View from the bridge: Notre
Dame and the Seine in Paris, France
In the words of Ella
Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, I love Paris in the springtime. It’s the perfect
season to take advantage of everything this romantic city has to offer – in
particular its beautiful parks, luscious gardens and trendy cafe terraces.
No matter how well you
think you know Paris, there’s always something new, like a bar, restaurant or
art gallery, to discover and my fiancé Jay and I couldn’t wait to start
exploring.
After our stress-free
Eurostar ride from London’s St Pancras to Gare Du Nord we checked in at the
Concorde Montparnasse. This large, four-star hotel is a perfect base from which
to explore the city’s main attractions including the Notre Dame, Champs- Élysées,
Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre museum.
We dropped our bags in
our comfortable room (complete with view of the iconic Eiffel Tower) and made a
beeline for the closest Metro station, Montparnasse, just a three minute walk
away.
Our first activity was a sightseeing cruise along the Seine,
which cost around 14 Euros (£10) each. Many firms offer these cruises but we
chose Bateaux Parisiens(bateauxparisiens.com)
and weren’t disappointed.
We set sail from the
foot of the Eiffel Tower and within minutes were gliding through the heart of
historic Paris.
Spring break: Caroline Waterston in
Paris
The one-hour cruise
with commentary is the ideal way to discover the banks of the Seine and see
Paris’s most beautiful monuments and bridges. Next was a romantic stroll along
the river. Paris is a very walkable city, with awe-inspiring architecture,
flower markets, buskers and shops.
It has no shortage of
enchanting spots but the Seine and its surroundings are Paris at its most
seductive. We started at the Place de la Concorde on the Right Bank and, after
taking in the “yes, we really are in Paris” panorama, meandered through the
leafy Jardin des Tuileries, the formal gardens where Parisians paraded their
finery in the 17th Century.
Past the Jardin du
Palais Royal, where a young Louis XIV once lived and which now houses the
government, we crossed the Pont Neuf – Paris’s oldest and most famous bridge –
to the Left Bank.
Here, we stumbled
across Shakespeare and Company, a charming bookshop full of nooks and crannies
overflowing with new and secondhand English-language books.
Culture: Musee du Louvre in Paris
The original store was
opened by Sylvia Beach in 1919 and was a gathering place for writers like
Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce. Sylvia’s store closed in 1940 during World
War II but a second one was set up in 1951 by George Mistral.
It features in the
Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris and you can make a wish in the wishing well,
leave a message on the ‘mirror of love’ or simply curl up in the attic-style
reading library.
Sauntering back across
the river over the Pont des Arts we couldn’t resist attaching a love lock to
the footbridge.
Couples flock here
every year to fix a padlock to the bridge with their names on it as a romantic
gesture but the authorities have now asked lovers to leave ribbons instead as
the weight of the locks is damaging the bridge.
Nearby, is the Louvre,
the world’s biggest and most visited museum.
Entrance is 12 Euros
(about £9, free for under-18s) but it’s worth it if only to get a selfie next
to the Mona Lisa.
She’s opposite the
museum’s largest painting Veronese’s The Wedding Feast at Cana.
Next up, it was time
to rest our weary legs and enjoy a drink or two. We found Harry’s New York Bar
and didn’t want to leave.
Iconic: The Eiffel Tower in Spring
This mahogany-panelled
beauty is allegedly where the Bloody Mary was invented in 1921. Over the years,
the bar has attracted a string of celebrities including Coco Chanel and
Humphrey Bogart. In Ian Fleming’s story from A View to a Kill, James Bond
recalls visiting the bar on his first visit to Paris aged 16.
We worked our way
through the cocktail list including the Formule 3 (vodka, wild strawberry,
grapefruit and tonic), Raspberry Martini and Vesper.
Like Bond, it started
as one of the most memorable evenings of our lives...
The next morning we
tucked into a hearty breakfast back at the Concorde Montparnasse (perfect for
clearing the fuzzy heads) before jumping on the Paris L’Opentour hop-on-hop-off
tour bus.
The ticket costs 32
Euros (about £24) of and is half-price for children. There are four routes
(green, orange, yellow and blue lines). With so many more sights to see –
including L’ Hôtel des Invalides, built in the 1670s for infirm veterans, the
Sacré-Coeur, and the Museé d’Orsay, it was the perfect solution.
We also jumped off
near Saint-Chapelle, a luminous stained-glass chapel that shouldn’t be missed.
It is a highlight of
Gothic architecture, and won’t take you long to visit, because it’s very small
but very special.
Paris is a city you’ll
want to return to time and time again. And like Ella and Frank, you’ll love
every moment of it.
Travel File
When to go: Paris is perfect any time of year but
spring and early summer are the time to make the most of the city’s outdoor
areas. Don’t miss the Fete de la Musique on June 21 and the military parade and
fireworks on July 14.
Getting around: The best way to get to know the city is
on foot. But the Metro is great too. Buy a carnet of 10 tickets for 14 Euros
(works out cheaper than buying individual tickets at 1.80 Euro). Be careful of
pickpockets though.
Don't miss: Laduree. Their macaroons are to die for
but their Lemon drizzle cake is a close second.
Good to know: When greeting people, formal titles -
Monsieur, Madame and Mademoiselle - are used much more in French than in
English.
Plan ahead: Pariscityvision.com
Book it: Two
nights B&B at the Concodr Montparnasse is from £234pp including return
Eurostar travel on April 27 and Seine cruise with SuperBreak
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