72 Hours in Paris | Travel Guide Series
Like New York City, Paris comes alive in a new way at night. But unlike NYC, aka the “city that never sleeps”, Paris presents a more reserved nighttime scene to visitors, one that asks visitors to sit back and enjoy the atmosphere, relax into the surroundings. It’s lovely and beautiful. A dream come true.
Here is a recap of some of the top things to do in Paris – and how we experienced it.
Climb the Eiffel Tower
As we made our way towards the Eiffel Tower, we passed groups of young adults and couples having picnics on the grassy fields, with books, picnic baskets and bottles of wine – sprawling across each other’s laps.
There are 1,710 steps to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Along the way, there are places to stop to take pictures from open areas: beautiful views of Paris and a breezy, cool wind: something Paris is known for. The Seine river is illuminated at night, with lights that line the river; we watched boat after boat of tourists go up and down this river. Happily at the Eiffel Tower, with no urge to climb back down, not quite yet.
We had made our way down just one floor when the Tower began to sparkle. Every hour beginning at 10 p.m., the Eiffel Tower lights up for five minutes. Though it happens every night, it felt monumental to us: like the feeling you get when turning Christmas tree lights on for the first time each season, or when the ball drops in New York at the start of the New Year.
Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral
The Norte Dame Cathedral forms a shadow over “Point Zero” in early mornings, a spot known as the center of Paris. It’s as striking as it is intimidating, massive when viewed from the front. The cathedral, with its high ceilings, golden fixtures and intricate stained glass windows, is a Gothic architectural fixture of France.
The cathedral's spiritual significance hit all at once, as soon as we entered. I was afraid to whisper too loudly, or look too close at anything. The church feels sacred – and far too beautiful for general tourist entry. Why were we allowed in here?
Of all the churches we had stepped into on our journey through Europe’s most visited cities, this one immediately became my favorite. I don’t know if it was just the high of being in Paris that made me fall into a harder, deeper love with the space. It’s something I still can’t quite describe, even looking back.
Visit the Left Bank / Latin Quarter
The streets of the Left Bank, a part of Paris’ Latin Quarter that border the Seine River, are lined with antique book sellers on most days. They line the river to sell from their antique collections out of wooden box displays, which span various genres. On the bridges nearby are the locks (famously pictured on tourist sites). It’s a tradition that began for lovers and visitors some time ago.
The Latin Quarter also includes Paris’ Deportation Memorial, a small space and newer addition to Paris that was created to honor the estimated 200,000 French citizens who died in Nazi concentration camps. The chamber inside is meant to feel dark and guarded to give off a sense to visitors of what it must have felt like to be imprisoned. Small tea lights line a long hall on both sides. Each light signifies a French life lost.
Shakespeare and Company is perhaps Paris’ most famous bookstore, and is also located in the Left Bank. Quick fact: the original shop doubled as a library, publisher and boarding house for aspiring writers. As a writer and book-lover, the bookstore swallowed me in.
Visit the Louvre
Here is a fun fact: the Louvre is the largest and the second most-visited museum in the world! It is also a central landmark of the city, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st “arrondissement”. The museum is most famously known for its Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo paintings, and the Winged Victory statue.
The building, a fully-windowed pyramid, emphasized the museum’s expansiveness. Multiple escalators take visitors from the ground floor to the floors below (each one goes to a different exhibit).
With the sheer size of the museum, it is easy to get overwhelmed in the Louvre. Our plan gave us just enough time to see the great stuff. But even with the handy pamphlet to guide, I had to ask on a few occasions how to get to certain parts of the museum.
Visit the Orsey Museum
The Orsey Museum houses French art that dates from 1848 to 1914 and includes the largest collection of impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces by painters including Monet, Seurat and Van Gogh. Back in the day, the museum was a railway station: it’s a beautiful building with a striking entry and intricate ceilings, a long foyer and a large clock from the original railway, hung on the wall to loom over the front entryway doors.
I was impressed by the works in this museum, and comparing it to the other museums we had visited, it became my favorite. I particularly liked the pointillism exhibit (Seurat) and the work by Van Gogh, including his famous “Starry Night” and “Self Portrait”.
Visit the Arc de Triomphe / Champs-Elysees
Champs-Elysees is a long and wide street that will guide you to The Arc.
Walking down Champs-Elysees towards the Arc, you’ll likely be amongst a sea of quick-moving people, distracted on cell phones or just looking off. The Arc looms powerfully in the distance; inspired in design by the Roman Arch of Titus, it is one of the most famous monuments in Paris and was built to honor those who fought and died in France during the time of the French Revolution.
Despite the increasing chill in the air and the lingering rain, being up on top of the Arc still offered an incredible 360 degree view of Paris. The Arc actually marks the center of twelve avenues of Paris which jut out in all directions, and a large roundabout surrounds the Arc.
Well, there it is; just one visitor’s thoughts on how to approach a visit to Paris (from a one who’d dreamed of a visit her whole life!). I’ll leave you with this - I’d say the city is worthy of all the dreams one’s ever had of it.