Paris Photo Blog

This is more of a photo blog of the places my wife and I visited in Paris in mid summer 2012. It was to celebrate our first wedding anniversary which coincides closely with Bastille Day celebrations, hence was a real treat. We stayed in Paris for six days, with a day trip to Versailles.


This blog covers the key places I'd suggest visiting:

Eiffel Tower visit,
Bastille Day parade,
River Seine Boat Cruise,
La Louvre Museum,
Chateau de Versaille and Jardins
Plus other Landmarks such as
Arc Du Triomphe,
Sacre Couer,
Hammam de la Mosque,
Moulin Rouge,
Notre Dame,
Place de la Concorde

 

We stayed at the Mercure Eiffel Center hotel for the first two nights. It's close to Bir Hakem and Champ de Mars metro stations, so very very close to the Eiffel.


 

Chose the hotel purely to enjoy the fireworks at night from the 12th floor which was absolutely amazing. Lasted straight 35 minutes and we managed to get exclusive views for the full show.

Generally speaking, I wouldn't recommend this hotel. Overpriced, and lacks Accor standards.The hotel is 2 minutes from Eiffel, so great views from outside the hotel at late night without the worry of returning back to your hotel if you are staying far away. 

 The views from our room wasn't spectacular either. If you're really keen on spending twice the price to stay near the Eiffel in the Champ De Mars area, I would suggest the Pullman which is better positioned for views of the Eiffel.

Bastille Day

Our first day started early to see the Bastille Day parades. We positioned ourselves near Franklin Roosevelt station and had to be there from 8am in the morning to get good vantage points to see the parade. The parade started from 10 and lasted for 2 hours. Here are some photos from the event:

 

And there's the new elected president himself, Francois Hollande !! 

 La Louvre

 

We then spend rest of the day at the La Louvre / Mussee de Louvre. It was free entry on Bastille Day, but otherwise you pay 6 Euros, still cheap.  It has 6 sections, mostly an art gallery as opposed to history museum. In comparison to our own British Museum, I'd say it's bigger but lesser to see. More like a place you'd want to go for the environment inside and out.

They house the original Mona Lisa painting, which is probably why people go there. Took us 2 hours queuing to get in just to see this, so you better like what you see !!

Eiffel Tower

Not that this needs any introduction, but just the key points if you're visiting.

It Can take up to 4 hours to queue if you haven't got advanced online tickets

You can choose to pay for 2nd floor access for 10 Euros, or 2nd & 3rd for 14 Euros. For a 4 hour wait, you won't settle for anything less than the top

The views are fantastic - except you won't see the tower as you're in it. So if you're just after the mug shots for friends back home, I'd suggest go for the Montparnasse Tower from which you have same view but including the Tower. 

Here are some shots from the ground as well as the top of the tower.

Evening River Seine Cruise

The cruise leaves from Pont De'l Alma, charges 12.50 Euro pp, and lasts about an hour. I'd suggest taking the evening ride if you want to experience the 'city of lights' effect. All landmarks such as the Eiffel and Notredam Cathedral are lit in bright gold as you cruise from one of end Paris to the other. 

The boat we were on can hold 900 people maximum, but I guess everyone really wants to be on the top deck for the views, hence you might have to queue up if a third of the boat is full. The rides are at 20 min frequency, so not that bad. You will certainly see American students hanging out late night by the river boozing their through the night.

Too bad I couldn't share great pics, as my camera betrayed shooting in the dark. Nevertheless, here are some more shots.

Sacre Coeur

Loosely translates to 'Sacred Heart' - this is essentially Paris' holiest church, situated on top a hill. The stairs are a good 10-15 minute climb giving you both grassy patches to relax as well as enjoy the views from the top. 

Inside the church, you will find well known ceiling paintings - albeit no photography allowed. I sneaked this one without flash !

The views from the hill top are phenomenal, especially in bright summer. The location also has a large collection of souvenir shops & open markets.

 Notre Dame Cathedral

A main city cathedral just like any other large one in Europe. Free to enter, but silence must be maintained. Regular service always in session.

Appreciate the stained glass windows, ceiling artworks or just sit inside for a peaceful moment.The views from outside are pretty decent too.

La Mosque de Paris

A unique place to visit is Paris' oldest mosque. This is truly a remarkable place to spend some time in, whether you are aligned to Islam or not. Visitors are welcome on all days except Fridays.

It's a very Moroccan / Persian themed mosque with tiled decor throughout.

The mosque contains a garden, restaurant, praying and relaxing areas. 













We had the chef's special grill selection in a restaurant I've never seen the likes of in London. It's almost like visiting the gardens of Eden.






Wilson Opera Hotel

By this time we had to change hotels and move to Wilson Opera hotel near Saint Lazare station. The room we had was the finest in it's class and price.







The hotel offers cold breakfast selection and has lots of shops nearby such as pubs, bbq joints, and my personal favourite sushi bars

The highlight was the private terrace offering views from 6th floor looking over the Eiffel and opera areas.

Champ Elysees & Arc Du Triomphe

Walk along Champ Elysees from George V metro station and head towards Arc Du Triomphe. You find flagship stores of major fashion houses and automotive companies. Great shopping experience if you've got the wallet !!

Other landmarks

 

Versasilles Palace and Gardens


If you're planning a day to Versailles, some key points to bear in mind:

The best route is to get off at Versaille Rive Gouche. There are three other stations in Versaille, but are farther away from the palace.

A return ticket costs 6.50 pp; this covers from any station in zone 1 to Versaille and the journey is about an hour.

Timing: we first queued to buy tickets, then queued to enter. the queue to enter can take up to 2 hours, so despite reaching Versaille by 9am, we couldn't enter the palace until about 12 pm. Some people suggest touring the gardens first, and then queuing up for the palace. The Gardens are free to visit. here are some random shots from the palace and the estate gardens:

Hope you enjoyed the photos :)