An Australian’s Take on Paris

Paris. Wow. March of 2014 I had the pleasure of spending two weeks in Paris. For this Aussie the city lived up to all of my expectations, the sites are amazing and you get a sense of history just not found in Australian cities.

Eiffel Tower, Paris

This post captures my experience through photographs, with tips to help anyone who visits Paris to get the most out of their visit based on thoughts from someone who has made the trip.

Places you must see in the order I recommend seeing them:

1. Eiffel Tower
2. Arc de Triomphe (climb it for the amazing views at sunset)
3. Sacre-Coeur (day trip, best tourist gifts, great food, ice-cream, arts quarter)
4. Musee d’Orsay (get to the Impressionists wing, top floor)
5. Versailles (day trip) – Palace, Gardens, Hall of Mirrors
6. Musee du Louvre (day trip) – I got lost here, so much to see

Tips for first time visitors (things that would have helped me if I had known in advance):

• Learn to use the Meto, it is amazing, cheap, easy & fast. I used a “MOBILIS 2-Zone” ticket each day. I don’t recommend individual tickets because if you take the wrong entrance you waste the ticket, I just found single tickets a hassle
• Taxi’s drivers in Paris – They want cash (hate or won’t take cards), and mostly don’t speak much English so write down addresses to show them
• Day trips – know which places are really day trips, or you end up rushed and miss some of the best parts of locations
• Clothes Irons – Paris hotels do not have an iron in each room…one iron for the whole hotel…what the! If you want wrinkle free clothes think about a travel iron.

Some of my favorite places, and as a challenge I’ve limited the images to those taken with my mobile phone:

• Latitude/Longitude: 48.886665, 2.342565 MAP

• My favorite spot in Paris. Great view, great ambiance, so many things within walking distance to see.
  

• Latitude/Longitude: 48.861784,2.32467 MAP (Leopold Sedar Senghor)

• Before you leave home, buy a medium size padlock and get it engraved with the name of your sweetheart, then come here and lock it to the bridge with everyone else’s. Great spot for photos.
  

• Latitude/Longitude: 48.88662153,2.29624549 MAP (Boulevards des Marechaux)

• Unbelievable Patisserie. Paris has amazing pastry stores but it wasn’t until my last day in the city that I found my favorite. I would have gone to this place every morning had I found it sooner. The people were very friendly, the coffee was good and the pastries were OUTSTANDING!