Le premier jour
 |
| The Louvre Museum |
 |
| Arc de Triomphe |
 |
| A much needed iced coffee break |
 |
| Tour Eiffel by day |
 |
| Tour Eiffel by night |
Paris for the first time, where to begin! First of all, an itinerary is much needed. We decided to fit in the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and the all mighty Tour Eiffel in one day. In order to arrive at our first destination we had no choice but to be thrown into the bustle of the Pairs metro. A completely different experience to our more familiar London underground; with its double decker trains and huge platforms. We found our destination fairly easily and made our way to the exit.
Upon entering The Louvre I was taken aback by the towering glass pyramids that stood before us (you’ll probably remember them from The da Vinci Code). We stayed to snap some pictures then headed inside, since it was sweltering at this point. Once inside, we were surprised to be told that we had free entry because we were students! We spent the majority of the day here, exploring the corridors of artwork that we (quite frankly) didn't have a clue about and learning about famous statues from centuries ago.
We moved onto Arc de Triomphe where there were herds of tourists trying to snap the perfect picture and we were soon one of them. It almost reminded me of a more grand version of Marble Arch - even the area that surrounded it with it’s fancy shops and restaurants.
The Eiffel Tower was our last stop and we watched it evolve into a glowing spectacular from day to evening. Be warned that you will be approached many times by people trying to sell alcohol and souvenirs. Nonetheless, it was the perfect spot to sit and enjoy the rest of our evening.
Le deuxième jour
Brunch at Le Pain Quotidien
Avocado toast!
Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris
Jardin du Luxembourg
Duck confit for dinner!
Bardot top: Topshop
This was the perfect foodie day and definitely my favourite one! We headed into Châtelet for brunch at a little french cafe called Le Pain Quotidien. For anyone in this area or near Notre Dame I HIGHLY recommend this place (and its extremely affordable). After filling ourselves with avocado goodness, we made our way to Notre Dame where we stopped to admire the cathedral amongst the herds of other tourists and took a stroll down La Seine river.
Once we were satisfied with our time at Notre Dame we decided to find the St-Michel Notre-Dame metro stop, which proved to be a lot harder to find than we anticipated. The directions for locating some stations weren't English friendly at all - even with google maps to guide us!
Next we decided to visit the much anticipated Catacombs of Paris - a museum said to contain the remains six million humans. As we walked towards the site, we noticed a stream of people queuing for entry, and with high hopes we joined them. A few minutes later we were approached and told we had a slim chance of entering since the last entry was at 7pm and we had over an hour of waiting time. So a tip for you Paris travellers: visit the Catacombs well before 6pm!
Disappointed, we went to find some iced coffee and a backup plan. We agreed on strolling down a lovely street in the area - full of locals and good food. Exactly what I needed! We bought some macaroons and tried escargot for the first time, which were delicious. By this time we were ready for dinner, so we decided on a restaurant called Cafe Daguerre where I had a classic duck confit and creme brûlée. A must when in Paris.
Damini xo
Paris for the first time, where to begin! First of all, an itinerary is much needed. We decided to fit in the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and the all mighty Tour Eiffel in one day. In order to arrive at our first destination we had no choice but to be thrown into the bustle of the Pairs metro. A completely different experience to our more familiar London underground; with its double decker trains and huge platforms. We found our destination fairly easily and made our way to the exit.
Upon entering The Louvre I was taken aback by the towering glass pyramids that stood before us (you’ll probably remember them from The da Vinci Code). We stayed to snap some pictures then headed inside, since it was sweltering at this point. Once inside, we were surprised to be told that we had free entry because we were students! We spent the majority of the day here, exploring the corridors of artwork that we (quite frankly) didn't have a clue about and learning about famous statues from centuries ago.
We moved onto Arc de Triomphe where there were herds of tourists trying to snap the perfect picture and we were soon one of them. It almost reminded me of a more grand version of Marble Arch - even the area that surrounded it with it’s fancy shops and restaurants.
The Eiffel Tower was our last stop and we watched it evolve into a glowing spectacular from day to evening. Be warned that you will be approached many times by people trying to sell alcohol and souvenirs. Nonetheless, it was the perfect spot to sit and enjoy the rest of our evening.
Le deuxième jour
|
| Brunch at Le Pain Quotidien |
|
| Avocado toast! |
|
| Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris |
|
| Jardin du Luxembourg |
|
| Duck confit for dinner! |
|
| Bardot top: Topshop |
This was the perfect foodie day and definitely my favourite one! We headed into Châtelet for brunch at a little french cafe called Le Pain Quotidien. For anyone in this area or near Notre Dame I HIGHLY recommend this place (and its extremely affordable). After filling ourselves with avocado goodness, we made our way to Notre Dame where we stopped to admire the cathedral amongst the herds of other tourists and took a stroll down La Seine river.
Once we were satisfied with our time at Notre Dame we decided to find the St-Michel Notre-Dame metro stop, which proved to be a lot harder to find than we anticipated. The directions for locating some stations weren't English friendly at all - even with google maps to guide us!
Next we decided to visit the much anticipated Catacombs of Paris - a museum said to contain the remains six million humans. As we walked towards the site, we noticed a stream of people queuing for entry, and with high hopes we joined them. A few minutes later we were approached and told we had a slim chance of entering since the last entry was at 7pm and we had over an hour of waiting time. So a tip for you Paris travellers: visit the Catacombs well before 6pm!
Disappointed, we went to find some iced coffee and a backup plan. We agreed on strolling down a lovely street in the area - full of locals and good food. Exactly what I needed! We bought some macaroons and tried escargot for the first time, which were delicious. By this time we were ready for dinner, so we decided on a restaurant called Cafe Daguerre where I had a classic duck confit and creme brûlée. A must when in Paris.
Damini xo
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