Paris Tour Guide – Part II – Holiday Destination Ideas!

Paris Tour Guide – Part II

So, friends, the wait is over and I am back with the next part of the Paris Tour Guide series. This series will cover the following things, not necessarily in the same order:

• Tourist Attractions in Paris
• What to eat in Paris
• Where to shop in Paris
• Where to stay in Paris
• Time and weather in Paris
• Transportation in Paris

This part of the series will cover the places to visit and Tourist attractions in Paris. First six attractions were covered in the 1st part of the Paris Tour Guide series. If you missed it then quickly take a look at it here.

7. Go crazy in love with Disneyland

This is the favourite part of my tour, apart from the shopping of course :D.  I am so much in love with Disney that I never miss a tour of any Disneyland if I am near it. All the Disneylands have similar rides, similar layouts with a few different rides. All the stage shows are different in all the parks and are worth watching. You will definitely find something new in every park like the infrastructure. I have been to Disneyland in Hongkong, Shangai, and Paris, out of all the three, this one is different because along with Disney park, it also has Disney studios where the making of action scenes are shown along with different rides.

The above image shows the entrance to the Disney park and the following to the studios.

Apart from the studios, there is another new experience in this Disneyland which awaits you – The Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show with Mickey and Friends. 

The Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show with Mickey and Friends

It is the biggest dinner served in Paris and has a great entertainment value. Show tickets are expensive for this one and a half hour long show. It is available at 6 pm and 9 pm everyday. The staff is good and helpful as they specially arranged vegetarian food for us inspite of having mainly a non-vegetarian menu. The food is good and one gets a lot to eat. The food is served on the table. The audience gets a chance to get involved in the show to a good extent. It gets divided into 4 groups and each group supports a group of horse riders.

Everyone gets a cool hat to support the old Texan environment. All the rider groups compete with each other to find a winner. Mickey and friends are only involved for a few minutes in this show, don’t get misguided by the name of the show.  By the time you will exit the show you will get addicted to the word “EEEEEHHHHAAAWWWWW”.

I did enjoy the show as this was the first such experience for me, the involvement was the key to fun. You will love this dinner show if you like watching horse riders and some action.

  

 

Getting confused about how to manage so many things in a day?

Well, it will be difficult to enjoy everything offered by Disney here in one day but we can give it a shot. The Disney Studio is only open till 4 pm so cover that first. At the entrance, you will find a timetable indicating all the activities and show timings of the day, take 5 mins, sit somewhere and plan your time wisely. Choose what you want to watch and what not, plan accordingly and reach in time for all those shows/activities. Similarly, once you are done with the studios grab the timetable for Disney Park and work it out.

Remember whichever show you want to catch, reach atleast 20 mins prior to the show timing. The sooner the better.

Everyday at 8 pm, Disney comes to life near the castle with the cracker show. You must watch it, if you haven’t before, people start sitting near the castle around 7: 30 pm to reserve the slot, so do reserve your slot in time. If you plan to check out the above-mentioned dinner show then book the 9 pm show so that you can cover the all the things.

There is so much more to the park that it is beyond the scope of this post. I loved the car ride activity here, you will always have to face a huge line before you could have your hands on it, have a look:

That’s me and my mom making memories and one of the best ones. You will not be allowed to take a picture with a selfie stick, it is a complete no-no but somehow I managed to take one ;P.  Make a point to catch Disney shows, these are remarkable, no match.

There are many more amazing rides, shows, and shops to talk about. I will soon publish a detailed post on Disney to cover all that, don’t worry…

Tip: Do not miss the Pirates and the Carribean show, it is also available in Shanghai Disneyland. I couldn’t find a better 3D experience so far. 

There is a train ride available in many Disney parks that starts at the entrance and takes you around the park. Unfortunately, I haven’t experienced it yet inpite of visiting 4 times! This ride will top my to-do list next time when I am there. Have you tried it so far? If so then do share your experience with me. 

 

8. Arc De Triomphe – A Tribute to Soldiers

 

Arc De Triomphe is on the other end of the world famous shopping street – Champs Elysees. It is similar to India Gate, India, where the name of the soldiers was engraved to honour them after their death in the French revolution.

You can climb to the top of the structure and get an amazing view of the city. It is open from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm, time varies according to months, so, verify it through the website and also, get your tickets. The ticket costs around 9 or 12 Euros depending upon your age.

Some people can also grab a free ticket to the top, follow the link to know the eligibility.

Did you know: “There is an unknown buried soldier at the base of the Arc De Triomphe. Every day at 6:30 pm, a flame is ignited to recall the sacrifice of soldiers”

 

9. Roam the vintage streets of Montmartre

 

It is the source of inspiration for poets, writers, and other creative people. It is an old town on a hill with beautiful buildings all around and a lot of tourists. This place has a lot to offer, you can go and spend some quiet time in church, some quality time in beautiful cafes looking at the Basilica or by filling your suitcases with shopping bags. The streets of Rue de Steinkerque is the shopping street where you can get good and cheap deals. If you are in Paris on a Saturday morning and you love shopping then this is where you should be. I haven’t experienced it but I have read a lot about it, a truck full of boxes of clothes is unloaded here. The boxes are full of brands like Naf Naf, Espirit, Benetton, etc,. As soon as the stalls are set up for sale, all the stuff gets sold really soon. You will find so many ladies there that you will only be able to see hands looking for sizes.

Apart from this, there are adult shops, bars like Moulin Rouge (cabaret) and erotic museums. Montmartre is a beautiful place, good to roam in daylight but don’t roam alone at night on streets like Boulevard de Clichy. There is also a train for people who have difficulty reaching the top of the hill, where Basilique du Sacre Coeur is located. Feel free to take the train and enjoy the serene streets but you will not be looked at with good eyes if you are able to walk up the hill and still sitting in that train, so don’t.

It is a lively and crowded place with a lot of beauty all around. I will suggest you not to aim for the Basilica straight, allow yourself to get lost on the streets.

 

Do you know that there is a Pass called Paris Pass which includes so many attractions in it. Find details about it in the next part of this series – Part III – Is Paris Pass worth buying? 

 10. Place de la Concorde

 

Place de la Concorde is the largest square in France surrounded by Tuileries Garden, Champs-Elysees, and beautiful architectures. The Obelisk is the center of the square and a gift of the Egyptian government to the French government. The stone is full of Egyptian symbolism on all the 4 sides. 

 Did you know: “The Obelisk has another identical twin which is in Egypt and could not be transferred to France due to its weight. Only one was transferred, the one we see now. During transfers, the gold cap of the tomb was stolen/lost so France government arranged an artificial gold cap to complete the tomb”

Its construction was completed in 1963 and since then till 1830 the name of the place has been changed multiple times. The first name was Place Louis XV. After enjoying the beautiful Tuileries Garden you can click some pictures here and admire the beautiful building of Hotel De Crillon, before proceeding to the world famous shopping street Champs-Elysees.

 

Paris is really beautiful and there are many sites for travelers to admire. Places like Pont Alexander III are worth a visit. It is a beautiful bridge near Champs-Elysees.

 

Did you know: “There are many movies which are shot around Paris like you can catch this bridge in a song from the movie Befikre (Bollywood), nashe si chadh gyi. You will find a glimpse of Montmartre in the movie Queen”

 

It is difficult to cover all the attractions in Paris as there are so many, I couldn’t inspite of a 5 days tour. I will list a few more for you in case you are interested to cover more places. 

Grand Palais

The domes which you can see behind the Alexander pont III bridge are the part of the Grand Palais. It is an exhibition hall and a Museum. You can find all about it here and buy tickets as well.

Pantheon 

     This is a mausoleum where the remains of distinguished French citizens are enclosed. It is a pretty structure. Prepare your visit here. It is located in one of the finest areas in the city – The Latin Quater. If you are here then you can opt for A free Walking Tour, it is a good way to know the area and discover more things.

Palace of Versailles 

This visit requires an entire day. It is 40 mins away from the Eiffel tower by car and 1 hour away by public conveyance. The important thing, it is closed on Monday. Other days it is open from 9 am to 6:30 pm. Tickets are around 20 Euros + extra for musical garden and musical fountain. There are various types of tickets, you check all of them here.

Did you know: “ Entry to the palace is free for some people, you can check the criteria in the following link. Apart from this, entry for everyone is free on the 1st Sunday of every month from November to March”

 Check the eligibility for free entry to the palace.

Les Invalides, and

Opera

 

I hope you have got sufficient information for your trip when it comes to Places to visit and Tourist Attractions in Paris. There is no need to cover all the attractions if you have less time, just pick a few according to your visit duration and make sure you have a good time there. 

Feel free to ask questions… This is not the end of the series but just a part. The next part of the series is to find out whether the Paris Pass is worth buying or not... Read all the experiences and then make your choice.

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