21st in PARIS, the City of Light

Paris has been in my bucket list for so long - maybe since I was a kid, since the first time I came to England when I was 8.

So for my 21st birthday, me and Macky decided to go to Paris for 4 days. It wasn’t enough but we tried to do as much as possible. This is also our first international trip together *blushes*.

Now that I am back, here is a recap of the places we went to and the things we did.

Eiffel Tower / Tour Eiffel

The most famous tourist landmark of Paris. The best place to see the Eiffel Tower is at Trocadéro and if you have time, climb it up - but we didn’t because we didn’t have enough time. If you walk down Avenue Kléber, you’d end up at Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées.

Arc de Triomphe

One of the most famous monuments in Paris and it takes you 284 steps to climb up to the top and it was worth the climb. At the top, you can see the 12 avenues of Paris and a good view of the Eiffel Tower.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

The most famous avenue in the whole world. It is very luxurious and prestige. The avenue stretches 1.9km long and it is full of shops and restaurants.

Musèe du Louvre / Louvre Museum

Have you really visited Paris if you haven’t took a peak at Mona Lisa? This museum is very famous around the world and it holds hundreds of thousands of paintings and sculpture from prehistory to the 21st century.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris & Sainte-Chapelle

The best-known church building in France and the world. The architecture of this church is amazing and I was left in awe. Sainte-Chapelle is a Gothic architectural style royal chapel with stained glass windows.

Disneyland Paris

This is actually the second time I’ve been to Disneyland Paris but I wasn’t able to explore central Paris during my first visit.

This is probably the highlight of my trip because I get so happy and hyped with everything Disney and I turn into a kid once again. This was not even planned and we decided to go to Disneyland the night before and it was well worth it.

I'm back in England and guess what I'm going to do? Disney marathon it is.

A MUST TO-DO LIST (after my first visit):

• See Eiffel Tower at night.

• Do not miss going to Disneyland - it costs around €16 for the transport and it only takes one RER train to get there. As for tickets, a 1-day 1-park ticket costs £40 but it could be cheaper if you book earlier. Plus you get a €10 off voucher if you spend €25 or more at Planet Hollywood when you buy your tickets here.

• Eat a lot of croissants and pain au chocolat.

• Explore by foot - literally the best way to see most of the city.

• Metro over taxis/uber - getting to places that are not walking distance on a metro is so much cheaper and exciting. A single ticket costs €1.90 and a book of 10 costs €14.90 which you can share between your friends. As for me and Macky, we barely used the metro - maybe 3-4 trips each day.

• WAKE UP EARLY!!! Most places open at 9am and time wasted is a no-no.

• Dress comfortably especially shoes - I tripped wearing heels and it got tiring after a few hours of walking and going up the arc.

• Get them authentic French macarons in your belly.

• Window shop at Champs-Elysées just because.

• Climb up the Arc de Triomphe - it is worth the climb, I promise! 

EXTRA TIP: There are a lot of places where you can get in for free if you’re 18-26 with an EU passport like the louvre, arc de triomphe and sainte-chapelle. So research before you go!

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at Sejours & Affaires Paris-Davout. The room comes with a kitchenette and there’s an Aldi downstairs so we saved a lot on food and snacking.

Rating: 8.5/10

Price: €183 for 3 nights

Cleanliness: ★★★★★

Comfortability: ★★★★★ (their pillows are to die for)

Ladurée Paris

To top it all off, macarons and cake from Laduree. It is the best tasting macarons that I have ever tried maybe after Pierre Herme but I am still in love with it especially its softness.

And here's my last Paris metro ride at Louvre-Rivoli.

Au revoir, until next time Paris! ❤