My first travel to Europe took me to Paris… a city I always dreamed to see. Five days in Paris was definitely not enough but thankfully I learned about the Paris Pass which served as our guide and allowed us to experience Paris’ best places to see. It also secured us a VIP pass to skip the line in getting inside the Louvre because lining up would have easily taken up an hour or two of our time. For being a first time independent traveler, I would definitely recommend getting on the hop on hop off bus on day 1 to get an idea where everything is and to get a feel of the city and the sights. Probably, my favorite part of this trip was the Seine River cruise which we did during our last night.
Arc de Triomphe
One of the most famous monuments in Paris and perhaps one of the most significant as it honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.
Basilique Du Sacre Coeur De Montmartre
This Roman Catholic church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is located at the highest point in Paris which gives you a gorgeous panoramic view of the city.
Notre Dame de Paris
The famous Notre-Dame Cathedral is a medieval Catholic cathedral with a notable treasury for its reliquary which houses some of Catholicism’s most important first-class relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.
Musee du Louvre
The Louvre was a fortress dating back to the reign of Philippe Auguste, the French king who paved the streets and built the walls of Paris. Making the most out of your visit to the Louvre can prove to be quite challenging. After all it is the world’s largest and most-visited museum displaying some 35,000 artworks over 73,000 sq. m.
Aside from the historical pieces it houses, the Louvre itself is a place of history from 1190 from being a simple defensive fortress to being the residences of French kings before becoming a museum.
I recommend doing the visitor trails found on the museum site itself based on a selection of works according to theme, time period or artistic movement. Tours and audio guides are also available to give you a more in depth knowledge about the collections.
Dôme des Invalides
Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. Definitely not to be missed!
Musée d’Orsay
This unique museum building was originally a railway station. My favorites in this museum are the clocks shown below.
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
One of the most famous streets in the world running between the Place de la Concorde and the Place Charles de Gaulle.
Seine River
No trip to Paris is complete without experiencing the city from the River Seine. There are day and night cruises available. It was a fitting way to cap off our trip in this romantic city.
Gone Traveling 