Minuit à Paris

La Ville Lumièr, or the City of Lights. Paris is truly a city with bright lights and stunning views. I had never been to Europe before and Norwegian Air had a really good sale going from LA to Paris for mid-November, so I decided to pull the trigger and make pop my European cherry in Paris. I ended up paying about $550 round trip for 8 days, which I thought was extremely reasonable even if I had bought it 6 months in advance.

I mostly stayed at the hostel St. Christopher’s Inn by Gare du Nord for my trip, and even though it is a European chain, I think this was one of the better hostels in Paris. Being close to the Gare du Nord was a key factor for me since I heavily relied on public transportation to get around the city. The 10-person room I stayed in was pretty clean, and each bed had its own storage space and curtain for extra privacy. Furthermore, the hostel had a bar on the first floor so it was a great way to make friends with fellow travelers. For roughly $20 a night, I am not complaining!

Here are my 6 tips and recommendations when in Paris:

1) I spent 8 days in Paris but if you want to explore comfortably without overstaying, all you really need is 4-5 days.

2) If you do stay more than 4 days in Paris, purchase a 4-day museum pass (66 EUR or 78 USD). You can pick these up at any Paris Convention, Visitor Bureau welcome centers, and Parisinfo.com. You will break even after visiting 4-5 places compared to buying individual tickets, so if you are purely into the sightsees, please save some money and buy the pass.

3) I used the Museum Pass to go up the Notre Dame (sadly, due to the fire in April 2019, this is closed until further notice), the Arc de Triomphe, Rodin Museum, Napoleon Tomb, Palace of Versailles, Musee du Louvre, and Musee d’Orsay. I highly recommend all of the above (maybe except the Napoleon Tomb, but it was near the Rodin Museum so I figured to check it out anyways). Full list of places you can use the pass is located here: https://en.parisinfo.com/what-to-see-in-paris/paris-pass/paris-museum-pass

One additional rec for #3: do the Arc de Triomphe at night. It has the best view of the city in my opinion, and you will understand why Paris is beautiful at night. Champs-Élysées is the famous avenue with all the high end stores and it’s at the opposite side of the Arc de Triomphe, so you can either explore the street before or after you do the Arc. Eiffel Tower is also better to explore at night, when it is less crowded and you can catch the light show every hour or so. They have security checkpoints there so leave all the shopping bags or unnecessary items behind if possible. With that said, I did not go up the tower because I rather look at it than being on top of it.

4) Let's continue my Night in Paris theme. I think the Sacre Coeur of Montmartre is also worth visiting at night rather than during the day. It has the 2nd best view of the city. Take a deep breath, sit on the steps and just listen to all the different dialects and conversations around you.

5) If you are into spooky stuff, then the Catacombs of Paris is for you. Underneath the city are 6 million dead Parisians and you have the chance to walk through the haunted tunnels and look at remains. Back in the late 18th century, Paris authorities needed to transfer the contents from the city’s cemeteries to an underground site as the city expanded. The tunnels below the city thus turned into an ossuary. It is super interesting and I think it’s A MUST SEE in Paris. The museum pass does not include the Catacombs so you have to buy a separate ticket for it.

6) The Palace of Versailles deserves its own paragraph. DO NOT LEAVE France without spending half a day exploring the palace. It was built by Louis XIII merely as a hunting lodge, but it was his successor, Louis XIV that would transform Versailles into what it is today: an absolute beauty. He made it the King’s residence in 1682 for the next century. One of the favorite rooms was called the Galerie des Glaces, or the Hall of Mirrors. This corridor contains 357 mirrors that were crafted by Venetian glassmakers and they are placed perfectly to highlight the moldings, chandeliers, and the windows.

The Last Word

I thought my Parisian experience was positive overall. The sightseeing was top notch and very easy to walk around the city. The nightlife was also nice; on my first night there, I ended up walking back to my hostel at 5-6am in the morning after bar hopping. Latin Quarter and Le Marais are the two areas you should look up if you want to go out to the bars. I would say be careful when you’re walking around as there are gypsies holding clipboards outside of the tourist spots. They might seem innocent but their intent is to talk to you so their accomplices can try to pickpocket while you’re distracted. Be extra careful with your belongings.

As always, feel free to message me any questions you may have. Always happy to help fellow wanderers out.