Paris Is Always A Good Idea

The expression "Paris is always a good idea" is one that I couldn't agree with more. Whether it's a romantic long weekend away with your beau, an impromptu shopping trip or just a girls' trip abroad à-la Gossip Girl, it would seem there's always something good to come out of a visit.

I have an old friend that I tend to only see once a year because of the distance, and our busy lives. Last month we began planning our annual catch up and it dawned on us that getting a coach to Paris for the day would actually work out cheaper than spending a weekend in each others' home cities. Thus, in an attempt to be spontaneous, we booked 2 return tickets to Paris! 

We had only planned for a mere 12 hours in central Paris but that turned out to be plenty of time for us to enjoy the city and soak up the sights. We arrived at Gallieni at about 9am - if Brussels taught me anything, it was arrive at a reasonable time of day when shops, attractions and (most importantly) breakfast venues will be open! The Metro into the city centre took around 25 minutes (which, if you think about it, is no more than it might take you to get from Hammersmith to Soho in London).

We hopped off at Pont Neuf to start our day at Notre Dame and have a spot of breakfast at Le Petit Pont brasserie. It may have been the excitement of being abroad, the fantastic weather or the amazing view I had overlooking Notre Dame and the Seine, but never have I enjoyed a hot chocolate, OJ and portion of bread and jam so much in my life. This was made even better when the bill arrived and to my amazement, it only cost €5!

Despite the temptation to "tube-it", we opted to walk around the city so not to miss anything. We headed down from the café towards the Louvre and the Concorde Fountain. In the interest of saving money, we didn't end up going into the Louvre as it was €17 for entry, the queue was utterly enormous and we were worried it would eat too much into our day, so it was a brief pit stop for some photos and then off towards the Grande Roue de Paris.  

It transpired that my friend had never had churros before so we decided to grab some from a street food vendor and enjoy them beside the pond at L'Orangerie before moseying up the Place Vendôme for a game of make-belief along side the designer jewellery stores. 

A wander along the Champs Élysées and over the the Pont Alexandre bridge took us up to (late) lunch time. Although, we struggled to find somewhere to go. Not for a lack of options, but simply due to the sheer number of people trying to cram into boulangeries and cafés on what was the sunniest day of the year so far. We had hoped to have something “traditionally French” to eat (namely Ladurée, a brie baguette or escargot) but hanger and desperation got the best of us and we wound up in a Vapiano. On the one hand, their food is delicious so I can hardly complain, but it wasn't as authentic a cuisine as we'd perhaps envisioned.

Our next stop was L’Arc du Triomphe before heading to our final destination; the Eiffel Tower to watch the sunset and the lights twinkle. 

It would have been the perfect end to the day had there not have been the world's longest wait for the one public loo in the area followed by the dodgiest “cheese” (yes, there’s been some debate as to what it was) baguette for dinner… That aside, we had a jam-packed day of sightseeing, walking and eating and considering everything (including coach fare) only cost us £90, it’s definitely a day trip I'd recommend to anyone in need of a little break.