5 Things You Must Do In Paris

At the time of writing I am trapped in my empty home by the heavy snow that has covered London and the South of England and got the afternoon off work because of it.

It’s given the opportunity to reflect on my recent travel excursions and think about how to do my excursions in the future; one that came to mind was my day out in Paris, where I was constantly on my feet because there were so much to do (and weren’t even able to do everything I wanted to do)

Paris has a lot to offer: from fabulous art, museums and galleries holding the whole of France’s history, people with banging leather jackets and sophisticated dress sense, to being home to some of the most delicious pastries and desserts on the planet.

So I decided to do a top 5 list of things to do in Paris if you want an enjoyable experience. Keep in mind that this is based off my trip there so it’s predominantly personal. Obviously other people will suggest other things and their top 5 will be different but anyway – here we go:

1. Visit the Eiffel Tower

This MUST be towering right at the top of anyone’s to-do checklist when thinking about visiting France let alone Paris. If you’re reading this and have not heard of the Eiffel Tower at least once in your life then I’m sorry mate you’ve been living under a tight rock.

The 110+ year old iconic landmark is an attraction site up there with the Empire State Building in New York, the London Eye in London, Opera House in Sydney, Great Wall of China outside of Beijing, yeah you know where I’m going with this 😉 It’s a special, long-standing, and historical thing to look at!

If you can get a pic of it at night when the golden lights are on it is one of the most stunning, magical pieces of architecture you will ever look at. Trust me. And oh yeah, be brave and take the escalator up to the top of the tower (unless you’re scared of heights). You can secure tickets to go to the top floor for under €12 if you’re under 24 and under €14 if over 24. I only made it as far as the bottom and the souvenir shop next to it because I wanted to save a bit of money. As for going to the top it’s worthwhile as it’s a great opportunity to get a view of a lot of the city.

Unmissable.

2. Take a trip through Jardin Des Tulleries on a sunny day

Serving as the bridge between the Lourve museum and Place de la Concorde, walking in la Jardin Des Tulleries is another activity I feel is worth doing, and is also one of the hot stops for photography. Many tourists and Parisians take the opportunity to chill in the picture-esque garden and take a break from their day, particularly in the summer where there’s a fun fair that opens there between the months of June and August. So to the Londoners and New Yorkers in a relationship, maybe pass up on Hyde Park or Central Park (or if you’re on another part of the world pass up on your national park) in terms of where to have a picnic and have one in Paris’ equivalent.

3. Ride on a taxi cart

In the romantic city of the world, riding in a taxi cart with your loved one ridden by someone else is something that couples have got to try. It can serve as a good alternative to a horse carriage rides some cities still have available to the public. The cart rides around Paris are a bit pricey but it’s a good chance for anyone, not just couples, to have fun exploring some parts of the city in an unconventional form of transport and create some memories. Whip out the cameras on your phone

4. Eat Crepes

First word to describe crepes in general? Yum. But crepes in its native land, which is France and its originality has been supplied to its French-speaking countries (e.g. Belgium, Canada etc.), is just something else! You’ll be doing yourself a huge favour if you try out a food in its country of origin. I say this because an old friend once said to me Belgian chocolate was horrible even though they hadn’t been to the country before 😐

Anyway affordable form of the type of pancake can be found anywhere in Paris so as long as you’re looking, but the cheapest crepes are normally at small food/snack wheel cart stalls that are way from a tourist site. My favourite ones are normally the sweet crepes like Nutella but the savoury crepes with more of a solid substance such as chicken or ham are just as good so make the most of your sweet tooth if you have one and ditch Creme de la Crepe every tea break.

5. Walk down the Champs-Elysees

French for the mythological Elysian Fields. The most famous avenue in the world. Highly recommend exploring if you’re sticking out Paree for a weekend or a few days. In comparison to London, it is Leicester Square (because of the theatres that are there), The Mall (because of how long the avenue is) and Piccadilly Circus (because of its shops, restaurants and cafes in abundance) combined.

Personally it’s more renowned for being where the final stage of the famous Tour De France cycling race ends as well as the podium ceremony and yellow jersey ceremony for the stage and the general classification respectively with the Arc de Triomphe (the square-looking monument with an arc in the middle that people can walk through). Mind you the avenue is comprised of a very long road so be prepared to treat the walk as some useful exercise.

Final Word

And that’s it. Special mentions to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe, Grand Palais and Lourve Museum, which I spoke about in more depth in my review of Paris, I’m considering doing a top 5 things NOT TO DO in cities or countries in the future so let me know your thoughts on that idea as well as comment on your top 5 things to do in Paris, or just leave a like or share the post.

Till next time, Au Revoir et passe une bonne semaine 🙂