When I say, “Paris, Je t’adore” I mean it, I adore Paris. My heart belongs in Paris. It is everything I hoped it would be. I’m so lucky to have gone to this enchanting city! I will never forget that once in a lifetime experience.

“Paris is always a good idea”

Audrey Hepburn

My travel companion for this trip was Jessica. We are co-workers and quick friends. When I found out she was coming on a business trip to Germany, I knew I had to ask her to join me. Let’s just say, there was ZERO hesitation! 😉

Day 1

French Café

It was raining when Jess and I arrived at the train station. We headed directly to the hotel to freshen up and wait it out. Since it wasn’t letting up, we decided to grab a bite at one of those picturesque little cafes Bistrot Leo and sat outside under the awning. We chatted, sipped Prosecco and shared a CROQUE MONSIEUR sandwich and crepe. How can you not have a crepe at your 1st meal in Paris?! It was….perfection. 😍

Since it was still pouring, we headed back to the hotel for a bit. Remember my tip for taking a rain jacket? Yes. Do it! I had mine but Jess had no luggage…see my post on Germany (coming soon) for more on that. Once the rain had subsided it was off to the races. We had a tight schedule to keep!

Montmarte

Our first jaunt was to the artsy village of Montmarte. This was an authentic and charming area where you’ll find THE SACRÉ-CŒUR (church) perched on top of a hill with an unobstructed view of Paris. So beautiful and inspiring. It was here that I bought my first piece of art while in Paris, which is a rather common thing to do in Paris. A watercolor created by a local artist.

You will also find the famous Moulin Rouge here. It was every bit as fabulous as I imagined! We didn’t have time for a show but it sure was a spectacle. Everyone was dressed to the nines and super stoked waiting in line. If I ever get a chance to go back to Paris, you better believe I’ll be one of those giddy fancy-pants folks in line!

Travel Tip: Keep your cool when dealing with French street sellers. They basically assault you trying to get you to buy things from them. I freaked out and screamed. My travel buddy kept her cool and got through it.

Seine River Dinner Cruise

We boarded our dinner cruise at dusk. The inside was set up in rows facing the water with little bistro tables between the seats. It was the perfect set up to take in the sights and enjoy a meal. Not too romantic, which was perfect. Although, a couple did get engaged during our cruise. Awww, I love Love.💍(Jess and I both say that, how funny!)

We sailed past the Eiffel Tower while it was lit up! 🤩 Didn’t realize that we were in for such a treat. You MUST see the Eiffel Tower at night when it lights up. The sparkling show takes place every hour on the hour for 5 minutes from dark until 1am. Spectacular!

Day 2

For the love of the Louvre

The Louvre was probably the most interesting structure I have ever been to. The walking audio tour was the perfect option for us since we had 3 or so hours to spend here. You can totally spend 2 days here if you wanted! We only really wanted to see a few pieces, so it worked out well for us. The Mona Lisa was surprisingly small. I always pictured this 4 foot tall 3-foot wide piece. Nope! It was half that size. 😳 Not only was the Louvre a gigantic place, but it was also like a maze. We got lost countless times. Haha.

Arc de Triomphe

Holy Cow, this place was beautiful! It was a little tricky to figure out how to get from one of the surrounding streets to the actual Arc but we figured it out eventually. The Arc is set in the epicenter of Place Charles de Gaulle, where 12 of the city’s busiest avenues converge. The view was phenomenal but getting to the top was quite a trek. Not only do you have to climb a billion stairs (284) but they go in a circle. 😵 The 160-foot tall monument has views of the whole city. To. Die. For. We chose a skip-the-line tour that was really inexpensive.

Champs-Élysées

We had a little time before the grand finale of our trip so we decided to stroll Champs-Élysées (the most beautiful and well-known avenue in the city) and grab a bite at an outdoor restaurant. We got a cheese board but weren’t prepared for the sheer stinky-ness of it all. 😂 Couldn’t be in Paris and NOT stop at the Disney Store, right?! I bought my daughter the cutest French Minnie Mouse ever. She loved it!

Travel Tip: Live in the moment. Try not to be overly concerned with your schedule, taking pictures or tweeting your experience. You might only get to enjoy this place once, make it count.

Pièce de résistance – Eiffel Tower

This is what I’ve been waiting for. This has been at the TOP of my bucket list for as long as I can remember. And it was every bit as stunning as I imagined. We got to go into the Eiffel Tower! At night! We celebrated by buying a bottle of champagne from a street seller. While we waited for our tour to begin we sat in admiration of this gigantic piece of art.

If you don’t know much about the Eiffel Tower, it was built in record time of just 2 years, 2 months and 5 days. It was built in preparations for the World’s Fair of 1889. The tower is 984 feet tall, built with 2,500,000 rivets, 7300 tons of iron, and no one died during the construction. Isn’t that interesting? What a masterpiece! For more historical info visit this site.

Final Thoughts

Paris was such a dream. PLEASE go at some point in your life. You won’t be disappointed. My heart really does belong in Paris.

Sometimes travel plans can through you for a loop but try to make the most of it. We were able to stick to a schedule because we planned every excursion strategically. For more on that check out my post Tips for Traveling Abroad. I hope you enjoyed this post. It was super fun to relive it. Follow me for more whimsical heart stories.