Un Séjour à Paris - Char's guest post
Welcome to my Paris blog series, designed to help you plan the ultimate short getaway to Paris! Whether it was a flying visit on a school trip or a romantic mini-break, most people who visit Paris are here for only a short time. I want to find out what they loved, where they visited, and what they'd do differently. It'll give future travellers the perfect snapshot of a jaunt to Paris, warts-and-all!
Today's guest blogger is Char from 't*rexes and tiaras'.
She's a caffeine-fuelled 30-something blogger. Knitter, dressmaker and Queen's Guide. Keen reader and book reviewer. Tortoise owner. Adores dinosaurs. Probably has enough shoes to wear a different pair each day of the year. Falls in love almost daily, and writes about the things that make her happy.
Tell me a few details about your trip to Paris...
A birthday trip for me; l'd spent a week in the south of France and went to Paris to meet three girl friends for a long weekend of sight-seeing.
Which arrondissement did you stay in?
18th: My favourite part of Paris has always been the Sacré-Cœur, and I love the view over the city from the steps. So, I was determined to find an affordable place to stay - we hit up AirB+B and were lucky to find an amazing little apartment on Rue Feutrier.
Where's your favourite place to eat in Paris?
We had fresh pastries from Boulangerie Raphaëlle each morning - amazing!
Where was your favourite place in Paris?
Absolutely adored explporing Montmartre: so many lovely little gift shops and cafes, which could have kept us entertained for days.
What was your most-used French phrase while you were there?
Merci!
What are your top tips for a first-time visitor to Paris?
It's often just as easy to walk if your destination is just a couple of Metro stops away. Walking up the Tour Eiffel is cheap and the views are great, but I preferred Tour Montparnasse because you get the view of the Paris skyline including the tower. Pre-booking is a godsend for the busy attractions; we went to the Catacombs and managed to skip past a four-hour queue for our pre-booked window.
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently?
There was an outdoor theatre company performing in the Jardin des arènes de Montmartre when we passed and I wish we'd known about little local things like this sooner, so that we could have attended. Sadly it seemed to be it's last night and we'd just missed that last performance.
What surprised you most about Paris?
So many armed police / guards, particularly around the Sacré-Coeur and where we were staying. This wasn't a bad thing and actually made us feel a lot safer.
Thanks so much to Char for being this week's guest blogger. Don't forget that you can see more of her work here.
I'm always on the lookout for Francophiles to contribute to the blog, so please do get in touch if you'd like to get involved!
More fab things to read...
Emily Williams talks about her visit to Paris!