Paris is such a beautiful place to visit and I will gladly go back again if I could! We went to a lot of the popular tourist sites, and they did not disappoint. It was like being in a movie. I absolutely loved everything especially the architecture! The buildings were so gorgeous and it was just amazing to walk around and admire the different culture. You’ve probably heard of most of the places we went to, so I’m going to tell you my opinion of what’s worth the visit. Spoiler alert, I pretty much enjoyed everything except the long waiting times to see most attractions.

 

Eiffel Tower

Did you know that the Eiffel Tower lights up every hour? Maybe you did, but I certainly didn’t until I saw it in person! It is so stunning to watch it at night. I’ve seen so many different angles of the Eiffel Tower, far away and in the tower itself, and it just never gets old. It’s such an iconic site. We decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night to get a view of the city lights.

The view from the Eiffel Tower is really pretty, especially at night. The best part is the view from the elevator on the way to the top. When we were on the elevator, it was lit up at the hour so it was extra nice to see the flashing lights from the inside.

The Louvre Museum and Mona Lisa

The classic glass pyramid of the Louvre was so gorgeous and made some of the best pictures! It was so exciting to just walk around to take in all of the beauty of the architectural style. I loved walking in the glass pyramid to enter the museum and just gave a different perspective from the inside.

The Mona Lisa was extremely crowded as you can see in the picture below. It was difficult to get to the front but eventually we did. Seeing this famous artwork by Leonardo da Vinci, I was very shocked by how small it is! Is it really worth it to go see in person? I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I’m grateful to have experienced it. You have to push by everyone to get a few pictures of it, and even at the front, you’re still pretty far away because it’s blocked off by rope and a security guard. My sister tried to get a selfie with the Mona Lisa but since the security guard was walking past, the one selfie she got had the security guard blocking the whole painting which we thought was really funny.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Since we went in 2016, it was before the more recent fire that occurred. It’s truly devastating to hear that a site that represents so much history and art has been destroyed. I’m so appreciative to have experienced it before that happened. The inside is beautiful and the stained glass windows are breathtaking. Somehow, I didn’t take any pictures of the stained glass though, but enjoy these pictures of it from the outside, and some views from the top.

Arc de Triomphe

If you remember in my first New York blog, or have been to Washington square park, you may recognize this familiar architectural style. The Arc de Triomphe is much bigger, and you can go to the top and get a nice view of the city as well as a view of the Eiffel tower. Finding the entrance to the arc was very difficult for us. The arc is in the middle of a round-a-bout type road, and the entrance was further out to a tunnel that leads to it. We went around sunset which is probably the perfect time to go because you get a gorgeous view of the city while it’s still light, but also wait around for it to get dark and the city and Eiffel Tower to light up!

Honestly, the view at the top of the arc was probably better than the Eiffel Tower, but that’s mostly because you can get the Eiffel Tower in the picture from the arc. But, of course, both views are still absolutely stunning and I definitely recommend going to both, especially around sunset or at night.

Versailles Palace

This palace is absolutely stunning! The line to get in was pretty long but even waiting in line wasn’t too bad because the outside of the palace was gorgeous to look at and get pictures. Everything from the inside out looked so extravagant and detailed. It was definitely one of the sites I remember the most. As I’ve said before, I can’t believe people actually lived here! It’s so grand and luxurious and I just can’t even imagine what it would be like.

Here’s some pictures of the inside of the palace which definitely can speak for itself. I highly recommend coming here! It truly is something that won’t disappoint.

 

Catacombs

The line to enter the catacombs was insane. We waited for over four hours and it was extremely boring. But I still believe the wait was worth it. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It had its spooky aspect with all of the skulls and bones, but it was truly interesting to walk through. I highly recommend going if you don’t get creeped out by this kind of thing. My mom didn’t really love it as much. It was interesting to think about how they made these tunnels underground.

Food

When we got there, we couldn’t wait to order crepes. However, it was a little difficult to find a good place. The first place we tried to go to ended up being closed. But we finally found a place and it was also a little difficult to order because the menu was in French. We also ordered macaroons, which I love. I’ve attempted to make macarons so many times and failed most of the time, so being able to get a French macaron in Paris was exciting for me. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but that macaron was huge and very delicious!

I hope you enjoyed my account of Paris’s most popular sites! The city is amazing to experience and hope everyone can get a chance to visit at some point! Next stop: Prague, Czechia