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| Bonjour! Charlotte and I spent fall break in France.🇫🇷 This was her first time in Europe and my first time since having kids. We went to the Loire Valley and saw Château’s, visited Monet’s home & garden in Giverny and spent the day in Versailles. The night before we went home we were on a Seine River cruise in Paris & saw Sarah Jessica Parker and Mr Big filming a movie. 🙌 We tried crepes, chocolate croissants🥐, gelato, macarons, etc. France was so dreamy! |
Our FRANCE Itinerary🇫🇷
Sunday-
•Our flight arrived at 9:30 am. After finding our Airbnb we relaxed and slept for a few hours.
•Our Airbnb wasn't too far from the Eiffel Tower so we spent time oohing & aahing, then checked out the Statue of Liberty, Pont de Grenelle.
Monday-
•On our first full day, we took a tour to See 30 Plus Top Paris Sights with a Fun Guide. We enjoyed hearing the history behind the amazing buildings and not getting lost 😂 (although getting lost in Paris isn’t so bad). Also, a great tour if you have limited time in Paris. We booked it through Viator.
•We took the Fairytale Loire Castles Tour from Paris and visited Château de Chambord & Château de Chenonceau (booked through Get Your Guide). These Châteaus are amazing! Chambord was a hunting lodge for King Francis I and was only used for 7 weeks total. 🤣 We drove past Mick Jaggers Château😎then had lunch in a town called Bloise on the Loire River. It’s a 12-hour tour from Paris and felt a little rushed. The last time I visited the Loire Valley we had our own car and it was nice to go at our own pace. Whatever way you choose to do it you’ll be impressed with the incredible architecture and yes, we felt like we were in a fairytale!✨🧚🏻♀️✨
•Dinner on Rue Daguerre (near catacombs). Best lasagna ever!
Wednesday-
•Awe… Giverny!💚 We took the Half-day trip to Giverny from Paris. It was amazing to see Claude Monet’s garden… the inspiration for his paintings. We visited the home he lived in for the last 40 years of his life and saw his famous water lilies and visited his grave. We booked our tour through Get Your Guide.
•After we arrived back in Paris we went to Musée d'Orsay and saw some of Monet’s paintings including Water Lilies. We LOVED this museum! At one time it was a train station and the building is as incredible as the art!
•Walked past YSL & UNESCO
Thursday-
•Brunch at Angelina Paris- Reservation at 10:00. Charlotte's French teacher recommended the hot chocolate... We loved it!
•Louvre- Reservations at noon
•Walked along the Seine River towards the Latin Quarter and saw The Bouquinistes of Paris.
•Shakespeare & Company Bookstore… Charlotte’s favourite!
•Dinner in the Latin Quarter
•Dessert: Gelato & macaroons from Amorino
•Walked to Airbnb along the Seine💫
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Friday-
•Versailles- Reservation at 10:00. The Royal Chateau was built in 1624 and has 2,300 rooms. Don't miss the Gardens, The Estate of Trianon and Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet. This was Charlotte's favourite part of Versailles.
•Not too far from Versaille is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Paris Temple...so beautiful and I love how they placed the Christus statue outside.
Saturday-
•Catacombs of Paris- Reservation at noon
•Luxembourg Gardens- Gorgeous & we saw the Statue of Liberty (one of six in Paris).
•Lunch in Montmartre
•We walked & shopped between Montmartre and the Latin Quarter.
•Walked through the covered passages of Paris: Passage Jouffroy, Passage Verdeau & Passage des Panoramas.
•Eiffel Tower- Reservation at 10:00 pm
Sunday-
•Paris Sightseeing Guided Bike Tour Like a Parisian with a Local Guide, booked through Viator. Reservation- 10:00 am
•Lunch to go... Ate in front of the Eiffel Tower
•Covid test
•Souvenir shopping
•River Seine Cruise at 8:00 pm- saw Sarah Jessica Parker filming Sex in the City movie
Monday-
•Back to the desert!🌵😫 Back to reality!🤣
France Travel Tips:
Skip long lines by getting tickets in advance for the Eiffel Tower, Catacombs, museums, and tours. Museums & catacombs are free if you are under 18.🙌 Make restaurant reservations in advance.
Apps:
•Paris Metro- Couldn’t have survived the metros without this app. It showed me the closest metro stations and helped me find the fastest route from A to B. Save your routes to my favourites and I was able to reverse the direction when I needed to. Make sure to screenshot your route in case you lose service.
•Google Maps- This is my favourite app when I’m walking.
•Flush App- Finding a bathroom in Paris can be challenging. This app will give you all nearby options.
•Uber- Uber is your friend!
•Translation Apps- I had one but never used it. Lots of people speak a little English so I was able to get by. The French people were so friendly and helpful if I ever had a question or needed help… I think they enjoyed practicing their English.
•Rome2Rio- Finds the best option to help you get from A to B. One of my fav apps!
Transportation to Paris from CDG airport:
I took the train from the airport to my Airbnb
•It cost $20.00 for two
•It took about 15-20 minutes to walk to the train from customs.
•Two sections of my route were closed and you’ll need to carry your bags up and downstairs when you change lines. Take Uber!
•I took Uber from our Airbnb back to CDG airport and it cost about $60.00 dollars.
It can be stressful travelling Internationally right now. My husband got Covid-19 a few weeks before we travelled to France.😬 So I wasn’t sure I was going until I was at the airport. Having travel insurance gave me some peace while wondering if this trip was going to happen.🤣
•If you're vaccinated you won’t need a Covid-19 test to enter.
•Non-vaccinated travellers need a valid reason to enter, a negative covid test & will need to quarantine.
•Get a French health pass (QR code of your vaccination) before you arrive.
•After I applied for my French health pass I got an email saying because of demand I might not get my health pass before my trip (I got it 2 days before I left).
•If you don’t get your health pass in time, you can get it from a pharmacy in Paris for around $35.00.
•A negative Covid test can be used for 72 hours as a backup.
•You’ll need to show your QR code to enter museums, restaurants, etc.
•You have to wear a mask indoors. You don’t need to wear a mask outside.
Coming back to America:
•You’ll need a negative Covid-19 test within 1 day of your flight back to America.
•$25 Euros per test.
•You can get a test at a pharmacy or at one of the white tents near the Eiffel Tower.
•Pharmacy’s close on weekends so plan ahead.
Yes, it was worth travelling to France 👨🏼🎨🇫🇷even with all of the added stress from the pandemic.
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