Like many travel enthusiasts, it has always been my dream to visit Paris. It was a short 2-day trip but my husband and I tried to make the most of our time on hand.
We booked a hotel called Hôtel Eiffel Kensington. The building looked beautiful. In fact, the architecture of all the buildings in Paris is wonderful and majestic. You can spend hours admiring the exteriors of regular buildings, their tiny balconies, the artistic railings, and the windows.
Day 1:
1. Eiffel Tower
2. River Seine Cruise
3. Arc de Triomphe
4. Luxembourg Gardens
Day 2:
1. Notre Dame Cathedral.
2. The Louvre Museum
3. Do a Walking Tour (Optional but recommended)
Day 1
When you are in Paris, two things are mandatory:
- Seeing the Eiffel Tower
- Seeing Paris by boat
We got up early to see the Eiffel Tower. We saw it from outside, from inside, and from the top. Initially, I did not find it super impressive, but the more I saw the Eiffel Tower, the more I fell in love with it. The Eiffel Tower is always there and seems to follow you around where ever you go! I feel everything about Paris is wonderful because of it. There was a long queue to enter the Eiffel Tower but it was worth the wait.
After walking for several hours, we took a rest stop around the Eiffel Tower to eat. We ate some relishing hot crepes and ice creams.
The next thing on our list was the 1-hour River Seine Cruise. Seeing Paris in a boat and gliding under the marvelous bridges was the most heartwarming experience. The guide did a great job in explaining the history of all the monumental buildings and the famous bridges that we came across on the ride.
Our next stop was to see the Catacombs of Paris but it had the longest waiting line that I have ever seen in my life and since we were running short on time, we couldn’t do it, maybe next time! But, if you have the time, then seeing the Catacombs is considered to be a must!
We then saw Arc de Triomphe and sat in the famous Luxembourg Gardens to enjoy a leisurely sunset.
Day 2
We started the day by visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral. After the magnificent sights of the church, we joined a walking tour that took us around the city. The guide narrated interesting tales about every street and monument we crossed on a nearly 4-hour walk. I always enjoy doing walking tours, the slow leisurely pace to experience a new city suits me well. We ended up at the doorstep of the Louvre which was the last stop on our itinerary for the day.
The Louvre Museum is one of the most historic and largest museums in the world. Right at the entrance, the sight of the museum took my breath away. The glass pyramid serves as the entrance and it’s also the first art piece you experience as you enter the Louvre.
When we entered inside, we completely lost track of time, 4-5 hours just flew by. There was so much to see and so little time. We attempted to locate the Mona Lisa but got hopelessly lost within the museum. Several of the exhibits and especially the Napoleons’ war rooms brought tears to my eyes. The grandeur and scale of the art at the Louvre are breathtaking! Peppered in amongst the museum visitors were also aspiring artists who sat with their sketchbooks, sketching away their versions of art pieces by the masters.
About Our Stay
Our hotel room was small but comfortable and was located in a great place. I say great because we could see the Eiffel tower from our window. There was a queen-size bed and a bathroom in the room which was spacious enough to do the job. There was also a wall-mounted television, two tiny bedside tables and they had even managed to fit in a desk, and a chair in the corner of the room with barely any space left to walk around. However, the room was still cute and we loved it. It was our cozy room with a view!
We mostly took the subways to travel around the city which is extremely well connected. Every time we went underground I would get disappointed because I did not want to miss any second admiring the beautiful streets, shops, people, cafes, trees, and of course the artistic buildings in Paris. It is true, what you hear about Paris, there is romance in the air, a happy feeling to elate the spirits.
These are some of the places that you must visit when you are in Paris. This was before the pandemic, sometime in 2016. I miss travelling and I miss Paris. So I decided to write about my travel experience and share with you the places that I visited and the memories that I still cherish.
More photos of the hotel and views of Paris on my travel blog: Traveller Writes
Into Words 