So I returned from another cruise in Northern Europe, which I had been waiting for so long. I traveled with a great group of friends and teammates – Svetlana, Gennady and Natalya. As planned in advance, our path lay through Paris!
We spent five unforgettable days in this beautiful city of France. Four of them before and a day after, an equally wonderful cruise. Emotions are overwhelming, so much has happened. I will try to briefly describe everything that we were able to visit, see, learn, taste, smell and buy.
Trip to Paris
We arrived in the morning on Turkish Airlines at 9.35 local time. I must note the service of this airline. This is not just any charter, but regular flights. At a relatively low cost, luggage per person is 30 kg and hand luggage 10 kg. On board, along with lunch, you can take alcoholic drinks: whiskey, araki, Turkish wine, beer, and all this is included in the price of the economy class flight.
We had prudently booked a transfer to the hotel from the luxurious KiwiTaxi service at home. It turned out to be extremely profitable and very convenient! Our taxi driver knew Russian (we ordered with a transfer) and turned out to be an emigrant from Georgia. It was he who gave us the first excursion, and most importantly, he answered all our questions. Where? What? How much? How to get there? We drove through Paris and managed to see quite a large part of the city.
Accommodation in Paris
In this regard, we decided to save money. We booked inexpensive double rooms on Booking and only came to spend the night. Priority was given to other parameters:
- Proximity to the metro and city center
- Proximity to the railway station
I think the first two points are clear without explanation, but the third, we then needed to get to the port city of Le Havre, where our cruise across northern Europe started from.
Here we lived five magical days
Despite the proximity to the center of Paris and the metro station, our hotel was located in a fairly quiet area. The narrow and quiet streets were fragrant with freshly baked French buns and other culinary delights.
Eating in Paris
There are grocery stores and cafes on every nook and corner, so there were no problems with where and what to eat.
Breakfast at our hotel could be ordered, but we decided that we would decide for ourselves what to eat. Usually in the evening we bought fresh cheese and pastries for the morning, and coffee could be taken in the hotel lobby. Having refreshed ourselves a little, we left for the whole day.
There was no time for lunch, sometimes we ate fast food and had a snack somewhere on the go in the city.
But dinner is a separate issue. We ate at the cafe three times. And a couple of times we just got together in our room after visiting the local supermarket.
You can have a great meal in a cafe for 10-15 euros plus wine. French wine 1-2 bottles, a must on the evening table.
What to buy in Paris as a gift, souvenir
While preparing for the trip, I read that they usually buy chocolate, scarves and, of course, perfume.
We have fulfilled the plan for all positions. We visited a chocolate shop in the center of Paris Lindt. We tasted various sweets and chocolate.
I didn’t know there was a perfume museum Le Musee du Parfum Fragonard.
There you can buy exclusive fragrances that cannot be bought in stores.
Parisians prefer to buy perfume in the store Sephora.
And I was struck by the main shopping symbol of Paris – the shopping center Galeries Lafayette. One of the shopping center buildings is simply a masterpiece. However, see for yourself.
Excursions in Paris
Of course, the most important part of the trip is, of course, the excursions. The route line was clearly laid out, which we chose at home. Again, I added 5 kopecks to the savings basket about early booking on the BigBus service.
We took the “Premium” option, which included a two-day bus tour and an hour-long excursion along the Seine River on a special boat. That is, for two days we could ride along two routes, getting off and on at any stop. And also, once, whenever we want, we can take a ride on a water bus through the central part of Paris.
The second half of the first day, after checking into hotels, we decided not to waste time and take a walk on our own along Boulevard Walter to the Canal Saint-Martin.
I’m being so clever now, we just walked along a beautiful street and unexpectedly found ourselves on a beautiful canal. Where I took the video and some photos.
It ended with a local grocery store and a couple of bottles of French wine.
Opera Garnier
On the first day of the excursion, we saw a lot and received a lot of emotions. The video shows only one place – the Opera Garnier. I just savor it, I don’t want to record long videos, especially since not everyone likes it.
Read the continuation of the sea cruise through Paris (part 2)
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