Travel Recap: Paris, France (with day trips to Versailles and Normandy!)

In 2017, I visited Europe for the very first time. Because it was my first time in Europe and I didn't know the next time I'd be back, I decided to make the most of it by staying for 2 weeks: 1 week in Portugal with two of my girlfriends, then meeting up with my then-boyfriend (now husband!) for a 2nd week in London, Rome, and Paris. 

I joke that the 2nd week was such a stereotypical basic girl Eurotrip itinerary -- but I thought they'd be a good intro for my first time to Europe, and I'm so glad I visited all of them! 

Seeing the Eiffel Tower was a magical experience, and I loved all of the food -- escargots, bread, champagne, cheese, chocolate. I also appreciated the opportunity to take day trips, especially to Normandy. And my boyfriend loved Paris so much that less than a year later, he proposed in front of the Eiffel Tower. :-) 

tips and advice:

  • Many guides recommend that you be careful with your belongings, as pickpockets are apparently common in Paris. Before my first visit, I read many stories about cell phones being snatched off of tables during meals and girls' purses being taken. I didn’t experience any problems, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.
  • Beware of "Paris syndrome"! Apparently it's a "sense of disappointment exhibited by some individuals when visiting or going on vacation to Paris" because they "feel that Paris wasn't what they expected." I personally feel like the Eiffel Tower light show (more info below) is probably a good cure. ;-)
  • The Eiffel Tower light show: Every night from sundown to 1am, the Eiffel Tower sparkles for 5 minutes at the beginning of each hour, with the last show at 1am lasting for 10 minutes and sparkling in white rather than yellow like the others.
  • Check restaurant and store operating hours in advance! Many are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Also check to see if you need reservations. And if you're struggling with the language barrier and your hotel offers a concierge, take advantage of that to help with finding recommended spots nearby and making reservations.
  • I visited Paris in mid-August and early September, and while it was still warm (no jacket needed) in August, it was definitely already getting chilly in early September. At one point, I debated stopping in a store to buy a heavier sweater or jacket than the jean jacket I'd packed.
  • I highly recommend learning at least a few basic phrases in French -- such as hello, how are you, thank you, excuse me, and I'm sorry -- and to be especially attentive about treating Parisians with respect (e.g., don't barge into a shop or restaurant and immediately start asking questions without first greeting the employees). I feel like I've read a lot of guides that say that French people aren't friendly, but I found that every local I spoke to was extremely warm, kind, and more than willing to put up with an American tourist. I will say that there's definitely no attitude of "the customer is always right" (which I for one appreciate, I think America has made a mistake propagating that mentality).
  • Paris is divided into numbered arrondissements that are arranged in a spiral (see below -- kind of like a snail, haha!), and the Seine River divides Paris into the Left and Right Bank --the Left Bank is essentially south of the river, the Right Bank is essentially north of the river).

Note: This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

itinerary:

I'm going to split up the itineraries for my two trips so that they're easier to follow.

Trip #1 (September 2017)
  • Hotel: Hotel Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement and on the Left Bank. 
    • I like walking in general, and this hotel seemed very centrally located to get anywhere in Paris easily. And we always felt safe!
  • Day 1
    • Explored the neighborhood and walked to the Eiffel Tower, which we chose to climb rather than take the elevator ("lift"). I really enjoyed the climb and didn't find it too difficult, but I enjoy stair/stadium workouts, so others’ comfort may differ.
    • Dinner at Semilla.
  • Day 2
    • Normandy. I knew that I did not want to leave France without having visited Normandy, so we booked a tour with Bayeux Shuttles. There were 5 total people in our tour, and our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. My husband and I were actually supposed to do a full-day tour, but we missed our morning train transfer (we underestimated how large Gare Saint-Lazare is and how long we would need to make the transfer), so the company kindly switched us to an afternoon half-day tour last-minute. We visited Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and the Normandy American Cemetery. It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life, and I hope to go again someday. I'd check the weather before you go because much of it is obviously outdoors -- we got sprinkled on, which I didn't think took away from the experience (if anything, it added to it), but it might be tough if it's pouring/lightning.
    • Dinner at Le Coupe Chou, in the 5th arrondissement. SO GOOD.
    • Explored Paris at night, particularly the Bastille area (which I’ve heard compared to Bourbon Street in New Orleans).
  • Day 3
    • We visited the Louvre first thing in the morning -- we got there probably 30-45 minutes before it opened to try to be towards the beginning of the line, since we didn't have a ton of time. We felt like it was a rite of passage to see the Mona Lisa, so we ran straight to it, where a crowd had already formed. (FYI for your own trip planning: The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays!)
    • Brunch at Angelina. We really enjoyed it, especially the famed hot chocolate (we wanted to go primarily because I love hot chocolate), but it is probably a little bit of a tourist trap at this point... my husband and I still love it, though!
    • Versailles. It's obviously stunning, but in my opinion it was a little difficult to stomach just how unnecessarily extravagant it all felt, which I know is the point, but still. And I would recommend checking the weather before you schedule your day trip to Versailles, as there’s a lot to explore outside, and it was a little rainy on our visit so the ground got a bit muddy.
    • Dinner at Le Christine, in the 6th arrondissement. Also so good, probably my favorite meal of the trip, but it’s a close call with Le Coupe Chou!
  • Day 4
    • We started our morning with another museum, the Musée d'Orsay, which was only a 10-minute walk from our hotel! I am not very knowledgeable about art, but Monet is definitely my favorite artist, so I wanted to see his paintings there. Sadly, I failed to do sufficient research and didn't realize that there were other museums with even more Monet -- including the world's largest collection.
    • Throughout the day, we wandered through the Tuileries Garden and the Luxembourg Garden, walked along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, and visited the Arc de Triomphe (which we climbed).
    • Big Bus tour! I wanted to go to Montmartre (18th arrondissement) to visit the Sacré-Cœur Basilica and to visit Notre Dame (4th arrondissement), but after 2 weeks of travel, I also just wanted to sit and relax.

Trip #2 (August 2018)
  • Hotel: Hôtel Eiffel Trocadéro in the 16th arrondissement.
    • This was located on the Trocadéro Square and was super convenient for our purposes -- and we had a view of the Eiffel Tower from our room.
  • This was a short trip because my then-boyfriend surprised me for the weekend, so we left NYC on Friday evening, landed in Paris Saturday morning, and flew out from Paris Sunday afternoon.
  • Day 1
    • Walked around the Trocadéro and people-watched.
    • Champagne and snacks overlooking the Eiffel Tower at Restaurant Le Coq
    • Proposal on the Passerelle Debilly (bridge) in front of the Eiffel Tower.
    • Took photos along the Seine River with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
    • Celebratory dinner at Firmin le Barbier. If you’ve read my other guides, you know that I like tasting/chef’s menus, but it definitely requires trusting the chef — this chef’s menu included pigeon, and I was nervous, but it was pretty good!
  • Day 2
    • Brunch at Angelina (my husband now thinks of it as our Parisian tradition, haha)
    • Montmartre to visit the Sacré-Cœur Basilica and see the Moulin Rouge :-)

photo diary:

My first trip to Paris. We took these on our phones in 2017, so they may not be the best quality -- apologies!

Romper: Socialite (affiliate link) | Sunglasses: Illesteva Leonard sunglasses in tortoise/pink (affiliate link) | Sandals: Kaitlyn Pan

On top of the Eiffel Tower, overlooking the city.

Escargots - the first time I've tried them, and I loved them!

So. Much. Bread. And of course my hot chocolate pitcher and cup of whipped cream on the platter :-)

Early morning in front of the Louvre - you can already see the lines forming.
Dress: Banana Republic | Jacket: J Crew | Sunglasses: Illesteva Leonard sunglasses in tortoise/pink (affiliate link)

Aaand the Louvre at night.

The Eiffel Tower at night.

Being starstruck tourists :-)

My attempt at capturing one of the Eiffel Tower's night shows.

Monet at the Musée d'Orsay!

I took soo many photos of all his paintings there.

This painting will forever remind me of Cory and Topanga from Boy Meets World :-)

Taking the below photo!

View of La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre from the Musée d'Orsay

View from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.


The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe.

The Arc de Triomphe.

A very high-quality photo of two starstruck tourists!

As a lifelong fan of the movie Moulin Rouge, I had to snap this.

Inside the Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Versailles!





The first stop on our Normandy tour: Pointe du Hoc.


Our second stop was Omaha Beach.

It's incredible to think about what these beaches looked like on D-Day.

Our final stop: Normandy American Cemetery. 





The following photos are from my second trip to Paris in 2018.

Dress: Lulu's (affiliate link) | Shoes: Lulu's (affiliate link) | Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren (affiliate link)









Being a hypocrite because I was determined not to post a ring photo but I just love my aquamarine so much.

Post-proposal at Ladurée for some macarons.

It's just so blueee that it makes me happy.

View from our seats at Firmin le Barbier for dinner, overlooking the Eiffel Tower :-)

where to eat and drink:

what to do:

  • The Eiffel Tower! Whether you take the stairs or the elevator, it's an experience -- and whatever you choose, you will need to purchase tickets. I was surprised to learn that there were shops and dining options on the Eiffel Tower!
  • Holiday Inn rooftop for sunset views 
  • Museums — Paris has so many. There's the Louvre (obviously) and Musée d'Orsay, but also Musée Marmottan-Monet and Musée de l’Orangerie, and so many more.
  • Big Bus tour. We have now done them in Rome, Paris, and Sydney, and I've enjoyed it every time. A great way to see parts of the city you may not have otherwise, see the highlights, hit several locations quickly, learn some history and trivia, and rest your feet!
  • Fat Bike tour. This tour comes highly recommended by people we know, and there are a bunch of different kinds of tours.
  • Day trips to Versailles or Normandy. If I had to pick one, I'd pick Normandy -- while Versailles was stunning, I absolutely got more out of seeing Normandy and learning about the history there. I really can’t recommend visiting Normandy enough. It felt like an honor to visit, and I appreciated the opportunity to pay my respects at the Cemetery, too.
  • Arc de Triomphe, including climbing to the top. Although I liked climbing the Eiffel Tower better because it's more strenuous, I’d say I liked this view better because the view of the city with the Eiffel Tower is so iconic. (You will need to purchase tickets to visit the top!)
  • Eiffel Tower night shows! Every night, from sundown to 1am, the Eiffel Tower sparkles for 5 minutes at the beginning of each hour, with the last show at 1am lasting for 10 minutes and sparkling in white rather than yellow like the other shows. Some places to maximize your view and therefore your experience: The Pont Neuf Bridge; the Galeries Lafayette department store rooftop; and/or the Pont des Arts Bridge.
  • Palais Royal
  • Place Vendôme for shopping

links I used or recommend:

We actually had a trip planned for December 2020 because we wanted to see the city in winter, with all its holiday decor, but unfortunately COVID forced us to cancel the trip. Hopefully we’ll be back in 2021 or 2022!

love from


Comments

Post a Comment