"La romantique ville de Paris" Paris by Jenniflower

Paris Travel Guide: 22,145 reviews and 53,809 photos

Everyone dreams of going to Paris when young. It's mystical and magical, spoken of by lovers. My husband and I had the chance to go in 2004 and enjoyed it thoroughly. When you discover Paris with a genuine sense of enthusiasm, this city rarely disappoints.

Early morning rises and late nights - that about sums up our sleeping habits when in Paris! There is just so much to see. At first we found the language a bit daunting, but after trying to chat with the locals, we found it came more naturally to us. I did Latin at school... maybe I should have done French. What a lovely language.

'Trying' to be French for a week... ;)

We did the usual touristy things like going up the Eiffel Tower (right to the top!) – if you are afraid of heights, best stay well away… went on a romantic night cruise up the Seine River, where one sees Paris illuminated… went to Eurodisney where we went on as many rides as we could and I got sunburnt. We will be going back again as there’s so much to do there in the actual Disneyland Park as well as the Disney Studios. The Park has a fantasyland, adventureland etc.. and the Studios (basically another park) have re-enactments of movie scenes etc.

In one scene we were the actors on the set of Arnold’s Armageddon movie… there was a fiery meteor heading towards us and we were in a space station… it was all very realistic, with fire and smoke and red lights and sirens etc. Was great fun! This is an absolute must for child and adult alike… just take some sunscreen with you!

We saw the Pantheon (on the ‘hop on – hop off’ Open Top Paris Grand bus tour – highly recommended to get a good feel of what Paris is about) – which was a particular favourite of mine when I studied it in History of Art at school and Tech… Invalides… Montmartre – Grands Boulevards area (arty area)… Montparnasse – Saint Germaine area… bought a lovely original oil painting from an artist along the Seine – it is an oil painting in an impressionistic style, a still life of a violin and a glass of wine – simple and poignant, and some other prints and drawings. There is such a rich tapestry of artwork to be seen and savoured in Paris.

Bright lights, big city...

Our night cruise along the Seine was our highlight I think - and that was a hard decision to make!

A close second was the Louvre. We found it strange how everyone flocks to the ‘Mona Lisa’ – otherwise known as ‘La Gioconda’. (she has 3 guards specifically guarding her, and is behind what appears to be a bullet-proof glass casing, which is also slightly tinted, to protect her from the light no doubt). Okay, so we had a peek too, but the other art overshadowed her in our humble opinion.

I could actually go on for an age about the wonders of this museum/gallery. It is an architectural splendour, with awesome paintings, drawings, sculptures, wall motifs etc… One actually needs about a week there to take it all in though. We were gob-smacked... to say the least… and will be visiting Paris again for a long weekend shortly JUST to visit the Louvre for 3 days.

Please note: I have tried to write all the French names with the correct accents, but VT software keeps making the accents a question mark... so I have just taken the accent off. Just in case you were thinking me illiterate or something! haha

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:So much to savour... especially the Louvre!
  • Cons:Your car needs a good bumper!
  • In a nutshell:Art. History. Culture. Wonder
  • Last visit to Paris: Apr 2004
  • Intro Updated Jul 11, 2006
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Reviews (53)

Comments (51)

  • Nemorino's Profile Photo
    Mar 19, 2010 at 8:32 AM

    Me again, coming back to look at some of your Paris updates since 2005. Glad you went by EuroStar. I always take the ICE from Frankfurt or TGV from southern Germany or Thalys from Cologne.

  • tiabunna's Profile Photo
    Mar 31, 2009 at 9:22 PM

    I'm a sucker for good Paris VT pages and enjoyed visiting - though I'll have to return some time later to complete the trip. Like you, cities aren't usually my thing, but Paris is a worthy exception.

  • a5floor's Profile Photo
    Mar 26, 2009 at 5:00 AM

    Good to hear you had a great time at Disneyland. :) Hopefully I can go there as well this year.

  • vinc_bilb's Profile Photo
    Jun 9, 2008 at 6:29 AM

    Thanks for your very good pages and tips. No-smoking in public arrays (restaurants, transportation, ...) has improved a lot (new rule till 2008) and is now effective and not so ignored (money penalties)... So, should be better next time :)

  • Jeannette1's Profile Photo
    Mar 21, 2008 at 8:13 PM

    Sounds like you had a good time in Paris, except for the hotel :-). I love that photo of the 3 nuns. I have one in the same style on my Venice page: 2 nuns on a vaporetto !

  • angiebabe's Profile Photo
    Jan 14, 2008 at 3:25 PM

    Hi yr tips are so motivating to go visit Disneyland! so think thats very highly likely thanks!

  • jo104's Profile Photo
    Jul 27, 2007 at 9:10 AM

    lovely Paris pages I should definetly give it a second chance looking through vt eyes - thanks for all your wonderful tips

  • BeatChick's Profile Photo
    May 11, 2007 at 5:29 AM

    JenniFleur - FYI, the old "Englisman" at Shakespeare & Co is actually an American, George Whitman. Just thought I'd letcha know, chica!! :D

  • Apr 10, 2007 at 7:17 AM

    Oh Jen, I MUST get to romantic Paris!!!

  • deecat's Profile Photo
    Dec 21, 2006 at 3:27 PM

    Bravo, Jen! You've done such a grand job on your Paris pages. Your passion and enthusiasm are delightful. Love your journal-like writing style; it demands respect. Thanks for this enlightening journey.

Jenniflower

“Blessed beyond belief - married 10 years to the man of my dreams xxx”

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