin Quarter;
Walking through Montmartre;
and a real treat is enjoying Macaroons and Champagne at Laduree – C’est Magnifique
This trip to Paris was taken in early October – we have to say the weather was absolutely perfect. Clear blue skies each day and really quite warm. The autumn colours made Paris all the more beautiful particularly walking through the gardens. We loved it so much that we will be back in the middle of Winter to celebrate New Years Eve with Elissa’s parents.
Check out more food and location shots in our photo Gallery below: