Travel Thursday- Paris Sights

[Mellissa Solin]

Continuing on in Thursday fun, Travel Thursday is a fun day for me. I love looking back at pictures and thinking about all the trips we have been on. This week is Paris, a continuation of our Barcelona trip and
Paris is special enough that a post only about Paris was needed. After 4
days in Barcelona we grabbed a flight into Paris and took the metro in
from the airport to our hotel. We stayed at the Le Meridian Etoile
which is right near the Champs-Elysees and a metro stop. The metro is
the best and most affordable way to get around in Paris, you are almost
always a 5-10 minute walk to a stop and get around the whole city.

Paris is broken up into 20 “neighborhoods” with a major landmark near each. Since Mike spent almost a year and a half living in Paris we didn’t feel like tourists, he knew the restaurants that we should go to,
how to avoid the lines at the museums and most importantly the best
crepe stand in the city. We were there in early May and while it was
cool the city was starting to bloom with spring flowers and the number
of tourists was not overwhelming.

My favorite things to do with 3-4 days in Paris

Ile St. Louis- An island near the center of Paris with great shops, tons of Parisian neighborhood charm and the best crepe place.

Musée d’Orsay- A lot of impressionist art including many pieces by Monet. By your tickets in advance and you will save A LOT of time standing in line. Talk to the concierge at your hotel or you
can book online.

Basilique du Sacré-Coeur- A beautiful church and amazing artist neighborhood. Get lost wandering the streets, stop at a bistro and enjoy some afternoon sun.

Musée du Louvre- The famous Paris museum, it is a must see. Buy your tickets in advance and go through as fast as wish. I appreciate art but there are only so many paintings to see, but the Louvre is a
must.

Cathédrale de Notre-Dame- Walk around the neighborhood surrounding Notre-Dame and when you come down the street you will be awed by the beautiful architecture.

Champs-Elysées- Pretend to be a Parisian and shop all of the high end names along this street. You will see Chanel, Hermes, Prada, and the list goes on and on

Tour Eiffel- You can’t leave Paris without having seen the Eiffel tower, you don’t have to wait in line for hours and go up to the top, you can picnic out front on the beautiful grassy knoll in
front. Spend those hours people watching instead.

Château de Versailles- Get up early and take a train out to Versailles, be prepared for LONG lines. But it is worth it, the gardens along are amazing. We had lunch at the cafe and spent a few hours
wandering around the property.

If you have the time, check out the Rodin museum that has amazing gardens and just happens to be the spot where we got engaged

Take the time to relax and enjoy Paris, read in a garden, spend hours at a bistro and just enjoy the experience.

Since food is the star of Paris, there will be a whole separate post on eating in Paris. I could go on for pages about that

Best Part: Getting engaged in a very romantic city!

Not So Favorite Part: Not having more days in Paris.