La Vie en Rose: A week in Paris!
- Saheli Chatterjee
- Mar 5
- 4 min read
Our first long trip to Europe began with Paris in the early stages of Spring! The moment we stepped onto the cobblestone streets, the city wrapped us in a warm embrace. We decided to start our adventure with Île de la Cité and found ourselves staring at the beautiful Notre-Dame cathedral. Luckily for us, the constructions after the notorious fire had just been completed and the cathedral stood before us in all its glory. We decided to avoid the long queue to enter the cathedral and walked to the Shakespeare & Company bookstore, getting lost in its old-timey charm and books galore. They also have a cafe if you're tired of walking around and need a coffee break. Following this, we found our way to Place du Trocadero for the wonderful evening show that brings in all the crowds in Paris! As twilight descended, the Eiffel Tower lit up and at the fall of every hour, it's known to shimmer for five whole minutes, its lights twinkling like stars in the night sky!
Pro tips:
Buy tickets for entry to cathedrals like Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle way in advance for your visit. If that doesn't work out, buy skip-the-line guided tour tickets from third party vendors like Getyourguide.
Trocadero area can get really crowded and is known for scams; so, hold your belongings tight and find a safe corner to enjoy the evening show.
On the second day of our trip, we explored the Versailles palace and gardens, and we were fortunate to find a tour that included a bike ride around the town and a picnic! We had an excellent guide in Versailles who took us to the local market and suggested some fantastic cheeses, wine, and bread for our picnic, which was the highlight of the tour. The picnic was serene and set in a beautiful location. Matt’s knowledge of Versailles' history was impressive! The visit to the palace was a bit crowded, but that's typical for tourist attractions. Overall, the tour was well-organised with very comfortable bikes.
Pro tip: Book this tour for experiencing all that Versailles has to offer!
In the heart of the city, we found ourselves at the Tuileries garden and the famous Louvre, where masterpieces whispered secrets of the past. We fell in love with romantic and magnificent sculptures like "Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss" and the "Winged Victory", Nike of Samothrace. Even though most of the crowd just huddles around the Mona Lisa, we spent more of our time admiring the numerous other art pieces that deserved more attention. We were also lucky enough to visit the Apollo gallery and admire the jewels before they were stolen during the infamous heist! After the exhausting walk around the largest museum in the world, we decided to relax in the shopping district of Le Marais. We also visited the Luxembourg gardens and the Place de Vosges area to soak up all the sunshine the day had to offer!
Pro tip: The Louvre has many sections and it's impossible to see everything in one day. The smartest travel hack if you have limited number of days in Paris is to pick the sections you're most interested in and maximise your experience within limited amount of time.
The next day started very early as we made our way to Rue de l'université for sun-kissed Eiffel tower pictures with no crowds blocking our view! We walked along the Trocadero gardens and Pont Alexader III bridge for more such unhindered views of the tower. As lovers of the Fine Arts, we had booked a tour of the Musee d'Orsay hoping to soak up every bit of impressionism on those walls. It was a small group of five people and the guide spoke our language as she selectively catered to our interests and took us to spots we could have easily missed without guidance! We learned more about the artists and their art than we ever found in books!
Pro tip: The Batobus tour on the Seine river connects most of the important monuments and museums and we found it most useful.
We started our day walking along the famous Champs-Élysées and capturing beautiful pictures of the Arc de Triomphe. This area didn't really suit our vibes in general, so we moved on to a better place. As we wandered through the winding alleys of Montmartre, each corner revealed a new treasure. The vibrant street art danced along the walls, telling stories of love and longing. After our walking tour ended, we found ourselves at the Sacré-Cœur Basilica with a surprisingly smaller line for entry than we expected. Needless to say that the stained glass interiors and the ongoing mass within the basilica moved us far beyond our expectations! As we descended along the hills of Montmartre, we decided to end our day at the Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann. Although we don't much enjoy shopping for luxury products, we couldn't resist getting in line and taking beautiful pictures of us with the dome interiors. To top it all off, we were able to enjoy panoramic views of the city from the terrace and even though it was raining, this experience was definitely worth it!
Paris was not merely a place; it was a wholesome experience. There are many challenges to the navigating the city with disabilities or maybe a weak knee. Even then, it holds true to it's claim of being the most romantic city on earth!
More tips:
For getting the most out of the public transportation system in the city, get a Navigo pass for a week, which covers busses and metros within the city.
Book an Airbnb a little far away from the main tourist attractions if your budget is a little tight. We stayed at a lovely apartment near the Gare du Nord train station.
For the best views of the Eiffel tower, consider waking up really early and checking out the bridges nearest to the monument.
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