Two fun days in Paris

Just two hours on Eurostar train from central London and you arrive in Paris-Nord, such an easy and comfortable journey that it is worth going just for 2 nights. Once we arrived at Gare du Nord it took us approximately 40 min by metro to arrive to Monte Cristo hotel, located on the outskirts of the Latin Quarter. I chose this hotel because of its superb décor inspired by the global adventures of Alexander Duma’s book “The Count of Monte Cristo” – my husband’s favourite book. They are different room categories to choose from but the one I would recommend is the Boudoir room, decorated in custom tapestries, rich velvets, dark woods and transporting art. They are located on the top floor and feature cute, little balconies which add to your Parisian experience. A bonus is a sauna and indoor pool plus hotel’s bar, called “Bar 1802”, home to the largest selection of rums in Paris. After checking in and grabbing a quick lunch in one of many nearby bistros, we headed to Arc the Triumph (pre book tickets to avoid queues). Right on the top there is a viewing platform with fantastic views of Paris. Be aware there is a lot of narrow steps to climb so it is not suitable for the less mobile. For dinner I had been recommended a quirky French bistro called Le Realis de Venice. They only serve one set menu- walnut salad with mustard vinaigrette to start, followed by two servings of steak and French fries with their famous house sauce plus selection of French wine, cheese and freshly made desserts. You can’t prebook a table so if you are not there by 7pm for dinner be prepared to queue 30-60minutes, but believe me it is worth the wait. By the time we finished it was after 9pm, so we decided to have a quick look around the Eiffel Tower on our way back to the hotel. We got there just before the closing time and to our surprise it was empty. We were able to buy tickets with access to the summit and get there with no waiting in any queues, allowing us to admire Paris by night from the top of this iconic monument. Next morning after late breakfast we took the metro to Concorde station to start our walk on the banks of river Seine, passing many famous Parisian landmarks. We didn’t have time to visit any museums but if you would like to, prebooking tickets is highly recommended. To get the most out of any city break I always book a small group excursion with a local guide. We met Vivian, our Paris guide at 2pm by Pantheon and together with another couple went on Bohemian Paris discovery walk. We stopped in a few less know spots and learnt a lot about local life through the eyes of true Parisian, we tasted local wine, cheese and macaroons and generally had a great time. Top tips to visit Paris: • Bring refillable water bottle and fill it up from one of 1200 freshwater fountains, dotted around the city. • Metro – if you are planning to use it a few times buy at book of 10 individual tickets • Eiffel Tower – prebook skip the line tickets with Summit access or come 20min before the closing time for a chance to buy last minute tickets and avoid queues • For alternative place to view Paris from above go to Tower of Montparnasse instead. Not only you have better views of Paris but also can see the Eiffel Tower in its full glory.