An Afternoon in Paris

Short on time but want to have it all? Stopovers in Paris are common on long haul flights so why waste your time in the airport? Seeing some of the sights is totally doable and here's how!

Paris, France. The most popular tourist destination in the world. So how did my husband who is an avid world traveller miss it? Our travels lead us back to Europe so we thought a stopover to check it out was in order. And sometimes all you need is a long layover to get a taste for a city - then when you come back you know what to spend your time on.

We arrived a little after midday and took the train into the city to drop our bags at the hotel. Our hotel room had a view or the Eiffel Tower so we knew where we were headed! After a quick refresh, it was time to walk off the jet lag and see the sights!

“Sometimes all you need is a long layover to get a taste for a city - then when you come back you know what to spend your time on.”

The top sights on the hubby's list were: Arc de Triomphe, Tour Eiffel, The Louvre, Pont de Neuf and Notre Dame. Then, we made it happen!

The Journey

Our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile, was based close to the Arc de Triomphe so it seemed like the most logical place to start. Some quick snaps of this iconic monument built to honour the those who fought and died in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, then on to the quintessential Parisian sight of Tour de Eiffel. Yes, it is sooo touristy and now you are unable to go underneath the tower without entering security, but still unmissable.

Next on the list to hit was The Louvre, so we walked there via the Champs-Élysées and then walked along the Seine River. It turns out that the museum is closed on Mondays, which wasn't a problem, but made for some pictures with a lot less people in them!

Continuing along the Seine we passed the love lock bridged approached the footbridge for viewing the Pont de Neuf. The sun decided to finally make an appearance and this allowed us to spend the rest of the evening wandering around Ile de la Cité. We arrived when Notre Dame was closing, but the light was just right for some photography of this medieval French Gothic cathedral.

We finished off with a lovely vegan meal at Le Grenier de Notre Dame accompanied by a Loire Valley red. Across the road we were treated to an exciting people-watching experience with guests arriving to the the opening of the interior design festival. With full bellies and tired legs, we opted to take the metro home to the hotel for rooftop drinks. We felt that we accomplished quite a lot in our short time here!

Need more to do?

After flying a long distance red eye the day before, we opted to spend the next morning recovering and having a French breakfast close to the hotel. If you have more energy than us, this is what we would have done the next day! Montmartre, one of the artistic hubs of Paris, would be first on the list with a visit to Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, followed by a walk past the Moulin Rouge for some photographs, and then if time permits, a visit to the Musee D'Orsay (a former railway station) for the impressive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art.

What would you suggest as "must dos" on a quick trip to Paris?

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