Bonjour! ??
As part of Mike’s networking, we ended up in the glorious city of Paris for a few days. I was pretty excited about this as I had always wanted to go and visit.
Paris is famous for being a romantic city and it does ooze romance/lust/sex appeal everywhere you turn. Whether it’s the food, the accent or the buildings, there is an aura which captures you and seduces you.
Accommodation
Mike decided to book the Pullman which is a reputable hotel chain. He told Wendy that it was right next door to the Eiffel Tower and that they would have amazing views. Although Mike had booked the Pullman, he booked the one called Pullman Paris Montparnasse as opposed to the Hotel Pullman Tour Eiffel. It’s an easy mistake to make, it’s not like the clue is in the name! ?
Nevertheless, Montparnasse is a really great location and is easily accessible to Paris’ main attractions. It is a short metro ride to the Eiffel Tower and approximately 30 minute walks to Cathédrale Notre-Dame. Montparnasse station is also a central train station, so if you are planning to go elsewhere in France it is easily reachable.
As Montparnasse is not considered as the centre of Paris in terms of tourism, it makes your stay more enjoyable and authentic, especially when it comes to the food.
Sightseeing
As we only spent a few days in Paris, we decided to do a walking tour in order to get our bearings and to see the main attractions. We booked our walking tour through Sandemans which is free and runs daily. Our tour guide, Oliver, was excellent. He’s very knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. The tour takes around 2.5 hours and is run on a tipping service for the guide. On this tour, it covers:
- Saint Michel Fountain
- Notre Dame de Paris
- Tuileries Gardens
- Assemblée Nationale
- The Louvre
- Palais Royal
- View of the Grand & Petit Palais
- Haussmann’s Paris
- Incredible views of Eiffel Tower
- Latin Quarter
- Pont Neuf
- Place de la Concorde
- Ile-de-la-Cité
- Palace of Justice
- Sainte Chapelle
This is an excellent tour if you are short on time as you can see the main attractions.
In the evening, we decided to do a night river cruise through the same company. As it was summer, the last cruise at 10pm was the best to see the lights of the attractions. The cruise starts on the river next to the Effiel Tower. It is a double decker boat with seats inside and outside. Most people rush on to sit on the top deck outside, but there’s actually more space on the lower deck on the outside as it is a bit more hidden. A benefit of sitting inside is that there are headphones which talks through the attractions as you pass them in numerous languages.