Hey, did I tell you all, we spent a lot of time walking down the streets after our river cruise in my part I of Paris tales? I would say that was one of the best things we had done on our Paris trip. Oh, Paris! You are even irresistible with night lights!
Besides, here is the second part of our Paris itinerary. If you are new to my post and missed reading the part I, here it is – Paris - Trip To Beguiling City Of Lights (Part I). You’re welcome 😊
Continuing…
Having slept for hardly 3 hours on our second night at Paris, we start our day 3 early.
DAY 3
Watch sunrise over the Eiffel tower from Trocadero
Here come our unforgettable moments of Paris trip.
We did anything and everything that would let us reach near Eiffel tower before the sunrise. All we wanted was to get the best shots and to witness the beauty of Eiffel without having a rush of tourists. Hence, after sleeping for a couple of hours at night, we woke up even before the sunrise and threw ourselves out of the apartment. Indeed we got many wonderful photos of exquisite Eiffel tower. Here are few of them –
Before beginning the series of pictures, here is a little tip – The great cognizance that I can give you when it comes to watching the Eiffel with an uninterrupted view is, ARRIVE BEFORE THE SUNRISE. You will fall head over heels in love with Paris once again 😊
Palais de Tokyo
We spotted this while coming back from Trocadero. Palais de Tokyo is dedicated to Arts. We did not consider ourselves going inside of Palais de Tokyo. If you are an art lover and would want to visit the place, do plan accordingly as their opening hours are unusual.
Catacombs of Paris – An underground cemetery
What is Catacombs or Paris? Here is a bit of history-
Catacombs of Paris is an underground maze where remains of more than six million people are kept.
It all started with the residents of Paris suffering from a serious disease. Those days, Paris cemeteries were teeming with human remains. Due to pollution caused by open mass graves, people began to experience serious health issues. That’s when the government decided to move all the remains to quarries, closing quite a few cemeteries during late 18th century. This entire process lasted for more than 2 years! After methodically transferring the remains, they were piled up on each other in a very neat fashion, leaving no clue of whose skull you are staring at except the name of the cemetery where they had been brought from.
During the second world war, French Resistance used Catacomb to hide from the German army. Later the cemetery became an object of curiosity and eventually became touristy and now, a tiny section of the underground cemetery is open to visitors.
Though the place is a bit eerie, you should plan a visit to the maze unless you are a faint-hearted person.
TIP- Okay, a couple of things to keep in mind when you visit Catacombs –
- You cannot book your tickets online, that means you have to wait in queue for hours.
- Entry is limited to 200 visitors at once. That means you will have to wait one more hour if you missed your entry with the previous batch 😐
- Considering all the above points, my suggestion is – visit Catacombs of Paris during the opening hours (i.e. 10 A.M). Again, that means, you will have to arrive at least 1 - 1:30 hour earlier than the opening hour to get inside with the first batch. Yeah, that’s what we had done.
- One more, there are no toilets inside.
Here are few pictures that will explain you more on how eerie the underground cemetery is –
If you are going to follow our itinerary and planning to reach most of them by foot like we did, make sure you are walking in one of the most comfortable shoes that you own. Otherwise, you will end up buying new ones 😄
The cause of lack of sleep that we sacrificed the previous night for visiting Trocadero and a fair amount of distance we covered by foot since our arrival in Paris had begun to take a toll. Hence, we decided to go back to our room to take some good rest before heading to our next destination.
Arc de Triomphe
Built in honor of those fighters who fought and died for France, Arc de Triomphe stands at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at Place de l'Étoile. You could get on top of the monument climbing few steps. It gives you a panoramic 360 degree with the view of roads spread across 8 different directions.
After a nap, we headed towards Arc de Triomphe to watch the sunset over Paris. Unfortunately, the monument was closed for a maintenance. Nevertheless, we got to see the sunset over Arc de Triomphe 😊
Champs-Élysées
So, disappointed us, went for a shopping therapy in Champs-Élysées 😉 Just joking 😊 Though it´s true that I shopped a bit, strolling on the roads of Champs-Élysées was remarkable.
Slowly setting sun over the Arc de Triomphe, streets of Champs-Élysées getting ready to lit up, pleasant breeze brushing against the skin, happy faces walking around spending time with their family altogether made our heart fly with happiness.
TIP- Champs-Élysées has some really good restaurants so, consider yourself having a good food on Champs-Élysées. I suggest spending some time enjoying luscious food from wide varieties of culinary.
Grand Palais and Petit Palais
While walking on Champs-Élysées, take a pit stop at Grand Palais to admire the beauty. The Grand Palais is now house to the science museum and art exhibition. The Palais also host few famous catwalk shows during Paris Fashion Week.
Just opposite to Grand Palais you will find Petit Palais which is dedicated to fine arts.
Pont de Alexandra III
As mentioned in my previous post, do check out the Eiffel from Paris's famous bridges during the night. We did it too! And my suggestion would be Pont de Alexandra III. Ah! What a breathtaking view it was!
TIP - Experience all three areas mentioned above after the sunset and by walking. You will be amazed.
DAY 4
On our fourth day, i.e. last day in Paris, all we had was half a day to explore the city and we chose Montmartre.
Montmartre
The mountain of Martyrs or Montmartre is a hilly area that has hundreds of houses, vinery, few museums, restaurants, artists and a well-known Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur on its peak. The exquisitely built Sacré-Coeur in a pretty location has a perfect panoramic view of the city of Paris.
To get on top of the Montmartre, from metro station, you will have to pass through “Rue de Steinkerque” a perfect destination for street shop lovers to grab items for a great bargain!
Once you cross the street, you can take either funicular railway that uses metro pass or metro ticket to reach you to the Sacré-Coeur, or like us, walking the trail. If you choose walking trail, you will catch a good front view of Sacré-Coeur that that will make a perfect photo spot. And, also will be passing by beautiful gardens beside the walking trail.
After soaking up in the panoramic view of the city, continue walking further beside the basilica. You will reach an alley full of artists sketching portraits of people. Yes, you can get it done for yourself too! Having said that, go through everybody’s sketch and choose the best one for you.
TIP- End your visit with a luscious lunch in one of Montmartre’s restaurants that provide a relaxing ambiance, delicious French food, and a nice Parisian music.
Psst, here is a glimpse from where I have been writing this article 😉 Greetings from Santorini 😊
More about this in future posts 😊
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Chaithra Bhat