My travel tips for Paris, France

If you don’t count my visits to Disneyland Paris, it was about 10 years ago since I last visited the city of romance. A lot has happened to the city in the meantime. It’s survived many things, from protesters to terrorists. It has changed the city, to a certain extend.

Nora in Paris

The Eiffel Tower by night

Memories of Paris

The one thing I’ve always loved about Paris is the iconic Eiffel Tower. I revisit it every time, there as well as in my mind. But this time, in 2018, I could no longer walk freely underneath its legs. It’s gated and you need a reservation to enter. There were even holding cells under the Eiffel Tower, for those who cause trouble. It wasn’t the only location that showed change. The pyramids of the Louvre were gated, too.

Another thing that hadn’t change were all the people trying to sell you something at the landmarks, the pick pocketing and the scams they try to pull on tourists.

Despite those minor details, the city still offers great memories to take home. Let me give you some tips if you are traveling to Paris.

Travel With The Metro

First let me give you a way to save you some money. Paris has got a good subway system. If you know ahead of time where you’d like to go, you can perhaps travel cheaply.  Instead of getting a visitors pass (a Paris visite pass) for several days, you can also get a set of 10 tickets for zone 1 and 2. The vistors pass allows you to travel all the public transport. The metro cards will allow you to ride the metro. These zones is where most landmarks are. It will save you tens of euros.

A view of Paris

The view from my room

Hotel With A View

If you are on a budget, look to AirBnB for accommodation. There are some great tiny apartments at terrific locations for you to book. My friends and I discovered they are the most affordable on there.

But if you can afford it, spend that little extra to get a hotel with a view. We stayed at the Adagio City Hotel. Before arriving in Paris, I had traveled 27 hours thanks to a few delays, but my tired eyes were wide awake once I saw the Eiffel Tower and all the city lights from the room.

If you look for accommodation, I can recommend booking a hotel with booking.com with a friendly discount for you and for my next trip! Thank you

Place de tertre

Place De Tertre in Montmarte, Paris

The City of Art

Paris oozes art and artistry everywhere you go. The Montmarte is the most popular spot to find artists selling their drawings and paintings. There’s a lot of amazing work there and the area is right next to the Sacré Coeur, so it’s a known travel destination. There are more interesting market stalls along the Seine and I found the prices there to be a little more affordable. However, my visit to Paris was off-season. There are amazing art galleries, too!

Music Is All Around

The streets of Paris are not just filled with visual art, but music is all around, too. People are busking in the subway and at tourist attractions, and there’s live music in various places. What’s really amazed me, though, is that a lot of these musician are really amazing. The genres are really diverse. I’ve heard anything from world music, to classical, to soul to a boy and a girl singing gospel and popular songs at the viewpoint to the Eiffel tower.

Jardin Des Plantes

Jardin Des Plantes

Exhibit Jardin Des Plantes

Paris has got great parks. I always love going to Jardin du Luxembourg and it was great to revisit it, while I was there. But this time, I more enjoyed my visit to Jardin des Plantes. It was my first time there and it’s got a little bit for everyone.

I think you can find any plant on the planet there, but the garden is surrounded by museums. For instance, you can check out dinosaur skeletons at the Natural History Museum! OK, I may be the one rare adult who still thinks this is pretty cool, so if you prefer live animals, you can visit a small zoo in this area too!

At the time of my visit some Japanese artists where prepping an impressive exhibit of animal sculptures made with fabric.

Make sure you exit the park towards the Grande Mosquée de Paris. We couldn’t find out how to access the Mosquée itself, but we heard it’s beautiful. However, anyone with a sweet tooth will love stopping at their grand cafe for tea and something sweet.

Lego store

Lego store at Rue Jussieu

Shop And Eat At Rue Jussieu

I don’t know why tourists are always send to the most expensive shops around, so let me send you to something other than the Champs Elysees. Go to the area of Rue Jussieu. There’s a vibe of people really enjoying life in the area of the campus, but mostly, I spotted some of the coolest and fun niche shops there. Perhaps you need a little bit of a nerd gene like I have….

Mostly, when you walk around Paris, just enjoy it!

Hope you enjoy your time there! Follow my Insta travel account @travels_by_nora_tol. 

Feel like booking anything?

Book your trip and receive a 10% cashback on Booking.com or try AirBnB to find a place to stay. Also, think about renting out your own place while you’re traveling. Become an AirBnB host. It’s a great way to earn your travels back and meet cool people.

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