How I fell in love with Paris. I feel like I fit a lot of stuff into my schedule during my 3,5 days in the city of love. Getting up early in the moring just to explore a new area of the city. Here is what I spent my days seeing and doing:
Stuff to see & experience
Eiffel Tower
Almost the whole reason I went to Paris was to see the Eiffel tower with my own eyes. I spent half a day just seeing the tower from different angles. For me the whole point of the Eiffel tower is to get it in the photos, so I didn’t bother going up in it. Do the Tour Montparnasse instead.
L’Arc de Triumf
Same goes with L’Arc de Triumf. Saw it, photographed it, loved it. Didn’t go up. Even though people say this is amazing. Maybe next time.
Tour Montparnasse
This is something I really recommend doing. You get a spectacular view over Paris, with all the famous monuments in the picture. Montparnasse is a 59 stories building overlooking the city of love. It costs you 15 euros to take the elevator up there, which to me is worth the price. I got there around 6 pm, and got pictures in daylight, sunset and evening. You can also catch the Eiffel tower’s lightshow from here. It starts blinking 7 pm (in March at least), and does so for five minutes every hour.
Champs Elysees
Burn off some of that money (and crepes, macarons, croissants) by doing some shopping on Champs Elysees. They have stores like Sephora, Gap and Footlocker, which are stores we do not have in Norway. And also a lot of high end brands.
Notre Dame
Something to see, if only for bringing back childhood memories from the Disney movie.
Le Marais
A cute and cool district with cute cafes and shops. Seems like a trendy area, and can be compared to Oslo’s Grünerløkka.
Pont Alexandre III
A beautiful bridge which makes for great photos and a lovely place to relax by the river.
Montmatre
The art district which gives a beautiful view over Paris. Sit down on a pavement cafe once your feet are tired and just take in the atmosphere of Montmatre. Don’t forget to visit the beautiful Basilica of Sacre-Coeur. The Moulin Rouge isn’t too far from here either.
Le Louvre
Once in Paris you have to go say hi to Mona Lisa. Louvre is a huge, extremely popular museum with a lot of famous pieces. So it almost goes without saying that the lines are long. I expected I’d stand in line for an hour or more, but since March is not high season, I was in within 15 minutes. And it cost me nothing.
TIP: EU citizens (including Norwegians) between 18 and 25 years of age get in for free!
Where to stay
BOB hotel by Elegancia
BOB hotel is located in the 14th arrondissement, which is about 20 minutes from the city centre by metro. You find the Pernety metro station only a few steps from the hotel. BOB hotel is small, but it is a four star hotel with good standards. The interior is in a subtle art deco style, which is something that I happen to love (read about Haymarket hotel in Stockholm here). They offer good prices and a comfortable and clean standard.
From CDG airport you get to the hotel by train. Deferent rocheau station. From there on you can take the metro to the hotel, or just grab an Uber for a few euros like I did.
Where to eat:
La’s du Fallafel
My friend Anita recommended me this amazing falaffel place which is located in Le Marais. With me coming alone to this place I got a table almost right away (the lines are insane). I enjoyed a falafel special.
Ladurée
Ladurée is a very expensive restaurant, but once you are in Paris it is a must to try out their macarons. Get a cute box with your six favorite flavors and walk over to a park to enjoy them.
Vietnamese food
I did not expect so many Vietnamese restaurants in Paris, but they are everywhere. Pop into one of them for a flavorful experience that won’t cost you more than 7-10 euros.
How to get around
Metro, metro, metro. I bought a Paris Pass or something like that for 26 euros for three days. Turns out that is completely unnecessary. You can get a regular day pass for about 4 euros, which will get you where you want in Paris! Bus, metro, whatever.
Something to know: The metro in Paris has a LOT of stops, so it feels like it takes forever. But – it is worth it.
