Paris, France

There have been so many Paris-related posts lately on Chic Darling!

When I decided to come to Europe, I wanted to by-pass France entirely — last time I had been the people were rude, the place smelled and I stayed at a really run-down hostel. However, my inner-frugalista won and I begrudingly took the cheapest flight to Europe available — direct: Montreal->Paris.

Long story short — I had a fantastic time in Paris! Turns out, when you speak French to people and are not dressed like a hobo, people are much friendlier!

Here are my Top Picks of places to visit:

• Arc de Triomphe: This is my FAVOURITE site in all of Paris. There’s nothing to really see per se but it is a beautiful landmark and there’s an observation deck
• The Louvre: The Louvre is a former palace which, in itself, is impressive to visit. However, it is filled with the most beautiful art that I’ve ever seen and you could spend days just admiring everything
• Notre Dame Cathedral: A bit smaller than I imagined but very impressive when you think about how old it is!
• Musée d’Orsay: See the Louvre
• Eiffel Tower: A staple to visit when in Paris — but to be avoided on Valentine’s Day! Every time I’ve visited I’ve seen many marriage proposals which can lift your spirits on a bad day
• Tour Montparnasse: A nice place to have an overview of Paris but without the lines of the Eiffel Tower or l’Arc de Triomphe
• Champs d’Elysées: A luxury shopping street in Paris — nice to visit but unlikely that you can afford anything aside from the food or something from the Virgin Megastore
• Catacombs: AMAZING! Not for the faint of heart or the claustrophobic though… About 20km below ground, cramped quarters and walls made of bones: An experience to not be missed!
• Sacré-Coeur Basilica: Huge and quite impressive
• Moulin Rouge: I’ve never been to Moulin Rouge but a friend of mine loved it!
• La Défense: La Défense is where the architecture-nerd in me comes out — so, SO many beautiful, modern buildings. There’s also a shopping centre that was once the largest in Europe
• Versailles: Going to Versailles is a day-trip but well worth it! The palace is enormous and quite ornate, the gardens are HUGE and beautiful and the town is cheap and very stereotypically-French
• Panthéon: Another place that I haven’t visited but plan to when I head back to Paris before I go home

L’Arc de Triomphe — my favourite!

Notre Dame Cathedral

All of Paris is COVERED in gold

The Eiffel Tower at night

More random displays of gold

A copy of the flame that the Statue of Liberty is holding. This is also a de facto memorial to Princess Diana as it sits atop the tunnel where her car crashed in 1997

A wall of bones in the Catacombs

A typical Parisian breakfast — a croissant and an espresso!

I love Dutch paintings so the Louvre was particularly enjoyable for me

Venus de Milo

View of the entrance to the Louvre from inside

You can enter the Louvre from this area and the lines are generally shorter. However! If you have no bags for security to look through, you can bypass the line entirely!