Imagine taking a 4-day trip to Paris for the very first time and discovering that during these 4 days you get to celebrate your sister’s birthday with family, enjoy Disneyland’s25th anniversary, and also celebrate the nation’s Independence Day (Bastille Day). To top it all off, you end up experiencing the celebrations of the French in their victory of the 2018 FIFA World Cup final.
In the following review, I will be sharing a few things such as places I visited, types of food, tips on transportation, and approximate travel costs from my trip to Paris. Hope you find the following information useful and you get to enjoy this city. So let’s start from the beginning.
Day 1
Once we arrived in our hotel, one of the first things I noticed was the location. In less than two minutes of walk, we had the Arc de Triumph right in front of us. Starting on a more general note, if you are the type of person that would like to experience much of the city then be prepared for a lot of walking, exploring, and touring.
1) Free Walking Tour: Our tour guide was very friendly and had many stories to tell about each location and it was a good start to get a taste of the city itself. Our two and a half hour tour ended at Tuileries Gardens(one of the most beautiful gardens in Paris, facing the Louvre Museum) with us giving a good tip to the guide for giving us our first taste of Paris. Overall an enjoyable tour and a must-do, especially if it’s your first time there. Among other locations in the tour, we passed by Notre Dame de Paris, Assemblée Nationale, The Louvre, Palace of Justice, Carrousel Arch, Tuileries Gardens.
2) Eiffel Tower: Some would say that the most popular structure in Paris is the Eiffel Tower. So we had to spend a few hours to get some typical touristy pictures in front of it. Even though we viewed the tower from afar and from up close, the best places to get a good view of the tower are the Trocadero Gardens and Champ de Mars with the benefit of sitting on the grass to relax, picnic-style. Fun fact: During WW2, the French found out that Hitler wanted to go up to the top and they cut the cables to the elevators, so he had to walk all the way to the top to get there.
Day 2
Disneyland: Our second day had ‘’only’’ one thing on the menu and that was to visit Disneyland. Actually there are two parks, Disneyland Park and Disney Studios Park and they are both worth visiting. We literally spent the entire day from the opening until the closing and it was definitely worth it. Some significant things to mention:
- I have been in many roller coaster rides in my life in multiple countries but the rides in Disneyland and Disney Studios were without a doubt the best ones. Specifically, two rides that I’ll never forget: Hyperspace Mountain which is in Disneyland and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror which is in Disney Studios Park. I will not say much to spoil the rides but they were an amazing experience.
- Make sure to stay until the end of the day to check Disneyland’s last attraction, the Disney Illuminations. The show starts around 11 pm (the crowd slowly gathers around the Central Plaza and after 10 pm there are announcements about it). It’s a nighttime spectacular display featuring fire, fireworks, water fountains, lasers, castle projections, and more. A good spot to record the show and take pictures could be the Central Plaza/Huband as conveniently close to the castle. We, on the other hand, thinking that it would be like a 3-minute firework show, had a fairly distant but good enough spot to see the entire castle and at the same time to be able to swiftly exit without much crowd ahead of us.
- Before arriving at the location of the parks, make sure to search everything about all the rides in both Disneyland and Disney Studios, be aware of the ‘’fast pass’’ rides that allow you to skip long queues, have in mind what rides you may want to try first because both parks have too many of them to try them all in one day. Also, keep in mind the last metro on your way back and that metro tickets to and from Disneyland are more expensive than normal ones. Overall prepare for the worst and hope for the best. If you keep this in mind before and during the day you visit both parks, it will surely make your life easier that day.
Day 3
Our third day started with a very good breakfast…honestly! Okay, our third day happened to be France’s Independence Day aka Bastille Day, so we had parades and fireworks added in our to-do list on that day. As general information, during a public holiday like this, be aware that the local metro stations in the city center are closed from very early for security reasons so that the police can effectively patrol those stations. If they are open at all, they will be mobbed by people, so consider other nearby stations.
1) Louvre history museum: Normally the entrance to the museum is 17€ but due to Bastille Day we entered for FREE! We started first thing in the morning, right at the opening of the museum (9 am) to avoid any expected long queues and I must say our entry was really smooth, by using the metro entrance. The plan was to initially start checking out everything from the bottom going upwards, but we ended up ‘’getting lost’’ in the magnificent displays of the museum. As time went on (we gave ourselves max 3 hours since one would need days to appreciate every single thing in the museum) we decided to go through the pieces of art we were mostly interested in like Mona Lisa -Sphinx-Venus di Milo-Winged Victory -Wedding Cana-Leonidas in Thermopiles-Coronation of Napoleon-Liberty leading the people.
2) Bastille Day parade: Even though we decided to check out the Louvre first, we still managed to catch up with the parade and enjoy the walk on the empty streets of Paris.
3) Notre Dame de Paris: It is said that it’s the most visited place in Paris with #2 Eiffel Tower and #3 Louvre but on that day with a very long line, under the heat of an afternoon Parisian sun, there was no way we could stand on the queue to go in, so instead we admired from the outside. However, after the devastating fire that the building sustained in 2019, I now look back and think that maybe we should have made an effort to enter. Hopefully, efforts to salvage what is left of the structure will be successful.
4) Arch de Triumph: The benefit of staying near the Arc was that we could always check it out on our way out and back to the hotel. The difference on Bastille Day though was that it was decorated with the French flag for the occasion meaning that it was ideal for some pictures.
5) Boat Cruise: One of the best things to do in Paris is to go on a boat and cruise along the Seine, as you’re checking out Paris from another perspective. To add on top of that, we had a sunset view which made it even better. The cruise lasts approximately 1 hour 10 mins. The best way of booking it is online and afterward printing your tickets at the ticket point.
6) Bastille Day Fireworks: To cap off the full day, we watched the fireworks around the Eiffel Tower, to celebrate Bastille Day. Fireworks started around 11 pm and they lasted for 30′ and it was very crowded. Most people go beforehand to sit and relax picnic-style literally anywhere there’s a good view of the tower (usually lay around parks) and just wait for the show. Our original plan was to have the best view from Trocadero Gardens but we were informed that the area was closed so even though we ended up watching from a different location, we still enjoyed the moment. I really can’t remember the last time I experienced fireworks two days in a row (the previous day being Disneyland and the next being Bastille Day)!
Day 4
On our departure day, we had all morning till the afternoon to explore any other areas left. One of those areas was Montmartre.
1) Basilica Sacré Coeur: As soon as you come out of the metro station in Montmartre, a hill that leads to the church can be spotted. On our way up to the church, we took every opportunity to pose for the camera as we stopped at each level of the climb. Once we got to the church the view once was definitely rewarding as we had in front of us the highest view of Paris. That’s until I remembered that there was another climb of 300 steps of the narrow staircase to the top of the church. Entrance to the church is free but there’s a fee to go all the way to the top. One tip is to definitely go there first thing in the morning as it can be very busy.
2) Montmartre neighborhood: The neighborhood is an attraction all by itself. From the look of the apartments to a very different vibe compared to the city center, it will feel like you’re in a French movie. Among other things, you could surely check out Salvador Dali’s exhibition, Picasso’s studio, Vincent Van Gogh’s house, and of course The Moulin Rouge.
3) Marché des Enfants Rouges: There is a ‘’legend’’ that the best sandwich in Paris was made in this food market, so we had to confirm this before heading back to prepare for our departure. After a walk around the market, it seemed that there were other nice spots for a quick lunch but our minds were on one thing. From the preparation of that sandwich to the very last bite of it and also considering the combination of size and tastefulness, it was a perfect 10!
4) World Cup Final: This was significant because France was playing with Croatia and we were in the capital to witness first-hand the ‘’craze’’ of emotions in the city and its people which was quite an experience. The other reason was due to miscalculations we almost ended up getting stuck on our way to the airport. So on a more general note, on the day of departure make sure you are fully aware of how a big event in the city you are visiting (e.g. World Cup Final), might affect your way back.
To summarise, within those 4 days we celebrated a birthday, the next day we celebrated Bastille Day and the day after that we joined France celebrating their win in the World Cup Final. Without a shadow of a doubt, in 2018 it was the busiest weekend in France. All in all, the trip was nothing less than amazing.
Places to see:
Pay in advance and collect your ticket!!!!!!!
- Disneyland
- Eiffel Tower #mostvisitedplace #GustavEiffel #EiffelTower #View #1710stairstothetop Opens at 9am, 19€ combine ticket to the top,
- Louvre history museum 17€ (has Sphinx-Venus di Milo-Winged Victory-Mona Lisa-Wedding Cana-Leonidas in Thermopyles-Coronation of Napoleon-Liberty leading the people, close to the Arc, use print ticket to access ahead then buy ticket in for 15€, use metro entrance, start the tour chronologically from Richelieu, visit will take 3 hours minimum, start in the morning)
- Notre Dame Cathedral
- Champs Elysses (close to Louvre, for walk, shopping, Tour de France)
- Arc de Triomphe tour evening, (built in honour of those who died for France in the French revolution and Napoleonic wars, 0€ under 26 y.o. or 12€) open till 10pm
- Palace de Versailles (0€ under 26 y.o.) open till 10pm
- Montmarteneighborhood, (climb the church dome Sacre-Coeur, highest point of the city, free view, Hardware Societe cafe, Mon martemuseun, close Galleries Lafayette for shopping and view, Moulin Rouge, Victor Ougo house
- River Boat 1 hour-tour bateaux-mouches along the river
- Tuileries garden, one of the most beautiful gardens in Paris facing the Louvre Museum
- Any walking tour
Foods to taste:
- Visit bakeries for their Baguette, Croissant, Macarons (can’t go to Paris without having one), Eklere,
- Nutella Crepes
- Mille-Feullie (1000 leafs)
- Dessert pastries
- Frog legs
- French onion soup
- Duck meal = Confit de canard (Josephine Chez Dumonet)
- Croque monsieur
- Market fruits
Transportation:
- Buy a weekly T+ (or pack of 10=carnet dix)
- 5 Metro Zones (zone/line 1 main attractions)
- Orly Bus to return starting from Denfert-Rochereau-Metro RER 7.20€-8.30€. Travel time 30′
- Train lines from and to Charles De Gaulle
Useful links:
https://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en
https://www.ticketlouvre.fr/louvre/b2c/index.cfm/home
https://www.parisaeroport.fr/en/homepage
Pricelist of significant items in Paris:
- 3 nights in hotel 180€
- Plane tickets 141€
- Walking Tour 6€
- Boat tour 14€
- Total train tickets 11€
- Tickets to Disneyland 15.20€
- Disneyland Entry Tickets 83€
- Market Sandwich 9.50€
- Croquet monsieur/Quiche Lorraine 7.50€
Total approximate trip expenditure= 525€
*Bonus Section
Language:
- Bonjour = Hello
- Bonsoir = Good evening
- S’ilvousplaît – Please
- Je suisdésolé – Sorry
- Pardon, excusezmoi – Excuse me
- Mercibeacoup=Thanks very much
- Sur place silvous plait= eating here
- La carte silvous plait= ask menu
- Je voudrais = I would like
- Monsieur/Madame = Sir/Madam
- L’additionsilvous plait= check please
- Je ne parle pas Français – I don’t speak French
- Parlez-vousAnglais? – Do you speak English?
- Je suis perdu – I am lost
- Combiençacoûte ? – How much is it?
Stay blessed,
Prince