Paris 2025 - A Seine-sational City (Day 3)

Our first day in Paris was exhausting. We decided to make sure we booked some of the key attractions in advance so we knew we had time to fit everything in. The first stop we made was to the Eiffel Tower. We took the metro to Invalides station, which is the location of the Hôtel des Invalides. We headed in the direction of the Eiffel Tower along Rue Saint-Dominique, stopping off for a breakfast pastry at Boulengerie Libertè. Nicole chose a Pain au Chocolat and Shannon had a Croissant, both were flaky, buttery and absolutely delicious. Once we arrived at the Eiffel Tower we enjoyed the views and took some photos in the Jardin de la Tour Eiffel, although we managed to select a day where it was really cloudy and foggy in the morning so until the sun came out the top of the tower was difficult to see. 

We had booked ourselves to go up the tower via the steps. The security is quite strict at the tower. We had to go through security to get into the garden area around the base, and also then went through security to get to the bottom of the steps where they completed full bag and body scans. The climb to the first floor of the tower was 327 steps. At this point, there's plenty of views to see, as well as a cafe and shops. Once we had enjoyed this floor, we took the further 347 steps up to the second floor where the views are even more spectacular. From this floor, there is the option of taking the lift up to the top of the tower which stands at 906ft, but we opted against as Nicole did not feel brave enough to do so. After taking in the sights, we had to descend the same number of stairs which in a way felt harder work and more scary than going up. Just a tip if you choose the stairs route, the handle left Shannon with very brown hands, so if you can avoid using it, this is a good idea. 

Our next stop was planned to be the Arc de Triomphe, which we had booked about 4 hours after the Eiffel Tower. This gave us chance to wander along the edge of the River Seine down to the Louvre and back up the Champs Elysses. The area around the Louvre was incredibly busy, but it was a lovely place to sit and enjoy some lunch and some downtime. We found a small cafe called Oh La La C Bon just near the Louvre which offered something that suited both of our slightly fussy tastes. Shannon had a three cheese panini and Nicole had a three cheese baguette, both of which were very tasty. At the Louvre, we were able to see the Place du Carousel, from which you can view down the Champs Elysses to see the Obélisque de Louxor and the Arc due Triomphe. We wandered through Jardin du Carrousel and Jardin du Tuileries, through the Place de Concord and to the Arc de Triomphe, the full journey taking about 45 minutes. 

To get to the Arc du Triomphe, it's best to use the subway to walk under the Place Charles de Gaulle. We booked our tickets online so was able to bypass the queue in the subway but made the foolish mistake of joining the queue by the arch. It turned out, once we reached the security area that we could have gone through the priority access barrier and not spent the 20 minutes queuing that we did. Lesson's learnt, always read the signs and not just follow other people! We faced some more steps to climb, this time 284, which were mostly up the spiral staircase. At the top, it opens out to some incredible views down the Champs Elysses and of the Eiffel Tower. We had read online before our visit that, if you only have time for one of either the Arc du Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower, then the former is the best one to choose for the views. We definitely agree. 

Our final thing of the day to do was to sit back and relax on our Seine River cruise. We booked this online through Get Your Guide for the Bateaux Parisiens. The ticket specified which day we had selected to visit but allowed us to choose a time as needed. We had originally planned to do a night time cruise, but after a long and tiring day, decided to do this early and head back to the AirBnB for tea instead. We didn't have to wait long for the boat and then then was able to enjoy an hour cruising up and down the Seine, seeing Paris from a different angle. We would recommend this for anyone who visits Paris. 

Due to our change in plans and because we couldn't find anywhere we fancied to eat out near our accommodation, we made the most of having an AirBnB and grabbed some tea from a local Franprix to cook.  It was then off to bed for some rest before another busy day ahead!