A couple months ago my brother-in-law needed to go to Paris for his work so I decided to go with him and explore Paris. I hadn’t been to Paris in a very, very long time!
Because I only had a couple of hours I decided to do the main attractions namely; the Eiffel Tower, Musée du Louvre and the Notre-Dame.
Paris
The Eiffel Tower
After a 1,5 hour delay my first stop was the Eiffel Tower. Believe it or not but I have never been all the way up but that day I did!
I went on a Monday morning so there were only two entrances open. One where you can take the stairs up and then the one where you can take the elevator to the top. At the ticket office you can choose if you want to go to the third floor (top floor) or not. This will cost you a little extra
I wanted to make my way all the way up so I stood in the longest line. I thought it would take me a long time to get in but in less than an hour I was at the top!
Ones you are on the second floor you have to take another elevator to the third floor (I did this straight away).
This elevator is very small and personally I thought it was a bit scary! But once on top the view was pretty amazing even though the weather was a bit hazy, very windy and cold!
On the second flood the view was a bit better but also a lot more crowded.
When you are done on the second floor take the stairs to the first floor and back to the ground. The line can be very long.
Arc de Triomphe
Look at that view!
Taking the stairs back down
Tip:
– If you know what time you will be at the Eiffel Tower you can also book your tickets online.
– Even though the Eiffel Tower is open 7 days a week be sure to check out their website for any strikes or special events.
Along the way
Because it was a beautiful day I decided to walk to the Musée du Louvre and the Notre-Dame. On my way there I passed the Flame of Liberty, Grand Palais, Petit Palais and Pont Alexandre III. I didn’t visit the Grand and Petit Palais because I really wanted to visit Musée du Louvre and Notre-Dame before my brother-in-law was done with his work so this time I just passed it all by but I will definitely be back.
Don’t forget to look back ones in a while because you will get amazing views of the Eiffel Tower.
Flame of Liberty
Grand Palais
Petit Palais
My view walking from Musée du Louvre to the Notre-Dame
Pont Alexandre III
Amazing view from the Eiffel Tower and the Pont Alexandre III
Jardin Des Tuileries
Before entering the Musée du Louvre you will walk through the Jardin Des Tuileries. Which is now officially part of the Musée du Louvre. There wasn’t much to see that day but I can’t wait to see how it is in the summer. I bet it will be very busy!
I had a (expensive) sandwich there before arriving at the Musée du Louvre. Underground at the museum there are a lot of places to eat. I discovered this to late of course.
The Concorde big wheel takes place from 6 November 2015 to 23 September 2016
Musée du Louvre
We all know the famous entry picture of the Musée du Louvre but did you know this isn’t the only entrance?!
If you want to avoid the crowd I would recommend trying the Porte des Lions entrance. It’s on the right side when you leave the Jardin Des Tuileries. However when I arrived it was closed but make sure you check this entrance out first!
Underground the pyramid is pretty cool.
The Louvre is massive! You will get a bit lost and you won’t see everything unless you have lot’s of time.
Upon entering you can choose to get an audio or not. If I were you I would take it and spend the €5 because most of the explanations you will see around will be in French. I didn’t buy it and still regret it.
I will post a ‘how to survive the Louvre’ blog soon with more tips and more pictures.
Here are a couple of pictures to start of with.
Lookout for details. This is taking inside a tomb.
The Mona Lisa, smaller than expected and very crowded but still a must see.
Don’t forget to look up! You will see amazing things.
Tips:
– On Wednesday and Friday night the museum is open until 9.45pm!
– Free admission for under-18s, EEA residents aged 18-25, people with disabilities and their carer, and recipients of minimum social benefits, on presentation of proof.
The Notre-Dame
My last stop was the Notre-Dame. The entrance was free and even though there was a line it I was inside before I knew it. The inside is as amazing as the outside.
Make sure you walk around the Notre-Dame as the back is also beautiful. There is also a little park where you can rest for a bit.
The back of the Notre-Dame
I wanted to do the towers as well but when I arrived the line was already closed but I will definitely be back soon!
I walked from the Eiffel Tower to the Musée du Louvre which was 45 minutes and from the Louvre to the Notre-Dame which was another 24 minutes but you will stop and take pictures of course. So if you are on a schedule I would recommend taking the metro.
It was a short visit to Paris but I am happy I did it. I will definitely be back soon and explore other places around Paris. What would you recommend me visiting next time? I would love to hear them!
Never properly been to Paris…. literally only go there for Disneyland or that one time a friend had a video shoot. I do need to go one day. Wanna go back? 😉
Author
Yes please!!
We fixen dat wel is :’) en dan combineren met Disney he…..
Author
Yes!!
Heel leuk verslag! Ik ben zelf al enkele keren in Parijs geweest en ben ook nog nooit op de Eiffeltoren geweest. Oeps. Dat wil ik dus sowieso nog eens doen. Dringend nog een keertje terug gaan dus 🙂 En het is inderdaad altijd wel een stukje wandelen van plaats tot plaats in Parijs, eh?! Best groot is het daar! Gelukkig is er overal wel wat moois te zien! Al heb ik de laatste keer dat ik daar was toch de metro genomen. Haha 🙂
Author
Dank je! Ja dat had ik dus ook en toen dacht ik ‘ik MOET op de Eiffeltoren vandaag’ en echt het is zo mooi! Dus zeker doen de volgende keer 🙂 Het was alleen vrij koud die dag en die wind erbij, bah!
Het was prachtig om naar elke plek te wandelen maar als je zo weinig tijd hebt raad ik het toch ook aan om de metro te nemen.
What a fun mini-trip! You definitely hit the major high spots in Paris in such a short amount of time. 🙂 When we went to the Eiffel Tower a few years ago, we decided to go all the way to the top, too! The view up there was worth the extra money, but that elevator was so, so tiny–I’m hideously claustrophobic, so I was not excited about that part of the experience!
Author
Thank you! It was very fun but I was very tired after all that walking, haha.
I am very proud you went all the way up! I’m not claustrophobic but oh my, that was not a pleasant ride up!
Mooie foto’s! Parijs heeft inderdaad mooie plekken die je een keer gezien moet hebben.
Author
Dank je en inderdaad 🙂
Hi Marlies, wow, what a view from the Eiffel Tower! I shame myself, but I’ve never been in Paris before and I passed already the 40. :-)) Begin december will be my first time (finally). So I really enjoyed your blog post, it brought me even more in the mood! 😉
Author
It’s beautiful, cold but beautiful. Happy you will finally see Paris! I also think this will be a beautiful time of the year. Happy I brought you even more in the mood. 🙂 Let me know how you liked it!
I finally saw Paris, Marlies. And indeed, it was very cold! :-)) I will go back another time, but definitely in the spring or summer months…
Author
I am so happy you went and liked it. But yes so cold! I am also definitely going back in spring or summer haha
Nice mini-trip! I haven’t been up the Eifel tower either… was thinking of going back to Paris next spring… and then definately will go up.
Author
Thanks! You really should do it. You won’t regret it! Let me know how you liked it ☺️
Oh wat een super fijne foto’s! Lang geleden dat ik in Parijs ben geweest.
Author
Dank je. Tijd om eens terug te gaan zou ik zeggen, niet?! ☺️?
Hoewel ik al tig keren in Parijs ben geweest, krijg ik nooit genoeg van deze bijzondere stad. Er is zoveel te zien en zoveel te ontdekken. De Eiffeltoren blijft ook gewoon ontzettend indrukwekkend, vooral het uitzicht ‘s avonds is prachtig. De laatste keer dat we er waren was vijf jaar geleden, krijg dus spontaan zin om weer eens die kant op te gaan!
Author
Ja dat snap ik 🙂 Ik wil dit jaar toch ook nog een keertje terug!
Ik heb de Eiffeltoren nog nooit ‘s nachts gezien! Ik hoop dat je ondertussen al een dagje naar Paris bent kunnen gaan 🙂
Oh, amazing photos and I’m sure you had a good time! I would like to go back to Paris 🙂
xx,
https://alittledropofstyle.blogspot.dk/2016/11/gazelle-on-my-feet.html
Author
Thank you! It was a beautiful day but so cold! haha. I know how you feel 🙂
This sounds like a nice day-cation! I remember going to Paris and not standing in line for the Eiffel Tower–we chose to climb it. Going back, I would definitely take the elevator!
http://thetatteredpassport.wordpress.com
Author
It sure was! Oh wow! How long did it take you to reach the top?!
Ik hoop in april naar Parijs te gaan. Ik ben zo benieuwd! Ik ben er ooit geweest, maar dat was maar een dagje (en lang geleden).
Author
Ik hoop dat het je lukt om te gaan! 🙂 Hoe lang ben je van plan nu te blijven?