Travel in the City of Light
By: Kim Floyd
Kim here, 1/2 of 2 Girls Who Travel, and this first trip abroad in 2017 encompasses my visit to Paris. My partner-in-crime (Val) couldn’t get away from work, so I roped my sister Gloria into this trip with me. Neither of us have ever been to Paris and decided that carpe diem (or seize the day) was our trip motto.
After spending this time in Paris, I’m in love – with its museums, shopping, cafes, architecture, monuments and of course the people! Let me first say that Paris cannot be adequately covered in just 3 days. A week wouldn’t be enough time and I’m seriously doubting 2 weeks would suffice either! So in 3 days’ time, I wanted to immerse myself in Paris as best I could.
This may be a little long, so please forgive me in advance. I want to give you all the details, tips and inside notes so that you can plan your own trip and enjoy it as much as I did mine.
After spending this time in Paris, I’m in love – with its museums, shopping, cafes, architecture, monuments and of course the people! Let me first say that Paris cannot be adequately covered in just 3 days. A week wouldn’t be enough time and I’m seriously doubting 2 weeks would suffice either! So in 3 days’ time, I wanted to immerse myself in Paris as best I could.
This may be a little long, so please forgive me in advance. I want to give you all the details, tips and inside notes so that you can plan your own trip and enjoy it as much as I did mine.
Here are a couple of quick suggestions when traveling abroad: notify your credit card company so your account will not be flagged for fraudulent activity and be sure to check if your credit card charges foreign transaction fees.
Our hotel was the gorgeous Pullman Paris Eiffel Tower and as the name implies, it was literally across the street from the Eiffel Tower. Our room even had a balcony and at night the view was Ahhhhh-maz-ing!! This hotel is highly recommended! The staff, food, service, room, balcony and views are all A+!
We opted to do a “skip the line tour” of the Eiffel Tower. Skip the line tours are definitely your friend. There are so many tour companies. We chose Viator and purchased an Eiffel Tower Summit Priority Access with Host. Our tour guide was awesome. She showed us all the areas of the city from up high in the tower and shared the history of the city and the tower. The views were breathtaking and we just stared out at the city long after the tour ended. This tour is highly recommended. And the views … indescribable!
Our hotel was the gorgeous Pullman Paris Eiffel Tower and as the name implies, it was literally across the street from the Eiffel Tower. Our room even had a balcony and at night the view was Ahhhhh-maz-ing!! This hotel is highly recommended! The staff, food, service, room, balcony and views are all A+!
We opted to do a “skip the line tour” of the Eiffel Tower. Skip the line tours are definitely your friend. There are so many tour companies. We chose Viator and purchased an Eiffel Tower Summit Priority Access with Host. Our tour guide was awesome. She showed us all the areas of the city from up high in the tower and shared the history of the city and the tower. The views were breathtaking and we just stared out at the city long after the tour ended. This tour is highly recommended. And the views … indescribable!
The next day we opted to do another “touristy” thing – the hop on, hop off bus. The attractions of Paris are not all in one close convenient area, so you either take a regular bus (which is fine), an Uber (which we did use a few times – for dinner and airport runs), a taxi, your feet or the hop on, hop off buses! The hop on, hop off was actually quite informative. We learned about each monument and rode on the top section of the bus for the best pictures!
The other item well worth it’s price is the Paris Pass. We opted for the Paris Museum Pass. It offers access to over 50 museums (including the Louvre Museum) and monuments in and around Paris. We even used this to visit the Palace of Versailles, which is about a 45-minute Uber ride outside of the city or you could also take the Metro – the most cost effective way.
The other item well worth it’s price is the Paris Pass. We opted for the Paris Museum Pass. It offers access to over 50 museums (including the Louvre Museum) and monuments in and around Paris. We even used this to visit the Palace of Versailles, which is about a 45-minute Uber ride outside of the city or you could also take the Metro – the most cost effective way.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
I must say one of the most beautiful and sacred places we visited was Notre Dame. We timed the visit just right to attend Mass. Now the Mass was in French, but if you’re Catholic, you probably would be able to follow along somewhat. Between growing up Catholic and high school and college French, I managed to understand and follow the service. It was an awe-inspiring experience with the choir, the organ and all the diverse cultures worshipping together.
Another Paris must do is a Seine River cruise! It was absolutely spectacular. We loved this 90-minute scenic cruise. They do offer dinner and night time cruises, but we loved the daytime cruise.
Another Paris must do is a Seine River cruise! It was absolutely spectacular. We loved this 90-minute scenic cruise. They do offer dinner and night time cruises, but we loved the daytime cruise.
Let’s fast forward to my last night in Paris.
The last night in Paris was spent at the Hôtel Champs Elysees Friedland by Happyculture, a stone’s throw away from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. We enjoyed this hotel as well. The location, room and the service were great! Our room even had a balcony (you’ll start to notice – I love balconies). We spent the evening window shopping up and down the Champs Elysees and having dinner at a cute restaurant along the way.
----Wait, did you think I forgot about the food?! You know better!
The last night in Paris was spent at the Hôtel Champs Elysees Friedland by Happyculture, a stone’s throw away from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. We enjoyed this hotel as well. The location, room and the service were great! Our room even had a balcony (you’ll start to notice – I love balconies). We spent the evening window shopping up and down the Champs Elysees and having dinner at a cute restaurant along the way.
----Wait, did you think I forgot about the food?! You know better!
This is for all the foodies who love Parisian food. My recent trip made my dreams of having croissants in Paris a reality!
I want to share some of the stand-out Parisian meals I had.
No visit to Paris is complete without trying fresh baked croissants. Croissants are a Paris staple. We decided to try a restaurant – Angelina’s – based on a recommendation from a fellow food blogger, Black Girls Who Brunch, who had experienced Paris and offered some awesome recommendations.
While at Angelina’s, we started with their famous hot chocolate. It was incredibly rich and thick. Since it was tea time, we decided to have hot tea with our meal. I decided on the truffle Parmesan ravioli and Gloria tried the beef fillet. The ravioli was tender, well-cooked and a nice touch with the arugula salad topping. The beef fillet was tender and juicy. This restaurant is definitely recommended!
Also while in Paris, we tried a trendy spot called The Fish Club. If you know me, then you know I LOVE seafood. The Fish Club is listed as a top 10 fish and seafood restaurant in Paris. We started with the flame cooked king crab with thyme butter. The king crab was fresh and tasty and the thyme butter was amazing! I hadn’t had drawn butter with thyme before, but I’m definitely going to make it at home.
We then had a huge platter for 2 and by the time we finished we were both stuffed full of lobster, crab, shrimp and prawns!
I want to share some of the stand-out Parisian meals I had.
No visit to Paris is complete without trying fresh baked croissants. Croissants are a Paris staple. We decided to try a restaurant – Angelina’s – based on a recommendation from a fellow food blogger, Black Girls Who Brunch, who had experienced Paris and offered some awesome recommendations.
While at Angelina’s, we started with their famous hot chocolate. It was incredibly rich and thick. Since it was tea time, we decided to have hot tea with our meal. I decided on the truffle Parmesan ravioli and Gloria tried the beef fillet. The ravioli was tender, well-cooked and a nice touch with the arugula salad topping. The beef fillet was tender and juicy. This restaurant is definitely recommended!
Also while in Paris, we tried a trendy spot called The Fish Club. If you know me, then you know I LOVE seafood. The Fish Club is listed as a top 10 fish and seafood restaurant in Paris. We started with the flame cooked king crab with thyme butter. The king crab was fresh and tasty and the thyme butter was amazing! I hadn’t had drawn butter with thyme before, but I’m definitely going to make it at home.
We then had a huge platter for 2 and by the time we finished we were both stuffed full of lobster, crab, shrimp and prawns!
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Well, this was our Paris experience and we LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!
Au revoir!
Au revoir!
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Meet, Kim Floyd and Valerie Jones of 2 Girls Who Travel! Avid travelers and self-proclaimed foodies, Val and Kim take pleasure in helping people feel like they are a part of their journey. Be sure to follow 2 Girls Who Travel on Facebook (@2GirlsWhoTravel), Twitter (@2GirlsWhoTravel) and Instagram (@whereintheworldarevalandkim) and visit the website 2girlswhotravel.com. . |
