My Favorite Top 10 Things To Do In Paris
Ah, Paris, the city of love, adventure, mystery, and fantasy. Walking around felt ridiculously like a dream. You see the Eiffel Tower in movies, you view photos of that French je ne sais quoi that slowly seduces you to visit - but you never actually imagine yourself doing so, until you're there in person. Paris is such a bustlingly large city, with too many things to do. You could spend weeks here and still find ways to fill your itinerary. One weekend was not enough, but if you're short on time, here are my top 10 favorite things to do around the city!
1. The Eiffel Tower
Alright, this one’s totally obvious, but I wanted to go into a little more detail with this one. If you’re in Paris overnight, please, I beg you, go to the midnight Eiffel Tower show, it’s absolutely stunning. For a couple overwhelming minutes the tower begins to sparkle before your eyes, creating a mesmerizing galaxy of shining stars. Well worth the lack of sleep. Also, be sure to grab a baguette, some, cheese, and fine French wine and have yourself a picnic while staring at one of the most iconic building of all time.
2. Musée du Louvre
I knew the Louvre was big, but I didn’t exactly know how freaking overwhelming it would actually be. You could easily spend an entire day here. If you’re slightly into art, but don’t really know that much about it, and in all honesty just want to go see the Mona Lisa because you’re already here, I would recommend going towards the evening because the museum itself is less crowded, and there will be only a tiny mob itching to see the famous works of art so you won’t have to elbow your way through to see a painting of an emotionless woman.
3. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Unfortunately the line to get up to the top was quite lengthy so I wasn’t able to go venture up the cathedral, however, simply walking around inside should really be enough. The magnitude of the church had me floored, I couldn’t stop looking up and wondering how in the world it was created!
4. Galeries Lafayette
If you want to feel broke as hell, this is the place to be. A giant maze of high-end luxury stores, this mall was by far one of the most entertaining parts of my trip. Yes, I never felt more like a college student crawling around all the things I could never own in the next decade, but it was so beautifully created and the displays were so enchanting I couldn't stop walking around. I mean, just look at that gorgeous architecture for crying out loud!
5. Montmartre
Although there were many steps to get to the top, the view will leave you speechless. Because there’s plenty of crowds that flock to see such a large expanse of the city from such a rare location, you should probably go early in the morning to ensure the least amount of crowds. It’s also not necessarily the of locations at night so be wary of that factor as well.
6. Moulin Rouge
There’s really not much to see once you get to Moulin Rouge, but the walk towards it is unbelievable. Sex shops all around you and flashing neon lights - something you’d actually expect out of Amsterdam. It really feeds into the stereotype, but it’s so fun to soak up.
7. Arc de Triomphe
If you’re ready to challenge all those days of sitting in front of your laptop screen, binging on nachos, and devouring an entire season of Stranger Things, be ready to feel the burn on this one people. The climb to the top gives you 360 views, and I actually liked it so much that I didn’t even feel the need to visit any more towers or get any other perspectives. It’s quite extraordinary seeing the vast expanse of this pulsing city.
8. Musée de l’Orangerie
Okay, I have to admit, I’m heavily biased on this one, but I just adore all of Monet's work and couldn’t pass up on visiting a museum that’s made just for him. There are plenty of other museums (mind numbingly so) that you can choose from, so you’ll have a ton of other options to choose from if seeing the work of one of the best artists of all time isn’t really your forte.
9. Catacombs
The coolest part of my experience. Book ahead. Although it is cool, I wouldn’t necessarily love my Paris experience if I had to wait in 3 hour lines to see a bunch of dead people underground. But then again I don’t know how others operate. Wouldn’t recommend for those that become squeamish around death!!
10. Walk Around The Gardens
There are so many different gardens to relax in located throughout the city that I honestly couldn’t pick just one. Some of my favorite include: Jardin des Tuileries, Jardin de la Nouvelle France, Le Jardin du Luxembourg.
Comments