Travel Guide & Review: Paris

In the third post of my travel guides, I take a look at one of the most popular cities in the world. Paris was one of the most memorable stays I’ve ever had anywhere. I was there two years ago over the Fourth of July when it was there that I made two friends from different parts of the world. My stay was only two days, but the last day on the Fourth meeting two new friends from Ireland and Argentina made it all that much better.

Keep in mind that this review is of when I went to Paris in the summer of 2017 while in Europe. It’s different than going any other time of year. This city marked the first time I was in a foreign country where English wasn’t the dominant language spoken.

Paris has been inhabited since at least the third century B.C., and it became the capital of France sometime in the twelfth century. By the seventeenth century, it had became one of the major cities for finance, fashion, and arts. It has long been a very popular tourist spot for many visitors all over the world for its abundance of attractions, food, and fashion.

Quick Facts:

Language: French, English

Currency: Euros

International airports: Charles de Gaulle(CDG), Orly(ORY)

Railway/train/metro: Paris Metro

Official website: Paris, France

Transportation

I flew from Glasgow to Paris on Air France. I arrived about 2:30pm the day I made it to the city. I connected in Amsterdam before going to CDG airport. I left out of ORY to go to Barcelona after two days in Paris.

My main source of transportation I used when in Paris was the Metro. More specifically, I bought the Paris Visite 2-day travel pass to cover me on my stay there. Because the metro wasn’t open early enough, I used a taxi service provided by the hotel for a fee to get me to the airport when I left. I would advise buying a metro pass equal to the amount of days you stay at the airport or pre-purchase, and use that as your main way of transportation.

Attractions/sites:

Eiffel Tower

Perhaps there’s no other attraction in the world that is most synonymous to a city than Eiffel Tower is to Paris. And to think that it was originally built in 1889 for the World’s Fair and has gone on to be one of the most famous sites in the entire world. With that said, I HIGHLY recommend you see this glorious tower at day and night — especially if you go in the summer months. I did this the day arrived. At night on every hour, they have flashing lights on the tower that are a must-see. I took two recordings of flashing lights in my phone the night I went. Now as far as going up the tower, the summer months have VERY long lines all day long, so be prepared to wait if you don’t arrive early in the morning. It’s my plan next time to go up when I return, but what a scene it is at day and night! You can’t come here for the first time and not see it in front of you.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Unfortunately, I was unable to go inside Notre Dame Cathedral, but I did take photos of it from the outside. It was due to the line being too long, and because it was my last day in the city. I couldn’t wait 2-3 hours with so many other things to see that day. Nonetheless, this has long been a popular place to see in Paris and if I return another time, I’ll be making sure I go inside next time. If you’re there longer than two days in the summer, then definitely give this place a look and checkout the sculptures around it, too.

Louvre Museum

I did go to the Louvre, and it was there that one of the most memorable moments of my traveling journeys happened. I was hanging around the historic fountain monument taking photos when I asked two people to take a picture of me. Little did I know then that I just made two new friends named Barry from Ireland and Ariana from Argentina. Ariana took the pictures of me sitting on the fountain. Then all three of us got to know each other and discussed plans on where to go the rest of the day. As far as the Louvre goes, no question it is a must-see attraction and there’s a reason it’s the world’s largest art museum. But it was the start of two friendships there that I’ll always remember about the Louvre.

Arc de Triomphe

Originally designed in 1806 and inaugurated in 1836 as a dedication to those who fought and died in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the Arc de Triomphe set the bar and inspiration for future public monuments. It’s unique location is set between the 16th, 17th, and 18th arrondissements that help the arch standout as one of the top attractions the city has. Due to heavy traffic on the round about, it can take a long time to not only go to the top, but to get solid pictures of it and with you in front of it. We had to wait a little while as we didn’t plan to go to the top. But it was at this attraction that I got a picture with my new friends Barry and Ariana together for the first time(provided above) and individual ones as well. I would recommend this to see from the outside and to get a picture of yourself(or with other friends and family). Unless you absolutely want to go to the top, make sure you don’t have a lot to do that day because you’ll wait a long time most days(which includes just getting over to it on the round about). On short stays(three days or less), I’d just stick to seeing it from the outside and getting photos of yourself in front of it. There’s no question it’s worth seeing because of where it sits. This place is special to me because of not only being the first spot I got a picture with Barry and Ariana at, but that’s also where I knew I’d be hanging with them the rest of the day in Paris.

Sacre-Coeur Bascilla

We visited this popular landmark as our last stop for the day. Sacre-Coeur Bascilla(Sacred Heart of Paris) began construction in 1875 and was completed in 1914. The Roman Catholic Church sits at the highest point of the city in the popular Montmartre neighborhood. Because of it being a well-known monument to visit, it draws visitors in heavy numbers throughout the day. Nonetheless, it gives you the most scenic views of the city as well as a number of impressive features on the inside of the church, too. We spent a good amount of time here for both as the place has so much to offer. We also bought a few souvenirs here as well. This was a most fitting end to see this attraction on that Fourth of July day.

Place de la Concorde

Place de la Concorde is the largest square in the city and it completed construction in 1772. This was the site where many executions took place during the French Revolution. We didn’t spend a lot of time here as it was on our way to the Arc de Triomphe, but we did see the Fountain of River Commerce, Obelisk of Luxor(monument tower), and Ferris Wheel while there. Champs-Élysées and Tuileries Gardens are to the west and east of the square, which we also looked at briefly on the way over. There was construction going on in the area at the time we were there, but at least we can say we’ve seen it though. But if you’re heading west to the Arc from the Louvre, you’ll likely pass by here, so have your camera out to take a few pictures of the landmarks in the area.

Tuileries Garden

Tuileries Garden is east of Place de la Concorde and we only passed by. However, we did see some of the gardens as well as the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel(not to be confused with the real one), Nymphe statue, and Statue of Renommée on the way by. I would’ve spent more time here if not for the itinerary of things to do that we all wanted to accomplish that day. Still, for what we did see briefly, it was a lovely area.

Champs-Élysées

Named after Elysian Fields in Greek mythology, Champs-Élysées is one of the most well-known avenues in the entire world. We walked down this avenue towards Arc de Triomphe and took a few pictures along the way. This is the avenue we stood on in line at Arc de Triomphe. At least I can say I’ve walked the avenue there.

Madeline Church

After leaving Place de la Concorde, we arrived at Madeline Church(L’église de la Madeleine). It’s a Roman Catholic church that is north of Place de la Concorde and was consecrated in 1842. We did go inside for awhile to check it out, despite the construction going on outside at the time. It’s an impressive temple with an interior full of designs, statues, and sculptures. I was able to see the organ, Colonnade, statue of Mary Magdalene, and more while there. It allowed us to cool down on a hot day by going inside, and it was well worth it for the little time we had to see it.

Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge is one of the most well-known cabarets in the world. It’s a popular attraction known for dance and music entertainment. The red windmill on the roof makes this place standout even more from the outside. Because of time constraints, we only seen it from the outside and didn’t go inside. However, the windmill will give this place away immediately when you go by, so we all got pics of each other in front of it before leaving.

Dalida Statue

Dalida was a very successful recording artist capable of performing in eleven different languages that lived in Montmartre, which is where this statue is dedicated. It’s said that putting your hands on her bust of the statue will bring you good luck. And this is what Barry and I did while there. At the time it was constructed — ten years after her suicide in 1987 — she was the third woman in France to have a statue of her(Joan of Arc and Sarah Bernhardt were the first two) that put her in even more elite company.

Hotel

I stayed at Hotel Baldi, which was less than a mile from Eiffel Tower. If you’re traveling alone, this hotel is a great value considering how close you are to one of the top attractions in the world. I was able to stay here for about $85 a night. It’s close to a metro station and plenty of restaurants nearby to eat at. As one can expect, city center hotels here are expensive, but traveling single can benefit you heavily by looking at Hotel Baldi.

Restaurants/Grocery

Le Suffren

Le Suffren was the first Paris restaurant I went to, and I found it heading back towards my hotel room after my day visit to Eiffel Tower. I had chicken on a stick with some rice. It was very good food. They even have menus in both French and English that made it very easy to decide what to eat. If you’re hungry and are by Eiffel Tower, look this place up. Beware if events are going on at Eiffel Tower because tables fill up quickly, so you may want to get a reservation ahead of time.

Le Colibri

Le Colibri was the first restaurant Barry, Ariana, and myself ate at after we met. This is also where I seen first-hand that Parisians are not too far removed from Americans in terms of cell phone use at restaurants. I think I had an omelet, and I know we were there for lunch. And, we also ate outdoors while we all were texting friends back home that we were okay.

La Creperie

La Creperie was the place we ate at for dinner after going to Sacre-Coeur. Of course, you can tell by the name that they have crepes as their main meal there. I had one(don’t recall specifically which one), and I liked it. After walking around a lot that last day, it was good to find a place like this before calling it a night. I can tell you the crepes are good in Paris, and I was told they have many crepe restaurants in the city if you like them.

My thoughts on Paris

In the summer months, Paris is as busy as any city in the world. It has a vast collection of museums, art, and attractions that may very well be unmatched. For that reason, you’re not going to see everything there in one trip. In fact, you’ll barely scratch the surface on what you see even after a week or so. Just prioritize what you want to see most and plan accordingly to see them. I was fortunate on the second day that Ariana and Barry were seeing things I wanted to see after I had already seen Eiffel Tower. And, I found two that could take pics of me as well, too.

There’s a long, common perception that Paris can be tough on Americans. For me personally, I didn’t find this to be the case. However, I did take French classes in high school, and I still remembered some of the basics that I did use when needed. The best thing I can tell you if you want to assure you get help is to ask “Parlez vous Anglais(Do you speak English)?” If they say “oui” or yes, then you can talk English to them. I did this a few times and never had a problem getting help. Another thing that will serve you well is dress like you’re French. Basically, dress the part. It may sound silly, but I bet it’ll increase the odds of you getting help when you need it. On the day I arrived in Paris, I was struggling to get my bags through the carousel on the metro(where you check in through the gates). A French couple started speaking French to me, and then the lady said, “Parlez vous Anglais?” I said, “Yes.” She thought I was French because I was dressed in a polo and slacks. Then she asked where I was from in America and helped me with my bags. This is something you may want to keep in mind if you’ve never been to Paris because the last thing you want to have happen is being turned away when you need help.

As stated above, I used their metro system as my major transportation. With that said, their metro system is extremely busy and the most hectic one I’ve been on anywhere. That is NO joke, and I’ve been on a number of metros in the U.S. and Europe. There were a few times I could barely move on the one in Paris. Pick-pocketing is a problem in Paris on metros. Make sure you keep your valuables in your front pockets of your jeans/slacks and close to you because as crowded as the metros get, you’ll have a hard time distinguishing who took them anyway. The metros are very quick and timely, but just be aware of you and your valuables at all times and you’ll be fine.

One thing that’ll serve you well is Paris doesn’t get dark until 11pm in the summer months versus 9pm in many cities in the U.S. So if you do arrive late in the day and want to see the city, you do have a couple of extra hours of daylight to help. This helped me huge on day 1 after I didn’t arrive to my hotel until 4:30. I was able to see Eiffel Tower at day and night as well as other landmarks in the area, so the close proximity to the hotel from there served me well.

If I go back to Paris, I want to go up Eiffel Tower, inside Notre Dame Cathedral, and tour Stade de France stadium. But I’m glad I’ve been there once anyway.

Paris is one of those cities everyone should see in their lifetime. It is busy, especially in July when they celebrate Bastille Day on the 14th. But there’s a reason it’s one of the most popular destinations in the world with so much to offer for anyone. I’ll always be reminded of the Fourth of July(my first ever outside of the U.S.) after meeting two new friends in Paris. The city will always be special to me for that reason alone.