What there is to do? There is lots to do and see in Paris, there are still things that I haven't seen/done yet. My first time, we got taxis to a couple of places because we didn't know our way walking, but our second time we grabbed a map and walked our way from the Eiffel Tower, through the gardens to the Louvre and to Notre Dame. Then our third time we knew our way around without use of any maps.
Eiffel Tower.
There's the many places to view the tower, the most popular one being Trocadèro (first & last pic) which gives amazing views and I would still make the visit up there to view the tower as it gives probably the best view. But it is nice to wonder the streets and find new places and views of the tower (middle pic). Watching the tower sparkle is always at the top of my list, I was sad this year because it only got dark late so only caught the tower sparkling once a night.
From the Eiffel Tower, depending on which side you are on, you can walk all the way to Notre-Dame. On your way you can stop off to see some more of Paris' amazing sights, not to mention just admire the perfect streets. If your like me and love designer/luxury I would 100% recommend walking down Avenue Montaigne, a gorgeous street lined with all the luxury boutiques and the gorgeous Plaza Athene hotel. From Avenue Montaigne you can get to the Champs-Élysées and the stunning Arc de Triomphe.
The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Its the biggest & tallest triumphal arch in the world and the most famous. Construction started in 1806 and was completed in 1836! If you've never been to Paris before and want to go on the island where the arc is don't try and attempt to cross the road! There is an under ground crossing which brings you to the arc. I'd recommend going over and viewing the arc from close up as it is so beautiful. There is an observation deck at the very top and its been no.1 on my list of things to do in Paris for a while! But each time the weather hasn't been right! I will 100% be making the trip to the top next time I'm there!
The Champs-Élysées. Home to many shops and restaurants, possibly one of the most famous streets in the world. It's 1.9 km (1.2 miles) long and runs between the Place de la Concorde and Place Charles de Gaulle where the arc sits. It's lovely to just walk from one end to the other and admire. On my second trip to Paris we ate at Café di Roma on the Champs and i'd really recommend there! The food was lovely! Notre-Dame.
One of the worlds most iconic cathedrals. When you think of Paris you will always picture the iconic Notre-Dame bell towers. My first trip to Paris I visited inside the cathedral, that's when you see the true beauty of those huge stained glass windows! We also walked the whole way around the outside and saw the beautiful gardens and the back of the cathedral is just as stunning as the front. This time visiting Notre-Dame was bitter sweet as it was under construction from the heartbreaking fire that took the stunning spire. The only way to view the cathedral this time was from a far. The cathedral is one of the most visited site in Paris, it's gothic architecture is just breathtaking. It took 182 years to complete building!
The Louvre.
Even though I have been to Paris 3 times I've never actually been inside the museum. I would like to go inside one day but for me the outside is stunning. The Louvre Palace is so beautiful, we had a cocktail and a cake at Café Marly which is right at the side of the glass pyramid, you could just sit and people watch for hours! The museum itself is the worlds largest art museum!
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.
In between the Louvre and Tuileries Garden, it is a triumphal arc that was built between 1806 - 1808 commemorate Napoleon's military victories. Its much smaller than the Arc de Triomphe, but is still equally beautiful. The Tuileries gardens are beautiful, there are a couple of cafe/restaurants and lots of seating areas and fountains, perfect for relaxing.
Pont Alexandre III.This is probably to most beautiful bridge ever. Crossing the River Seine, it connects the Champs-Élysées quarter to the Eiffel tower & invalids quarter. The bridges was built between 1896-1900. The bridge is honestly so beautiful. The first time I saw it it was moody grey weather and the River Seine had actually flooded to the point of boats not being able to go under the bridges! Even then in the gloomiest of weathers it was beautiful. But this time, the sun was out the sky was blue and the true beauty of the bridge came out!
Palais Royal.
A first of mine in Paris. Id always seen the black and white striped posts all over instagram and this time I wanted to go and explore. The gardens here are beautiful and id have loved to walked around them more but we had been walking all day and our feet had blistered so our trip here was cut short. It finished construction in 1639. The black and white striped posts are called the Colonnes de Buren which were added into the courtyard is 1986 and were 'highly controversial'. The artist Daniel Buren wanted to create a monument that wouldn't dominate. Now if you search Paris on Pinterest and Instagram you see lots of bloggers and instagrammers posing on these columns (as did I) they do create a cute backdrop for your chic Parisian outfit pics.
Sacré-Cœur.
My first time visiting Sacré-Cœur and my first time in Montmartre. I really wished we had spent more time in Montmartre! This time Sacré-Cœur was on the top of my list of things I wanted to see! As it was my third time in the city and I've only ever seen this beauty from a distance, I wanted to go there and see it. I actually really wanted to go up and look at the views but we didn't get chance to go up, something I will be doing next time (entry is free so the ques are very very long). The Basilica was built in 1875 and completed in 1914, and honestly is so beautiful!
The next few things are places I haven't been but I would really like to visit on my next trip and are popular places in Paris. Theres the famous Moulin Rouge. Famous from the movie where you can go watch a show, located in Montmartre. The Catacombs, ancient man-made underground burial chambers which was built in the 18th century. If you like shopping you could visit Galeries Lafayette, a 10 story department store. A place id love to visit is the Palace of Versailles. Its around a 30 minuet trip out of Paris and is one of the few monarch homes you can fully tour, there's a lot to see/do here so would be a great place to spend the day. For 'one of the best observation points in Paris' (I can't comment because I've never been but would love to go) Montparnasse Tower. On the 56th floor the stunning views of Paris and on the 59th floor there is a Champagne bar open from March-October! There are lots of museums to visit in Paris also, too many to list! But there definitely is something for everyone! id also really like to do a River Cruise down the Seine, a great way to see the beautiful city!
That brings this blog post to and end! I hope if your going to Paris that the post has given you some ideas of places to go and if you have just come on here to have a read I hope it inspires you to go to the stunning city!
Au revoir
x
