It is sort of redundant to encourage travelers to visit historical sites in a city like Paris; a city that so unabashedly wears its history on its sleeve. There is history on every corner! But aside from taking in the history in your daily surroundings, there ARE a few sights you don’t want to miss in my opinion.
Landmark Sites
Let’s start with the obvious- the Eiffel Tower. You will want to select a clear day (check the weather) and plan on getting there early/at opening to avoid crazy lines. You can buy tickets well in advance of your trip, but I would be hesitant as you can’t know what the weather will be, and climbing up into a cloud would not make for the best city views. You can pay a bit less and choose to walk up to the second floor or you can pay more and take the elevator. We opted to walk (saved some cash, and shorter line!) and enjoyed the climb. That’s nearly 600 stairs to the second floor, but you can catch your breath on the landings and, when you reach the first floor, shop and refreshments. Once you make it to the second floor there are great views all around the city. If you want to go all the way to the top, you need to buy another ticket here and wait in (at least on the day we went) another very long line. We opted out, as we could see all encompassing views of the city anyway from the second floor, but if you want to get to the top-top, plan your day accordingly knowing you will be there a while! Another highly popular Paris landmark is the Arc de Triomphe. We actually visited at night and didn’t go inside up to the top, but the view down the avenue, beautiful architectural design, and dramatic lighting were really neat to take in on the rainy night we visited. Not on my personal “must-see” list, but if you have time may be worth swinging by! Plus, if you go at night, you can take in the lit up view of the Eiffel Tower across the river from the Trocadero metro stop and then walk a little ways to the Arc (p.s. this metro stop is the best view of the Eiffel tower! We actually went to this stop during the day as well to take in the Eiffel tower view. We first saw the tower from here and then walked across the river to visit the base of Eiffel. Made for a neat walk and magnificent views of the tower as we approached.)
Next Up: The Holy Places
All three recommendations to follow were really incredible additions to our trip and don’t take a whole day! Easy to combine with other plans. That said, be sure to check the open hours the day you want to visit online! They do close for services and certain hours. Notre Dame– a very popular site, but worth walking through. At most times of day there are long lines outside, but we found the line moved pretty quickly, so don’t be too intimidated. Do note, when we were there, if you wanted to go up top of the cathedral towers, there was another line separate from the initial line we had waited in to go inside the main doors. Seems like there have been steps taken since our visit though to expedite the process to get to the towers. Read on here. The inside is beautiful and peaceful to wander around. Don’t forget to walk around back outside as well to check out the flying buttress architecture. (Pro tip: there are also public bathrooms around back outside!). My pick of any “holy place” to visit in Paris would be Sainte-Chappelle. This stunning cathedral features epic stain glass windows depicting 1,113 biblical scenes in extraordinary detail and a fascinating history as the infamous prison of Marie-Antoinette. Pretty breathtaking to see. Again, check the weather and try to visit on a sunnier day for the full effect. It is a small structure and relatively short visit, but one of my favorite parts of Paris. The line forms outside, and there are specific visiting hours, so check ahead and plan to spend a little bit of time in line. Last holy site: Sacré-Cœur. This basilica sits on top of a hill and tiers of stairs up in Montemarte Paris, but is well worth the climb! The view from the top of the stairs looking out over Paris is beautiful. We did not opt to go inside, but were satisfied with the view from the top of the hill in front of the structure. Plus, on the walk up the right bank you can swing past the Moulin-Rouge and double-dip in the sight-seeing pool! (Moulin-Rouge is not a part of the holy list…)
Visit the Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles is day trip out of Paris proper, but oh boy. Potentially my favorite day on this trip. The Sun-King’s palace is beautiful, but the hours spent exploring the grandest estate grounds I’ve ever seen were unbelievable. And I mean hours… there is so much property behind the palace. Definitely opt for the ticket including the gardens (called the “Passport” ticket here) and come ready to explore and get into nature for the day. Plan the trains there and back very specifically so you don’t get stuck with no way back to Paris! We were able to walk from the train station to the palace, but if you’d prefer, there were taxis around as well. Recommend getting up early to arrive there right when they open to minimize crowding as well.
Tour the Palais Garnier
The Paris Opera House is centrally located (near a busy shopping area and the Louvre) and we found it to be a great site to visit on our way up to Montemarte. Phantom of the Opera fan? This will be really cool. Not a Phantom of the Opera fan? Doesn’t matter, the architecture and history in this landmark building were well worth it for us. We opted for the individual tickets, not an official tour, and took our time exploring the grand halls, historical library and displays from past productions. Also, not AS many tourists were there on the rainy morning we chose to visit, so we had a bit more space to ourselves as we took it all in. We unfortunately did not get to see a performance in this space, but we did see the Paris Ballet Company perform Swan Lake at the Opéra Bastille, and that was wonderful.
Take a River Cruise
Highly recommend cruising down the Seine! There are many different cruise options, some including full meals, some bottomless drinks, others minimal service. We loved our night time cruise with Canauxrama. It was a two hours cruise with cash bar and minimal frills that we booked a day or two in advance. It ended up being rainy on the night of, but the tour insight given and classic French music playing through the speakers made for a truly Parisian memory and the rain didn’t ruin our experience. We took a nighttime tour at 9pm and sat out front on the deck, taking in the famous bridges as we approached and went under them as well as the sparkling Eiffel tower lights as we passed. Being on the river at night, you get to experience the true “city of lights” vibe as the city light reflections glimmer on the water.
Home&Away 