The Eiffel Tower
Having both been to Paris on at least one occasion, Adrienne (best friend and travel buddy) and I were keen to pick the eyes out of Paris on our 4 day mini-break in the French capital. After our Barcelona experiences we pre-booked all of our tickets prior to our journey across the channel.
As much as we were eager to jump on the train at King's Cross and appear in Paris a couple of hours later, early investigations suggested flying was a much more economical option.
Day One
Even though we have agreed we wouldn't fly early morning on this mid-week trip, we just could not help ourselves. Our day began at 4am for the 7am flight to Paris, arriving a little after 9am local time. We found ourselves on the RER B line into the city after managing a quick customs check. As is traditional with trains to and from the airport the tickets are pricey at €10:30, however this allows you to travel to anywhere in the city, and its still cheaper than an Uber.
One thing to note, Paris is deceptively large. If you want to move across the city it is best you plan to take the metro.
Eiffel Tower
Having arrived too early to check into our accommodation we made a beeline to the Eiffel Tower. After simply admiring it from behind the newly constructed glass barricade at the ground, we wondered across the Seine to the Palais du Chaillot. This is where the millions of tourists who visit Paris every year take their iconic Eiffel Tower snaps. We did not stay long, inevitably failing to avoid being in the background of someone's photos.
The Eiffel Tower from Pont de Bir-Hakeim
In true french style, we grabbed a quick baguette sandwich for lunch before making the trek back to our accommodation. Our journey took in the scenery along the Seine to the west of the Eiffel Tower. We crossed the river at the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, which is an arguably better spot to take photos of Le Tour Eiffel due to the lack of surrounding tourists. Around this time we also purchase our first of many crepes.
For this trip we chose to stay at Nouvel Hotel Eiffel which was perfectly situated for all our Parisian needs. After a quick nap and a cup of tea we were refreshed and ready to head out for some food. We chose to eat at Piou, a restaurant we had past earlier that day, with a very traditional Parisian vibe and alfresco seating.
The Eiffel Tower by night is just as spectacular as by day, so after our feast we made haste to Champ de Mars. The light show on the hour is not to be missed, nor is the opportunity to enjoy another Nutella crepe while watching the twinkling lights.
The Eiffel Tower at Night
Day Two
Chateau du Versailles
We pre-purchased timed entry tickets for Chateau du Versailles, which I would highly recommended to avoid standing in long lines, for €20 each which gave us access to the Chateau, the gardens and the Trianon. We caught the RER C from Bir Hakeim arriving in Versailles 40 minutes later. The Chateau is hard to miss on the short walk from the train station. If all else fails, just follow the people.
Chateau du Versailles
The timed ticket meant we headed straight in and through security at our allotted time. We collected our audio guides and began our self-guided tour. Although this was my third visit to Versailles I never get over the access you are granted to the Chateau. It is always the highlight of my holiday!
Hall of Mirrors
Lunch was at the cafe Angelina within the palace. It wasn't cheap! So if you are keen to stick to a budget I suggest a packed lunch.
After lunch we headed out into the vast gardens that surround the palace. The gardens of Versailles are so sprawling you could spend the whole day wondering through the landscape, or if you don't have time you can hire a bike or a golf cart to make it a little quicker. We, naively, went on foot. The Trianon are located in the far corner of the estate, its a lovely walk past the grand canal and up the tree-lined road. In all my visits I had never been inside the Grand Trianon or the Petit Trianon. It was a real treat to explore Marie Antoinette's Estate and the English inspired gardens.
Apollo's Fountain
We headed back into Paris as we had planned to indulge in some traditional French cuisine at Chez Germaine. The small restaurant in Ecole-Militare offers a small menu with really wonderful food. We chose escargot and a baked camembert for the entree, and duck confit and squid's ink risotto for our mains. I would definitely go back there again! The service is friendly, the food is legendary.
Day Three
Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées
On this, our third day in Paris, we had planned to climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to take in the view. That particular day also happened to be the most foggy and rainy day of the trip. As the Eiffel Tower disappeared from view, we made the decision to instead endure the rain from the Champs-Élysées. With a quick stop at Laduree for some macarons, Sephora to admire the cosmetics and Pomme du Pain for lunch, we made it to the Jardin des Tuileries a little bit grumpy and a lot wet. We headed back to the hotel for a quick rest before returning to the Jardin des Tuileries a couple of hours later.
Arc de Triomphe
Laduree
Musee du Louvre
It has been an inside joke for years that every time I visit Paris I manage to see a little more of the Louvre than the previous trip. Once again, we pre-booked our timed-entry tickets online so we had priority entry.
Note: You can actually enter the Louvre prior to the entry time on your ticket. The time only dictates when you can scan into the exhibition halls. So arrive early, maximise your time and enjoy the full experience!
Musee du Louvre
We booked our entry for 5:30pm on the late night Friday, with the full intention of seeing the whole museum. With 3 hours (not including a small dinner break) we had to move at a fairly brisk pace to cover as much ground as possible.
Napoleon III Apartments
While we could have potentially seen every inch of the building, after 2 hours of climbing up and down stairs, lining up to see the Mona Lisa, and hitting multiple dead ends, we found ourselves exhausted and slumped on a bench in front of Liberty Leading the People having covered only 3/4 of the museum. We both agreed the Musee du Louvre is a full day experience!
Our final day in Paris was dedicated to sleep, packing and getting to the airport on time. The only hiccup in the plan was the track work on the airport line that found us scrambling to get out of Gard du Nord and into an Uber. Thankfully we made it just in time for one more coffee and nutella pastry!
Au revoir Paris, a bientot!
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