Age is no barrier when it comes to travel
One of the most famous destinations in the world! The city of Love, Paris has been drawing tourists from all over the world for ages. It still hasn’t lost is charm. It has got something for everyone. Eiffel, Museums, Architecture, Disneyland, Wine & dine, Nightlife
Honestly, it was a trip which we never wanted to end. 4 days was perfect for us, still could have added 2 more days. We went in October, the weather was on the colder side, but we were able to manage. The good thing is that it was not crowded. June to September is considered to be the best time to travel attracting huge wave of travellers.
Things to Know before you Go
Visa (for Indian Passport holders): Schengen Visa will give you free access to France. If you hold a residence permit in Schengen countries you can travel Visa free
Currency: The currency in France is Euro, the second most used currency in the world. 1 Euro is equivalent to about 80 Indian rupees. If you are on a Euro tour, you can easily use it in majority of the Schengen countries.
Best way to travel in Paris: Metro is the best way to travel, majority of the sightseeing places are spread across the city, so it will be more of using the public transport. We didn’t buy any passes, just the normal one-way ticket was sufficient or you can buy 10 pack tickets
Accommodation : We prefer AIRBNB’s. We rented out a studio apartment, which was less expensive than a hotel room.
Language : French is the official language of the city, but you can find English widely spoken and boards/signs in English
Food: There are plenty of fast food joints across the city. If you staying in a dorm, the best option to get into supermarkets and buy a packaged meal starting @5 Euros. Healthy & cheap. We did try Tamil Cuisines in this street " Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010 Paris " known for its Authentic Tamil food.
Water: Tap water is Clean & safe. Do carry reusable bottles and refill it any restaurant/coffee shops
Wifi & Mobile data: There are plenty of free wi-fi spots if you are in the city. We didn’t have the requirement to buy a sim or activate data roaming. Our AIRBNB had free w-ifi where we used to download stuffs required for the next day
Credit Cards and ATMs: It was easy paying by card almost everywhere. We didn’t have the need to pull out cash. There are still plenty of ATM’s around.
Safety: Keep your wallets & passports safe. Always be mindful of your surroundings & stick to your instincts. If you feel something is not right, don't do it. You would have certainly read this somewhere before travelling to Paris "pickpocketing".
How to get to Paris
International flights arrive at Charles de Gaulle airport, one of the busiest & largest airports in the country. This will be your first point of entry flying long haul flights.
We flew Norwegian air from Stavanger International airport to Beauvais Airport or Paris-Beauvais Airport, is located about 80km from Paris. Most of the low cost airlines fly to BVA instead of Charles de Gaulle Airport, the main & biggest airport in Paris.
The shuttle service to city leaves approximately 20 minutes after each flight arrival, journey time is about 1 hr 30 mins. We bought the tickets at a sales point outside the terminal.
Tickets will cost 17Euros/person/way
Our Budget
Paris can be seen from a backpacker’s perspective or you can spend big buck. It is totally up to you. Of course, we were travelling on a Budget.
Norwegian air flew us direct and costed us 699 Norwegian kroner per person return journey which was a great deal
We found an Airbnb Accommodation an entire studio apartment, costed us 50 Euros per day (still cheaper then hostel dorms which costed 30 Euros per person/night)
Eating out was Expensive. So we tried only the bakery stuffs and didn’t opt for any fancy restaurants this time. 10 Euros/person/meal is what we spent dining in Indian & Chinese restaurants.
If you are travelling in public transport all three days, we recommend getting tickets in bunch of 10. It will cost 16 Euros and will be sufficient for the 3-day travel in Zone1 & 2. if you are travelling to Disneyland or The Palace of Versailles, you need to buy separate tickets.
Where to Stay
This map shows the most preferred area to stay
We stayed 14th arrondissement of Paris, just closer to one of the Metro stations. Our Airbnb costed 50 Euros per night (for two people). It’s a whole private studio apartment
Paris is well connected with Metro & bus network. Almost most of the attractions are close by a Metro station.
The only reason we chose to stay in this area because it is the cheapest accommodation we could find with all the amenities and excellent reviews. All the major attractions are close by and train will take you there within 15 minutes (5 km by road)
3 Days in Paris !!What to Do?
Eiffel & Louvre will easily be on the bucket list anyone travelling to Paris. We had one more added to it "Disneyland Paris". We also wanted to visit the Pont des arts, commonly known as the Love lock bridge. After walking through the streets of Paris, there is lot more to visit and experience, part from these.
It’s a beautiful city with amazing buildings & castles, you can spend hours along the Rhine river and always bars & restaurants everywhere. We spent 3 days in Paris, could have extended to 2 more days easily considering we had one full day in Disneyland
This Map will give you the highlights of Paris. You’ll get an overall idea of what to do and you can mix it up the way you want. We wanted to do the museums first , so we started off the below way
3 Days Itinerary in Paris
Day 1: Louvre Museum, Notre Dame, Rhine river, Walking tour
Day 2: Disney Land park & Walt Disney Studios
Day 3: Eiffel Tower, Champ elyses, Arch de triumph, Sacre-Coeur basilica
Eiffel at night – We visited Eiffel all three nights, just to relax and see it glittering.
Every evening, the Eiffel Tower is adorned with its golden covering and sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour, while its beacon shines over Paris.
Day 1: Louvre Museum, Notre Dame, Seine river & Walking tour
Louvre museum
Our Inspiration comes from the movie "Da vinci code". By far, the largest museum we have ever visited. Honestly, you could spend 3 to 4 days easily covering every artefact & paintings spanning around 3 floors. We went with the highlights (Mona lisa, Da vinci paintings and other main wings).
Tips to visit Louvre:
Museum is closed on Tuesday, so plan your visit accordingly. It will be opened until 9.45 pm on Wednesday & Fridays. So you can maximise your time inside
Book tickets online instead of waiting in the queue. Go for the Audio guide, it is so informative.
There are also guided small group tours which allows you to skip lines, cover the highlights & have a personal guide. We didn't opt though
Disneyland Paris &
Walt Disney Studio
Another interesting fact : Disneyland Paris is the most visited attraction in Paris, surpassing Eiffel & Notre dame
Notre Dame Cathedral
How could you miss the most beautiful buildings across Europe?
A surprising fact about Notre Dame cathedral! It is the most visited monument in Paris, 35000 visitors enter its gate every day, far more than those who visit The Eiffel.
It is a church and you are free to enter, just be mindful of what you wear. Tickets can be bought to go up the tower to have a panorama of the city, will cost around 8 Euros
WHAT IS PARIS MUSEUM PASS?
This Pass will give you access to more than 50 museums and monuments in Paris and the surrounding area.
Notable places - Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Notre dame, Pantheon, palace of Versailles
The Pass is available is for 48 consecutive hours (2 days), 96 consecutive hours (4 days) or 144 consecutive hours (6 days).
2 day pass will cost 52 Euros per person
You can but it online from Paris official Website of the Convention & Tourism Bureau. Click here
Seine River Cruise
We would highly recommend doing the Seine river cruise. It takes you around the important landmarks in Paris -Louvre, the Eiffel, the Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc. They last about an hour in duration, beginning and finishing at the same place. Ride comes with an automated commentary in English
Ticket cost (as of Jan, 2020): Adults - 14 Euros, Kids aged 4 to 12 - 6 euros. Free for kids below 4
After the cruise, it was time to explore Paris by foot, walking along the seine. There is no specific path, but we wanted to visit Pont Des arts (the love lock bridge) on the way back. You will also walk past the bookshops selling books, posters, arts, souvenirs. Looks so beautiful
Love Lock Bridge
Pont Des Arts
Booksellers- Paris Streets
Day 2: Disney Land park & Walt Disney Studios
No one is too old for fairy tales!! Its true!! The park is filled with kids and it makes you feel 10 years younger. It is OK to escape the regular routine of life ,throwing reality out of the window and live in a fantasy world.
We spent one full day in Disneyland, it was a fantastic experience and we could have easily extended it by another day. Tons of exhibits & rides and we enjoyed it like kids. The amazing part is the way these rides have been designed & constructed. We have written a separate page explaining the park, rides, tips to visit, cost, Do's and Dont's. We'll just give an overview here.
There are actually two separate parks inside - The Disneyland & Walt Disney studios. We bought a combi ticket which gives access to both the parks
Disney land is more about the Disney characters & rides associated with it. The Grand parade also takes place in this park. Walt Disney is more about how the movies are made and has got organised tours taking you behind the scenes.
How to get there?
RER A (train line) drops you right in front of the gate of Disney coming in from Paris city centre. As it is outside of Zone 1 & 2, the usual metro tickets are not valid. Tickets will cost 7.6 Euros one way/person. Travel time will be around 45 mins each way
Additional tips:
Do get to Disney as early as possible, here will be wait times in almost all the rides. So plan ahead and familiarise yourselves with the map. Chose the rides which is a must go, optional & to Avoid. This will help you a lot and will not feel disappointed while going back
Pack enough snacks & water, you will be doing a lot of walking up and down. Carry a jacket with you, in case if it gets cold later in the evening
Walt Disney studios is also interesting and you don't get to see behind the scenes, set locations that often. Do not skip it.
Day 3: Eiffel Tower, Champ elyses, Arch de triumph,Sacre-Coeur Basilica
Eiffel Tower
Eiffel is so magnificent , you can keep looking at it all day. It is the main tourist attraction and you will see people all around.
Our suggestion to get down at Metro station Trocadero, enjoy the views of Eiffel and walk down towards Eiffel. You can also search for "Place du Trocadero", yet another historical landmark from which you can overlook the Eiffel
You can see long queues to go up the tower. If you have got plans to go up, book your tickets online in advance and be there at your scheduled time. You can either to go via elevators or via stairs.
You can but them online in Tour Eiffel's official website. Click here
Arc de Triomphe & Champ elyses
The most famous street in Paris, the busiest as well. Yet another tourist location, the road leads the Arc de Triomphe. You can see shopping & dining options all the way. It also happens to be a large roundabout where 12 of the Paris main street's converge. 13 Euros is the ticket to go up the top and have an aerial view. It is also a perfect spot to look at the Eiffel from a distance.
There is a metro station just beneath Arc de Triomphe, so you don't have to walk all the way across Champ Elyse's.
Sacre-Coeur Bascilica & Montmartre
A popular landmark and the second most visited monument in Paris, the basilica stands at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. You can either walk up the hill or use the funicular car(we suggest trying this out). It gives a panoramic view of the city, lots of shopping & dining options.
La Chapelle (Metro station) & Tamil Food
If you are craving for South Indian food, this is the street to be. After 3 days of non-stop action, we decided to have an authentic Tamil food and luckily we landed up in his area. We met couple of fellow travellers talking about their experience of having Tamil food in Paris. We were so quick to get some more info. This happened to be the last day of our trip. we enjoyed the food and even ordered takeaways for next day's breakfast
Paris at night
Paris is a beautiful city, no doubt about that. Under the lights, it glows like gold. Two of our fav night spots are Eiffel of course & Louvre.
Walking along the Seine river in the evening will give you the best views of all the building which you could have easily overlooked during the day time. Bridges will all be lit and it is a treat to watch
We missed majority of the nightlife, thanks to our packed Itinerary & extensive walking. Nightlife is what we missed and still regret. Thats where the extra one or two days would have definitely helped
Conclusion & Our Recommendation
We have beautiful memories of Paris and we will for sure travel again. If Disneyland is not a part of your travel itinerary, you can easily switch. Our recommendation would be the Palace of Versailles (half day) & take a guided small group walking tour. It will help you to interact with a local and get more insights about Paris.
Our Recommendation:
Bucket list Destination
