Sweet Sixteen in Paris
When my oldest daughter turned 16, she wanted to have the big traditional Sweet 16 party with all her friends. My middle daughter Brynna is a bit more introverted, and when I realized just how much I spent on the party I gave her the option of having a party or taking a trip somewhere. It didn’t take her long to decide she would rather go to Paris (that’s my girl!)
We left for Paris at the end of July and unbeknownst to us, Paris was in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave. It was over 90 degrees most days and the majority of homes and businesses in Europe do not have air conditioning. It was so bad that some businesses were closed so that workers would not get overheated. Luckily, we knew that we were spoiled and would be miserable without air-conditioning, so we made sure to pick one of the few Airbnb’s that had it. Granted it wasn’t central A/C, but it did the trick. With summers getting hotter and hotter I’m not sure how European people can stand it – many places did not even have fans! I have a feeling that is going to start to change. If A/C is important to you – make sure your AirBnB/hotel has it BEFORE booking!
We made it to Paris without issue and wandered around the 5th Arrondissement where our Airbnb was located. We were very close to the Metro station which made getting around the city very easy. I recommend the app Moovit to help you get around – the directions are very straightforward, and it takes the guess work out of figuring out “how to get there from here”. There was a bakery, Boulangerie l’entracte, right on the corner and I’m pretty sure Brynna lived off of chocolate croissants the entire time we were there. We had crepes for dinner, because … France, and then headed back to shake off the jet lag and get ready for our first whole day in Paris.
The next morning, we hit the hit ground running and went on a Bateaux Parisienne Seine river cruise to see Paris from the water. They had several options including a cruise and lunch option, but we went with the €15 audio tour. You could either start the cruise at the Eiffel Tower, or near Notre Dame and it did a circuitous route that brought you back to your original starting point. The cruise took you past the following sites: Eiffel Tower, Assemblee Nacionale, Musee D’Orsay, Notre Dame and the Louvre to name a few.
Next we took a Segway tour around the city to get our land bearings. This tour was more expensive and cost €55 a person, but it covered a lot of ground and lasted for 2 and a 1/2 hours. They include instruction, and the minimum age is 12. The tour went by the Military School, Unesco, Invalides, Alexandre III Bridge, Grand Palace, Champs Elysees, Place De La Concorde, National Assembly, Alma Bridge, Russian Orthodox Center, Le Quai Branly, Eiffel Tower and Champs De Mars. Our tour guide was very informative, and as luck would have it we were the only three on the tour that day.
If you’re interested in any kind of tour on your vacation (Segway, cruise, food etc) I highly suggest you do it on the first day. This is something we always do as it helps you get your bearings and decide what places you want to go back and visit. We wandered the Champs-Elysees (pro tip, Longchamp bags are a lot cheaper in Paris than in the US) did some shopping and of course had macaroons at LaDuree. We were scheduled to go up in the Eiffel Tower but the workers in Paris were on strike and unfortunately did not get to go. It seems there are a lot of strikes as some days the Catacomb workers were on strike, while others the transportation workers were on strike. Luckily this was the only one to impact our trip. When you’re visiting I’d recommend you keep an eye on local strikes so you don’t head out to a site only to find out it’s closed.
A tip for those wanting to go up the tower, the lines are long, but tickets can be purchased on-line and go on sale 60 days before your visit. The on-line tickets frequently sell out so get them as soon as you can. If you are short on time, this is the way to go as you still have to wait in line for 30 minutes or so WITH pre-purchased tickets. The only downside is that if the weather is bad, there are no refunds, and you may not have a great view – so you’ll have to decide which is worth it for you. The thing about being in the Eiffel Tower is that you can’t get pictures OF the Eiffel Tower. For that we set ourselves up on the Trocadero, a local palace with large grounds that have amazing views of the tower. There is no charge to enter this area and you’ll see many tourist line up to watch. You know the professional pictures you see of couples with the Tower in the background? They’re usually done from here early in the morning.
We visited the Arc De Triomphe which is one hard monument to get a picture of! It is in the middle of a very busy traffic circle with cars zooming around it at all hours of the day. We saw many tourists trying to get pictures and almost getting run over – so be careful!
The next day we visited the number 1 item on Brynna’s bucket list – Disneyland Paris! The park was easy to reach, and we took the RER-A train out before it opened for the day. Remember to keep your tickets when you get off the train as you will need them to exit the station. The train station for Disneyland Paris is literally feet from the outlying restaurants around the park so it was only about a 2 minute walk to the gates. If you have been to Walt Disney World in Florida, you might not find Disneyland Paris as impressive. We enjoyed seeing the attractions that couldn’t be found in Florida like Ratatouille, Sleeping Beauty’s castle and Alice’s labyrinth. Disneyland Paris is very small (and cheaper than Disney World) and can definitely be done in one day. Our only mishap was when my iPhone was left on a ride, and I had a slight panic that all the information we needed for the trip was on there. Luckily, I had enabled find my iPhone and we were able to contact the employees and get the phone returned. Pro Tip! Make sure your find my iPhone is on, and if it does get lost, lock it with a message that has the phone number of another person in your party. This REALLY helped us out!
The following day we started off with a visit to the Catacombs. The Catacombs are underground ossuaries (which are bone churches) and hold the remains of over 6 million people. They were created as an effort to relieve the city’s overflowing cemeteries. Lines for this can be 3-4 hours long in high season and we were not looking forward to that in the hot summer sun. Luckily, they sell tickets on line. I was able to buy tickets for the morning we wanted to go and picked the first available time slot in the morning. When we arrived, the general line was around the block and there were only three people in front of us in the pre-purchased ticket line. (There was no sign indicating that was the line, so we had to ask the guard). Being the first ones in there were no crowds, and we got great pictures that weren’t filled with other tourists. I would highly suggest doing this if you want to visit. Keep in mind the tombs are underground, so even though it’s 100 degrees outside, it could be 50 degrees underneath so bring a sweater.
Next we headed over to the Louvre and a tip I had been given came in handy. Everyone is familiar with the main entrance to the Louvre – but what most people don’t know is that there are several other “secret” entrances to the Louvre as well! We used the one at 99 Rue de Rivoli. Set this address in your GPS, and enter under the awning that says, “Le Carrousel du Louvre”. Once inside take the two escalators down into the air-conditioned mall and keep walking straight past the shops until you see an inverted pyramid hanging from the ceiling. There is an entrance here where you can purchase tickets. On the day we went the main entrance line was about 2 hours and we waited for 5 minutes.
The Louvre is HUGE and you could spend days here and not see everything. If you’re short on time, there are many google articles about the best things to see in the Louvre and where they’re kept. The Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo are two of the most famous. I always laugh at how small the Mona Lisa is and how the people are crowded in to look at it. Once you’re done walk out past the main entrance to get your pictures of the famous Louvre pyramid and wave at all the tourists who have been in line for the past few hours!
We wandered around Paris looking for Banksy graffiti and street art. I LOVE me some Banksy and was so excited to see it in person. We stumbled upon Les Ateliers du 59 – a 6 floor loft-style building packed with artist studios. Artist’s works are on display and available for purchase, and you get to see many of them in the creation process. The walls themselves are art and fun to look at.
Next we headed over to the Gustav Klimt exhibit at L’Altiere des Luminares. This is a warehouse where art from the featured artist is projected on the walls and changes every few seconds. Though the ads make it seem like you will be walking through several rooms, it’s really one large room and you can actually sit down and watch the art change. Since we’ve been they’ve changed the artist a few times, if you like art – you’d enjoy this.
We did a lot of walking on this day, but we also managed to see the Cathedral of Notre Dame, I’m so glad we got to see it pre-fire. The cathedral has been closed since the fire occurred in April of 2019, and it is unknown when the restorations will be finished and it will once again be open to visitors.
We walked by the Princess Diana Memorial which sits just outside the tunnel where she was killed. It’s amazing to see how many people still today are affected by her passing.
In our quest to see All. The. Countries. we rented a car and took a day trip to Bruges, Belgium, and of course, ate some Belgian waffles. This a tiny city that is completely walkable – there are trains that go here as well but since there were three of us and we wanted to be on our own timetable we rented a car instead. We spent some time people watching at Markt, the square in the center of town. We took a boat ride on the Dijver canal, which is a great way to see the city.
Many people chose to rent bikes and ride all over time which looked like a great way to do it also. The architecture and fauna were beautiful. Watch the movie “In Bruges” if you want to get a glimpse of what the city looks like.
We spent our last full day in Paris wandering around Montmartre – which is an area on top of a hill in the 18th Arondissement. We spent the whole day there and barely scratched the surface. The town has so many different “vibes”: from the vibrant and bustling artist area to the meandering flower-lined streets to the beauty of the Sacré-Cœur to the Moulin-Rouge area and streets lined with sex shops – there’s something for everyone. The area is very hilly though, so it would not be easy for those with Mobility issues, (or those who hadn’t worked out in months like me lol!) One suggestion would be to take the funicular up the hill, and start there wandering downhill toward the Moulin Rouge. We even found a Banksy! Well, technically I found a Banksy as it wasn’t quite clear where it was located and Debbie gave up and sat down while I walked up and down the stairs looking for it lol! We also visited the I Love You Wall, which has the words “I love you” written in a number of different languages!
We bought my bestie Liz some goodies in Maison Georges Larnicol – sweet shop where they had huge statues of ships and famous monuments all made out of chocolate. Though we didn’t go to a show, we wandered around the Moulin Rouge and giggled our way through all the sex shops that dotted the Boulevard de Clichy. We even experienced a French self-cleaning bathroom stall. Pro Tip. when the person inside comes out, don’t go right in, wait for the door to shut and the bathroom to clean itself before you enter – who knew lol?
I enjoyed Paris, but I feel like visiting in roasting 95 degree weather takes away from the magic of the city. I’d love to go back in the Spring and see it again for all it’s beauty!
Thinking of visiting Paris and want to see some specific Tips for the city? Click here!
My Pretty Little Galway Girl
