The French capital. One thing springs to mind when you think of Paris: that big ol structure that towers over the French Gothic architecture
I’ve always put off visiting Paris and France for one reason or another.
You hear it’s overrated, dirty, and expensive.
The latter is correct depending on where you decide to spend your days. The others, it couldn’t of been further from the truth.
Paris is the best city in Europe I’ve been too. My mind has been made.
Here’s why
Day 1
Don’t jump straight into activities. The abundance of them can be overwhelming. Know what you want to see, and book in advance.
Tourist season = no space.
Take a walk around the districts. The wine villages. Take in the smell of the bakeries and the food Paris has to offer.
Cafes are everywhere. Sitting outside and watch the world go by with an espresso or beer is something I latched onto quickly. It’s unique. It’s Paris. The late-night meals and the family’s out and about, talking till midnight.
Day 2
Time to explore. There’s lots to get done in a few days. I highly recommend going for 4-5 days to get the best experience.
Invalides: the dome church and Napoleans’s tomb. An absolute must-visit in Paris. A feat of art and literature you won’t quite see anywhere else.
The dome is home to the soldiers’ chapel.
On the other side of the dome is Napoleon’s tomb.
After this we stopped for lunch at Le Ju.
I’m sorry, Italy, I love you. This pasta is the best I’ve ever had. At the price of €13.
Paris is not expensive, if you know where to look.
Keeping it cheap
Sometimes it feels like you spend endless amounts of money in one day. You want to keep it cheaper. This won’t cut into your experience at all.
Baguette & cheese from the local cafe.
Coupled with a bottle of wine or any drink. Split the costs at €5 each.
Not a bad view either. The Effie Tower. Sparkling at 11pm. You’ve got yourself a cheap and memorable night.
Sometimes the simpler things are the ones you remember the most.
Day 3
Get to the Louvre. Book in advance. Don’t miss it. The art in this museum is incredible.
If you were to see every single piece, it would take 13 days.
Mona Lisa. I waited in line for 45 minutes to take this. It’s worth it. A strange feeling queuing to see a picture on the wall, though.
She’s grinning by the way.
ONYX – Paris
Fancy 5-course meals and a night out? This restaurant held us for 3 hours. No idea where the time went. Probably sped up by the wine. The food, exquisite nature of it all. The service, impeccable. We started with red tuna. Wagyu steak. Finishing the evening, lemon sorbet. I had 3 of the best meals I’ve ever had in one sitting.
It was pricey, but definitely worth the experience of feeling like James Bond for the night.
Knowing that there’s 100’s of other restaurants like that in Paris, filled me with fear and joy.
How can one possibly enjoy everything Paris has to offer?
You can, if you stay for 2 weeks and have more money than France’s GDP.
The city surprised me. Don’t believe everything you read in the news. I fell victim to this; you shouldn’t have either.
The French resistance
Solo. Together. Anywhere. 