Quick Guide to the Essential Sights of Paris

Paris has a number of iconic sights, and if you have just a few days to enjoy this enchanting city, you want to be sure to make these sights a priority. Sometimes, when planning a trip, trying to decipher from afar how much time you'll need to see this or that, or to travel between point A and point B can be very difficult. In this posting, I'll attempt to help you out with that conundrum.

We arrived in Paris at the Gare du Nord Station, having taken the Eurostar rail from London that morning. When you arrive, just follow the crowd to the exit and then get in line for a taxi. Get in the long line for the taxi. There are numerous signs that warn you against taking (something like) "uncertified taxis". We got the impression the short line was for those. The long line is monitored by station employees who will beckon a taxi over for you, once you reach the front of the line, based on how many people and how much luggage are in your party.

Our train got in around 11:30 a.m., and by the time we waited in the taxi line, traveled to our AirBnB rental, checked in there, freshened up a bit, and were out the door again, it was about 1:00 p.m. We devoted all the rest of the afternoon to seeing the Louvre, which was just about a 10 minute walk from our apartment. To get there, we crossed the Seine and paused for a moment to enjoy the view.

In Paris (or before you arrive), you can purchase the Paris Pass OR a Paris Museum Pass. We chose the latter, shipped to our home weeks before we left home, so we were ready to go as soon as we arrived. It allows you free entry to a long list of museums and attractions, and you save much time standing in line for a ticket. It does not allow you to skip any security lines, however.

The Louvre is the largest art museum in the world, and you could not possibly see the whole thing in any sort of adequate way even in one whole day. So, choose the galleries in which you are most interested to visit, and don't miss the essentials...like the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa.

Don't get so absorbed in the art that you fail to notice the beauty of the architecture of the Louvre itself. Gorgeous!

The entirety of the next day was spent visiting a variety of the must-see sights, eating at some fine restaurants, and walking, walking, walking. We started our day about 9 a.m., and arrived back at our apartment about 8 p.m. It's a long day, but it is possible to do all of this.

First stop was Notre Dame. Again, our Paris Museum Pass got us in the door. We did not get any sort of tour, but merely wandered through, stopping to decipher a few plaques along the way.

From there, we walked to a Metro station and took it to the restaurant, Angelina, for a late breakfast and cups of hot chocolate (link to my food guide at the bottom of this posting). After a leisurely breakfast, we walked up the famous Champs-Elysees.

There are shops all along the famous avenue. We did not stop to shop, but we did stop for lunch at Laduree. (Again, see food posting at the bottom.) Our destination at the end of our long walk was L'Arc de Triomphe. Can you spy the people at the top?

If you purchase the Paris Museum Pass, it will also give you free access to L'Arc de Triomphe.

And if you have stout legs, you can climb the 284 steps to the top of it! The view is quite worth it! This is looking back down the Champs-Elysees, the length of which we had just walked.

Looking toward Basilica du Sacre-Coeur du Montemartre, the highest point in Paris. If you have extra time, it would be great to journey out there to see it too.

And there's a great view of the Eiffel Tower from the top too!

After descending the 287 steps, we wandered about the base of it, pausing to see the flame to the unknown soldier and the view looking up at the arch.

Then we grabbed a taxi to get us quickly to the Eiffel Tower, as we had 3:00 p.m. tickets to go to the very top deck. Your Paris Museum Pass will NOT cover admission to the Eiffel Tower. You can, however, purchase tickets in advance, which I would highly recommend. You will still spend lots of time standing in line and on the second deck, because there are still plenty of lines.

A view from the second deck looking down at the Jardins du Trocadero. Keep that view in mind, because we're headed there in a moment.

Hello, Paris! View from the third deck...the tippy-top of the Eiffel Tower!

And zooming in bit by bit with my camera, you can see the details of the buildings and how most are built around a central courtyard.

After taking the elevator down, and purchasing some ice cream (dark chocolate and pistachio soft serve from a street vendor?...yes please!), we walked across the street to the Jardins du Trocadero. Here is a wonderful vantage point to take great photos of the Eiffel Tower.

From there, we traveled via Metro and on foot to the Jardins du Luxembourg. So beautiful! I would highly encourage you to make this a priority. 

If you arrive at a reasonable daytime hour, you will have the opportunity to rent a boat to sail on the fountain pond. These votes are nearly 100 years old, the idea of one man, who thought children would derive much joy from sailing them here. Over the years, they have been repainted and their sails replaced, but the boats remain the same. We rented one, like all the other 6-8 year olds, and had so much fun!

Next posting will be on our next day in Paris, which was spent at Versailles!

To read about our Paris lodgings, click here:

To read about our food guide to Paris food click here or here.

Touring England's Palaces & Castles

While on our vacation, we toured many of England's palaces and castles...each one unique and uniquely impressive! Here's a glimpse inside each one, with a few touring tips.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is available for touring, but only when the Queen is not in residence. And she was in residence when we were there, so we satisfied ourselves with watching the changing of the guard. We had hoped to arrive one hour early, but got delayed and arrived to find it just beginning and the crowds fully assembled. 

The flowers! Springtime in England!

There is the parade of troops with musical accompaniment which happens outside the palace gates. I must say that the one thing that was most surprising to me of the entire trip was the music played by the palace guard band. I would've expected national tunes or something militaristic. But it was show tunes...Putting on the Ritz, and such. Very surprising.

Then they proceed through the grand gates.

Now you can see why I advise arriving at least an hour early. I felt fortunate to have a vantage point this close to the gates! Even with a good zoom lens, it was nearly impossible to crop the bars out of the camera's view. So mostly, I just enjoyed it without too many photographs...such pageantry! And the dog!

The statue of Queen Victoria which sits in front of Buckingham Palace.

The flags around Buckingham Palace are made of a heavy cotton and stitched, giving them a weighty grandeur, when they billow in the breeze, which is a beautiful sight to behold.

Edinburgh Castle

High atop a rocky hill in the middle of the city of Edinburgh soars Edinburgh Castle. It has protected the city since the 12th century. We highly recommend the audio guide to the castle!

The 16th century portcullis gate.

Cannon can be seen poking through their openings. One can see why it was the best defense of the city, as it has a commanding view of the city, the surrounding countryside, and the North Sea.

Windsor Castle

This is also an official residence of the Queen, but she was not in residence, so we were able to tour. Sadly, no photography is allowed inside. The aim is to "wow" and does it ever! SO impressive with its arms, suits of armor, china, silver, chandeliers, fine art, tapestries, and so much more! We went in the late afternoon, which meant that we avoided the crowds almost completely.

We were told that the Queen's Guards are a special division of the military. There are a number of troops, and they take turns guarding the royal palaces. Colette read that there is quite a bit of controversy over their hats. Apparently, each one takes one bear to make. So, there is a movement afoot to make them from artificial fur.

Hampton Court Palace

This palace, home to King Henry VIII, is outside of London. It is about a 45-min. trip by train to get to it. Quite simple really. The train lets you off almost at the palace, and the signage is excellent to direct you to way to go. It was used by Henry VIII and successive kings and queens up through the Georgian period, so the architectural style spans centuries.

The great hall, where feasts would've been held. Can you imagine?!?!

This is just one of the cooking fireplaces in Henry VIII's kitchen.

The Tudor rooms of Henry VIII are in stark contrast to the Georgian rooms, with their French influence.

The palace is built around a stunning center courtyard.

Allow plenty of time to visit the extensive gardens, for they are captivating!

Our favorite feature of the gardens was found in the Privy Garden...this enormously long arbor! Simply astounding! It's probably about 2-stories high and maybe as long as a football field.

Food Lover's Guide to the UK and Paris - Part II

Eating our way through the cities and countryside of the UK and Paris, we found a lot of well-known establishments whose food was superb. But we also found many, sometimes lesser known, foodie delights, which is the focus of this posting...the Honorable Mentions. If you want to read about "The Best of the Best", click here to read Part I.

Paris

Cafe de Flore: This iconic Paris cafe was the meeting place of such notables as Hemmingway and Picasso back in the day. It is still a bustling cafe where the French (and tourists) flock for the excellent food and attentive service.

Conveniently located about two blocks from our Paris apartment rental, it made a great place to grab breakfast on one morning of our journey.

We ordered a simple breakfast of croissants (which were delivered under a domed tray) with butter and jam, one cup of coffee, two cups of hot chocolate, and a carafe of water. A very simple breakfast, right? This is a photo of our table at the end of the meal. Yes, we had to count. Our simple breakfast required 24 dishes and 8 pieces of cutlery! One more reason to adore Paris is the great attention given to dining well...no matter how simple the meal. Love it! (I just don't think I'd want to be a dishwasher in France.)

Versailles (picnic): After eating our (above) breakfast, we took the train to Versailles for the day. After exiting the train station, we turned left and walk a couple of blocks to Aux Pains de la Ferme (which, unfortunately, does not have a website), where we purchased a baguette for a picnic. And almost directly across from it was a small market, where we gathered other essentials: clementines, a delicious salad of couscous and chicken, a wheel of Camembert, and bottles of water. 

Picnicking in the gardens of Versailles is allowed. However, the first time visitor should be aware that the line to get through security can be very long (we estimate there were about 800+ people in it with us) and can take a long time (2 hours in our case), so your food may get warm and your people may get very hungry. And once you're through security, you must tour the palace before you can access the garden. But it is worth the wait! You can even picnic next to Bacchus, the god of wine.

Versailles (sorbet): One of our best, serendipitous food finds on our trip was the charming sorbet truck that is located on the shores of the Grand Canal in the gardens of Versailles. 

Colette and I chose raspberry and pear. The owner of the truck assured us that those were two of the best flavors. The pear (which I chose) was refreshing and light. But the raspberry (Colette's choice) was nothing short of sublime...like eating soft, frozen raspberries themselves!

London

Said: Down a quiet street in the Soho area of London, just a short jaunt from shopping on Regent Street or at Liberty of London, is the bakery called Said. This intimate gathering place boasts fine baked goods and some of the best hot chocolate in the city. If you ask for it "deluxe" (I believe), they will swirl your cup in three types of melted chocolate before filling it with hot chocolate. Not easy to drink, but ohhhh so good!

Pain au Quotidien: Although most of my recommendations are for smaller establishments, I wouldn't want you to miss out on the chain, Pain au Quotidien, which is a French boulangerie. You can find them in France, England, and several locations in the U.S. (We always visit the one in Pasadena, CA when we are out west.) They are great places to grab a bit of mid-afternoon refreshment or an excellent breakfast. This is my breakfast at the Pain au Quotidien in the St. Pancras International Station in London. A thing of beauty! This is my "ideal" breakfast...I could eat it every morning. Bliss!

Edinburgh

The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen: Just a short jaunt off the Royal Mile, in Edinburgh, is The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen. Its casual elegance made us feel right at home. Hubby ordered a beer, and Colette and I enjoyed trying their non-alcoholic drinks before our meal. She got the Peach Cooler (peach puree, lemon, vanilla sugar, and lemonade) and I ordered the Toffee Apple (apple juice, caramel syrup, lime, and mint). Colette and I ordered the gnocchi for lunch (delicious) and Hubby had the chicken pie, which he has declared to be his favorite meal of the entire trip! Bonus points for the charming pie bird!

Cotswolds and the Countryside

Sally Lunn's: In Bath, is the famous Sally Lunn's Historic Eating House & Museum. It is housed in Bath's oldest house (c. 1482) and Sally Lunn was baking and serving her famous buns there in the late 17th century. Expect a queue out the door to get in to try the famous Sally Lunn bun, a soft, semi-sweet bun.

Colette ordered the tea, which came with a bun. And I ordered 1/2 a bun served open-faced with roasted vegetables and cheese. Both were delicious. And this is no dainty bun. It's as big as your face! And be sure to check out their website for the "Bun Etiquette"! I am not making this up!

The Yew Tree: If you happen to be in the vicinity of Highclere Castle, a most excellent stop for lunch is the Yew Tree pub. It's a blending of a pub and restaurant, as your order will be taken at your table vs the bar. The food was hearty and delicious. And the atmosphere is best described as historic British countryside with a modern twist. The leather cushioned settees with wool tartan backs in most booths won my heart! And kuddos for having the best pub wallpaper in England!

Lagers/Ales/Beers: And last, but not least, Hubby would recommend that you try a brew with lunch and dinner. He enjoyed sampling them wherever we went. This one is from the Hawkshead Brewery (which we also toured).