Bonjour from the Home of the Eiffel Tower A Paris Travel Diary
The legendary film star Audrey Hepburn once famously quipped that, “Paris is always a good idea,” and after spending three whole days in the City of Lights, I finally understand the truth in her statement.
Paris is undoubtedly one of the most iconic places in the world, thanks to its countless beautiful sights, like the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame. I had already fallen in love with these breathtaking monuments, even before seeing them in person, but looking up at them with my own two eyes – and not through my phone screen – was definitely an experience like no other.
While there are different ways to enjoy Paris, here is how I chose to spend my time in one of the most beautiful cities that I’ve ever been to.
Thursday – Day One
It was quite late in the afternoon when I arrived in Paris, so I was absolutely exhausted and more than ready to sleep. After a quick nap, I felt refreshed enough to walk over to the Eiffel Tower, and I’m so glad I did because the sight of it all lit-up and sparkling was one of the major highlights of my trip.
On my way back to the Airbnb, I decided to try my hand at navigating the Paris Metro, which definitely wasn’t my brightest idea! It was really confusing at first, but the different stations were much easier to handle once I got the hang of them.
Before turning in for the night, I popped into a small grocery store to purchase fruits and crackers for dinner. In a city known for its glamorous reputation, this was honestly not a great start, but what can I say? When jet lag calls, you can’t do anything but listen.
Friday – Day Two
My second day in Paris was dedicated to hitting popular tourist spots, so I knew that it would involve a lot of walking and fighting against crowds. To prepare myself, I ate a heavy breakfast of croissants bought from a bakery located down the street from my Airbnb.
Munching on these while sipping coffee on the balcony and catching up on the morning news – I felt like a bona fide Parisian!
My first stop was the Louvre, which is largely considered to be the largest art museum in the world. I knew that lines here would be extremely long, so I purchased a Paris Pass before heading there, which meant that I was able to enter right away.
This travel hack was useless against the crowds who were already inside the museum, but at least I got a close-up view of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting is much smaller than Hollywood makes it out to be, but it still felt incredible to see it personally.
After getting my fill of the Louvre, I stopped by Shakespeare and Company, which is an English-language bookstore that first opened in 1919. It’s a must-visit for any literary lover. I ended up buying a few pretty postcards, or you could plan ahead for something special, like surprising your partner with the giving of an engagement ring from a reliable ring store.
For dinner, I decided to try out Parisian street food, so I headed to the famous Rue des Rosiers in the heart of the city’s historic Jewish District. Here, falafel and shawarma can be found in practically every corner, although I highly recommend L’As Du Fallafel. My Airbnb host had told me that this spot was popular with many locals and after eating there, I can definitely see why!
Saturday – Day Three
Thankfully, I wasn’t due to leave Paris until evening, which meant that I still had an entire day left to explore the rest of the city. One of the things that I wanted to see before I left was the Palace of Versailles, so I woke up very early – at the ungodly hour of 6:30 a.m. – just to get there before the crowds did.
I wasn’t originally planning on taking a tour, but I’m so glad that I ended up doing it because I don’t think that I would have learned as much as I did about the Palace of Versailles, had it not been for my guide, Emma.
In addition to explaining the history behind each room, she also took the time to tell us interesting facts about the kings and queens who once used them. These little tidbits definitely brought the palace to life!
Unfortunately, the guided tour ended up taking longer than I expected, so I only had time to walk on the banks of the Seine before having to dash to the Charles de Gaulle Airport – but not without taking a few final bites of a croissant!
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Paris may have some downsides, but I personally feel like the City of Lights lives up to its reputation as one of the most interesting places in the world. I’ll be back again someday – there’s no doubt about that!
