Britnee Johnston10 THINGS TO DO IN PARIS Britnee Johnston July 1 Europe, France, Top 5, Travel Paris is one of my favorite European destinations. I’ve heard of some people who didn’t like the city, but I think they were just doing it wrong. In June 2022, I visited Paris for my second time and traveled with one of my sisters, Alexa, which was her first time. We spent four nights in Paris and purchased the Paris Museum Pass online ahead of time (€70/person for four days), which gave us free admission to many of the popular sites in Paris. It also motivated us to go see more than we might have and helped us make good use of our time there. There’s so much to do, so I narrowed our favorites into the top 10 below. You’ll find that I share some of the usual iconic attractions (they are popular for a reason!), while others are hidden treasures in the city. 1. Find the best views of Paris at the top of Arc de Triomphe For one of the finest views of Paris, get yourself to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed up the 284 steps of a spiral staircase to arrive at the top right before sunset, and were rewarded with wonderful evening views. We also had a view of an incoming storm as we saw lightning strikes in the distance while we were up there. In fact, the storm came so close that everyone’s hair was standing up at one point, but no one noticed (except my sister) because we were too busy looking at the Eiffel Tower, waiting for its lights to turn on. So that probably wasn’t safe, and the staff never told anyone to get off the rooftop. It wasn’t until a loud thunderclap and lightning struck very close to us that many visitors voluntarily exited the rooftop. It made for an adventure! Cost: Entry is free when you use your Paris Museum Pass (as of June 2022). 2. Visit the largest Picasso collection in the world at the Picasso Museum I absolutely loved the Picasso Museum. This was my first time visiting the museum and it is said to hold the largest Picasso collection in the world. Every room was filled with artwork featuring the famous style of Picasso. While we were there, the museum featured a special collection of artwork from Picasso’s daughter, which included a behind-the-scenes look of his personal life with his family. This is a museum we probably wouldn’t have gone to if it hadn’t been promoted on the Paris Museum Pass, but it ended up being one of my favorite things we visited. Cost: Entry is free when you use your Paris Museum Pass (as of June 2022). 3. Eat a Savory Galette at Breizh Cafe After you’re done visiting the Picasso Museum, head over to the Breizh Cafe a block away (109 Rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75003 Paris) to eat a classic buckwheat galette filled with your choice from the likes of eggs, ham, cheese, mushrooms, and sausage. Follow it up with a sweet crepe with nearly 30 different fillings to choose from such as chocolate, caramel, apple banana, vanilla ice cream, chestnut cream, ginger ice cream, and even green tea ice cream. Cost: €13.50 average for galettes; €6-14.50 for sweet crepes (as of June 2022). 4. Soak your feet in the water fountain pools at the Trocadéro Gardens Since we were visiting Paris in mid-to-late June, it was hot during our travels throughout the city. In the late afternoons, we would head to the Trocadéro Gardens to soak our hot and tired feet at the edge of the water fountain pools. It’s a great place to cool off and look over across the road for a grand view of the Eiffel Tower. This garden area is very popular with many people taking photos of the Eiffel Tower from the stairs above the water fountains. We were also staying just a block away at the Best Western Au Trocadero, which made it easy to visit the gardens and pools any time of the day. We stayed there for four nights for $836 total. View and book the Best Western Au Trocadero on booking.com. 5. Eat a pistachio roll at Du Pain et des Idées France is known for its delicious pastries and breads at their boulangeries. If you haven’t tried it yet, try a pistachio roll. It’s so good, I wish we had these in the United States. My husband, Mark, and I had come across these by chance last time we were in Paris. Because we had found them so easily the first time, I thought I’d be able to easily find them again. It proved harder this time, but we were able to find them at Du Pain et des Idées. The boulangerie evoked classic French with many offerings like pain au chocolat and apple turnovers. Their pistachio rolls were huge and also included chocolate chips. I introduced them to my sister, Alexa, who loved them. Don’t miss out! Cost: Around $4/roll (as of June 2022) 6. Admire the stained glass windows at Sainte-Chappelle On our visit to Paris, Notre Dame was closed as it was still under reconstruction from its 2019 fire. I found that Sainte-Chappelle was a good alternative for impressive 13th century architecture and rayonnant Gothic stained glass windows. Filled with purples, blues, and pinks–the stained glass panes are nearly 50 feet tall and depict more than 1,000 scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The line was a long wait even though we had timed tickets, and once in it is a fairly small building to see the stained glass windows, but it’s worth it to see this picturesque Gothic beauty. Cost: Entry is free when you use your Paris Museum Pass. You will need to book a timed ticket in advance on Sainte-Chappelle’s website (as of June 2022). 7. Visit Marie Antoinette’s prison cell at the Conciergerie As we exited Sainte-Chappelle, we went and checked out the Conciergerie next door. We decided to go in and visit since it was part of our Paris Museum Pass, and to escape the outdoor heat, and also because there was no line to get in. A win-win-win all around! The Concierge is known as a prison during the French Revolution with Marie-Antoinette as their most famous prisoner. A commemorative chapel is erected on the site of her cell that is one of the sites visitors can go through during their self-guided tour of the Conciergerie. The main entry area features beautifully white arched ceilings, as pictured above. Cost: Entry is free when you use your Paris Museum Pass (as of June 2022). 8. Eat pizza and pasta at Pink Mamma Pink Mamma, located at 20bis Rue de Douai, 75009 Paris, was recommended to me by a friend. This restaurant features four floors with each one having its own flair and character. Even the stairway to get to each floor is decorated with a large assortment of artwork. It is recommended to book in advance, although they will take walk-ins. We did the walk-in route and arrived 1.5 hours before they opened to be first in line for the walk-in line. This place was popular with a very long line that built up behind us right before it opened. Since we were first in line, we got in easily after they let all those with reservations inside. We enjoyed the hip Parisian vibe with background music playing 80’s French hits such as “Sage comme une image” by Lio. We ordered pizza and pasta and some drinks to enjoy our evening. It was a fun experience, and I think we enjoyed it even more knowing we got lucky to get in without a booking! Photo Tip: You may get seated on a lower level, like we did (level one). Make sure you take a quick visit up the stairway to level four to peek at the different interiors of the eating areas, and get a photo at the top of the stairway with all the artwork and bay windows! Cost: $57 total bill USD (one pizza, one pasta dish, one side dish, one drink) 9. Visit the Château de Versailles and Gardens We made a day trip from Paris to Château de Versailles as it was part of the Paris Museum Pass. The palace’s collection includes 60,000 pieces of artwork from various eras in French history. Some of the most famous pieces include the Coronation of Napoleon and Portrait of Marie Antoinette, with the most famous room being the grand Hall of Mirrors. We checked out as much as we could of the palace before we started getting tired of looking at paintings and sculptures. We were on the fence on whether we should visit the gardens since that cost extra. Since we didn’t have any other plans, we decided to go for it and were glad we did. The gardens and fountains are so beautiful and it made for a wonderful walk to round out the rest of our afternoon. Cost: Entry to the palace is free when you use your Paris Museum Pass, however, the gardens are an additional cost. You will need to book a timed ticket in advance on Versailles’ website (as of June 2022). 10. Visit the Louvre The Louvre—it’s popular for a reason. It features so many famous works such as the Mona Lisa, Liberty Leading the People, Saint John the Baptist, Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. We saw paintings and sculptures ranging from the middle ages to the 1800s from various cultures including Western, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Islamic. Photo tip: Head to the Le Cafe Mollien on the Level One in the Denon wing (next to the red French paintings rooms). Order and pick-up your food at the counter and then head to their balcony for beautiful views of picturesque statues overlooking the pyramid courtyard. Cost: Entry is free when you use your Paris Museum Pass. You will need to book a timed ticket in advance on the Louvre’s website (as of June 2022).
