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Please note that the posts about Barcelona, European Cruise and Paris relate to a single trip. The trip started in Barcelona where we stayed for two days prior to boarding a 7 day cruise. Following the cruise, we flew to Paris for two more days.

Tootsie’s Bottom Line:

• Hotel: we stayed at the Marriott Renaissance Le Parc Trocadero.  Again, looking to save money, we used hotel points.  Location was great-walking distance for us to most things
• Tips: the sites we went to were a good distance apart and, in a desire to get some exercise, we walked 15+ miles each day. Uber is an easy and cost-effective alternative

Must See:

• Tour on Seine River (evening)
• Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
• Arc de Triomphe
• Palace of Versailles
• Visit Notre Dame (if possible)
• Tennis Lovers: Roland Garros

The list of places I want to visit has always been long but never included Paris. Having heard people rave about it over the years, I’d become more interested in visiting.  It didn’t disappoint, and like so many others, I feel in love with the city!

The cruise ended for us in Barcelona where we headed to the airport for a quick flight to Paris.

Versailles & Paris

The trip to Paris was an easy add-on to the cruise.  We arrived early from Barcelona, and after dropping off our bags at the hotel, we got an Uber and went immediately to the Palace of Versailles.  This was something that Leah really wanted to do, so I wanted to make it happen, if at all possible.  If you imagine a palace, this is it! It is absolutely massive and seeing the home of Louis XIV was so cool. The gates, the palace itself, the gardens, there is so much to see. My favorite part of the visit was walking through the gardens. We were there on a Sunday, and music was being played throughout them. We stopped for an ice cream in a cafe nestled in the woods. We spent the whole afternoon there, and could have stayed for days.  Throughout the gardens, families were enjoying the warm weekend afternoon. Clearly, Versailles is loved by locals and tourists alike.

We did the Seine River cruise at 10:00 PM, and it was incredible.  Our hotel was about a 15-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower, so we walked over and enjoyed the street vendors and shows on our way there.  The boat tour starts at the base of the Eiffel Tower, so we got our tickets there and waited for our tour.  We were exhausted at this point, but even after dark, Paris looked magical.  What a nice way to end our first day!

Paris

We started our day with a trip up the Eiffel Tower where the views of the city were breathtaking.  We walked from there to Notre Dame.  Not a short distance but the company was great!  Notre Dame was beautiful, but we didn’t stay long as a service was in progress, and we felt a little disrespectful moving around as tourists.  Given the fire in April 2019, we are so glad we were able to see this beautiful cathedral.

We sat with someone on our way from Barcelona to Paris who told us that he’d attended the French Open at Roland Garros.  We managed to get tickets in the afternoon for same day play and paid around $30 per person.  There were no tickets for the “named courts” (top courts) but given that, we were shocked to get any tickets and we took what we could get.  Probably some of the best money I’ve every spent!  The venue was small and intimate and there were large screens showing top court play.  We had full access to the numbered courts and went straight to court 1 and watched Sock and Johnson (US) play local favorites Mahut and Herbert (FR).  It was a great match but the Americans lost in two sets.  Our seats were incredible and I still cannot believe that we were able to watch the round of 16 play! 

That evening we took an Uber from dinner to the Arc de Triomphe and enjoyed views of the city’s lights.  The flame at the base burning in memory of the unknown soldier was especially moving.  We stopped for our last chocolate mousse and took the long walk back to our hotel.

Again, Paris had never been at the top of my list of places to visit, but I would love to go back and have more time to spend in the City of Lights.  Yes, a city is a city, and each has its own character, but Paris is truly unique and so special.  I understand why people fall in love with this magical place.  I look forward to my return.