Status: Away – Paris, France
Estimated read time: 3 minutes
Paris might conjure up visions of the Eiffel Tower or Moulin Rouge, but beyond the fanfare, there’s a more atmospheric side, perfect for first-timers and frequent visitors alike.
Liana C., from the Air Canada Vacations team, recently visited Paris this past fall, and she'll be sharing her favourite haunts, eateries and more, as well as some insider tips for making the most out of your autumn escape to Paris.
Paris, France
When my husband and I travel, we like to just run around and see everything, but since we had so much time, our trip was uncharacteristically calm. We just walked around and enjoyed ourselves. We didn’t end up doing any museums in the end because you needed reservations ahead of time, and we were more interested in seeing how the days developed naturally.
Quick tips
- Book tickets or visits in advance to guarantee your spot and skip the line
- Pack well to be prepared for any rain or cold weather
- A little French goes a long way in Paris! Greeting people with a bonjour is polite and customary
Things to eat
- Head to Bouillon Chartier on rue du Faubourg-Montmartre for classic bistro dining in an Art Nouveau atmosphere
- Patisserie Leonie makes the best croissants I’ve ever had
- Pink Mama has fresh pizza made by Italian chefs with an open kitchen where you can watch
Paris is such a lovely city. It has such an artistic vibe to it, and it’s hard not to feel immersed in its centuries of history when you’re passing by places like Victor Hugo’s house. Along the streets, you’ll find little passageways through buildings lined with bookstores and cafés. We stayed in Montmartre for 7 nights, where our room offered views of the Église Saint-Paul and the Sacré-Cœur Basilica.
I think we averaged about a croissant a day. We actually had to hold back; they were that good!
Getting around
We took the metro, which was easy but long at times. Transit is really easy to use, you don’t even need to buy a pass. You can just tap with your phone or card everywhere you go. We did find that the airport is a bit far from the city, so it takes about an hour on the metro. We ended up Uber-ing on our way back because we felt a bit lazy. The French taxi drivers are very talkative and friendly!
Things to do
A different view of Paris
There’s really no shortage of things to do in Paris. It’s a little strange, but one of my favourite things to do is visiting cemeteries. It’s a bit like going to a museum, in the sense that you’re getting a different perspective of history. The first thing we did was check out the cemeteries of Montmartre (resting place of many artists), Montparnasse (Simone de Beauvoir and Sartre) and Père Lachaise (Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust).
Afterwards, we, of course, needed to see the Catacombs. Make sure you book the tickets on the official website when slots open exactly one week before. It was honestly a little claustrophobic, but I was so fascinated by the atmosphere in there. It’s very humbling. There are little plaques everywhere that say things like, “Here, we are all equal.”
Monuments and more
We didn’t actually get a chance to visit the Louvre this trip. Believe it or not, the heist took place the day we were supposed to go. I promise it wasn’t us! We also took time to see the Eiffel Tower from below. It lights up at night and sparkles every hour, and you can see it from every corner of the city. It’s just so beautiful.
There’s also a great rooftop viewpoint from the Galeries Lafayette, where you can see the whole city. It does get pretty busy, so you do need to book a timeslot. The Notre-Dame is another must-see. It was just recently renovated, so it’s really beautiful inside.
