Paris: Seven classic experiences and three secrets you must know on your trip to Paris is written by Karen Bender.
Paris is the city of dreams – and everything else
Paris is a wonderful city to travel to and there are plenty of exciting experiences for those who want it.
Both if you travel as a family and have children with you, if you are a couple in love who want to have the most beautiful experiences in Paris, or if you are an experienced Paris traveler who always returns to France beautiful capital, to experience the classic sights.
In this guide, you will be taken around to some of the classic sights, and then there is just a small handful of hidden gems for those of you who have experienced Paris before and would like to be challenged a bit. Or for you, where it's all new and exciting.
The trip goes to Paris - by train, plane or bus
The easiest way to travel to Paris is to fly. I chose a different form of travel anyway, as I wanted to challenge my own prejudices, and therefore it turned into a train trip from Kolding to Paris. My own experiences already started early on my trip to Paris, so it was good to be challenged a little.
First, I have to say that the train journey worked absolutely flawlessly, and it is therefore not the last time I choose that form of travel.
I had chosen a route without changing from Hamburg to Mannheim, and therefore I also had an undisturbed and continuous night of just over seven hours. From Mannheim it was by express train to Paris with arrival three hours later, and it was really one of the good experiences to land in the middle of Paris after a good night on the train.
In relation to flying, it is of course a slow affair, and therefore it does not fit into all travel plans. But for me it was a good experience.
A thousand types of accommodation in Paris
There are of course several types of hotels and accommodation options in general in Paris, and here too I chose a form that was new to me. I booked myself into Generator, a hostel in the middle of Paris. It was clean and neat, filled with a lot of young people who like to travel, and you can book rooms in all kinds of versions – both private and dormitories – so there is something for everyone.
An extra cool detail about this hostel is that there is a large roof terrace with a bar where you can sit and work while looking out over the city or enjoy a cool drink and some snacks before continuing your experiences in Paris. In addition, there is a café/restaurant on site, so that the coffee could be enjoyed in peace before I threw myself into the experiences I had planned myself this time.
So if you are into life and happy days and can see that a booking may have gone wrong, then it is a festive place to stay. Very central and close to the metro, which is why it became the place for me on this trip to Paris.
The Eiffel Tower: The inevitable classic in the middle of Paris
Of course, there is no way around the beautiful old Eiffel Tower, which is why your experiences in Paris start here. Depending on your temperament, you can attack the tower in several ways.
The easy one is definitely to get as close as possible, throw your neck back and then enjoy the view all the way up. If the tower isn't wrapped in scaffolding due to repairs, you can get right under its belly and it's a fun experience to see the construction up close.
The slightly more troublesome one is queuing up to go up the tower and enjoy the view over Paris. Here, my recommendation is to buy a ticket in advance, so that you avoid part of the queue, and then it's just up and going. There are both stairs and a lift, so it's not as hard as it sounds.
If you wish, you can eat at Madame Brasserie on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, and in this way it is both a culinary experience and a beautiful sight to combine.
Spreckelsen's new triumphal arch: Futurism meets history
The next thing you must experience is at the very top of my list of unique sights in Paris; namely Spreckelsen's new triumphal arch, which stands a good distance from the center of historic Paris.
The best way to attack this attraction is to take the train – either metro or RER – and get off at La Défense station. Here you land in the middle of the Parisian business district, and it is a completely futuristic experience to give yourself, and the arch stands as a huge contrast to the more classic and historical Paris.
The new triumphal arch exists because Johan Otto von Spreckelsen won an architectural competition with this bid, and it stands almost as in the original form on the old drawings. The new triumphal arch is completely smooth and angular and is located by a long staircase, which you attack from the front and go all the way up.
At the top of the stairs, you stand under the arch itself, and if you turn around, you have a wonderful view view back towards Paris. And on the horizon stands the old triumphal arch, which thus binds the ages together and is on the list of beautiful experiences in Paris.
Neuilly-sur-Seine: Luxury tranquility and picnic in the park
After you've taken in all the impressions of glass and steel in La Défense, give yourself the experience of taking the trip back to Paris on foot. By going back to the center of Paris, you almost create a journey between new and old, between futurism and history, and it's really a good experience.
It's a hike of about seven kilometers and it's totally worth it. Walk with the new triumphal arch at your back down across the square, back over the river Seine and stay here on the left. When you are over the Seine, pull into the neighborhood to the left.
Here you will experience one of the most affluent suburbs of Paris, namely Neuilly-sur-Seine, which is also on the list of the most expensive municipalities in the whole France.
Here you can find all kinds of delicious cafes and restaurants, and small ones too takeaways-sushi bars. Don't be put off by long queues, but instead arm yourself with patience, handpick your favorite sushi and a cold Thai lager, then drop into a green park and enjoy your lunch before continuing your walking tour around Paris.
This district is characterized by beautiful boulevards and avenues and a peaceful atmosphere in the middle of an otherwise vibrant city, so it is a small gift in the middle of all the beautiful sights to relax here and just enjoy your trip to Paris.
The old triumphal arch steals the attention
When you get up from your picnic and walk the last bit into the center of Paris, you almost automatically end up at the old Arc de Triomphe, which is at the other end of the axis you just saw at the new Arc de Triomphe.
The Arc de Triomphe, the Triumphal Arch, is located in the middle of Place Charles de Gaulle and connects a total of 11 streets and boulevards. If you move up to the triumphal arch, you will have an absolutely wonderful view over all the streets and can also let your eyes find the new arch that you have just left on the horizon.
To get to the old triumphal arch, you have to move under the square, and this is also necessary, because the square itself functions as a six-lane roundabout, which as a tourist you should not try to force your way through.
The Arc de Triomphe was built by Emperor Napoleon as a tribute to the fighting soldiers, and therefore you can see inscriptions and reliefs of the places where the greatest battles were fought all around the beautiful colossus. So it is a beautiful sight to experience up close.
Once you've enjoyed the view, and a coffee with milk on one of the nearby streets, you can move through the beautiful boulevard Champs-Elysées, which runs all the way down to the Place du Concorde and offers an overwhelming selection of beautiful luxury shops, delicious cafes and restaurants and lots of big city impressions.
Sacre-Cœur: A sumptuous church with a beautiful view
Another very classic experience in Paris is a walk around Montmartre, where you must especially experience the Sacre-Cœur church.
I love taking the metro there and getting off at Anvers station. Depending on your mood and energy, you can walk up the inner spiral staircase from the bottom of the metro system and almost land at the foot of the beautiful church. Or you can take the lift, which is marked with a sign at the bottom of the stairs. There are many steps up before you see daylight again - you have been warned.
When you are well up in the daylight and there is no more strength left, you can take the cable car up the mountain. It is a very slow form of travel and is no faster than walking. But it's a lot nicer if you have children with you who need to rest their legs.
It is obvious to bring sandwiches and soft drinks, because the stairs in front of the church invite you to sit down, observe life around you and relax for a moment while you simply enjoy the many experiences.
There is free entry to the church itself, and then you can pay to go up the tower or down into the burial chambers, which are also on the list of special sights in Paris.
When you're done exploring the church, you can venture out into the surrounding neighborhood and enjoy Montmartre. This beautiful corner of Paris offers countless fun shops, delicious restaurants and trendy cafes, so there is something for all tastes - and it is obvious to experience on your trip to Paris.
Père-Lachaise: Jim Morrison's final resting place
A very beautiful and also peaceful experience that you should not miss on your trip to Paris is a visit to the iconic Père-Lachaise cemetery. In this cemetery, many great writers, celebrities, actors and musicians rest in beautiful company with ordinary Parisians.
One of the fun things to do when you're in Paris anyway is to hunt down all the celebrities you can find. At the entrance to the cemetery, there are nice numbered signs about all the quirky people who might be worth looking for, and then it's just a matter of going on your own treasure hunt.
Many of the celebrities are hard to find, but this does not apply to the lead singer of the rock group The Doors, Jim Morrison, who died in Paris. His tombstone is framed by a fence, which keeps visitors away, as it had otherwise become a tradition among Parisian youth to have picnics around the stone.
Like just visiting any other of the major sights in Paris, it was complete with carpets, wine and lots of joints. And it was still too much of a good thing.
At the entrance to the cemetery, there is also a sign stating that the Parisian municipal council is in favor of biodiversity and creating 'wild with will' cemeteries, and this therefore endows the cemetery with a very distinctive look of completely sharp and freshly mowed lawns in front of beautiful mosses on mausoleums and long blades of grass waving in the wind.
A cemetery always provides one with a quiet moment, and that also applies here. Although it is a very beautiful park area, it invites calm and contemplation, which is obvious to enjoy between the many hectic experiences in Paris, which are otherwise waiting in line.
'Hop off and on' bus: Pampering tired city feet
The last thing you must experience in terms of sights and experiences on your trip to Paris is the classic 'hop on and off' bus, which is pure indulgence on a city holiday, where the body is tender and the legs are heavy.
In Paris there are several different routes to choose from. Both the completely classic tours that take you around to the most famous sights, and then, for example, a route that takes you around the Montmartre district.
My best advice to you is to take the trip in the sunshine, sit on the top deck, unpack the food basket and then enjoy being transported around Paris. Never mind that there is traffic chaos, and everything comes to a standstill in between. Enjoy being part of the experience, sit back and look at the beautiful houses in the meantime.
Remember to buy tickets online before you get on the bus, it really pays off. And then choose the route with most of the sights you want to experience yourself – then you're ready for an exciting day.
If you are traveling with children or if it is your first time in Paris, it is an obvious sight to see on the first day of your trip.
Asnieres-sur-Seine: Animal cemetery along the Seine
The first of my three more unknown sides of Paris is an animal cemetery. This cemetery is a very special and very touching place and shows great love for all kinds of pets. You will find the cemetery in a small park along the Seine. The entrance area is magnificent and sets the mood before you go hiking.
In the cemetery I went in search of the most touching tombstones, and on my hunt around the park I found stones for both frogs, rabbits, dogs, cats, horses and a single pig. This visit is on the top list of Paris attractions for my family and me.
It is the oldest animal cemetery in Paris and there are many historical touches here if you are interested in this: police dogs and police horses are buried here, the first silent film dog Rin Tin Tin rests here after faithful service in the era of black and white cinema, and you can find dogs that kept up the courage of the soldiers in the trenches during the First World War.
Although the cemetery is a very beautiful experience, it may also be a bit of a bizarre place for many, so you can make the experience a little less intense by taking your time, looking for the nicest stones and the most beautiful pictures of pets and just enjoying a very different corner of Paris.
It costs three euros to enter and you can only pay by cash, so be aware of this.
Street art: Treasure hunting for Banksy and Invader
A completely different kind of treasure hunt than for cemetery stones is the hunt for street art in Paris. Paris contains an abundance of highly recognized and famous street art, and once you have opened your eyes to the art in the street scene, you cannot let it go.
The two most famous street artists are probably the British artist Banksy and the French pixilist Invader.
Both artists have left their mark on the city in all sorts of different places, and I've seen many small pixel artworks by Invader, while I've yet to stumble across a Banksy painting.
You can cheat and find guided tours of places where you can find Banksy's works in Paris, or you can, like me, just throw back your neck, look up a bit and see what catches your eye.
This treasure hunt is a wonderful gift if you are traveling with children and young people who often lose focus or need something to look at to forget about tired legs. Here, a treasure hunt for the ten best pieces of street art can be a fantastic family activity on an afternoon in the big city.
Skeletons galore – the underground catacombs
The last more unknown experience you can give yourself and your fellow travelers is a direct descent into the old Parisian underworld in the catacombs. It's not a trip for the faint of heart, but if you're interested in history, it's worth the trip.
Start by taking the metro to the Denfert-Rochereau station, where you will arrive in the 14th arrondissement and begin the descent into the Parisian catacombs.
Like all other large European cities, Paris was hit by the plague in the 1700th century, and therefore there was an extreme need for cemeteries and space for the dead. For practical reasons, everyone was therefore discreetly dug up from the general cemeteries and buried in the catacombs instead, so that there was room for many more dead.
As you reach the entrance and walk off into the darkness, at one point you will come to a sign that reads: "Stop, you are now entering the realm of the dead." And it's true. From here, bones and skulls lie stacked shoulder to shoulder in a neat system, where it has been about getting as many skeletons as possible from plague-stricken Paris.
There are no fine sensations or distance to the bones here, and you get close. It is only you who takes care of the distance. And remember again; it can be an overwhelming experience. But at the same time also exciting because it is a tangible picture of a historical event.
So maybe your underground tour in Paris should be about who can find ten skulls the fastest?
I hope that with this guide you have been inspired to put your head back a little, look for the alternative experiences and move a little away from the completely classic experiences.
Really good trip to Paris and France!
10 fantastic sights and experiences in Paris
- the Eiffel Tower
- Spreckelsen's new triumphal arch
- Neuilly-sur-Seine
- Arc de Triompe
- Sacre Heart
- Père Lachaise Cemetery
- 'Hop on and hop off' bus
- Animal cemetery in Asnières-sur-Seine
- Go hunting for street art by Banksy and Invader
- The underground catacombs
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