Our annual trip this year was another blessed, exciting, amazing experience in Europe! We stayed for a total of 3 weeks so there are going to be plenty of photos, travel tips, and suggestions that made our experience the absolute best. Paris was the first destination of our trip and we spent a week exploring The City of Love. Our next destination was back to the Greek Isles, Santorini and Mykonos. We spent a week on each island respectively. This blog entry will be split into 2 posts. I will cover Paris with this post and the second post will cover Greece. Anyway, I took some amazing photos to share with you. Enjoy!
Paris, France (6 Days)
Paris, France (6 Days)
Paris is… quite simply, AMAZING! I had thoughts and mental images of what I thought Paris would look like, but The City of Love surpassed ALL of my expectations! There is so much to see and do and I am going to try to condense our experience into highlights of my most favorite and memorable.
Travel Tip 1: I highly suggest taking the train from the Airport to the City Center. It cost much less than a cab or ride-share.
Travel Tip 2: Purchase a reloadable Navigo transportation card to use the subway and bus. It cost us about 2.50 euros per ride. If the distance is not that far, put on your comfortable walking shoes and take to the streets to see the sights. The traffic is kind of CRAZY, so beware.
Travel Tip 3: Have your Universal Adapter handy for power supply as Europe does not have the same power outlets as the USA does.
Travel Tip 4: I would definitely learn some basic French to communicate with the locals. Bonjour, Merci, s’il vous plaît, and au revoir go a long way, and the locals appreciate the effort.
Travel Tip 5: Book popular attractions and restaurants in advance.
Travel Tip 6: Beware of pick-pockets. Especially in crowded tourist areas.
Day 1: After flying into Charles De Gaulle Airport, we took the train into the Paris city center. We stayed at L’Empire Paris Hotel approximately a block or two from the Louvre. The hospitality was wonderful and the location was convenient (thus the notable price tag per night). The accommodations were all excellent and I would stay in this hotel again when visiting the city.
After checking into the hotel, we explored the city leisurely. We walked the Seine River and eventually ended up at The Jardin du Luxembourg, a BEAUTIFUL, large, manicured garden with spectacular statues and manicured flower beds around the whole garden. The most prominent highlight is the grand Luxembourg Palace which overlooks the gardens, built in the 17th century by the Medici nobility. There are plenty of places to sit, relax, and soak in the beautiful environment. Entry is free.
Day 2: We visited the absolutely fabulous and HUGE Musée du Louvre where we were able to see many priceless masterpieces of art including the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, & the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
*fun fact*
It would take about 24 days (continuous viewing) to view all 35,000 exhibited artworks, spending only 1 minute viewing each
The Jardin des Tuileries is another BEAUTIFUL garden that exudes the Parisian style of intricate, manicured landscaping. We were able to enjoy some quiet time away from the hustle and bustle of the city as we relaxed in these gardens after walking the halls of the Louvre.
Day 3: Before our day trip down to the Palace of Versailles, we walked over to capture some gorgeous pictures of La Tour Eiffel. To stand at the base of the monument and gaze up was one of those moments that gives you goosebumps. Keep reading for photos of the Eiffel Tower at NIGHT.
As expected, Versailles Palace was as grand, lavish, and opulent as you would imagine it to be, but pictures will clearly not do the experience justice as the LAVISH and OPULENT gardens and Hall of Mirrors have to be seen with your own eyes to experience the awe and wonder.
Day 4: I like to say that this was our cardio day, as we walked close to 30,000 steps. We walked the Champs-Élysées… from the Luxor Obelisk to the Arc de Triomphe. The Champs-Élysées is culture, vibrance, and iconic. While exploring the avenue, we visited some of the luxury shops.
Later we visited the absolutely STUNNING and opulent Palais Garnier, the Paris opera house, where we took a super informative, 1.5 hour guided tour of the building. The Grand Atrium is quite literally the stuff that dreams are made of! I got goosebumps walking through the entry way. *Fun fact* This is the opera house that was referenced in Phantom of the Opera!
After visiting the Palais Garnier, we made our way up to Montmartre where we took a tour of the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, purchased souvenirs, experienced the Parisian culture, and had a lovely dinner and drinks. `
Day 5: We took a guided tour of the Musée d’Orsay, where we seen famous impressionist and post-impressionist art masterpieces. My husband absolutely loves Monet, so he was overjoyed. We also enjoyed works by Van Gogh, Degas, and Renoir. *fun fact* The museum used to be a railway station!
Later that night, we visited the Eiffel Tower and witnessed the sparkling, dazzling lights of this absolutely world renowned landmark.
*fun fact* The lights dazzle and sparkle for 5 minutes precisely at the beginning of each hour starting at nightfall up until 12 midnight.
Day 6: On our last day in Paris, we visited the illustrious and resilient Notre-Dame Cathedral. Notre-Dame is free to visit and surprisingly the entry line moves really fast! If you have visited the Cathedral prior to the fire, you will definitely notice a huge difference as the inside edifices are practically pristine and illuminated as ever since the building’s restoration. There was still work being done on some areas of the Cathedral when we visited, but we were able to see the entire inside.
Later that evening, we were in for a real treat. We thoroughly enjoyed a performance at the Moulin Rouge! Baaaaaaaaaaaaaby, it gave an energetic, provocative, seductive, skillful, glamorous Parisian experience. We were treated to a Michelin Quality 3 course dinner and wine, soulful singing, and an experience like none other! I was blown away!
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