Paris Delights

I was in Paris for 4.5 days. I feel that I got a good feel of the city but could spend so much more time there. So I thought I%26#39;ld share a couple of my experiences with you all. Many people have written trip reports before but I thought I would share my very favourite things and particuarly the things I would do differently next time.

Arrived Monday at 2pm. I caught the train from Orly airport to my accommodation (near the Louvre). This was really quite easy and with the help of the railway police (who carried my bags up and down the stairs for me) I arrived at my hotel with very little effort.

I spent my first afternoon at the Louvre. I had about 3 hours and covered just one wing. I saw the usual suspects: Mona Lisa; Wedding feast at Cana and Winged Victory. But I thought the most impressive part of the museum (and the part I was unaware of until then) was the lower level of the Sully Wing where you can see the remains of the medieval Louvre - the ruins of the castle dated from Philippe Auguste%26#39;s time.

One of the things that struck me about Paris was the buildings. Every building has wonderful balconies and stone carvings on the outside. I loved just walking around looking at all the wonderful buildings.

I spent my second day on the I%26#39;le de la Cite. I absolutely loved Sainte Chapelle. The stained glass windows are amazing, unbelievable. Further down the island is Notre Dame where I walked up the 400 or so steps to the top of the towers. I thought this was really great - I loved seeing the gargoyles up close looking out over Paris. The view from the top is great but I think the main draw card is seeing the gargoyles. It%26#39;s amazing they%26#39;ve survived as long as they have. They look like they may come to life at any time - imagine what stories they could tell.

Just in front of ND is the Crypte Archeologique. It is actually beneath the square in front of ND. This is where the ruins of the original city can be seen. It gives a real sense of just how old this city is.

The third day I spent at the Eiffel Tower (again, I walked up the stairs to level 2 and the caught the elevator to the top). There was no queue to the stairs but it;s a long way to the second level!

I took the Batobus to get around, this is the hop on hop off boat and is a good and inexpensive way to see Paris from the river. My favourite thing in this area is the Pont Alexandre III. This is an amazing bridge with bronze statues and stone carvings every where.

On the fourth day I went to Versailles. The chateau is amazing so much gold and opulence. I think Donald Trump would love it there! Personally, I liked the gardens best. I bought a salad at the Cafe in the Chateau and ate it at the top of the garden. I think it would have been better to buy lunch further down the garden near the Grand Canal. There are little kiosks and cafes down there and it is lovely to sit on the grass watching people row boats on the canal.

In the evening I went to the Arc de Triomphe and walked to the top, another 288 steps (Paris has given me a better workout than three months at the gym!). From the top I watched the Eiffel Tower light up and do its light display.

The final day I spent in Montmarte walking around and at the Sacer Coer. I also did my last minute souvenier shopping and went up to La Defense and back to the Arc de Triomphe to see it properly during the day.

I really enjoyed just walking around Paris and soaking up the atmosphere. Paris is a very walkable city - it%26#39;s quite flat and you can cover it in sections. This is just a selection of the things I did in Paris. It doesn%26#39;t really sound like much but I spent alot of time walking here and there (and a little shopping too). I was certainly tired at the end of each day.

Things for next time: I actually didn%26#39;t go inside too many of the museums this time around. That is something I would do next time. It was just such lovely weather for being outside and wandering that I didn%26#39;t feel too much like going indoors.

So, hopefully I%26#39;ll return to Paris sometime soon. Maybe next time I will go with someone rather than alone. Paris is safe and friendly for solo travellers but it%26#39;s always nice to have someone to share your experiences with.

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Thanks for the report. Just lovely. Will be there in 23 days and counting.

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Thank you for sharing! You%26#39;ve reminded me of a few things we have yet to %26quot;delight%26quot; in while in Paris. We%26#39;ve yet to take the batobus and visit the Crypt Archeologique. Merci!

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Delightful indeed !!! So when%26#39;s your next trip?

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It%26#39;s strange, I had never really been that worried about visiting Paris. I could take it or leave it.

After having been there though I really want to go back again - trouble is there are just so many places to see in the world, and so little money!

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Thanks for sharing,

We can%26#39;t wait for our trip,

we are thinking about doing the cycling trip to versailles,has anyone done this?

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I did the Fat Tire Bike tour to Versailles. I actually did the Paris night tour first, loved it, so booked the Versailles one for next day. I really enjoyed it, we bought food in a market and picniced on grounds before touring grounds and chateau. I had been to Versailles before( 3 times, LOL) so I didn%26#39;t mind that we didn%26#39;t have enough time to go into the Hamlet,, and I enjoyed the diffferent perspective one gets of the grounds by bike ( the grounds are so massive there is no way you could see all that we saw on foot and still have time for chateau tour))

Anyone could do trip, but I felt that someone of advanced age( I refuse to name a number, LOL) , or under the age of 8 or so, would have a more difficult time as there are some gentle hills . I am middleaged and not the least bit sporty and I managed just fine.

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Thanks for the info,

the bike tour sounds just what we want,

can%26#39;t wait.

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