My 2018 Paris Travel Diary

“Paris is not a city, it is a world.”

Have truer words ever been spoken? Paris has a manner about it that makes it distinct from other capital cities. Despite being just as busy, inhabited by irritable citizens and teaming with tourists, it still captures my heart like no other place ever has. I often write about my dream of living in Paris, strolling along the Seine to work and picking up a fresh baguette from the boulangerie on the corner but I am still a few years away from living out my fantasies just yet.

To fill the Paris shaped hole in my heart, I’ve written blog posts to remember my last trip there in June 2018. This one in particular is special to me because the sheer volume of photos place me right back in Montmartre where I often long to be. I keep getting the itch to book another trip whenever I stumble across one of my pictures and perhaps you’ll get the same feeling after flicking through this post. This travel diary is my love letter to Paris until I can be there again in person.

Day One

First to the Passy Cemetry, devoid of tourists (unlike Père Lachaise) so I could visit the graves of some of my favourite composers, Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy.

Meandering towards the Eiffel Tower through the Jardins du Trocadéro and getting this photo which truly captures how I feel about Paris in the sun.

Nobody mentions the sheer drop at the other side of the staircase…

Gorgeous views from every level of the Eiffel Tower and worth queuing in the heat to say that I’ve finally been to the top.

Crêpes on the Champ des Mars, basking in the sun.

The most beautiful ice cream from Amorino – chocolate, melon and basil & lime (my personal favourite), the best way to cool down.

I wanted to admire the architecture at Les Invalides but was very surprised to see a circus on the Esplanade as well.

Looks like the ostrich was just as surprised to see us.

After a mooch around the shops on the Champs-Elysées, we also climbed up the Arc de Triomphe for a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower.

Our visit to the Arc de Triomphe was timed perfectly with the torch rekindling ceremony for the unknown soldier.

Day Two

Day two was dedicated to saying priceless works of art at the Louvre, D’Orsay and Orangerie.

Marble statues became my new art obsession because of the way the solid material was carved to look like carefully draped fabric.

There was also the tourist stop to see the Mona Lisa.

The architecture of the Louvre is artwork in itself, incredibly detailed and stunning to look at.

It wouldn’t be a trip to Paris without a wander around the Tuileries and for me, a ride on at least two carousels. This one is a favourite of mine as I can ride an ostrich instead of a traditional horse like I did during my first trip to Paris in 2015 with my family.

I had a nosey around some shops at the Place Vendôme, daydreaming about a life where I’m rich enough to actually buy anything (maybe one day).

The next museum was the Musée de l’Orangerie to see some of Monet’s Waterlillies

The Musée de l’Orangerie was followed by the Musée d’Orsay, my favourite in Paris.

The converted train station is home to many recognisable pieces by Van Gogh as well as some of the most amazing clocks that are works of art in themselves.

Day Three

I was particularly excited for day three as I was going back to Disneyland for the first time in over 10 years. I wrote a separate blog post dedicated to it filled with photos of Mickey shaped treats and Disney princesses.

Click through here – My Day in Disneyland Paris

Day Four

A half day spent in Montmartre turned into hours of wandering around the neighbourhood to explore every nook and cranny and me stumbling on my dream block of flats.

The day began at Moulin Rouge to see the famous windmill.

Can’t visit the city of love without going to Le Mur des Je t’aime. A wall in which “I love you,” is written in more languages than I could name

A photobooth on the street as made (somewhat) famous by the movie Amélie.

I managed to capture a picture of the sinking house of Paris whilst climbing the steps up to Sacré-Cœur and for one of the best views across the city.

We had a wander through Place du Terte to see the street artists and caricaturists and then to Dalí Paris to see some of his famous works.

For another secret spot in Montmartre I wanted to try and pull the man out of the wall at Le Passe-Muraille.

For an evening of art it was back to the centre of Paris to visit 59 Rivoli, an old artist’s squat that had been converted to studios

Followed by a trip to Le Centre Pompidou, the inside out building that hosts the collection of modern art, a slight change of scenery from the more traditional pieces housed in the Louvre.

Day Five

The original plan was to spend the day just outside of Paris visiting the Château de Versailles. However as the queues were unbelievably long, the visit was shorter than intended and after a walk around the perimeter to admire the palace it was back to the Airbnb. Something I’ll have to go back to Paris for and get up earlier in the morning…

Day Six

Last day in Paris began at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle which consists of many different galleries, gardens, botanical glasshouses and a zoo.

Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie comparée (Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy)

Galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie (Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology)

Grande Galerie de l’Évolution (The Grand Gallery of Evolution)

A sunny lunch sat in Arènes de Lutèce, an old Roman amphitheatre that had been featured in two of my favourite book series before walking to the Panthéon.