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We actually spent a few days in Paris but since we were busy seeing a concert and visiting Disneyland we only really got 24 hours to explore Paris.
We slept in the Latin Quarter and started our day on food from there.
We started our morning in this wonderful café near our hotel. Everything we ate there was just heavenly. There is nothing more enjoyable than sitting at a café, with great food, watching the people pass by.
Name of café: Bertrand’s.
Location: 10 eur. Lagrange. (not too far from Notre Dame)
Cathédrale Notre-Dame, a Gothic architectural masterpiece, has adorned the Île de la Cité since 1163. The famous gargoyles on the façade are used to drain water from the roofs gutters.
We were really looking forward to going inside this amazing place but sadly in April 2019 there was a large fire that partially destroyed the upper part of Notre-Dame Cathedral. The fire caused serious damage, but the monument was able to be partly saved. The Cathedral will be accessible to the public in 2024.
We then continued towards Pont des Arts along the Seine River, enjoying the Parisian architecture along the way and street art.
The famous Bridge of Arts, also known as the locket bridge is one of the famous bridges over the Seine river. Part of the bridge collapsed due to the weight of the locks, nowadays the bridge has plastic shields that were installed and left a few locks on each lighting pillar. There are lots of seats on the bridge so that you can enjoy the wonderful views and live music.
𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞-𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐧, 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬: From the bridge, we walked towards one of the most famous museums in the world.
The largest museum in the world, the Louvre has a collection of no less than one million works of art. They range from the antiquity to the mid 19th century, and the most famous one is, of course, the Mona Lisa.
Entrance Fee: 17 EURO.
Opening hours: Wednesday-Monday from 9am to 6pm. https://www.louvre.fr/en/online-tickets
From the Louvre we walked to Palais Royal this place is a really cool spot for Instagram photos. It is an absolutely stunning palace, make sure to stroll the garden and the courtyard. The history associated with it is very interesting, originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal Richelieu from about 1633 to 1639 by the architect Jacques Lemercier.
Entrance Fee: Free.
Opening hours: October-March: Every day, from 8:00 am to 8:30 pm. April-September: Every day, from 8:00 am to 10:30pm.
There is a beautiful garden too where you could sit and just relax. For movie fans out there - the last Mission Impossible movie was filmed in Paris so this is one of the spots in the movie)
There are a few handbags made in France and Louis Vuitton is one of them, Therefore it is cheaper to buy a Louis Vuitton in Paris because they don't have to pay for any import taxes since the headquarters are in Paris.
I took that opportunity to buy my first Louis Vuitton purse in Paris. On top of it being cheaper in Paris we also got 12% tax refund at the airport.
It is one of the most beautiful gardens in Paris. The gardens make you feel like you're in a palace, the grounds are gorgeous and statues and fountains highlight this garden park. The garden is so large it connects the monument of the Egyptian Obelisk to the Louvre Museum. If you have to choose between Tuileries and Luxembourg gardens choose Tuileries!
Entrance Fee: Free.
Opening hours: September-March: 7:30am to 7:30pm. May-October: 7:00am to 9:00pm.
From here you can see the Arc de Triomphe from afar. The Place de la Concorde is one of the major public squares in Paris. It is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. It is really beautiful.
Entrance Fee: Free.
From there we went to the Ponte Alexander III. This is one of the most beautiful bridges that I have seen. The Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city. It has been classified as a French monument historique since 1975. Entrance Fee: Free.
One of the symbols of Paris and the world’s most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel for the Paris World Exhibition in 1888. The tower offers stunning views of the City of Light from almost 300 meters above the ground. Visit the illuminated Eiffel Tower at night for a magical atmosphere it's open until midnight.
Entrance Fee:
Near the Eiffel tower, there is a really great restaurant that isn't too expensive and it has the most beautiful view of the Eiffel tower. We enjoyed watching the Eiffel tower during the night. Best to order a spot 2 weeks before. www.girafeparis.com
From there we took a taxi to the famous Moulin Rouge. Don't miss out on one of the shows here! They are pretty expensive but worth it. Shows: There are 3 shows, 7pm, 9pm and 11pm.
Prices: Cheapest ticket is the 11 pm showing mid-week 78-120 EURO per person. The 9pm showing will cost around 110-135 EURO.
Paris is such a beautiful and romantic city. We will definitely go back one day and this time for longer!