3 Nights in Paris

Thought I would share a quick trip report on a quick trip to Paris. We flew from Florence airport to Orly airport aboard Vueling Air. Both airports were smaller but easy to navigate. Flight was approximately 1.5 hours.
Taxi from Orly to hotel in 7th arrondissement, about $35.00. Got to the hotel early, room not ready so we left luggage and headed out for breakfast. Hotel was about a 5 minute walk from Rue Cler so that’s where we went. What a great street. Wherever you are staying in Paris I would make the effort to walk up and down Rue Cler and enjoy a stroll or a bite at many of the sidewalk cafes.
Later in the morning we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. No matter how many times you see photos it is pretty special in person. We could only get tickets before leaving home for the option of walking up to the 2nd floor observation area. However when we got there the ticket window had a very short line and they had elevator tickets to the 2nd floor available, we gladly took those foregoing climbing 675 stairs.
Going to the summit was not an option as one of us is not comfortable with heights. The view was spectacular and we decided to walk down the stairs rather than take the very crowded elevator. The walk down was great, you see much more of the inside of the tower, very interesting. And you go down at your own pace stopping to see the views.
Back to the hotel for a quick shower, change and head out.
As newcomers to Paris we were thrilled to just be walking through the city. Around every corner was another adventure to be enjoyed. After a very busy agenda in Italy the past week we intentionally planned fewer activities. A recap of some:
Musée Rodin-One of our favorite stops. Not nearly as busy but certainly a beautiful stop. An oasis of calm surrounded by a bustling city.
Musée d’Orsay-We had timed tickets. Extraordinary spot, especially if Impressionism is to your liking. A Van Gogh exhibition was being held which drew many, many people. We went at night to avoid crowds, that didn’t work, with the plan being to then take a nighttime cruise in the Seine. When we came out rain changed those plans.
Sainte-Chapelle-We had timed tickets. A truly remarkable sight. A bit chaotic lining up outside but worth the wait.
Arc De Triomphe-An iconic Paris view. Worth the trip especially if you walk back via the Champs-Elysees. A great walk to the Place de la Concorde and on to the Tuileries Garden.
While we did so much more the joy of Paris was simply being out and about. Stopping at a sidewalk cafe, going into chocolate shops, walking through the many small parks and generally just getting lost in the city. Although Google Maps was always able to get us back on track.
Perhaps our favorite part of the trip, OK beside the food, was the people of Paris. While we both had repeatedly heard negative stereotypes of Parisians being rude, refusing to speak English, etc. nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone we met was polite, helpful and very patient with us English only speakers. As in Italy we made it a point to learn the basic “niceties” before we left home. Good Morning, Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, Could you help me…all went a long way.
We both fell in love with Paris on our short trip. We are already planning our return trip, and with so many “must sees” out of the way we can spend more time walking the many great neighborhoods of Paris.
A side note: We had tickets to the Louvre on our last night. After 12 days in both Italy and Paris we decided we could not do 1 more museum. We decided to not only “skip the line” but to skip the entire museum! We went out to dinner and enjoyed our last night in our new favorite city.