9 Paris travel tips for a long weekend away
Hi guys, I know it has been a while but I promise I will be way more active on here and I am going to aim to post every month so, if you have any recommendations of blogs or any topics you want me to cover feel free to comment down below!
Anyway, as my blog is primarily focused on travel and lifestyle I thought it would be fitting to share with you some tips and advice for travelling to different locations and as I have recently visited Paris just after Christmas, I thought, why not start with that!
I visited Paris on the 27th-30th of December and I have to say it was a magical experience!
But if you are thinking about going to Paris (which I highly recommend) be sure to read over my tips first.
1) Book at off-peak seasons
To save money it’s best to avoid peak summer months between June-August as the prices do tend to increase dramatically.
However, if you love Christmas, I would highly recommend going to Paris in November/December time, even though it’s cold, you will find markets, ice skating and Christmas themed food stalls.
The prices are rather high for plane tickets after Christmas time, but if you are willing to spend a little extra then it’s well worth it! (especially if you go for new year)
2) Make sure to book your accommodation in or around the city centre
You may think, won’t that be really dear? Not necessarily, but choose your accommodation very carefully.
For three nights me and my boyfriend paid £200 each for a bed and breakfast hotel that was a ten-minute walk away from the Eiffel tower!
In total, we spent £450 each on flights, accommodation and transfer to and from the airport, it’s best to use Trivago to compare prices and receive the cheapest deal – this will save you a lot of money than booking everything separately – we used booking.com in the end.
3) Paris is best explored on foot
If you have never been to Paris then you wouldn’t know that there is actually a dog park behind the Eiffel tower – something I was very excited about when I saw – but wouldn’t have seen if I hadn’t walked! (helped that my hotel was nearby but not the point)
Me and my boyfriend didn’t use any transport links as they were on strike at the time, however, I’m grateful for all the hidden gems that we found whilst walking around Paris (even if our legs stopped working at the end of the day) comfy walking shoes helped though!
Top Tip: If you can’t take the underground then I suggest you hire a scooter (not the motorbike type ones, the super safe ones that we used as kids). The scooters are electric and are dotted all around the city centre for you to use when you’re too tired to walk!
4) Beware of the scammers around the Eiffel tower
It came as quite of a huge shock to me and Adam as to the number of people selling things around the Eiffel tower (illegally might I just add) and they were all selling the same things (either, light up Eiffel towers, paintings or hats)
Some even approach you and try to guilt-trip you into buying things but always say no!
My best advice for when you are walking to the Eiffel tower and want to avoid this altogether is to simply just run! Not kidding.
5) Visit Disneyland if you get the chance to!
We visited Disneyland for the day and if you’re a fan of Disney and rides then its really worth the visit. They do a transport Disney coach from the city centre which takes you there and back.
Pick up time is 8 am on the way there and 8 pm on the way back meaning you get to spend just under 12 hours there – long day but it’s worth it!
It came to £80 each for a day ticket for the magic kingdom park, including transport and a Fastpass each!
Tip for saving money in Disneyland – don’t dine in the restaurants (no matter how much you want to dine with Captain Jack Sparrow) Instead, choose to eat in the cafe’s – this will save you a fortune, believe me!
6) Visit the main attractions
You don’t need me to tell you this, because let’s face it, probably already on your to do list, but just incase you forget…
These include:
- Eiffel tower – if you are under 24 you can access all floors including the top for 12 euro each, but be careful the cafe’s on the 1st and 2nd floor are very pricey!
- Champs-Elysées – such a beautiful road with lots of shops and cafes which if you walk all the way up leads to the Arch de Triomphe!
- Lourve – we never saw it in person as it was too far to walk but we took a boat cruise and saw it there.
Just know that if you are planning to see the Mona Lisa the painting itself is actually pretty small…
7) Eat-in cafes and restaurants that aren’t in the city centre
Just 5 minutes out of the city centre the prices reduce massively.
On the road our hotel was, there was a lot of cafes and restaurants which were all super cheap and affordable and still really nice!
In particular, this one cafe only cost us 7 euro for 2 medium baguette sandwiches and 2 drinks… how insane is that? (don’t remember the name of it sorry)
8) Try some French cuisine
I didn’t have the guts (or the money) to order snails but for a less gross option there is onion soup which I did try (and is much more affordable) and rather nice may I just add.
9) Learn some french
It’s so polite just to say a few simple phrases in french, some include:
- Hello/good evening (Bonjour/Bon Soir)
- Thank you (Merci)
- Please (si vous plait )
- Sorry (pardon)
- Yes (Qui)
- I would like (Je voudrais)
Hope you all have a lovely week and hopefully, this helped any of you who are thinking of going to Paris!
All love S x
LOVE IT! Want to book even more now!
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂