One day in Paris

For the past 3 days I have resided in the Dream Castle Hotel, Disneyland, Paris. My boyfriend took me as part of my 30th birthday celebrations. Perfect, I know. As much as I love Disneyland, we set aside a day to be adults and explore beautiful Paris. I did lots of research leading up to the trip...suggested walking tours, reviews on famous landmarks, tourist recommendations etc. but most of it wasn't useful for 2 people who just want a relaxing, carefree day exploring with no rushing and no pressure. So here's how we did Paris. We picked out 5 places we wanted to see and bought an all day travel pass which allowed us to travel anywhere in Paris on the RER or Metro til midnight. This cost approx. 16.50 euro each. Our weather was perfect for Feb...very cold in the shade but blue skies and sunshine all day long.

1. Notre Dame

We started by getting off the blue RER line at St Michel Notre Dame. Exits to landmarks are well signposted when you get off the trains in Paris. Notre Dame is beautiful, inside and out. One of the most impressive buildings I've seen. We decided to go up the towers of Notre Dame. The queue took 40mins which was much longer than reviews had led us to believe and don't underestimate how tough it is to climb 400 steps. Our woobly legs struggled on the way down. But the view down River Seine and the skyline of Paris looked fantastic in the sun. 

2. River Seine/Pont Neuf

From Notre Dame, there is a lovely walk down the river which passes all the bridges you see from up above. This was one of the highlights of our day. On le Pont Neuf we read the hundreds of padlocks, feeling disappointed that we had forgotten ours. Apparently they are starting to remove the padlocks to protect the structural safety of the bridge. An artist drew our picture in the sun and we haggled his price so we could keep it..how cute!

3. Louvre and Palace Gardens

The museum was closed the day we were there (Tuesday) but we hadn't intended on going inside anyway. We took our pictures pin pointing the tip of big Louvre and we were on our way, a little underwhelmed to be honest. We could see L'Arc de Triomphe in the distance so we walked towards it and the gardens were pleasant, just a little dusty. There were big water fountains every so often with reclining chairs to sit in the sun and a Ferris wheel very similar to the London Eye. Another enjoyable stroll taking in the parisienne atmosphere.

4. Champs d'Elysse and L'Arc de Triomphe

It was a long old walk from Louvre to Champs d'Elyssee. In the sun it was quite nice but there are yellow RER stops on the way so that's an option to save your feet. Beware of traffic...roundabouts with no lanes, pedestrian crossings where the lights aren't working and mental drivers made me nervous to say the least. The Champs d'Elysee is an impressive street when you get there. The footpath is wider than main roads at home but it is just expensive shops and cinemas. We didn't travel to shop so we just admired as our feet started to get tired. 

5. Eiffel Tower

From L'Arc de Triomphe, follow the underground passage to the far side and find the Metro stop for the M6 line. This will take you to Bir Hakim, where there are signs leading you to the Eiffel Tower. There is a yellow RER stop even closer which we used heading home. We arrived at the Eiffel Towers as the sun started to set. It really is magnificent when you get up close and see how big it is having noticed it on the skyline all afternoon. We decided to go up to the top. I've never seen a view like it but I have to be honest, the lines started to frustrate me up and down the tower. It's not romantic but it's worth seeing for sure.

And that was our day in Paris. We grabbed dinner after this and we were shattered. Our favourite part of Paris was being in Paris. Walking in the park and along the river and admiring the Parisienne buildings and bridges that we've seen in the movies. The one place we didn't include in this trip that I have visited before and recommend is MontMartre. A whole afternoon could be spent here eating, drinking and exploring the cobbled streets and artisans stalls.. 

Hope this is useful for somebody who has a day to explore Paris. Any more specific questions, use the comments!