Josie at Cruise Planners did a great job organizing all our tours and activities. She also organized our transfers to and from the airport and between the hotels. As I had never been to Paris France I felt I needed some help on planning the tours and such! So we did a wine tasting, river boat cruise and Eiffel Tower tour. When we got to Versailles, Josie had us set up for a tour of the palace and gardens! We did all the “touristy” stuff for this trip! But let’s get started on things to do in Paris! What we did, where we went and what we would do again!
Wine Tasting
Our first night in Paris we did a wine tasting at O Chateau, the best wine bar in the city! 2 hours 6 wines and lots of fun! This was a wonderful time of education and laughs! And I must say, I still love my sweet white wines. Reds are a little too strong for my palette! But it was a great experience. Be sure to order a cheese or meat board prior to entering into the room for the tasting. Other than wine and bread, there isn’t anything to eat! And the cheese and meat boards were delicious!
River Boat Tours
I am being completely honest when I say, we overslept. We were scheduled to go on a river boat tour the morning of our second day and oops……we missed it! However, we did see the boats and the launches and it looks like it would have been wonderful! So we are planning on doing that the next time! Like I said, tours are NOT refundable, so make sure it is something you have time for and want to do! Something I learned the hard way on this trip!
Angelina’s
I had an acquaintance tell me I had to visit the original location of Angelina’s in Paris while I was there. Because they have the best hot chocolate! And she was right! Located at 226 rue de Rivoli, this restaurant was beautifully decorated and a must see anytime you go to Paris. However, be ready to wait to eat if you don’t get there early! We were seated right away when we went for breakfast, but lunch had an extensive wait! Their food was exceptional, the hot chocolate was the BEST and the pastries were to die for! Definitely a “must do” item if you visit! And keep in mind the original location was a favorite for Coco Chanel! She used to frequent that location regularly for their hot chocolate!
Eiffel Tower Tour
The Eiffel Tour is iconic. Opened in 1889 it is 130 years old and looks fabulous! Of that, there is no doubt. However, I can tell you I would not do a ride to the top again. We did it, it was great, however, there were some drawbacks. We waited on line for almost an hour to get to the top. We only stayed for about 20 minutes as there were so many people. And at the end of the day, we wanted a picture of us IN FRONT of the Eiffel Tour not from the top! So my suggestion would be buy a ticket to get into the park area itself, don’t worry about going to the top. We got great pictures from within the park area and even outside the park. And keep in mind the top is extremely windy!
Open Markets and Shakespeare & Company Book Store
Shakespeare and Company is another great place someone suggested we go! And it was too much fun! My daughter and I love to read so it was amazing to walk through this fabulous little book store. As they requested no pictures be taken, I don’t have any of the inside of the store, but it is definitely a must visit! Furthermore, it is conveniently located across from Notre-Dame Cathedral!
Additionally, open markets were another great way to spend the morning! We visited one extensively, but saw at least three others while walking through the city! And each looked better than the next! We bought raspberries and clementines to eat while we drank hot chocolate from the coffee shop next to Shakespeare and Company! And they were delicious!!
Enjoy the Architecture!
Brooke and I enjoyed walking the streets of Paris and looking at all the intricate detail of the architecture. There was so much beauty in the buildings. We could have done that all day for weeks and not gotten bored of the beauty! Notre Dame was beautiful too! Looking at it from the front you cannot tell that there was a fire. It is truly a magnificent place to visit!!
Versailles and Chateau de Versailles
This was an amazing “suburb” of Paris. About a 40 minute drive outside of the city center, it has a quaint village feel. With amazing boutiques, restaurants and the palace it was someplace we could have spent our entire trip and would have been very happy!
The food was delectable no matter where we went. Pastries were fabulous, the open market was amazing and each of the eateries we ate at was superb!
The palace was the most interesting. And it wasn’t the palace itself that we enjoyed, it was the gardens and reading up on the history of the royal family and the history of the French Revolution. Fascinating stuff! And the gardens I could have walked through for days! With boats to rent and places to eat (including Angelina’s!) it was a beautiful experience.
We took so many pictures it was hard to decide what to include with the post that I did a video of our favorite spots! Take a look and see all the beautiful gardens and fountains at the palace!
And be sure to get “skip the line” tickets for the palace! The wait to enter was 45-60 minutes. Josie got us “skip the line tickets” and we had a 10 minute wait! It was well worth the extra money per ticket to save time!
Shopping!
And of course, there was shopping, shopping and more shopping! We went from little boutiques to Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton. And each store or boutique was just as amazing as the next! There is also an “outlet” area, but I can’t remember the address!!! We didn’t buy anything while we were there but it was fun to go to a Paris “mall”.
Conclusion
Overall, I could have gone on about more things to do in Paris, however, these were our top picks for this visit. And yes, we will be going again! That is how amazing a time we had! It was fabulous and a trip I will never forget!
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Denise
What a great walk through of a great city. I loved Shakespeare and Company when I visited there and you brought back a lot of memories for me. Thanks for sharing.
Kelly
We loved that place!! It truly was an amazing little store rich in memories! Glad I was able to bring some back for you!!!
Morgan @ Baby Got Balance
Sounds like you enjoyed all your activities! Thanks for sharing – this is a great list.
Kelly
We did! Thank you!
Heather
Sounds so fun! I can’t wait to go!
Kelly
I hope you have a great a time as we did!
Charissa
Looks like you have some awesome recommendations for Paris travelers! I haven’t been to Paris (or anywhere in France), but it’s definitely on my list for when the kids are grown. Thanks for the virtual tour!
Kelly
Thanks! I plan on going again, but my next trip is to London/Ireland! Paris is fabulous though!