Bonjour, to my first blog post on goglobal544.wordpress.com
If you’re interested in traveling to Paris, then please continue reading…
Top attractions:
- The Paris Pass: http://www.parispass.com
- The Seine River Cruise (included with the Paris Pass)
- The Louvre Museum
- The Eiffel Tower
The Paris Pass is more like a booklet of passes. It includes admission to most major attractions in and around Paris, such as the Arc de Triomphe, Seine River Cruise, and Versailles. It also comes with a One-day pass for the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus, which consists of three lines around the city, and a metro card. It also includes a museum pass, which permits fast track entry to popular museums, including the Louvre, Conciergerie, and Orangerie. There are several other attractions too. The pass is sold as a two-day, three-day, four-day, or six-day pass. It can be ordered online or purchased at their store-front near the Opera.
If you want to stay somewhere near the sites, but are traveling on a budget, and can tough it out at a noisy hostel, then I recommend the BVJ Champs-Elysees. It is less than a ten-minute walk from the Arc de Triomphe. Depending on when you travel, a bunk is $25-30/person. The hostel comes with a simple breakfast of yogurt, toast, and cereal, and luggage storage if you arrive early or leave late.
Suggested Itinerary:
Day One:
- The first Seine River cruise of the day departs at the dock in front of the Eiffel Tower (Passy metro station) at 10AM
- Take Blue Line of the Hop-on-Hop-off bus to the Opera Station and transfer to the Red Line to ride around Montmartre.
- Climb the stairs up to Montmarte (€6 to climb to the top of the dome)
- Take the bus to Les Halles station and go to Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie, which was a former prison during the French Revolution
- Visit the Shakesphere & Co. bookstore, then the Pantheon before it closes at 5PM, then eat and rest around the Jardins du Luxembourg
Day Two:
- Take the metro to the Louvre, which opens at 9AM. Even with the fast-track of the Paris Pass there will be a line, but a much shorter line than the one without the museum pass. Expect to spend at least three hours, or at least make sure you visit the the Mona Lisa. Other exhibits include French and Spanish paintings, along with Egyptian, African, and Pacific artifacts.
- Walk through the Jardins du Louvre and go to the Musee de l’Organgerie to see the Water Lilies by Claude Monet. Then head over to Place de la Concorde to take the metro to Cite.
- Reserve a spot in line to go into the Notre Dame Catedral (as early as you can) using the Jefile ‘jump the line’ app. The Paris Pass fast-track does not apply to the line for Notre Dame.
- Climb up the steps of the Arc de Triomphe. Arrive before 9AM for the first light show of the Eiffel Tower. It repeats every hour, at least until midnight. Other good viewings of the light show are from the Champ de Mars and Tracadero.
Please feel free to leave any comments or questions, or email me at goglobal544@gmail.com.
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