PARIS, FRANCE

Ahhh, Paris. Perhaps one of the most common study abroad destinations known to mankind. While some think it to be basic, I believe that Paris is a trip that cannot be missed if you are in to visiting big cities. And by big, I mean BIG. Paris is the 10th largest city in all of Europe. So, continue reading if you want to learn how to squeeze this huge city into a 3-day weekend!

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but for those of you that are new, the following is a detailed narrative of our weekend + a bullet point list of our trip, a list of helpful links, personal suggestions, and other Paris recommendations at the bottom!
 

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Now that we are feeling extremely comfortable with traveling, if there is a flight that leaves Madrid late on Thursday evening, we are booking it. Waking up in your destination city on Friday morning truly feels as if you have gained an entire extra day of your trip. It also helps with luggage storage if you arrive early Friday morning and cannot get into your Airbnb. So for Paris, we booked flights that left after our Thursday classes. Class for Caroline and me ends earlier than it does for Daisy and Lilly, so we hopped on the Metro around 2:15 to get the airport in time for our 4:20 flight out of Madrid’s Bajaras Airport. The flight was an absolute breeze and it even landed about 25 minutes before its scheduled arrival. We made our way outside to call an Uber and were pleasantly surprised by how amazing the weather felt in Paris—it was much warmer than Madrid! 

Side note: Paris has two main airports—Orly and Charles de Gaul. The Orly airport is much closer to the center of the city and is more accessible by taxi or Metro or bus (it takes about 25-30 minutes by car to get near the Eiffel Tower if traffic is light). The Charles de Gaul airport is at least a full hour away from Paris by taxi. However, there is a train and some buses that can take you into the city for a very cheap price (around 10 euros). 

Caroline and I opted in for Uber since we made plans to take a class at Barry’s Bootcamp as soon as we got into the city. The Orly airport has bad traffic, so it was a bit difficult to meet our Uber in all of the chaos; there is a taxi line that might have been a faster option if there weren’t too many people waiting (it’s worth a look). After we found him, we hopped in the car and enjoyed the beautiful sunset Paris offered us from the highway. Barry’s was about a 40-minute drive from the airport and we rolled up at the studio with our suitcases about 10 minutes before our 8:00 workout class. This was AWESOME!! If you have ever taken a class at OrangeTheory, picture that but without a rower, then sub-in really loud music and cool lights, then subtract 10 minutes (the class is only 50 minutes long). It had the best atmosphere and really challenged you to push yourself on the treadmill, so if you like running / sprinting on the tread, this class is for you! However, if there is one stereotype that has been proven true to me on my time abroad it’s this one: the French are not clean. I’ll never forget picking up a sweaty resistance band and floor mat with no sign of wipes or paper towels anywhere. With that being said, the locker room was so nice and extremely clean. After the class, Caroline and I had planned to grab a smoothie bowl after our class but we had forgotten that in most other countries, restaurants like that usually don’t stay open as late as they do in Spain. Even Barry’s smoothie bar within the studio was closed after class. Neither of us were super hungry after the workout, so we decided to call an Uber, drop our stuff off at the apartment, and find a grocery store to grab a couple of things for a light dinner. 
 
*If you use ClassPass, Barry’s Bootcamp was available on there. We booked our class two days in advance (it was 14 credits).

 
Once we were all settled in the apartment and had our little munchy-dinner, it was about 15 minutes before 11:00. We decided to grab our bottles of wine and make the 10-minute walk from the apartment to the Eiffel Tower to see it sparkle. Every night, the tower will sparkle at the beginning of each hour for 5 minutes (from 8:00 PM – 2:00 AM). Caroline and I got to the park a couple of minutes before the beginning of the hour, sat down on bench, clinked our bottles together, then watched the magic happen. Soon after, Caroline and I met up with Noah (Caroline’s boyfriend) and we all walked back to the apartment together to let Daisy and Lilly inside. Shortly after, we were ready for bed and reviewing our plans for the next day. 

Our alarms went off around 8:45 the next morning. After a couple of snoozes, we got up, got ready, and were Fat Tire Bike Tour bound! Of course, we made sure to leave enough time to stop by a café to grab a coffee and chocolate croissant on our 10-minute walk to the bike shop (there are several near Fat Tire). We arrived right at 10:00 and met our guide, Dave, who was going to take us four girls, Noah, and Noah’s friend (Cooper) all around Paris. Riding a bike was one of the best ways to see the city, as Paris is filled with bike lanes. The weather was also incredible—sunny and 70 degrees—so we were very glad to be soaking up the beautiful day. As for the tour itself, I CANNOT say enough good things about Fat Tire and Dave. We saw and learned the history of The Military School, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Dome Church (where Napoleon was buried), the French Revolution and the guillotine, Marie Antoinette and her beheading at Place de la Concorde, the Louvre, the history of the bridges over the Seine River, The Flame of Liberty (Diana’s flame), and of course, we ended the tour at the Eiffel Tower. While the destinations of the tour were incredible, Dave might have been the best part of our day. He was so knowledgeable and told us the history in a way that was captivating, easy to understand, and he was always more than willing to answer our questions. Our tour lasted until about 4:00 since we had a long lunch at Le Café Marly—a beautiful and delicious restaurant that overlooks the square outside of the Louvre. Since a reservation is required here, I would try to make sure you score a table around a week ahead of time. We had a wonderful lunch soaking up the warm Paris sun. The meals ordered at our table included a Croque Monsieur, grilled salmon, grilled chicken, pasta, and beef tartar—and I heard no complaints! Overall, the tour was hands down the highlight of our trip. If you are ever in Paris, you must take a Fat Tire tour and request Dave as your guide!

Once we arrived back at Fat Tire, we bought some t-shirts, said our goodbyes to Dave, then went out to explore a bit more. Daisy, Lilly, and I ended up at Kith to do a little bit of shoe shopping and browsing of the newest fashion trends set by Balenciaga, Moncler, Saint Laurent, and more. While some find the Parisians to be rude and snotty, especially in establishments like this, we found the people to be kind and welcoming! The guy that was helping Lilly and Daisy with their shoes told us that people from the United States are his favorite and that Parisians love all things America (music, movies, ect.). This was so nice to hear after feeling like the “dumb Americans” for the greater part of this semester. Kith also had some incredible ice cream and a small café inside; if you are ever in the middle of a shopping day and need a place to take a break, this would be a great spot to do so. After Kith, we started walking back towards the Eiffel Tower and made our way to Gap, as we were in need of some classic white t-shirts. Shops close in Paris around 6:00 and they do not like to stay open one-minute longer, so we quickly ran in, got what we needed and got out. If you are planning to shop in Paris, I would bring a physical card with you (not just Apple Pay). There were a couple of times that places had contactless payment, but Apple Pay would not work. Before heading back to the apartment, we dropped inside McDonald’s for a quick little treat then walked back home. We were absolutely exhausted, but Lilly and I decided to push through and join Caroline, Noah, and Cooper at the Eiffel Tower for a sunset view and a bottle of wine (also a must-do while in Paris). We had such a great time listening to music and hanging out as the sky turned a beautiful light-pink. 

 
We had a dinner reservation at 9:30 at Buddha Bar so we picked up after ourselves in the park then went back to the apartment to get ready. We called an Uber and arrived at the restaurant right on time. The boys were running a little bit late, but the restaurant would not seat us unless everyone in the party was present (so if you ever go to dinner here, try to arrive on time and all-together). We had a delicious 2.5-hour meal with the coolest vibes. The table consisted of cocktails, wine, edamame, soup, sushi, and steak bowls. This meal was very nice, but I found the food to be affordable (the drinks are what add up quickly), so I would recommend grabbing a cocktail or two before or after somewhere less expensive. After dinner, Daisy and Lilly Ubered back home while Noah, Cooper, Caroline, and I headed to L’Arc to continue our night of fun. This club was located right off of the Arc de Triumph, and I have never had second hand car-driving-scaries like I did when we were going around the Arc. We were soon in the line for the club and got there right when it opened. The line seemed long, but it actually was moving very quickly. However, as we started getting closer to the front, we saw that the bouncers were denying large groups of people from going inside. We still aren’t sure if this was because of their age, group size, or if they seemed too drunk to be let inside. Moral of the story: be on your P’s and Q’s in the line and try to fly under the radar. If you are into clubs, you definitely should check out L’Arc—we had a great time!

The next morning, we got up, showered, and were out the door by 11:00 AM. We started walking around to find a nearby café for brunch and ended up close to the Military School. When walking around the busier streets of Paris, you will notice these charming cafes on street corners that look like they provide wonderful service and a charming atmosphere—WRONG. We were just short of being robbed at Le Tourville Café. 8 euros for a cup of lukewarm coffee. 16 euros for avocado toast. 11 euros for a small piece of toast and jam. My total for avocado toast and a coffee was $26 US dollars—sorry for my rant, I just don’t want you to make the same mistake. Head over to a small pastry shop and eat your croissant and coffee outside instead. 

Anyway, after that fail, we kind of made an even bigger one. Next on our itinerary was the Paris Flea Market in Saint-Ouen, which was recommended to us by a friend. So, we hopped in an Uber and had a long 30-minute drive to the very north of Paris. Our driver was so nice and warned us about the pick-pocketers in this area and advised us to stay close to each other. We have been used to this all semester, as we have had a few people travelling with TCU get their phones stolen. Once we arrived, we put our phones and sunglasses in our purses, zipped them, and always kept one hand on them. We started thrifting in these little white tents that mainly had knock-off shoes and clothing in them. We were uncomfortably approached by a few people and the vibes of that area were just weird. You know the feeling where you just know that this probably isn’t a situation that you should be in and you overall just feel scared? That was us. We didn’t stop to look inside any of the tents and briskly walked towards the end. We then called an Uber to take us back to the center of Paris, but then I started to think that there was absolutely no way that this was all that the “Paris Flea Market” had to offer. The websites and recommendations that we received said that there was plenty of antique browsing to do (which is the main reason why I wanted to go). After a bit of research, we changed the destination of the Uber to where we believe the flea market should be—it was just around the corner. We entered this area and it was exactly like the first section of white tents, but WAY more crowded, and there were lots of people trying to talk to us and sell us things. At this point, we were laughing about the situation but simultaneously clinging on to each other out of fear. Granted, we might be dramatic, but being three young girls in an area that we did not feel safe in, I feel validated in our emotions. As we were walking, I saw a small door that seemed to lead to an indoor market. We took a sharp left and soon found our antique haven with uncrowded stalls and great vibes. We roamed around for about an hour and browsed through the countless records, cool trinkets, art, and beautiful glassware. I bought three botanicals to take back home—something I will have forever. After we had gotten our fill, we all met downstairs at the Street Food area, grabbed a coke zero, and mentally prepared ourselves for journey back through the white tents. Since we knew what to expect, it was more funny than scary. Lilly was wearing a black blazer with orange sunglasses and a man from a distance said to her “oooo lady Gagas” while another one aggressively sniffed in our direction and said “mmmm beautiful” (hahahahhah). There were a couple of times where men would block our path and try to stop us. If this happens, just grab on to your purse, push through them, and keep on moving. After a long 8-minute walk through the tents, we finally reached the end, and called an Uber to pick us up on a street corner. We still had people come up to us while we were waiting but we just ignored them. Soon after we were in the Uber and hysterically laughing about our experience yet kind of traumatized at the same time. I think that if we had known about how aggressive the market would be and / or the location of where the antique market would have been, our experience would have been much better. All in all, we are still glad that we went—we laugh about it ALL the time.

*I wish I had pictures of the Flea Market (phone safety first) but here are the botanicals I got!

We were safe and sound when the Uber dropped us off right outside of the Tuileries Garden (next to the Louvre). We went inside an English bookstore and Lilly bought a novel about the uncovered secrets of the Russian government. Then we roamed the garden until it was time for our 3:00 reservation at Le Soufflé with a special guest—our very own Caroline Penner! Caroline has been studying abroad with TCU in Florence this semester and it magically worked out that she was in Paris during her spring break while we were visiting. We got to catch up over sweet and savory souffles, French onion soup, and a couple of glasses of Sancere. After our afternoon snack, we decided to take the one mile walk to the Rodin Museum. However, on our way to the museum, we stopped at a small fruit market and Daisy and Lilly got a fresh honeycrisp apple (we have found that the apples that we get in Spain are always soft). We got to the Rodin Museum around 4:45, bought tickets, and entered the lovely and very well groomed gardens. The museum held an extremely impressive amount of Rodin’s sculptures and even held a few Van Gough and Monet paintings upstairs as well. After viewing the sculptures, Lilly and Daisy had a snack at the outdoor café while Caroline and I we wandered through the gardens. We took in the last few moments of daylight on a bench viewing the gardens and the beautiful museum building. Before we knew it, it was nearing 6:00 and a guard came up to us to nudge us toward the exit (like I said, a closing time is STRICT). 

*Tip: if you are a student in the EU, present a student ID at the Rodin Museum and you can get in for free!

Caroline thinking....

We Ubered back to the apartment, quickly changed, and all six of us were soon back in another Uber on the way to our 7:30 reservation for dinner. Tonight’s menu was a delicious meal of steak frites, courtesy of L’aller Retour. It was a quaint restaurant in a more local area of Paris. We had a sweet candle-lit dinner on a minimal, round wood table on the second floor. As for the food itself, my meal was delicious and around 20 euros for a filet and a side of fries. Caroline and I split a bottle of wine; she got the dessert special, and I had their cheesecake. If you are visiting Paris, steak frites is a must—definitely try to get a reservation at L’Aller Retour! 

When in Paris...escargot!

After dinner, we had made another reservation at the Ice Kube Bar inside the Kube Hotel. There was a little bit of lag time in between dinner and the bar, so we decided to wander the streets in the direction of the bar. Once it was time to go, we hopped in a cab and made our way to the hotel. Caroline’s friend who has been living in Paris for a few months warned us that this spot is also not in the best part of Paris, but it is definitely an experience that is worth the journey. Once we arrived, there was a small, light-up sign on the street that said “Kube.” We walked through the doors around 10:25 for our 10:30 reservation and were guided to the bar to check-in and pay for our tickets (I would arrive around 10-15 minutes before your reservation; we were a bit rushed). Soon we were putting on the puffer jackets and listening to the instructions for the bar: “25 minutes in NEGATIVE 25 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees F).” Guess we really got what we signed up for (lol). We were then let into the bar…it was AWESOME! It was a little bit smaller than I thought (only two small rooms), but I definitely think that it was an experience that is so worth it. 25 minutes is more than enough time in there, and the tickets include 2 cocktails and a shot (mostly winter themed drinks). We took some awesome pictures, ran around the bar, danced, and made friends with the fun staff. Once our 25-minutes were up, we went upstairs and called a ride back to the apartment. Once again, we had a such a fun day in Paris.

 
On our last morning, we woke up around 10:00, quickly packed and cleaned the apartment, and were out the door for yet another croissant and coffee. We tried to go to the pastry shop that we went to on the first day, but when we got there it was closed. However, right next to that store was a farmer’s market. On the bike tour we learned that each district of Paris is required to have a local farmers market at least once a week to promote buying local foods. We strolled through the market and wished we were spending an extra night in Paris so we could buy some groceries and cook a meal for dinner. We then mapped ourselves to another café, got a delicious breakfast, then made our way towards the Grand Epicerie market. It was a wonderful walk that took us over the Seine River and provided a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower (Laine saw a couple get engaged on this bridge the week before we went to Paris). We slowly roamed the streets and window shopped on our 25-minute walk since it was Sunday and all of the stores were closed. When we arrived at Grand Epicerie, we thought that is was going to be a larger version of what we had walked through earlier that morning. However, it was more of a large scale Central Market with a café upstairs hosting some local artisans. I bought a cute hair bow that was hand-designed by an artist in Paris and made with recycled polyester and silk. Once we were done, we started walking around and restaurant hunting for lunch. For some reason, we were really craving Chinese food and after three tries, finally ended up at Chez Ming for a meal before our flight back to Madrid. The food was just what we needed to get our craving under control and so we walked back to the apartment feeling very satisfied. 

Our flight left Orly at 5:55 PM, so we called an Uber to pick us up at 3:15. Once we got to the airport, we got in the line for security, which wasn’t too long. However, like London, they were strict about liquids in your bag. We all had to squeeze our gels and creams in a small plastic bag before sending them through the machine. Once we were done, we arrived inside the airport with plenty of time to grab a snack and relax for a few minutes. When it was nearing our boarding time (5:25), we walked towards the gate and noticed that we had to take a shuttle to our actual gate…yes, very confusing. We quickly hopped on the next bus available after scanning our boarding passes and after a 7 minute drive, we arrived at our plane’s location. We made it on the plane without an issue and relaxed on our less than two-hour flight back to Madrid.
 
Paris was a trip that was the perfect mixture of relaxation, fun, and learning. Since it is such a large city, I would opt to do one or two guided tours to relieve a lot of the “thinking” involved in planning a trip. This city is a must-see in everyone’s lifetime…I would most definitely recommend visiting Paris while you are traveling abroad if you can!

Thank you so much for reading! Please add your Paris tips at the bottom—the more the better :) happy travels!

<3,

Mp
 

List of Places We Went in Paris:

• Activities / Sights
• Barry’s Bootcamp (workout class)
• Eiffel Tower to see it sparkle
• Fat Tire Bike Tour of Paris
• Read above to see everything we saw
• Shopping
• Kith
• Gap
• Eiffel tower for sunset / wine
• Paris Flea Market in Saint Ouen (read above before you go)
• English Book Store
• Rodin Museum
• Local market in our district
• Grand Epicerie
• Food
• Café de Marly (get reservation; by Louvre)
• Buddha Bar (get reservation; sushi, dinner)
• Le Tourville (DON’T GO)
• Le Souffle (get reservation; MUST GO)
• L’Aller Retour (get reservation; steak frites)
• Ice Kube Bar (get reservation; frozen bar)
• Chez Ming (random Chinese place)

If We Had More Time in Paris We Would...

• Use the Metro
• Since the bike tour lasted almost all day on Friday, it didn't make much sense for us to get a Metro pass for one day (even though we wish we got to experience the Paris Metro)
• Go to the Louis Vuitton Museum (requires ticket ahead of time)
• Go to the Louvre (free admission! Mona Lisa!)
• Go to the Picasso Museum
• Go to the Post de Arts bridge (bridge with all of the locks)
• Walk along the Seine and see Notre Dame (it's closed because of the fire)
• Buttes de Chamont Park
• See the Catacombs of Paris (requires ticket ahead of time)
• See Monet's Water Lilies
• Do some thrift shopping

Helpful Links:

• Fat Tire Bike Tours Paris: https://www.fattiretours.com/paris
• Louvre tickets: https://www.louvre.fr/en/visit/hours-admission
• Ice Kube Bar Reservation: https://www.kubehotel-paris.com/en/page/ice-bar-hotel-paris.425.html