Good Morning! Sitting here in our Airbnb in Bayeux, France (Normandy area) sipping my coffee while Winnie sleeps in and John showers. I actually wasn’t planning to write a travel post on Paris but I ended up having so many requests for me to do so on Instagram that I decided to give it a go! Although this was my fourth trip to Paris, I most definitely don’t feel like I am a Paris pro by any means so I am just going to share the few tips I have gathered over the years of visiting along with just some cute family photos!

Paris… As I always say, I am not a big city girl WHATSOEVER… I most definitely prefer the cute little villages of Europe… but I do like Paris more than most. It’s funny because when we say we have a little home in France everyone assumes it’s at least close to Paris so we “visit often” but we are veryyyyyy far from Paris at our home in Antibes, France. Saying all of that to say that it is very different in northern France than where we typically are when we visit France AND this was actually John’s very first visit to Paris! He’d been really wanting to go but it just hadn’t worked out each year and then last year the Olympics were there so visiting was most definitely a no go for us then!

Saying ALL of that to say, Paris is definitely worth a visit! So many INCREDIBLE historic sites to see plus it really is just a beautiful city. To me, it feels sooooooo much cleaner than Rome and so much more “well-kept” than Athens, Greece. With lots more to see and do than let’s say places like Barcelona or Brussels with a more quaint, charming feel {to me} than a big city like London.

Where to Stay…

Just speaking from personal experiences and in my four visit Paris opinion, the St. Germain des Pres area is by far the BEST area to stay! It is a tad more quaint than other arrondissements (there are 20 of these districts in Paris), it is close to most major sites and it has a very central location. Plus, it is cuteeeeee!!!

Unfortunately for this stay, with needing four bedrooms (ours had three plus a sleeper bed) and waiting a wee bit too last minute to book, we stayed in an Airbnb just on the other side of the Seine River from Saint Germain. It ended up being a great location… not QUITE as cute and central as the Saint German area… with just a tad more of a walk to the center of Paris but I would definitely recommend it. Although I will say that the pictures on Airbnb are a bit of an exaggeration of the size and just overall look of the space. Still nice but just a note to manage expectations a bit if you rent it LOL! Here’s a peek AND LINK (CLICK HERE) for our Paris Airbnb… oh and since I was not intending to blog our time in Paris, I didn’t take “blog pictures” so this is just a screenshot of an IG story video when we first arrived…

A few more quick things… first, if you are going when it’s warm at all, make sure you filter your hotel or Airbnb searches for those with air conditioning! Air conditioning is definitely not a “standard” thing in Europe like it is in the States and you’d be surprised at how stuffy a place will get without a/c even when it isn’t too too warm outside.

Also, just a quick note that although staying close to the Eiffel Tower seems like the “quintessential Paris thing to do”, the Eiffel Tower is not located in the best area… lots of “non-permitted” street vendors and such if you know what I mean… plus, it isn’t central to everything you’d want to see in Paris. A good bit down the Seine from most places like Notre Dame and the Louvre.

Here’s a peek at a few pictures I took in the Saint Germain des Pres area…

Oh and while you are in the Saint Germain des Pres arrondissement, make sure and grab my absolute FAVORITE COCKTAIL… a Saint Germain Spritz!

What to Do… and TIPS!

Paris has soooooo much to see and do and since once again, I am no Paris pro I will share what we’ve done and loved along with a few tips!

Sunset Dinner Cruise…

Since staying by the Eiffel Tower is not the best idea IMO, I think the best way to see it during the day and night (it sparkles at night so that’s a MUST!) is to book a Sunset Dinner Cruise. I am not typically one for “touristy” things but this was my third time doing a dinner cruise and we loved it! You meet during daylight hours right at the Eiffel Tower along the Seine River so we just got there a little earlier to see it and take pictures and then the cruise returns back there at the end when it’s dark out so you can then walk back over to see it while it’s all lit up!

Also, quick note… the Eiffel Tower is illuminated all night but it also sparkles for five minutes at the top of every hour so you definitely don’t want to miss seeing that!

My Dress / My Shoes / John’s Jeans / John’s Shoes

Here’s a little screenshot of a video I shared to IG stories of the girls dancing and singing to the live music. I didn’t take any actual pictures on the cruise so this is all I’ve got! Oh and as far as the food, I can’t say it’s the absolute best meal you’ll ever have but it was pretty good.

Linked our Exact Dinner Cruise HERE!

My Dress / My Shoes / Winnie’s Dress

The Louvre…

My gosh I love visiting the Louvre! Although it is a museum and for some, museums may seem boring, I promise you that the building alone is worth a visit! Plus, you can do as little or as much as you’d like during your time there. I will share our favorite “halls” below.

As far as getting into the Louvre, I am quite honestly not sure how it works to just walk up and try to get a ticket day of. There are always so many people around that I make sure and grab “Skip the Line” tickets ahead of time. I just booked simple, timed entry tickets (linked below) and it is then very quick and easy to have them scanned and enter right at the glass pyramids.

Linked our Exact Louvre “Skip the Line” Ticket HERE!

John is such an architecture and art enthusiast that he was so excited to finally see the Louvre… inside and out! Funny though because I didn’t realize the one thing he was most looking forward to seeing were the glass pyramids out front. Of all the historic things… LOL!

Inside the Louvre there is what seems to be an absolutely endless amount of things to see. It is like a literal maze! I will say though that Addie, John and I narrowed it down to our three favorites… the Italian Paintings, Roman Antiquities and then the lower level Egyptian Antiquities (the real old stuff!).

And while you are in the Italian Rennaissance art area, I am sure you will want to check the Mona Lisa off your list! So here’s a peek at what you will encounter… and yes, this is the case every single time I have seen it. But don’t worry, every other area is far less crowded!

Winnie and I braved the crowds and made it all the way to the front! What seemed like an hour later LOL…

A few peeks inside…

The oldest piece of art in the Louvre… from 7,000 BC!

And there is no shortage of conversation pieces that’s for sure!

Notre Dame Cathedral

My goodness it was crowded this time! Like I said, this was my fourth time visiting and I always remembered just walking up and walking inside but not this time! Not sure if it’s because it just recently reopened from the fire restorations or what but the line was FOREVER long.

To access the inside of the Louvre you can buy “Skip the Line” tickets OR you can do what I did and get up at like 6am and get FREE tickets from the Notre Dame website LINKED HERE! The actual Notre Dame website that I just linked releases a set number of FREE tickets each day but they go fast! I was “accidentally” awake at 6am one morning and randomly got on their website (again… because I had tried numerous times and they were always sold out) and was able to get six free tickets for us for that day.

It sure is a BEAUTY inside!

Arc de Triomphe & Champs-Elysees

If you like to shop or of course want to see the crazy huge and impressive Arc de Triomphe, you’ll want to the Champs-Elysees! The Champs-Elysees is a beautiful tree lined street of shops that ends at the Arc. There’s everything from Zara to Sephora to Louis Vuitton! I am (quite possibly surprisingly) not a shopper whatsoever (unless it’s either antiques or “makers shops”) so we made a swift visit down the street and then ooo’d and awe’d over the Arc. It is HUGE! You can also walk all the way up to the top… via lots of stairs… which I have actually done before but this time the line was super long and it seemed like it might rain so we skipped.

Disneyland Paris…

DISNEY!!! This was my second time visiting along with my girls but a first for John, his mom and my mom. John isn’t the biggest amusement park fan but he said this was by far the most pleasant Disney experience he’s ever had!

About a 45 minute to an hour drive (or 50 minute train ride) east of Paris in a town called Marne-la-Vallee is Disneyland Paris Park AND Walt Disney Studio! Last time we visited, I think we rented a car and stayed the night in a hotel nearby but this time we just took an Uber from our Airbnb. The ride was about an hour and it costed around 110 euros each way.

My Pants / My Bag Strap

Although both parks are MUCH smaller than those at DisneyWorld in Florida, these Paris parks are absolutely ADORABLE, much less crowded (when we’ve visited) and newer which made them seem cleaner too!

One quick note… you do have to purchase tickets ahead of time online and (I think) reserve your day ahead of time as well. At least we did! I don’t think they sell tickets at the park at all. I purchased one day- two park tickets for each of us and we had plenty of time to visit both parks in the one day. Oh and you can also pay per ride for a “fast lane” on the Disneyland Paris app too!

Versailles…

This trip was my very first time to Versailles! I had always wanted to go but we were never in Paris for enough days to make it work. It really is a one full day trip! We took an Uber from our Airbnb to Versailles and it was around 75 euros each way. We purchased “Guided Tour Entry” tickets (linked below) online and it was AMAZING!!!

Linked Our Exact Guided Tour Versailles Tickets HERE!

I did a little research prior to our visits and read that the Louvre is a whopping 782,910 square feet and Versailles is just a wee bit smaller at an incredible 721,206 square feet! To say they are both massive is a MASSIVE understatement LOL! You truly have to see them both to grasp their size.

My Top / My Skirt / My Shoes / My Bag Strap

The one thing I so wish we had done was the garden tour of Versailles. I have read and heard that it’s even more amazing than the home! We had just already walked so much and John’s mom was with us so we cut our tour a tad short.

Where to Eat…

I will make this section short and sweet by saying I honestly don’t know! Ha! I probably should do more restaurant research ahead of time but I know us and I know that most of the time we just want to eat when we randomly decide to eat and we just want to dine in the exact area we are in at the time and I just never know ahead of time where that will be on a given day. But hey, there are TONS to choose from!

Just Wander…

I am asked often if we do “tours” when we travel and for the most part no, I just love to WANDER!!! We’ve always found the best shop and restaurants and just overall Europe beauty by wandering so make sure you include a day for simply that!

My Sweater / My Jeans

John’s Shirt

Transportation…

I had snapped this picture of the Metro sign simply because it is beautiful but to be honest we either walked or took Ubers the entire time. I most definitely DO NOT suggest renting a car in Paris. I’d say it’s comparable to driving in New York City… no thanks! We do rent cars often in France but never in big cities.

Shopping…

As I said above, shopping overall isn’t my favorite unless it’s local makers or antiques. There are always lots of fun vendors along the Seine or in the smaller, more quaint arrondissements.

I did find two cute vases that were super affordable in a cute ship called Yeux.

What to Wear…

I always suggest COZY and cute! I only brought one pair of shoes on this trip (linked below) and they’ve been AMAZING for our miles and miles of walking. It’s actually been a but chilly which has been a nice changeup from Georgia weather in June. Linked a few of my Paris faves below…

Shop Everything I Packed HERE and HERE!

Shop Everything John Packed HERE!

My Shoes / John’s Shoes

Purse / Bag Strap

Tank / Pants

Sweater / Top / Purse / Shoes

Pants

Sweater / Jeans / Purse

Tank / Pants / Shoes

Sweater / Jeans / Shoes / John’s Jeans / John’s Shoes

Tank / Pants / John’s Shirt

Thanks for reading and make sure and follow along over on IG stories! Today is our last day in Normandy which I have LOVED and will blog next week… and then Friday when the family flies home John and I will be headed out on a ten day road trip from Colmar, France through Switzerland down to Lake Como for four days and then on to our home in Antibes, France.

XOXO, Brittany Palazzo