Since I was a little girl, Paris had always been my DREAM! I mean, who hasn't envisioned themselves drinking wine in a French Bistro, or watching the Eiffel tower light up and sparkle in the night sky?! Ah, yes....Paris! Well, my dream finally came true, only I wasn't a little girl anymore. I was all grown up and I was ready to take on the beautiful city of Paris! facts about parisARRIVING INTO PARIS FROM LONDON Previously, I had been in London, which we all know isn't too far from France. It seemed like it would basically be a hop, skip, and a jump over to Paris....but that wasn't exactly the case. You see at this point in the trip, I had already been traveling for well over a week, so naturally I figured I was experienced at this whole 'European Train' situation. Let me tell you, London is NOT like any other place in Europe when it comes to public transportation. I left my hostel, not super early, but allowing myself enough time to make it to the train station. What I didn't know was that Eurostar requires its only special kind of entrance onto the trains. It's more or less what I like to call the equivalence of an airport. You're expected to arrive to the train station 30 minutes prior to your boarding time, go through security, go through customs, and then situate yourself in the waiting room until your gate number is announced. Basically just like being at an airport, right? Well, I wasn't aware of this, so naturally I took my time, got a coffee from Starbucks, and arrived to the train terminal 15 minutes before my departure time. Opps. Anyways, they were VERY accommodating and without any hesitations, transferred my ticket over to the next train, which departed at 6:31 p.m. So off I went on my way to Paris, so excited and a little anxious! ACCOMODATION (There are so many options when deciding where you want to stay while visiting Paris. Thankfully, I was given a suggestion by a friend who had previously traveled here, so she helped set us up at Hotel Les Théâtres. I can honestly say that it did not disappoint. The hotel is conveniently located 7 minutes (walking) from the food markets of Rue Montorgueil and a 16 minute walk to the Picasso National Museum. All the rooms are inspired by French theatrical and artistic figures. Every room features a minibar, free WIFI, and a flatscreen TV. There is also a steam room located in the basement of the hotel, as well as a continental breakfast that is offered every morning for an additional charge. (absolutely worth it!) WHERE TO EAT I have to admit, I was rather impressed with the variety of food I found in Paris. Granted, it's really hard to be disappointed, especially when you are traveling in Europe, but despite the whole croissant and baguette cliche, it was actually really easy to find some good quality restaurants. I wouldn't necessarily say that it was by any means on the cheap side, but you get what you pay for, right? Our hotel was located in a popular area, especially preferable for tourists, so it wasn't too hard to find eateries. I stumbled upon Twinkie Breakfasts on my first day in Paris, and although the brunch menu was a little on the expensive side, the food portions were significantly large, and the quality was superb. Between Yelp and Tripadvisor, I was able to find some pretty decent restaurants in every area I visited while in Paris. All of these places were rated highly in terms of food quality, service, and overall customer satisfaction.
THINGS TO DO / PLACES TO VISIT It's no surprise that people come to Paris to visit the notorious Eiffel Tower & Louvre, and to be perfectly honest, those were probably the only two places I recognized while planning out my itinerary. But trust me when I say, that's just only one of the MANY exquisite places to visit in this magnificent city. It's hard to know what to do or where to go when you are traveling to a new place. There's just so many historical landmarks, so much culture, and so much life in a city such as Paris. I mean c'mon, people literally spend their lives dreaming about coming here based off of what we see and know in the media. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to spend a week here, so I made sure that every place on my list was completed! Below I will provide a few of my top places to explore while visiting Paris!
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AuthorWest Coast blogger with a love for traveling and adventure seeking. Archives
July 2018
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