View of Paris from the Arc de Triomphe
Yesterday, Maureen, our friend Raina and I took the famous Eurostar to Paris. The train reaches speeds of up to 150mph and gets you to Paris in just 2 hours and 15 minutes! And even better, we got free coffee before we left, courtesy of Chop’d cafe and Golden Tours. It was much cheaper to purchase “Paris at Your Leisure” day trip to Paris through Golden tours than to buy Eurostar tickets on your own. Of course there are other trains and buses you can take to Paris, but it will take you much longer to get there. With our Golden Tours trip, we got a day pass for the metro and a cruise on the Seine.
When we arrived in Paris, we took the metro to the Notre Dame – I was the designated tour guide and metro navigator for the day because my friend had given me recommendations on where to go/what to do. (Thanks bri!) The Notre Dame was beautiful. Unfortunately we didn’t go inside – the lines were too long. If I was in Paris for more than a day I would have waited. Now it’s just a reason to go back!
Notre Dame
After that, we walked along the Seine through the gorgeous streets. We stopped at the Love Lock Bridge…or should I say what’s left of it. Just last month they had to take the locks off of the bridge. There are still locks along the fencing around the bridge. We continued along the Seine until we reached the Louvre. Every building was so beautiful I didn’t know where to look!
Love Lock Bridge
The Louvre
The lines at the Louvre were too long, so we didn’t stop. Again, if we were there for more than a day we would have waited. More reasons to go back to Paris so I can see the Mona Lisa!
After the Louvre, we walked to Angelina, a cafe known for its hot chocolate. We got chocolate croissants/pastries and frozen hot chocolate because it was too hot for regular hot chocolate.
We continued to the Champs‑Élysées and window shopped. Along the avenue, people were setting up for the end of the Tour de France. (It ends tomorrow). We reached the Arc de Triomphe and walked to the top to see the best views of the city. It was €9.50 for each of us to go up.
Arc de Triomphe
View of Champs‑Élysées
After taking in the views, we shopped a bit and then took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. By the time we got there it was 4 p.m. and it started to lightly rain – nothing too bad. We were careful with our bags because of pick pocketers. Some of the pick pocketers were really easy to spot…it was crazy.
Eiffel Tower
From the Eiffel Tower, we took a river cruise on the Seine, which took about an hour. Then, we started to head back to the Gare du Nord station. We took the metro to a station nearby and looked for a bakery to get croissants and French baguettes to take back with us to London. (When in Paris, right?) We also got sandwiches for the train ride back.
When in Paris, you get a French baguette
Finally, we reached Gare du Nord and went through customs and check-in for Eurostar. It was really easy and simple – so glad we paid extra money to take Eurostar. By 9:30 p.m. we were back in London. (Paris is an hour ahead, so we left Gare du Nord at 8:13 p.m.)
Our trip to Paris was everything I had imagined and more. It’s fair to say that Paris is on my list of favorite cities. I will definitely be back to do all the things I couldn’t do in just a day. Au revoir for now, Paris!
-Megan