PARIS, FRANCE

Just before my 25th birthday, my best friends surprised me with a trip to Paris, France. Can you say lucky girl? Obviously I paid my way, but I was so excited to go back to this beautiful capital city. I’ve been to Paris a couple of times throughout my life, but it always one of my favourite places to visit. We also visited Disneyland during this trip, but I’ll write up a different blog post for that trip (vlog included!)

We travelled to Paris on the Eurostar from St. Pancras, and managed to get a really cheap return. (Pro tip: it’s an obvious one, but book your tickets waaaay ahead of time. The closer you leave it to your departure date, the more the cost will rocket up!) We stayed in a hotel near Barbès–Rochechouart, which was thankfully in walking distance from Gare du Nord (the terminal station for the Eurostar on the French side). We dumped our bags, and headed out to see the Moulin Rouge and explored Montmartre in the moonlight. It was truly beautiful, especially when we stumbled upon the gorgeous Sacré-Coeur. We visited this gorgeous building twice, once at night and again in the day, but there’s something to be said about looking out over the sparkling city in the dark.

We pretty much managed to tick-off all our wishlist in regards to monuments and museums. The Paris Metro is really reasonably priced, and once you make your way into the centre, a couple of the landmarks are close together (or within about 20 mins walking distance, which gives you plenty of time to take in the gorgeous Parisian architecture). We walked from the Musée d'Orsay, to the Louvre and then on to the Eiffel Tower. It was a bit of an effort, but I still think the best way to explore a city is on foot.

One evening we headed out to the Champs-Élysées, which was so magical. If you’re going to Paris around the Christmas period, I would definitely recommend checking out the amazing markets up and down the length of the street. The banana & nutella crepes were so yummy, and the Vin Chaud (mulled wine) was also a favourite of ours. At the end of the Champs-Élysées is the magnificent Arc De Triomphe (to be fair, it is a triumph). Even though we didn’t go up, it was still pretty incredible to see.

On our final day, we travelled to Notre Dame and explored Luxembourg Gardens. I’ve been inside Notre Dame a couple of times, but I’m still awed by its beauty. I didn’t see any hunchbacks, which was a bit of a disappointment, but you can’t have it all…

France is known for its amazing food, and I’ve got to say, it never disappoints me. During the couple of days we spent there, we gorged ourselves on lots of bread and cheese and cured meats. A little tip, if you’re wanting to save money, is to buy a fresh baguette in the morning, and make yourselves sandwiches. We have a little picnic under the Eiffel Tower and got some very approving comments from the Paris locals! I also grabbed some macaroons on the way out of Paris, which unfortunately got a bit crushed on the journey home. The crumbs were still yummy…

Overall, Paris is a city I will always dream of coming back to. My French is very basic and poor, and sometimes that doesn’t get you the friendliest reception (I get it, I’m an asshole who can’t speak the language, no hard feelings!) but I still love the laid-back atmosphere that Paris exudes. I could spend hours walking down the magical, winding streets of Montmartre in the moonlight…