Travel to Paris: Must-See Sites

by Jyl Johnson Pattee on May 2nd, 2013 | 2 Comments »

If you're like most people, travel to Paris is on your bucket list. Whether you travel to Paris alone, with a significant other, or in a group, no visit is complete without stopping at a few must-see sites to take in the romance, the food, the fashion, and the art.

Must-See Sites When You Travel to Paris

I found myself with an extra week in Europe this past January after a trip to Ireland. So, when a friend invited me to visit her quaint farm house in Normandy, I immediately looked into flights from Ireland to Paris and train fare from Paris to Normandy. I had the weekend of a lifetime and after a few days with my friend and her family, I took the train back to Paris and enjoyed a few days on my own before returning to the US.

Since I only had three days in Paris and it was snowing while I was there, I focused on a few prominent and easy-to-get-to spots: The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Versailles.

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower should be the first must-see spot on any tourist's travel to Paris list. Whether you are a tourist attraction type of a person or not, this Paris icon is breathtaking. I especially loved visiting there right around sunset to be able to see it in daylight, at dusk, while the sun set, and in the evening. Something I didn't realize was that each evening when nightfall hits, they light up the Eiffel Tower, beginning with twinkling lights. The ceremonial lighting of the tower took me by surprise and was so beautiful.

To get the full tourist feel, buy tickets and head to the top of the Eiffel tower, where you'll get a great view of the city.

Notre Dame

I had visited Paris twice in the past, but my last travel to Paris was with my family more than 20 years prior to this trip. Both of those trips were filled with visits to art museums. On neither occasion did we visit Notre Dame and I've want to ever since. So, it was fortunate that the apartment I rented through Airbnb.com (best decision ever, by the way) was a quick 2 stops away from this beautiful cathedral.

I highly recommend visiting Notre Dame during mass. I went for prayer service and it was a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Versailles

Since I had already been inside Versailles, but had never been in the gardens, I took the 45-minute train ride outside of Paris, walked from the train station to Versailles, and spent a good couple of hours there just wandering through the gardens.

The sculptures, shrubs, and trees are astounding, even in the middle of winter.

Many other things made their way onto my travel to Paris list: eating quiche and crepes, walking along the Seine River, checking out the love locks on the Pont des Arts (bridge), riding the Metro, and weaving my way through quaint city streets. But visiting the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Versailles were three that topped my must-see recommendations list.