Traveling Tips Paris France – Paris. Poets, artists, playwrights, writers, journalists, and more have all written about their love for this city. It is a place that exudes culture, sophistication, class, and style. Like millions before me, I fell in love with this city the first time I visited.
Restored by Gallic tribes around the 3rd century BC, the region was conquered by the Romans a couple of centuries later, turning it into a prosperous settlement. By 508, Paris was made the capital of the Merovingian dynasty. The city was sacked by Vikings in 845 but recovered to repel further Viking invasions. In the 12th century, Paris was the economic and cultural center of all of France.
Traveling Tips Paris France
Today, Paris is one of the few iconic cities in the world that truly lives up to its hype. I spent years visiting the city, organized tours here, and even lived here for a bit. It is one of my absolute favorite places in the world. As Hemingway said: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, because Paris is a movable party.” It wasn’t bad.
Paris Travel Tips You Must Know
As iconic as it is, Paris is also great, with thousands of years of history and a plethora of things to see and do, from world-class museums to Disneyland Paris. It would take a lifetime to explore it all. Fortunately, with a little planning, you can see the highlights in just a few days.
This Paris travel guide can help you plan your trip, save money, and make the most of your visit to the City of Lights!
Built for the 1889 World’s Fair, the 300-meter tower is a feat of engineering that was originally hated by locals. They called it “the metal asparagus” and expected it to be crushed. Now it is the most famous symbol of the city and every local will tell you they love it. It is a beautiful building. If you’re going to the top, get there early to avoid the lines. Tickets range from 16-26 EUR but I recommend paying for direct access via an elevator that takes you to the top. It is worth spending the money as the line can take more than an hour on busy days.
Visiting the famous 17th century palace requires a whole day (do not skip Marie Antoinette’s house or the spacious gardens located here). Initially, Louis XIV built this luxurious palace to get the nobles out of Paris so that they wouldn’t plan any coups. It expanded over the years and was filled with tons of allegorical statues and symbols that remind people that the power of the state rests with the king! The palace gets crowded to try to go during the week, although the summer weekends are the best time to visit the gardens, as the fountains play music then. Admission to the palace is 18 EUR and admission to the entire complex (including the gardens) is 27 EUR. For a more in-depth experience, this Versailles tour is led by an expert local guide and includes round-trip transportation from Paris at a time that avoids most of the crowds.
Visiting Paris: Paris Travel Tips And Tourist Information
If you want to beat the crowds (which I highly recommend), skip the line tickets are available for 55 EUR. Since more than 10,000 people visit every day, skipping the line will save you a ton of time and help you get around the hordes of tourists who visit on the tour buses.
The Louvre is the largest museum in the world, with thousands of square feet of space and millions of artifacts and works of art (including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo). To see it all, you need at least two full days, but you can do the highlights in a full afternoon (especially if you take the Louvre Highlights Tour, which includes skipping the line). Admission costs 17 EUR, while the timed skip-the-line ticket is another 17 EUR (if you’re visiting on a weekend, the skip-the-line ticket is a must!). If you really want to avoid the crowds, go on Wednesday nights when the museum is open until 11pm. No one is there after 7pm.
A historic area near the Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter is full of small, winding streets that turn at strange angles to open into small square-lined squares. I love to wander here; it still feels like you’re stepping back a few hundred years in history. There are a lot of restaurants, bars, and jazz clubs here too. If you’d like to learn more about the area, this in-depth tour walks through the Latin Quarter and includes skip-the-line tickets to the incredible Sainte-Chapelle, my favorite church in the city (read more below!) . The tour is the perfect way to connect with a local guide who can share insider tips and help you make the most of your visit.
This is my favorite church in Paris. Built in 1238 by Saint Louis, it was meant to house the holy relics found during the Crusades and serve as the royal chapel. I find this small Gothic chapel more beautiful than the nearby Notre Dame. The original interior decoration is (mostly) exquisite, including some of the few remaining examples of original stained glass in France. It’s absolutely beautiful. Don’t skip it! There is usually a long line, but museum pass holders can skip it. Entrance costs 11.50 EUR and is likely to sell out, so reserve your ticket in advance.
Paris Special! Food, Travel Tips, Patricia Wells And Lian Dolan’s New Book
Paris has hundreds of museums worth seeing. Be sure to check out the Musee D’Orsay for great Impressionist works, the amazing Rodin Museum, the Holocaust Museum (one of the best in the world), the Musee D’Orangerie (more Impressionist works), and the interesting Sewer Museum. A Paris Museum Pass is the most affordable way to see as it provides access to over 50 museums in Paris and the surrounding region. A two-day pass costs EUR 52, a four-day pass costs EUR 66, and a six-day pass costs EUR 78.
This is one of the most famous streets in the world and stretches from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre. It’s lined with expensive shops and restaurants and is always busy, but it’s a great place to club hop at night or shop during the day. Come early in the morning to see the place completely deserted. It makes for great photos. You can also take a guided tour if you want to learn more about the street and its history.
Located in the Latin Quarter, this Neoclassical building was originally built as a church but became a state burial site for French heroes, including Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Louis Braille, and Voltaire. Admission is 11.50 EUR.
The Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden) is the largest public park in Paris, covering 56 acres. The garden, which was first created in 1612, has more than a hundred statues, monuments, and fountains, all spread throughout the grounds. The park was neglected for many years until the French Revolution, after which Jean Chalgrin (the architect of the Arc de Triomphe) began to restore and expand the park. In the morning, you will see many runners exercising here. At lunch on a beautiful day, join the park-go to have a picnic.
How To Get Around Paris
Home to starving artists for more than a century (since the Belle Epoque in the 19th century), the Montmartre neighborhood offers a beautiful view of Paris, artistic cafes and bars, cobbled streets, and the only wine in the city limits (Vignes du Clos). Montmartre). It is one of the highest parts of Paris, although it has lost some of its former grandeur. It’s great for those who want to visit the hangouts of people like Hemingway and Gertrude Stein. The iconic Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur sits at the top of the hill. Climb the steps or sit on the sloping lawn and admire the views at sunset. Entrance to the basilica is free.
If you want to learn more about this iconic neighborhood, guided tours are available and include a visit to the basilica.
The Gothic masterpiece of Paris was built between 1163-1334. Climb from the north tower to the south to appreciate the masonry and get a close-up view of the Chimera Gallery, the fantastic birds and animals that look out over the balustrade. The outer facade has been cleaned up in recent years, but the inside has little of that old grimy gothic charm. To climb the tower, it costs 10 EUR. NOTE: Notre Dame is currently closed due to the 2019 fire.
This monument stands in the center of Place Charles de Gaulle and is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris. Inaugurated in 1836, the vault is dedicated to those who died in the French Revolutionary War with Napoleon. For 13 EUR, visitors can climb the 284 steps to the top of the Arc for stunning panoramic views and information about the city’s history.
Essential Travel Guide To Paris [2023]
Every July 14, a series of spectacular events in Paris celebrate the storming of the Bastille