Bonjour Paris
Name the most romantic city in the world.
As cliche as this may sound, the first city that came to our minds is Paris, and it is probably a widely agreed answer to many as well. Yes, we’ve heard a lot about Paris from many people with different perspectives prior to our trip, expectations were all over the place, but nothing is more true than us physically being there to experience the romance ourselves, and beyond excited we finally made it to this dream city after months of planning and waiting.
Because Paris was such a wonderful trip for us, we have a lot more to share in addition to the amazing places to see. At the end of this post, we will also be sharing our PARIS FOOD TOUR as well as some PARIS TRAVEL TIPS from our recent experience.
Eiffel Tower
A formal and official start of our Paris trip with one of the most famous landmarks in the world, and probably a large portion of the reason on why we wanted to visit Paris so badly. Though the tower can be seen from so many places in Paris, our favorite viewpoint of it has to be Palais de Chaillot.
We arrived half an hour before sunrise in order to catch the full experience, and the early morning lighting was simply so magical and charming with the view of Eiffel Tower in the back.
The Louvre Museum
We have always dreamed to visit this iconic museum, the home of Mona Lisa and countless of other well known artworks. We unfortunately know too little to do a comprehensive introduction on any of the art displayed here, and for the amount of time we have compared to the size of the museum, we really just got a glimpse of it. This is a museum that you can spend weeks here, yes, weeks, not days.
Arriving early at the Louvre definitely has its perks, we were able to have some beautiful clean shots of the place taken with no crowds or rush. With a museum this popular, this quiet moment we had here was really hard to come by and we were absolutely glad with the decision of arriving 1 hour before it opens.
Palais-Royal
Since we had abundant time before the Louvre opens, we walked to Palais-Royal which is only a few minutes away to see its highly recognizable striped columns. We are no architects, but the overall design of this palace has a very strong French characteristic to it, as well as a touch of mysterious alternation and that classic super high end atmosphere, all together quite interesting and impressive.
Pont Alexandre III
So we heard there are 37 bridges in Paris, but Pont Alexandre III just stands out for us. Not only the bridge itself has so many incredible details to furnish it, the view from here is also a definitive representation of Paris.
Seine River
What’s more romantic than walking along the shoreline of Seine River with your loved one or sail on a cruise ship during sunset? We have always been big fans of the golden hour glow, but this is another level.
Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées
We visited Arc de Triomphe on an early Sunday morning, the climb to the top through the narrow and closed staircase was quite intense given its one of the most popular attraction places and has tourists from all different backgrounds. But view on top is a very intimate glance of Paris, as it’s not too high so you would feel distanced and disconnected, but high enough to see far and the entire avenue of Champs-Élysées.
By the time we came down from Arc de Triomphe, police has started to set road blocks to close Champs-Élysées from automotive traffics, and opened up the entire avenue for pedestrians only. This car-free day happens on the first Sunday of each month, and we were super lucky to be able to match this perfectly with our travel schedule. It was an absolute fun time exploring this prominent avenue freely and be able to walk in the very center of the wide road.
Sacré-Cœur
This Roman Catholic church resides at the highest point of the city and is one of the most visited monuments in Paris. The building is absolutely majestic and it is actually difficult to capture the entire architecture from nearby. We also heard this is one of the most recommended spot for watching sunsets because of its high elevation, unfortunately we couldn’t experience that this time due to our tight schedule but will sure check it out when we’re back!
Montmartre
A few steps down the hill from Sacré-Cœur is this unique neighborhood of Montmartre, a district with incomparable Parisian charm and characteristics. This is a village where it is full of tourists, but yet still has managed to keep its very authentic local atmosphere, something we find it so rare to see nowadays.
Moulin Rouge
Quick stop on our way back from Montmartre to sense the classic and passion of Moulin Rouge, the boldness of this place is inspiring and captivating.
Sainte-Chapelle
Stained glass windows are not uncommon, but the stained glass here at Sainte-Chapelle is absolutely nothing near common. The interior of the place is beyond impressive, the glass collection is extensive and totally dominating a design, and the sunlight shining through the color glass is simply breathtaking.
Notre-Dame de Paris
It was such a tragedy and heartbreaking moment hearing the news on the fire of this cathedral earlier this year. Currently closed, but fortunate enough to be able to see it from distance, we are sending our best wishes to the restoration of this historical building.
Shakespeare and Company Bookstore
An independent yet legendary bookstore that is known by the world, sits next to Seine River, and has attracted thousands of literature lovers everyday.
Panthéon
Ending our Paris trip with a visit to Panthéon, a significant building that contains the remains of many important French citizens. Once again, another architecture that we absolutely admire and are truly amazed by the amount of details designed and built here. A memorable completion of our journey.
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Click HERE to view our recommended Paris Travel Tips!