I recently went on my first ever Euro Adventure. My first destination was my childhood dream PARIS!!!!

In this blog wanted to share some of the highlights of my quick visit there.

I decided to book hotel near train station which was a boon considering all the city traffic and saves a lot of money on cabs/uber. I always use booking.com to book my hotels. I just love them.

Most of the places there accept credit cards, so you don’t need to carry much cash. But would definitely recommend keeping atleast €100 with you. I had no time to do currency exchange back home, so just used my bank’s partner ATM to withdraw some cash. Definitely avoid airport for currency exchange. They are total a rip off.

I booked most of the attraction tickets online along with skip-the-line tickets wherever possible to avoid crazy summer crowd. It was slightly expensive but was worth every penny, especially in summer, as wait times can be hours and the scorching heat kills half the excitement.

Eiffel Skip-the-line tickets from official website is not very expensive but gets sold out months in advance especially during summer. I tried booking one week before reaching and it was sold out even on most of the 3rd party websites. I ended up with a slightly more expensive option: visit-paris-one-day. This was a combined package for Eiffel, River Cruise, Notre Dame and Louvre Museum. For Arc de triomphe, I used paris-skip-the-line-arc-de-triomphe-tickets to get my tickets in advance. Also, while planning make sure to keep into account that Louvre Museum is closed on Tuesdays.

I am a huge shopaholic and how could I miss a chance in the fashion capital of the world!!! So Day-1 was just dedicated to visiting “Arc de triomphe” and shopping crazy at Champs Elysees which was right next to it.

The Arc de Triomphe honors the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars martyrs with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces.  After reaching the top (lot of stairs!), it had some gorgeous views of Paris, especially my love “Eiffel”. That was my very first look at it and I cannot describe that moment in words, I was in complete awe!

After this, it was time to go crazy with shopping and Paris sure didn’t disappoint!!!

At night I went to see Eiffel light show that happens every hour and lasts for about 15 mins post sunset. It was mesmerizing. You can enjoy this view from gardens in front of it. They allow your own drinks/food or just buy from there. Eiffel turns even more beautiful at night.

Day-2 started very early in the morning as it was a super packed day. It started with going up the Eiffel Tower.  Again skip-the-line helped the most. The lines were crazy at even 8:30 am. I had taken the summit access tickets. But I realized the better experience was at the second level as it is all open. Even the pictures turn out better from this floor. It was getting too crowded to come down, so I took the stairs. Although it sounds scary, it was much airy and refreshing compared to an over crowded elevator.

I also did a river cruise which was pretty relaxing and could get a glance of everything just sitting there. It’s pretty cheap too. If you have one hour to spare should definitely hop on to these.

Next, I went to see the master piece of Gothic Architecture, Notre-Dame Cathedral. In simple words, it was a beauty inside out.

My next stop was Louvre Museum. I went on a Wednesday and they were open till 10 pm on that day. So had ample time. Although, I am not a big fan of museums, but I definitely wanted to see Mona Lisa. It was so not worth the hype. A small painting which you can only see from a great distance. It was most guarded painting there.

At night went to see Moulin Rouge area. It was a very different atmosphere there, especially since it was soccer world cup season. Every bar and restaurant people were going crazy for there teams. I never thought I would enjoy watching soccer games so much as I did in Paris.

 

On my departure day, woke up early to stroll in Montmartre. It has some upscale shops and cafes and a rustic charm. Ate most yummy macaroons and Baguettes there!!!

Paris in July can be pretty hot. One thing that I loved there was, every where they had fresh made orange juice. It was a life savior there.

I also managed to buy some cult products from the pharmacies of Paris:

1. Bioderma Crealine H2O Micelle Solution – One of their most famous makeup remover. A must buy!!!
2. Homeoplasmine – French solution for skin irritations. This one is so good for dry winter skin, cracked heels etc.
3. La Roche-Posay Anthelios Suncreen – This is one of the best sunscreen I ever used. I absolutely swear by it.
4. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Or Multipurpose dry oil – I got the shimmering one. I am still deciding whether it was actually worth it!!!

The other thing about shopping in Paris (or for that matter any of EU) is if you buy goods worth €175 or more from a single store and a non EU resident, you can get a VAT refund of 12% when leaving the country. Girls go get that LV now!!! Just remember to carry your passport for this.

All I can say is, Merci Paris for being incredible. I am so not done with you. Will be back!!!