Paris, France
A bientot a Paris
Welcome to Paris. Ever since I studied French at high school I've wanted to visit the national captial. As soon as I arrived, much of my French language skills suddenly came back to me and I could, just, put a sentence together when speaking to the locals, at least enough to purchase some souvenirs.
Paris is, in terms of it's size and attractions to see is much like London. There is no way you can do it all in one weekend. So on that note, I will return to Paris but next trip spend at least a week there so I can see everything I want. This trip we mostly saw all the highlights.
The Eurostar
One of the nicer ways to get to Paris, though not exactly cheap, is a seat on the famous Eurostar high speed train from London St Pancras. We caught the first train leaving London at 6.30am, meaning we had to be there about an hour before to clear immigration and security, which went fairly smoothly and timely.
The journey from London to Paris takes just over 2 hours.
We travelled in Standard class for our outbound journey, which is essentially economy class while we upgraded our return to Standard Premier which is the equivalent of Premium Economy on a plane. The seating configuration in Standard was 2+2 but in Standard Premier was a more spacious 1+2 configuration. We had more leg room, USB/240V chargers and a light breakfast served as our journey back was early in the morning.
Hotel 31 Tour Eiffel
I chose a gorgeous little boutique hotel that was within easy walking distance of the Eiffel Tower. And it was a great choice as we were located in an older part of Paris, with loads of Brasseries (restaurants) nearby, bakeries plus loads of other independent shops selling all kinds of stuff, mostly souvenirs and the like.
The price, per night was around £120 but didn't include breakfast which cost another 13EUR per person, which we did on one occasion, preferring to spend our other morning at a local cafe.
Upon arrival into Paris, we were greeted by our own chauffeur whom I had previously arranged through the hotel to collect us from Gare du Nord, Paris Central Station. It was about a 40 minute journey to our hotel.
Luckily, the hotel had our room ready to go so we were able to check in upon arrival. From there, we walked to the Eiffel Tower, before jumping on a TootBus for a tour around the city. The bus, which was mostly open air, was most unpleasant as we sat there in the freezing cold as we listened to an awful, crackly sound of a commentary. Still, we did manage to see the highlights of Paris and snap a few photos along the way. But Paris was -3C the day we arrived so next time I return shall be in the spring or summer when temperatures are a little warmer.
Bus Tour
I pre-purcahsed a tour with TootBus, one of those hop on/off style buses but it was most uncomfortable mainly due to the fact the bus was open air and unheated...it was freezing just sitting there waiting for the next attraction to appear. Still, at least we managed to see the sights and make note of all the places we'd like to visit on our next trip when we have more time.
Paris Garnier - The Paris Opera House
The highlight for me was a tour of the Paris Garnier. Birthplace of the Phantom of the Opera story, it is one of the most stunning pieces of architecture, a showcase of the brilliance of 19th century design. Upon entering the main staircase to the theature, my jaw hit the floor. It's truly mesmerising.
Fine Dining in Paris
The street near our hotel was lined with dozens of Brasseries. After walking around looking at all the menus we chose this particular restaurant, which offered more of a fine dining option. It was delightful. Sitting next to us was a couple from the Netherlands, and a group of Russian, Parisian and Colombians.
Escargot
A French delicacy
Fine Dining
3 courses plus wine was about 130EUR for 2
La Gauloise
Fine Dining Brasserie