In 2014 I visited Paris for the second time. The first time was in 2006 when I visited with my mum. Back then we focused more on seeing as many sights as possible in a very short weekend. The second time around I visited with friends when I stayed in The Netherlands for two weeks during summer. It’s very easy to take a fast train from Rotterdam to Paris, so that’s what we did. This trip we focused more on enjoying ourselves and taking it slow.
Quartier Latin
We stayed in Hotel Excelsior Latin which is a gorgeous hotel in the middle of a very artsy arrondissement (5th) with amazing food. Most of the time we had dinner in the area of the hotel. The first day we also had lunch in Les Patios, this restaurant looks out over a very pretty square. In this arrondissement you can also find the Panthéon and Sorbonne University. When you stay in Paris always make sure you’re close to a metro station; we were staying close to Cluny – La Sorbonne. It’s an excellent neighbourhood to make your home-base while staying in Paris.
We decided to walk a bit so we went by Île de la Cité and walked past the gorgeous Notre-Dame. Île de la Cité is one of the two remaining natural islands in the Seine and it is the location where the medieval city was founded.
Eiffel Tower
In my previous post about Paris I didn’t have any pictures of the Eiffel Tower. This time around I have a couple (as I made it my mission for this trip to at least take a few). It was a particularly hot weekend when we visited, so people were trying to cool down in the fountains near the Eiffel tower.
Seine Boat Tour
Something I didn’t do and see on my previous tour was a Seine Boat tour. It’s really something you should do on your first visit in Paris, because it takes you to all the famous sights around the Seine. You can get on most areas along the Seine, but I don’t recall where we boarded the boat. I don’t even remember the company. I don’t think it makes much of a difference though, all companies will take you along the Seine and most likely around the Île de la Cité as well.
Galeries Lafayette
When you’re on a weekend trip with girlfriends in Paris, you can’t skip shopping heaven aka Galeries Lafayette. The famous upmarket department store is home to 10 floors of clothes, shoes and miscellaneous household and beauty items. I shopped quite a few things, when in Paris do as the Parisians do right? Shop till you drop!
The view from the roof of Galeries Lafayette is very nice. You look out over the Eiffel Tower and an opera house. They sell refreshments on the roof so it’s a great place to catch a break from the shopping madness.
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
It’s only logic that you make your way from the upmarket department store to one of the most expensive high streets. The name of the street comes from the Elysian Fields which is the paradise of Greek heroes in Greek mythology. Arc de Triomphe is located here as well.
We didn’t do much more shopping here. First of all because the hot summer day made way for a massive rain shower, so bad that we had to hide in one of the cheapest (cheapest is relative here…) restaurants we could find. Of course we only ordered a coffee.
Montmartre
Our second day we spent in the super artsy district of Montmartre. Montmartre actually has two different sides. One is quite poor and disheveled (which is the only part I saw in 2006), the other area is around Sacré Coeur and it’s is home to a big artist market where people put their art on sale and where you can find cute and quirky homemade jewelry and clothing shops. There are nice restaurants and cafes in this area too. It’s one of my favourite areas in Paris, similar to Camden Town in London.
Conclusion
This was an excellent weekend trip with the girls. Paris is really conveniently located near the Netherlands and especially the high-speed train makes it worth going for a short weekend trip. I’m sure I’ll visit this city again and again.
