Quick Tips For Your Paris Trip
Here are some tips I shared with a friend traveling to Paris this winter. Our trip was in the spring, so you will see some comments regarding the weather. I elaborated and added photos for this blog post!
Hi Jill,
Here are some ideas for your upcoming trip to Paris. Can’t wait to hear all about it — I am so jealous! Note: Our airbnb host told us to only buy baguettes from artisan boulangeries. Great advice — we bought one (sometimes two) every day!
Do you need a good book for the flight? Here are two good Paris reads, although you should probably sleep so you aren’t too jet-lagged!
- The Paris Wife is a great fictional book about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson. Most of the book is set in Paris in the 1920s. I had just finished reading it, so we enjoyed having drinks at two of Hemmingway’s haunts: Lipp and Les Deux Magots near our Airbnb on Boulevard Saint-Germain.
- Where The Light Falls is a wonderful fictional novel about the French Revolution highlighting a lot of epic Paris history.
Here are more recommendations and tips…
These are my honest opinions and recommendations — I do not receive any compensation or discounts during our travel. This story does include some affiliate links for which I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please click the links to support my blog.
Consider the Paris Museum Pass
This pass may not be right for everyone, but it fit our style for a first-time visit to Paris with kids. 1) We really enjoyed the skip-the-line benefit at many locations (there still may be a security line) 2) Briefly hop into a site you would not pay for otherwise. 3) It is very cost-effective with kids because you do not need a pass for children under 18 — kids are free at most Paris museums and monuments!
I don’t know about you, but I do not feel like I have to stay as long when I am not paying at every entrance. So we ultimately got to see and do more! With the skip the line the Paris Museum Pass was a win-win for our family.
Note: Check your timing and which museums are closed on certain days.
We purchased our Paris Museum Passes at the Orly Airport tourist information desk at Gate L. The pass is activated when you write the date of your first visit on the back. Do not fill in the date ahead of time in case your plans change. Be careful to write the day, month, and year in that order. With six days in Paris, we saw value in a four-day pass as the pass works for consecutive days.
FITZ BITS TIP: Do not confuse the Paris Museum Pass with the Paris Pass (which we did not buy). I am recommending the Paris Museum Pass.
Take the Eiffel Tower stairs to the top elevator
Get ready for your first sight of the Eiffel Tower. Wow. Just wow. And, again when you see it for the first time at night!
Of course, you will want to go to the top — and you should. I suggest buying the Stairway + Lift Ticket. With this ticket, you walk up the 674 stairs to the second level and then take the elevator to the top with everyone else. This saves a few bucks, is good exercise, and is a memorable experience. Check the lines for the elevators and stairs and decide what you want to do. When we visited there were long lines for the ground floor elevator but zero wait for the stairs. It took us about 30 minutes to do the stairs.
We did not buy tickets ahead of time because I did not want to be constrained to a certain day and time. However, if you know when you will be visiting the Eiffel Tower you can buy tickets online and save time waiting in a line. The Eiffel Tower is not part of the Paris Museum Pass.
Visit the Louvre Museum during evening hours
The Louvre is included in the Paris Museum Pass or buy your tickets online ahead of time. Look their website — even with the Paris Museum Pass you may have to reserve an entrance time (at no extra cost). You will likely find long lines for security at the Pyramid main entrance. If so, there should be shorter lines at the Carrousel du Louvre or Richelieu entrances.
FITZ BITS TIP: Avoid the crowds by going on an evening when The Louvre is open late. We viewed the Mona Lisa with less than 25 people in the room. And we were five of them!
The museum has maps/routes that help target certain highlights called Visitor Trails. We did the Masterpieces Trail, In Search of Ideal Beauty. Plus we added Hammurabi’s Code at the end since the kids were familiar with it from history classes.
We visited about three hours before the museum closed. The Louvre is huge — the biggest museum in the world. A former palace! Our visit felt like an episode of “The Amazing Race” as we dashed from exhibit to exhibit asking directions in French-English along the way. As you can see we got a little silly. My boys left the Louvre wanting to come back the next day for more. Now that is the sign of a great time!
Tips for visiting Notre Dame Cathedral
ARRIVE EARLY
Try to visit this famous gothic cathedral as early as possible to avoid super long lines. We arrived at the Notre-Dame Cathedral just after the doors opened and the seemingly daunting line moved pretty quickly. It is free to go inside. Even if you have seen 100 churches and cathedrals there is nothing like “Our Lady.” The iconic facade. The flying buttresses. The amazing rose windows. The crown of thorns. The chandeliers. The enchanting — and sometimes quite odd — gargoyles and chimeric sculptures. The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I could go on and on!
Update: We were fortunate to visit this beauty one year before the ravaging fire on April 15, 2019. I get goosebumps just thinking about the videos and photos from that day. The roof and iconic spire collapsed but thankfully the towers, flying buttresses, and rose windows were saved — as well as many of the religious relics. Notre Dame will take many years to rebuild.
YES, CLIMBING THE TOWERS IS WORTH THE WAIT
We waited in a long line to climb the 422 steps of the Tours de Notre-Dame de Paris but it was worth it. There were yummy roadside crepes across the street! The line starts outside on the left side of the cathedral. There is a fee to climb the towers, or it is included with the Museum Pass. Note, this is one of the sites with no skip-the-line. It might be cold to climb the tower in February so do some research first.
The Crypt and Concierge are worth a quick visit if you have the Museum Pass.
Update: The Towers and Crypt are closed until further notice.
Visit Sainte-Chapelle when it is sunny
Saint Chapelle is a short walk from the Notre-Dame Cathedral. The glittering stained glass windows of the upper chapel are breathtaking. As you can imagine, they are most impressive when it is sunny outside.
Find the huge clock window at the Orsay Museum
Musée d’Orsay has so many amazing Impressionist art paintings. One after the next: Renoir, Money, Degas, Picasso, Van Gogh, Manet.
Before leaving, be sure the check out the giant clock window in the top-floor cafe. Fun fact: this museum was a former train station.
Art lovers should visit Monet's Water Lilies at Musée de l'Orangerie
The Musée de l’Orangerie is home to Monet’s massive Water Lilies displayed in two specially made oval rooms. Be sure to check out both of the rooms. The rest of the museum is worth a visit too if you have time. However, the Water Lilies are a must-see. This museum is included with the Paris Museum Pass.
If you are visiting with kids…SHHHH. It is a very peaceful and contemplative environment.
The Rodin Museum is a gem
If you are an art history buff, do not miss the Musée Rodin! We may not have gone here if it wasn’t on the Paris Museum Pass. I am so glad we did!
This museum is a tranquil mansion with lovely gardens — and, ALL. THINGS. RODIN. Right in the heart of Paris. The Thinker and The Gates of Hell (remember Dante’s Inferno?). Both are stunning to see up close and in person. Note that these works of art are outside.
Swing by the Army Museum for Napolean's tomb
Musée de l’Armée is a military museum that my husband and boys really liked. It could take one to four hours depending on your interest. I would skip this museum if you aren’t interested in France’s historic battles; however, Napolean’s tomb is impressive and worth a quick stop if you have the Paris Museum Pass.
Visit Sacre-Coeur Basilica
We did not get to Sacre-Coeur Basillica but wish we had. Also, the Opera House, Palais Garnier, is supposed to be beautiful but we couldn’t get inside because a performance was starting when we arrived.
Climb the Arc de Triumph for great views of Paris
The monument is free to walk around. If you have the Paris Museum Pass I suggest you also take the 284 stairs to the top for amazing views of Paris. Or, you can also buy a ticket to climb to the top but I think it is passable if tight on time or budget. We did not plan it, but we arrived just before sunset and the views of Paris were beaufigul. Do not cross the roundabout — look for the underground pass to the iconic Arc de Triomphe.
Since you are right there, take a stroll down the grand Avenue des Champs-Elysées before or after your visit.
Paris Outings and Activities
Take a river boat cruise from Pont Neuf and bring along a padlock
Bring a padlock with your names on it for the “Locks of Love.” While this is not the most beautiful or oldest of the many bridges crossing the River Seine, it is worth a visit to surprise your significant other. How romantic! Note: That is my gray Travelon anti-theft purse which I loved using in Paris.
We also did the one-hour sightseeing cruise from here with Vedettes du Pont Neuf. We bought beverages at their concession stand before getting on the boat. (Or, bring your own!) It was a nice cruise up and down the Seine River with a narrated history of the city in French and English.
FITZ BITS TIP: Buy a padlock at home so you aren’t wasting precious vacation time finding one in Paris.
See more of Paris by taking a bike tour
We did a bike tour with Bike About Tours on our first full day in Paris. I love doing this as a first-day activity when visiting a new city — a great way to get your bearings, a historical overview, plus a little exercise. It was a little chilly in April.
However, I do not suggest this with little kids as we were navigating a lot of traffic and construction.
Soak in the culture at a professional soccer game
My soccer boys loved going to a Paris Saint-Germain soccer game. Err, football game! We bought tickets on their website the night before. The soccer was fantastic as was the atmosphere with the chants and the energetic fans in the section behind the goals.
Rookie mistake: we purchased drinks and snacks and brought them to our seats — like we would at a game in the United States. Do not do this! We were the only ones with food and drinks in our seats. Talk about ugly Americans. Also, we ordered two beers and didn’t realize they were san-alcohol alcohol-free. Now you know — you can thank me later!
Getting to and from the game on the Metro was easy.
Paris Shopping
Paris shopping — OOH LA LA
There is amazing fashion all around Paris. I loved the windows of the designer boutiques in Saint-Germain-des-Pres, right near our apartment rental. Also, stop in Le Bon Marche — an incredible department store to walk around even if you aren’t buying anything. Check out the food hall, the beauty counters, and the beautiful escalators.
I am not sure why I put shopping last. Maybe because I travel with four guys whose only interest in shopping is for soccer Jerseys. Actually, that is worth mentioning because out of all of the souvenirs the boys have bought, soccer jerseys are their best buys. I like to buy a purse or art on our travels.
Paris Etcetera...
So many options, but we stayed in a two-bedroom Airbnb apartment rental in St. Germain. We walked everywhere except for one or two bus and train rides.
If you have time for a day trip: Versailles (easy by train), Fontainbleau, and Chantilly are all excellent.
Visited in April 2017
