spending 72 hours in Paris
In every question of romance, Paris pops up in one way or another. I fell in love with Paris by accident. I was six years old, on my way to Venice via train with my grandma. Our Eurostar was delayed, and by time we got into Gare du Nord, we had already ended up missing our sleeper train to Venice from Bercy. So, unexpectedly, we ended up spending the night in Paris (courtesy of Eurostar of course). It was warm, we both walked hand in hand along the banks of the Seine. She had been there many times and knew what all the buildings were.
Now, many years later, Paris means something different to me, as I went with my partner, also known as my chief personal paparazzo, to celebrate our anniversary. I’m surprised that we didn’t make it to Paris in our many year of being together, as it is only two hours away from London and seems like the most obvious choice of a romantic getaway. It was perfectly romantic. And yes, we went to Disneyland.
The ease of the Eurostar is actually a trip highlight. We were able to roll out of bed into an Uber and onto the train. Falling in and out of sleep on trains can make the whole experience feel surreal, especially when you’re sleepy-eyed, guessing where you are. Isn’t it interesting how you can tell the subtle differences between borders? I’ve always thought that borders are a bit strange, and it looks exactly the same a few miles on either side, but as we pulled out of the Eurostar tunnel into France, you can see that the trees are different, the grass is longer and the houses have different coloured roofs. I think that it’s these subtle changes that make travelling even slightly away from your hometown so interesting.
We pulled up into Gare du Nord, and surprisingly, whilst my spoken french is pretty bleak nowadays, I am always astounded by how much I am able to read. So, we nagivated our way through the metro to our beautiful boutique hotel, Villa Alessandra. Only a 5-minute walk from l’Arc de Triomphe, the Mediterranean style hotel is tucked away on a little cul-du-sac behind an incredible food market.
Disneyland Paris
After we dropped our things and had a little nap, we went to the only place where it’s okay to run around in mouse ears and scream at people in costumes in your mid-twenties. You guessed it. Disneyland Paris. A very reasonable 44 euros got us a day ticket. I don’t need to explain Disneyland to you, but what I need to tell you is that there is a firework show every night at 7pm, so at 6.30, start gathering your place right in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
A Picnic with a View
To celebrate our anniversary, we bought food from the market on Rue Bayen, and took it to Trocadero, where you have the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower and the South East of Paris. The Eiffel Tower firmly remains one of my favourite world landmarks. It isn’t the most beautiful in the daytime, but at night when its sparkles on the hour, there is nothing more enchanting. Wherever you are staying , get the Number 6 Metro across the river between Bir-Hakim and Trocadero for the most scenic view of the Eiffel Tower.
There is a very sweet carousel right in front of the Eiffel Tower where you can live out being 6 again even more.
You obviously can’t go to Paris without visiting the Louvre. It’s free if you are under 26 so I was lucky! It really is a truly beautiful building, inside and out. Did you know that since Beyonce and Jay-Z filmed their music video there for Apesh*t, it has seen a 25% increase in visitors? I went to go and find this Mona Lisa painting that is supposedly a) of the most beautiful woman in the world, and b) has the highest number of theft attempts of all artwork. After walking up huge flights of stairs, through gallery after gallery, I finally go to the room it was in. There was a very large crowd of people in front of it. I patiently waited my turn to get to the front, past all the cameras and selfie sticks…to find that I had wasted my time entirely. Was that it? Sorry, but I think she looks constipated. Do not waste your time, there are much finer things to be seen in the Louvre!
Dinner Cruise on la Seine
After a long day of monuments, we went back to our hotel and finished our picnic in bed, with a little more champagne to wash it down.
We almost didn’t want to leave the room, but an anniversary is only once a year so we decided to go on a nighttime river cruise, surrounded by (you guessed it) more monuments. I am never usually one to enjoy these sorts of excursions as I think they are overpriced and more time than not, they under-deliver. But, when in Paris, the surroundings themselves will seduce you into buying anything. It really was a beautiful, charming night. We told them it was our anniversary and they gave us front row seats and prosecco. This was easily bookable via a simple Google search.
We had dinner gazing up as we sailed past the Louvre, gliding under one bridge and under another. With the light from the golden statues of Pont Alexandre III reflecting onto the water, we took it all in, drifting slowly through the night time between the banks of the Seine, right up to the tall spires of Notre Dame. When the clock struck 11, we were back at the foot of the Eiffel Tower to watch Paris light up. The light touched everything. Despite being surrounded by tourists, in that moment Paris felt like she was just ours.
We went back to our little hotel room, had a two-man person, and then slept off the champagne.
Woken by the gentle sound of rain, we had a slow start to the morning. We went for pancakes and then decided to spend our last day in Montmartre. Montmartre is like a small village in the heart of Paris. It is set on a hill, so you can see the entire stretch of the city. Its charm is undeniable, and even more so in the rain. We wandered up to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, but decided not to go in due to the long queue. Instead, we found a local creperie (yep, more pancakes), and strolled back down, taking in all the scenery on offer.
Breakfast and a Morning Walk
No visit to Paris could be complete with a walk down the Champs-Élysées. This iconic, boutique-laden street leads you right up to the Arc de Triomphe. Villa Alessandra is very close by, so we rolled out of bed, and right into Ladurée, the infamous maison of macarons and french pastries.
I realise how long this post is becoming, so here are some final tips on Paris.
The best view of Paris is actually not from the Eiffel Tower, but from Montparnasse Tower. Here, you get to see all of Paris lit up, and also, if you squint, you can see the firework display at Disneyland right on the horizon.
Parisians make some of the best Duck in the world, and definitely the best snails. Find yourself a family-run spot off the beaten track and grab a tasty plate of Canard à l’Orange.
Paris is only ever a two hour train-ride away for me, so I know it won’t be long until I’m back again. I dream of summers along the Seine so stay tuned for part two!