4 days in Paris

Restaurants, museums, and a day trip to Versailles

Believe it or not, this was Giuseppe’s first time in Paris and it was a near-perfect trip.

It was a 3.5 hour ride on the Eurostar from Amsterdam Central to Paris Gare du Nord and easy as could be. (Make sure to book train tickets ahead of time as the travel season begins.)

We went to Paris to meet friends from New York who were just as excited about eating delicious things as we were, so it worked out nicely. We arrived at the hotel, changed, and quickly headed out to dinner.

The French get a lock of flack for being “rude”. We’re curious who started that rumor because we didn’t find that true at all. In fact, quite the opposite. We had wonderful service and found the Parisians unfailingly polite. Direct at times, but polite. And there’s a difference.

For example, in Italy when you walk into a bakery, butcher shop, or other place of business you typically say a greeting, “buongiorno” or “buonasera”. It’s said to the “room” and the people within — the staff, the other customers. It’s the polite thing to do.

We found this to be true in Paris as well when entering businesses. And so we did as the French do and it made a world of difference. An “excuse me” or “sorry” goes a long way when you’re in the metro or other tight shared spaces.

We’ve come to the conclusion that the French are big on manners and that’s something we should all have when visiting another country.

Sights

We did the Musée d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Opera Garnier, Notre Dame, and Versailles.

Opera Garnier & Eiffel Tower

The Opera is my favorite structure in Paris, it’s breathtaking and not too big so makes for a perfect 60-minute visit.

The height of the Eiffel Tower is a delightful surprise. We did not go up as one of us (not me) grew a sudden fear of heights. But if you decide to pay for the elevator. Those exiting the stairs looked like they’d just climbed a wind-whipped mountain.