See photos here:Paris, France
Why not? Is the city everyone dreams about. Or at least most of the travelers.
We, well, mostly myself, always struggle with big cities, especially the ones tagged as the city tagged with "you must go"!
Confusion, over tourism, dirty, pick pocket issues, etc. For years, Paris has been one of these cities that scare us more than attract us. Not that we didn't want to visit its beautiful streets, architecture or museums. We just didn't want to be in busy and stressful places.
If you feel the same way, well, hopefully we can change your mind about some factors.
Paris: France's Capital, Major European city but, more than that, is the global center of art, fashion and gastronomy.
Paris is so much more than Eiffel tower and Louvre. In fact, there is a large quantity of things to do in Paris that will make you doubt your physical status. The city is enormous and, even though majority of the popular attractions are located in the center of the metropolis, there are a considerable amount of spots you should plan to visit.
Culture, romance, food and a great time.
Montmartre: is a large hill in Paris's 18th arrondissement.
One of those historical neighborhoods that makes you feel part of it. If you had the luck to grow with french cinema, culture etc., you will immediately identify yourself. Montmartre is primarily known for its artistic history, the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur on its summit, and as a nightclub district. The other church on the hill, Saint Pierre de Montmartre, built in 1147, was the church of the prestigious Montmartre Abbey. We highly recommend Le Refuge des Fondus, and amazing very local restaurant that you can have cheese fondue in a most french local way possible. Make sure you reserve space before, since the restaurant is incredibly small and it's always packed. And by the way, your wine glass will be a great surprise!
Seine River, France second longest river, after Loire. Starts about 18 miles (30 kilometers) northwest of Dijon and flows in a northwesterly direction through Paris before emptying into the English Channel at Le Havre. The river margins in the city center allows you to walk and enjoy a very relaxing area in the middle of such busy city. Loose your time and give yourself that enjoyable feeling like a local. You can rent bicycles and take a quick tour through the large amount of bridges, including the famous "Pont des Arts". Boat tours are also very interesting and very informative, if you prefer something less exhausting. Highly recommended.
Museums, so many museums: It's true, you have them all over the city. Louvre is obviously the popular one. If you are an art fan, this will be your city. If you're not, you should try to visit and your idea about art will change. There are several passes for the full museums pack, however not including Louvre for instance (at the time of our trip).
Notre-Dame de Paris - Actually means "Our Lady of Paris"). The cathedral's was constructed in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely complete by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the following centuries. It's a famous a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral was consecrated to the Virgin Mary and considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Our visit happened few months before the catastrophic fire.
Its pioneering use of the rib vault and flying buttress, its enormous and colorful rose windows, as well as the naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style, one of the world's largest organs and its immense church bells may have been unfortunately lost. But the hope everyone is its history and how many times recovered from tough situations, like in 1790s, when Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution; much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed.
When near by, try Café Panis. You won't regret their cozy environment and amazing food.
We hope for quick rebuilt so it can be back to all of us.
Gardens to consider: If you ever imagine yourself in Paris, you definitely placed your self walking in the large gardens. Well, at least we did. There are few of them that we recommend based in their amazing landscaping.
Luxembourg Gardens, downtown Paris. their open concept is beautiful.
Tuileries Garden, commonly confused as Louvre gardens, since they will lead you to the museum entrance. Is such a big garden that you will feel a bit overwhelmed, but honestly amazing.
Champs-Élysées Garden, as the name points out is located by the side of the famous Champs-Élysées avenue. If you plan to visit the avenue and the fancy stores, this will be on your way for a short break. By the way, if you are an Oysters Fan, L'Alsace restaurant is a must go!
Champ de Mars, not popular by name, but everyone visiting Paris will visit it one way or another, because it's the famous surroundings of the Eiffel tour. Be ready for the confusion and the million vendors of Eiffel key chains.
Trocadéro Gardens, As the previous one, it's located by the other side of the Champ de Mars, separated by the sienna river.
Bois de Boulogne and company, due to the complex amount of different parks together, is a very overwhelming park. We ended not visiting, but is located begin Monet museum.
Common attractions: Eiffel, Catacombs of Paris, Panthéon, Arc de Triomphe and so many other places are incredible to visit but they are normally the touristic points of interest. They all request tickets for entrance, which you should also consider budget wise. Make sure you plan your timings for all of them, such Eiffel is worth for sunset. You can book your tickets for specific time. If you intend to visit the tallest point of the tower, you will need to book several weeks before.
Last but not least, Moulin Rouge! Great time, great experience. Annoying waiting time to enter!
In general we would like to recommend you to prepare yourself previously, looking at the map and booking your hotel in a strategic position, so you save time and energy. We stayed at Hôtel La Comtesse Tour Eiffel, and we couldn't be happier about our option.
And oyster! Guys, get oysters when you can!
See more photos here: Paris, France
Best travels,
Permanent Passport.
Note: Most of the information shared is easily found in several websites.
And we definitely used Lonely Planet guide.
Comments