2 Days in Paris
- Karna
- Aug 1, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: May 29, 2020
Paris. The city of baguettes, the city of crepes, and the city of croissants. This was my second trip to Paris, and it was well worth coming back to. I wanted to share my two days in Paris with y'all and I encourage anyone traveling to Paris to use it as a two-day guide to Paris, because our trip went so well and we saw nearly everything you ought to see in Paris during your first (or second
visit to this city).
Day 1:
Start your day off with a latte at O'Coffee Shop. They speak English (god-bless them) and they make a great cup of coffee and some delicious
breakfast treats.
From here, it is a short walk to the park side of the Eiffel Tower. Stop to take some pictures and enjoy this iconic site. Did you know that the Eiffel Tower was built as a temporary attraction during the circus? Try to ignore that fact when you're going to the top of the Eiffel Tower!
Walk around the Eiffel Tower to the river side, and take a leisurely walk on the running/bike trail right along the water. There are large patches of shade that make the 30 minute walk to Musée d'Orsay not so bad. We stopped on multiple bridges to take photos and make the walk a little more broken up.
Musée d'Orsay tickets are nine euros for students, and ten euros for adults, but well worth the cost! Enter this museum and find paintings by Vincent van Gough, Edouard Manet, and many other famous artists.
Make sure to go to the top floor and get a picture with the backside of the clock that overlooks the city!
After you've walked around and gawked at the amazing art, walk out of the museum and to the street on the backside of the museum. There are multiple cafes and restaurants for lunch, including Cocorico which had English speaking waiters (this is more helpful than you think when the only French you know is "Bonjour!") and their food was so good. My friend had the "best risotto of her life" and my chicken salad was off my plate and in my stomach faster than we could plan out the rest of our day.
After lunch, we continued walking along the river and crossed onto the island that contains amazing gelato, tourist shops, Saint Chapel, and the slightly famous Notre Dame. We started at the Saint Chapel, which has a small fee to get into, but once you climb to steps to the church and view the stories of the Old Testament that are depicted in a 360 view on the windows of the church, you will not mind that you spent a few euros.
After viewing Saint Chapel, we walked through tourist shops and got Gelato right next to Notre Dame. There are a million gelato places near this area, but Amorino serves it up in the shape of a flower, and it can't get much cuter
than that!
We did not go inside the Notre Dame Cathedral, because, surprise, it costs money! But if you want to to go inside, I highly recommend taking a peak. I had been inside during my first visit to Paris and it was beautiful!
After viewing Notre Dame Cathedral, we took a peak into Shakespeare and Company, which is right across the street. We then got on the underground subway and went back to our hotel near the Eiffel Tower for an afternoon power nap. After power nap, we walked to a local grocery store and bought items for a picnic dinner in front of the Eiffel Tower.
We stayed here until the first tower light show at 10:00 pm, which I highly recommend seeing up close.
Day 2:
We started our day off at the Louvre. Make sure you buy tickets for this museum a few days ahead of time, because they do sell out, and it is much easier to buy tickets ahead of time than to wait in the huge line to purchase them the day of your visit.
This museum stressed me out because the amount of tourists and crowds bumping into me from every direction was impossible to escape, so we did not last long in the place. We pretty much saw the Mona Lisa from afar (couldn't get close with how crowded the room was) and we saw a room that features beautiful Roman statues (this room was cooler than the rest of the building because of all the marble, and it was fairly empty, so you could actually sit and observe the beauty) and were very happy to escape the crowds and leave as fast as possible!
We walked from the Louvre through the Tuileries Garden, and stopped at the other end of the garden to have crepes for lunch (a must if you are in Paris).
After lunch, we continued walking through the Champs Élysées, which is a huge strip of shopping and food that has everything from McDonalds to the famous Ladurée which sells beautiful macaroons, and has anything from H&M to a three story Louis Vuitton. At the end of this street is the well-known Arc de Triomphe. If you have time, I highly recommend climbing the stairs to the top. The view is amazing and shows you how the city was built from this spot and build outwards.
That was our weekend trip to Paris, France and whether you travel here with some girlfriends or your significant other, I highly recommend taking at least one visit to Paris in your lifetime.
Bonjour!
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