Paris, France

 
 
 

LOCATION

Paris is the capital city of France, located in the central north of the country. The city is a major transportation-hub with two main international airports and railway systems. France is known for its café culture, its decadent pastries, the Eiffel Tower, and as the “city of love”.

 

MAIN ATTRACTIONS

  • The Eiffel Tower

  • Norte Dame Cathedral

  • Arc de Triomphe

  • The Louvre

  • Champs-Elysées

  • Sacré Cœur Basilica

  • Palace of Versailles

  • Montmartre

  • Luxembourg Gardens

  • Moulin Rouge

  • Pont des Arts Lock Bridge

 

TOP MUST-DO’S

  • Make it up to Stage 2 of the Eiffel Tower

  • Climb the Arc de Triomphe or Norte Dame Cathedral for stunning views of the city

  • Take a river cruise down the Seine River

  • Embark on a day trip to Palace of Versailles

  • Stroll down Champs-Elysées for some mini-market shopping

  • Try a French macaroon, chocolate éclair & croissants at L’Angelo

  • Visit the Louvre & see the original Mona Lisa

  • Tour one of the historic museums Paris has to offer

 

REVIEW

Paris is another city high on the list of many tourists to visit. Back at the end of November in 2015, I had the privilege of visiting for an extended weekend. If you remember what had happened on November 13th, you would begin to look puzzled as to why I was there. If you do not remember, November 13th marked the Paris attacks where a group of gunmen and suicide bombers hit the Stade de France, the Bataclan concert hall, and a few restaurants and bars nearby, leaving 130 dead and several hundred injured. At the time of the attacks, I was actually on a trip to Brussels & Amsterdam. I remember hearing about it because I had friends that were visiting Paris that weekend. It was absolutely devastating to hear, but everyone we knew made it back safely. However, we did not know how the trip to Paris would turn out, if we were even going to be able to travel there. They had closed down the major tourist sights – The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Norte Dame Cathedral, among others – for the next week or so in case there was a second wave of attacks.

Luckily for us, we were able to travel to Paris two weeks after the attacks. It made the opportunity that much more special knowing what had happened right before that, knowing that could happen at anytime at any place in the world; in 2017, I walked down Las Ramblas only a few days prior to the terrorist attacks there.

Anyways, Paris was probably filled with the most touristy-spots and sights to see in any country that I have been to. In a matter of three days, we saw almost every tourist attraction in the city: went up to Stage 1 of Eiffel Tower (a wind advisory did not allow us to go up to Stage 2), trekked to the top of Arc de Triomphe & Norte Dame Cathedral, strolled down Champs-Elysées, took a river cruise down the Seine River, went into probably every museum in the city (we had a student museum pass so we took advantage of that), had a day trip to Versailles, visited Sacré Cœur Basilica and Montmartre. I was impressed looking back after the trip knowing how much we saw. But it was a true testament to knowing how much there is to see and to do in Paris. I would have loved to stay there for a week or two, which is what I would recommend you do! There is too much to see not to spend more time if you can there.

Some cultural points. On an unfortunate note, I was not fond of French people. They are usually known to be a bit stern, perhaps some would say rude. I would agree with that. I just did not feel the same hospitality as I did when I visited other countries in Europe (other than this one guy who made crépes out of a 4x4 hut, which was the best thing I had on the trip). I was taking a French course while abroad, and when I tried practicing in Paris, I thought hey, maybe they would understand I was not fluent or proficient and help me work with. I was wrong. They got impatient really quick, especially when I was trying to order food in French, and would resort to speaking English with me without giving me a chance to work on my French. From my time in Spain, people worked with me and were patient – that’s why I became proficient. I even studied German that semester, and when I was in Austria and Germany, they helped me instead of shrugging me off and my German was worst than my French at the time haha. On a good note though, French food was delicious, especially the pastries! From croissants, to chocolate eclairs, to macaroons, to crépes, I was inclined to have dessert for every meal of the day. Make sure to try them all while you there. Paris is a beautiful city and has so much to offer. You will be walking and moving around a lot, but a city that big with so much to see, it is only right to make the most of your time there.

 
Ryan HarrisonComment