When I go on vacation, I like to see as much as humanly possible in a day, so if you're up for walking 12-15 miles a day, this is the guide for you. Buckle up for our museum-packed trip to Paris to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.
Museums and Monuments
One of the best things we did was climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe at night. We skipped paying to go up the Eiffel Tower, you really just need pictures in front of it for Instagram. Instead, we used the Museum Pass to go to the top of the Arc, and got a great view of the tower all lit up. It sparkles at 9 PM and every hour on the hour.
Of course, you have to go to the Louvre if you're in Paris, but I probably enjoyed D'Orsay even more. They had more art that I recognized from Van Gogh and Monet. If you like modern art and you plan on visiting the Centre Pompidou, try to go in the evening. It has an amazing view of the city, especially when the sun is setting. .jpg "Paris Destination Guide")
The Cluny is a small museum with a great summary of the History of the French people from 100-1400 AD. I don't know much about history, so if you're like me, I would start here to have some context to build from while learning about French culture.
Sainte Chapelle is a beautiful church with the most incredible stained glass. The only bummer was that even with a timed reservation, we had to wait over an hour to get through security. The breathtaking art made it worth the wait. Concierge is nearby, it was the prison where Marie Antoinette was held before going to the guillotine. I enjoyed learning more details about the French Revolution.
.jpg "Paris Destination Guide")
Versailles
Versailles was just incredible! We felt like we had to rush through the palace to make it to our other timed reservation. But, we still had time to be wowed by all the wealth and opulence, and where the Treaty of Versailles was signed.
.jpg "Paris Destination Guide")
We walked for about an hour to make it to our 12 PM reservation at Trianon. There's a cute little Hamlet that the queen built, but I don't know if it was worth the long walk. For 5€, we took a tiny train back to the gardens and we got to see the beautiful fountains and grounds. It's normally a separate 10€ ticket to visit the gardens, so if you're willing to make the walk, it will save you 5€.
If I were to do it again, I would make reservations for the palace at 2 PM, instead of 10 AM. I would leave Paris in the morning and have breakfast in the town before visiting the palace. If you want to go to Trianon, you do not need to make a timed reservation, it wasn't busy at all. Just know that once you leave the palace, you can't go back in.
Paris Museum Pass
We decided to get a Paris Museum Pass, and I'm so glad we did. We were able to visit about five museums or monuments a day for four days. It costs 90€, so that's about 23€ a day. It gives you access to things that are 15-25€ each, so as long as you visit more than one place a day, you'll be saving money. It includes tickets to all the places we visited, and more, I would definitely buy it again.
Some museums and monuments require a reservation, some are closed on Mondays, some are closed on Tuesdays, so it does require a bit of planning if you want to see them all. I have a PDF of our full itinerary listing which museums require reservations and when they are open. Fill out the contact form with the message "Paris" and I'll send it to you for free.
What We Ate
Rex had duck and potatoes, and I got veal and truffle risotto at one of the oldest bistros in Paris, Polidor (41 Rue Monsieur le Prince). It was super cute and the staff were very attentive and friendly. We like to have a competition to see who orders the tastiest dish, and I won that day.
We had the most delicious pastries at Gosselin (258 Blvd Saint Germain). I don't remember what they called it, but it was a very crunchy pistachio pastry that you have to try. The lemon meringue pie was also very delicious. We stopped at a chain bakery called Paul a few different times. I enjoyed the baguette sandwich with ham, Brie, and yummy pickles.
.jpg "Paris Destination Guide")
We saw people in line for lunch at Bouillon Pigalle (22 Bd de Clichy), so we decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad we did! They had people absolutely crammed in there, but it was a fun experience with every French dish you could ever want at really great prices. It was fun and a little different. I would definitely go again!
I really loved the sea bass at Cafe du Marche (38 Rue Cler). It came with the most delicious potatoes and squash, and I don't even like squash. I may have been a little tipsy from the sidecar I ordered, either way, it was fantastic! The whole Rue Cler area is great, lots of little shops and cafes, you can't go wrong.
What Else We Saw
You have to go to Notre Dame! The line to go inside moves pretty fast, and it's just beautiful. We walked along the river for a bit, and I tried to use the public bathroom. When I entered, it was locked from the inside, it was dark, and started to get sprayed down. I tried to get out, but I couldn't figure out how. Thankfully, I felt a little space in the doorway that I fit into, and I didn't get wet. I finally found the button to unlock the door and got out of there. Always an adventure.
.jpg "Paris Destination Guide")
I really enjoyed Montmartre, just know that it's on a hill, and there are 181 steps just to get out of the subway stop. I could have watched all the artists in the square all day. St. Sulpice was my favorite church that we visited, I loved all the stations dedicated to different saints.
What Credit Card Points We Used
We opened an Air France credit card and got a 70,000 sign up bonus. Then we found round-trip direct flights out of Denver for only 30,000 points each. The airline fees to Europe are always high, and we each had to pay $315, but I'll take it. We used our Southwest Companion Pass to fly to Denver for 24,485 points and $11.20 in fees.
Paris was an absolute dream, and there's no way I could include everything we did in one blog post, but I hope you enjoyed reading the highlights and have some ideas about where you'd like to visit when you go.
If you liked this post, "Paris Destination Guide," you might also like:
Post a Comment