Paris, France
The City of Love. Read on, to fall in love just like we did...
Audrey Hepburn
"Paris is always a good idea."
Paris Sent
24 Hours in Paris
Paris is a city where you need an infinite amount of time, in order to, see what all it has to offer. Nonetheless, the rumors are true-- you really do fall in love with Paris at first sight. Unfortunately, we only had 24 hours in the city of love. First we arrived by train from London to Paris. The train operator we used was Eurostar (https://www.eurostar.com/us-en ). The entire train ride was roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes. At that time, train tickets cost $80 USD round trip per person. I would note, London and Paris are in two different countries. Most European countries are a part of the EU, which affords travelers the ease of travel from country to country. If you're traveling from an EU country to another EU country via train you do not need to show a passport. However, Great Britain is not a part of the EU, therefore you need a passport to travel from London to Paris.
Traveling via train from London to Paris is definitely the recommended and most common mode of transportation. Besides when else are you going to have the chance to ride a train underwater?! No, seriously the rail system that links Great Britain to Mainland Europe is the Chunnel. The Chunnel is an undersea tunnel about 31 miles long and operating since 1994. Cool, right?
After arriving in Paris our sole goal was to visit as many monuments, as possible. And boy did we do just that. Paris has a thriving public transport system. We purchased a 1-day pass called “Mobis”. Mobis has four different 1-day travel pass options based on zones. We opted for a pass that included travel to all the zones (zone 1-5), therefore we paid 17,8 euros per person (about $25USD). The other zone were cheaper and ranged from 7,50 to 12,40 euros ($9USD to $15USD). Travel to Palace of Versailles was included in zones 1-5 only, which is why we selected that pass. If you don’t plan on traveling to Palace of Versailles, then you can opt for the other zone selections. We purchased our pass once we arrived at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris.
You can find all the deets on Mobis here https://www.ratp.fr/en/titres-et-tarifs/mobilis If you plan to explore more than 1-day, the “Paris visite travel pass” is a better option. You can choose how many days and zones. Also, receive discounts on admissions to attractions.
During our time we hopped on and off buses and trains with ease. Although the experience was pretty fluid, the distance between bus/train stops to said monuments left us with a lot of ground to cover. So we had to walk a pretty significant amount. Granted we could have hailed a taxi, as the city is filled with them. The amount of miles we walked didn’t hit us until we sat down at our last monument. The city also offers electric scooters for renting. Down side to that was the scooters were scattered throughout the city, as opposed to stationed in a central location. It proved difficult to find two scooters at the same time. So when planning your trip definitely keep the above in mind!
Aforementioned, we were only in Paris for less than 24 hours. We caught a train from London in the morning and caught a late train back. Hence, we did not need any accommodations for our time in Paris. Unfortunately, we can not recommend any accommodations, as that was not our experience. However, if you are interested in accommodations we can provide an opinion. Paris is beautiful… Staying in one of Paris’ traditional or aesthetically appealing hotels would have been the route we took.
If you want to read about our funny arrival into Paris, check out our blog post here
Sights
Picturesque Paris
The concrete pavement coupled with historical highlights that meets ornately crafted landmarks is what makes Paris bar none.
Our first stop, the iconic Eiffel Tower. We opted out of the typical routine of paying for views. We searched for side street views, which captured the Eiffel Tower in its entirety on a quaint little Paris Street with buzzing Parisian cafes in the background. Talk about a picturesque moment... If you would like to climb up to the top of the Eiffel Tower the prices are: $16USD second floor, $29USD top floor.
Up next, we side stepped over to the Champ de Mars. This is actually a public (free 0.99) green space area that is the home of the Eiffel Tower. It’s a large space and serves up fantastic views of the Eiffel Tower. See for yourself... Tat took all of the pictures on this page. This picture of the Eiffel Tower was taken in Champ de Mars. The lawn is also very fitting for a Parisian picnic accompanied by banquettes, tea and crumpets…” Oui, Oui”
We, too, hit up the historic Louvre Museum. It is actually a world renowned art museum. But, the exterior is a focal landmark in Paris and globally. Connected to the museum is a high class shopping mall. The cost to enter the museum is 17 Euros ($20USD). Don’t worry, viewing and taking pictures of the famous pyramid is totally free! To enter the shoppes is free, as well. Do note, using the restroom inside costs 2 euros (about $2.50USD).
The Arc de Triomphe de Carrousel is just a few steps away from the Louvre. This is another monumental arch that symbolizes past reigning victories. Basically, it’s a good photo op that gives the epitome of Paris history!
The most intriguing monumental arch is the Arc de Triomphe. Situated at the top of Champ Elysees, you are able to stroll down the famous street eventually being greeted by the national symbol. The arch is in the center of a functioning round about for vehicles. Have no fear, you can take a set of stairs down underneath the road to access the other side of the arch. There is zero cost to visit this worthy monument.
Next, we drove past the famous Notre-Dame de Paris. The above collage includes a video from that memorable moment. Emphasis on memorable because this ornate cathedral caught fire April 15th, 2019. We toured Paris April 8th, 2019. Luckily, we were able to view the structure before the severe flames.
With only 24 hours in Paris we missed out on several landmarks. Hence, why we are planning to go back a second time (hopefully 2021). If time allows, the following landmarks should be if not added to your list: Palace of Versailles, Musee d’ Orsay, Moulin Rouge, Place de la Concorde, Trocadero, Pantheon, Pont Alexandre III and plenty more…
Again, check out all the photos above. Complimentary of Tat and her Google Pixel phone :)
Fare
Moderate Eats
Roaming the streets of Paris we stumbled upon endless eateries with a main menu of croissants, finger sandwiches and crumpets. If it's the aesthetics for you, then those spots are definitely ideal. However, if you’re trying to chow down then do your research prior. We scoured instagram looking for restaurants that made our mouths water. Cue… “The grilled cheese factory” (https://www.thegrilledcheesefactory.fr/) . The food is moderately priced and the atmosphere is chill. Definitely what we were going for. Some restaurants in Paris require dress codes and that's something we for sure want to do on our next trip to Paris!
If you're looking for more variety, then utilize google, trip advisor, Instagram and the internet in general to find restaurants that are up your alley. Trust me, looking in advance will save you time, money and patience.
Shimmy over to our destination home page to see additional pointers on selecting yummy food spots.
It's All About the Benjamins, Baby
Currency
Paris is a part of the EU, therefore uses euros. Yes, Paris solely uses euros. They do not accept the USD. We converted our money prior to traveling overseas. Get in touch with your bank, they most likely have lower percent conversions and less fees than that of the airport or travel agency. If you forget, you can also convert upon arrival at the airport. Just be prepared to spend more in conversion cost and fees.
And Then Some...
Tips
Our main tip for Paris would be spend more than one day there! The city is filled with must see landmarks, so slamming all of that in one day is virtually impossible. Which is why we are planning another trip to the City of Love. Second tip would be to wear comfortable shoes for walking. If you are sight-seeing you will be walking A LOT.