With streets lined by beautiful architecture, landmarks, cute cafés at every corner, and let’s not forget it’s world-renowned sophisticated style – what’s not to love about Paris? The European city ticks all the travel boxes and will truly capture your heart. It really is the perfect place to wander, relax, enjoy food and explore stunning sights.
We visited Paris for a one-night getaway last weekend. As you’d imagine, Paris is a tough cookie to cover in less than 48 hours! Hence the reason for me publishing this (very) quick guide. Hopefully our experience across the channel will give you some travel inspiration or help you get started if you’re planning your first trip to Paris!
Why Paris?
One of our New Year’s resolutions this year was to expand our travel horizon. We got a taste for it in 2018, so we want to let the spontaneity continue and explore even more this year! We’re both Post Malone fans and as a pure coincidence, our anniversary happened to fall on his Paris tour date. So we thought what a fun way to celebrate hey?
Accommodation: Mercure Hotel Tour Eiffel, AccorHotels Group
With a 5-minute walk away from both the tower and the nearest Metro – you couldn’t go wrong with this hotel! We were even chosen as guests of the day, which meant we received a premier room upgrade with a view of the Eiffel Tower. The room was finished beautifully with complimentary champagne (yaaas), a Birchbox (absolutely loved this touch as I have been thinking about purchasing a subscription recently) and a luxury Paris chocolate bar. It made the occasion that extra bit special! I’d fully recommend this hotel due to the excellent service and location, it deserves a 10/10 for our short stay.
Travel: Getting to Paris
From London St. Pancras, we travelled on the Eurostar to Paris in under 3 hours. Leaving London at 5:40am (yes I know, gross right?), but arriving so early was well worth the lower fare and luckily I snuck in a cheeky little nap in on the train. The whole process was super easy, we arrived 45 minutes prior to our departure, giving us plenty of time to get through security checks, passport control and most importantly, to buy our first pain au chocolat.
Top tip here: Fare prices vary a considerable amount. Do your research to find the most cost-effective journey and be prepared to be flexible on your travel days to get a savvy price.
Travel: In Paris
First things first, use. the. metro. Paris is a big place and there’s a lot of walking involved to see the sights and explore the diverse neighborhoods on offer. (Monmatre is tucked away in the North of the city and home of quaint and artistic streets and is definitely worth a visit!).
For two tickets, we paid 11.95 for unlimited day travel. Once you get into the swing of it and remember that ‘sortie’ means exit, it’s easy to use and the signage is straightforward. A quick search on the Maps iPhone app will tell you exactly where the nearest metro is and what line you’ll need to take.
If you’re reaaaaally not feeling the metro or walking anymore, release your inner child and hire a scooter! You can use the Lime app to locate and unlock scooters around the city for a cost of 0.15 euro a minute. Much fun to be had indeed.
Food
Ok, we weren’t great at this – le Big Mac was a fav. Time was of the essence and we wanted to cram a lot in so opted for fast food. I had great fun practicing my GCSE French skills by listening out for our collection number though…
Attractions and sightseeing
Here’s a little insight as to where we visited.
Le Louvre
A walk through the pretty streets of Monmatre
Champs-Élysées, Arc De Triomphe
Why I recommend Paris
Above all, the culture, buildings and post-card settings are well worth the visit. Wherever you’re taking a trip with friends, family or your partner, there’s something to please everyone. The city of love is high on my travel list to revisit, that’s for sure.
Are you planning on visiting Paris soon? Or do you have any recommendations of where to visit, dine at or to adventure to? Let me know below!
