Paris by train
We stayed in a small apartment in Le Marais district (traditionally the City’s old Jewish quarter) and were delighted with this bustling neighbourhood. Round the corner from the apartment were streets full of bars and cafes, restaurants, bakeries, patisseries, deli’s, green grocers and small supermarkets making it very easy to cater for ourselves as well as eat out locally in an evening.
We were only a couple streets away from the Pompidou Centre and it took only 10-15 minutes to walk from the nearest metro. That evening we walked around the Marais and found a cheap (for Paris anyway!) little restaurant with a set menu and had Pepper steak and French fries!
Day 1: Fresh croissants and bread from the boulangerie for breakfast! We walked to Ile de la Cite past Hotel De Ville and across the Pont Neuf. After a walk around Notre Dame we caught the hop on hop off bus and stayed on for the whole tour to get a feel for the City and it’s iconic sites: the 9 stops on the bus were at Notre Dame, Musee D’Orsay, Opera, Champs Elysees and Arc du Triomphe, Grand Palais, Trocadero, Tour Eiffel, Hotel des Invalides & Musee du Louvre.
We got off at Trocadero for the fabulous views of the Tour Eiffel, had our picnic and then joined the queue to climb the iconic tower….the queues are somewhat smaller (and it is good fitness of course!) if you choose to walk to the second stage and then catch the lift to the top. It was a great experience (although I was a little stiff the next day!) and we were glad we made the effort!
Back on the bus for a rest and we completed the bus ride which ended at the Louvre. From there we walked back to the apartment via Les Halles stopping only for a crepe! After a wonderful mojito at a local bar we bought supper from the supermarket and ate in the apartment that evening.
Day 2: We caught the metro and walked around Montmartre, Place du Tertre and the Sacre Coeur before catching the metro from the Pigalle (home to the famous Moulin Rouge) to the Champs Elysees and after a picnic in Jardin Tuileries we braved the Louvre! Thankfully we had bought our tickets for the Louvre in advance and therefore avoided the massive queues….in the pouring rain. It is a massive museum with so many different things to see but we made sure we saw the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo first! Day 3: We walked across the Seine and Ile St Louis this time and into the Latin Quarter – passing the Pantheon, La Sorbonne and into the very busy and touristy ‘St Germain des Pres’ we stopped at ‘Paul’s for a chocolate éclair! After a picnic lunch in the Jardins Luxembourg we then headed up the Montparnasse Tower for a spectacular view of Paris and particularly of the Tour Eiffel….well worth a visit particularly at night when Paris is lit up. We ate out in the Marais that evening in a small rustic restaurant sampling the escargot (the children loved them!) and more crepes!
Day 4: Our last morning and we decided to explore the Marais a little more and took a really lovely walk to the Place de la Bastille, through the very pretty ‘Place des Vosges’ (oldest square in Paris and once home to Victor Hugo) and back to our apartment before picking up our luggage and taking the Metro back to Gare du Nord. A fabulous family City break in a beautiful City……mmmm which City shall we take them to next……?