We talk a lot about weddings here at EAD, and not very much about honeymoons. You, the bride or groom, put approximately 1,000 collective hours of planning into the six-nine hours of your wedding day, but are you devoting enough time to the honeymoon? Travel agents can make this easy but you are often paying much more than you could by doing the legwork yourself. If you have the money and want to leave it in someone else’s hands, go for it! But if planning is the fun part for you, read on.
We’ll be posting regularly in this new honeymoon series, and will focus on various honeymoon spots that we know well. We’ve traveled, planned, and done the research for you – so you can take our tips and run with them! Today I’m featuring Paris, one of my absolute favorite places on earth. And one of the most romantic honeymoon destinations. Grab some coffee (and a pain au chocolate) and settle down… this is a long one!
Images courtesy of: southafrica.to, Terra Galleria, Bergoiata.org
A trip to Paris requires more research than say, booking a cruise, but quite a bit less than arranging a tour of Tuscany. You know you’re going to hit the highlights – the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Champs Elysees, and Notre Dame. But where should you stay? How do you get around? Where’s the best area to find a local boutique so you can purchase a piece of clothing to remember Paris by?
Find a hotel near:
The Saint-Michel Metro stop. This area, next to the Seine, is full of small hotels, quite near places you want to see, such as Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter (including the shopping and cafes on Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Luxembourg Gardens), and extremely convenient because four Metro lines cross at this station. Without transferring, you can get to Montmartre, Gare du Nord (major train station), Charles de Gaulle airport, the Eiffel Tower, and Versailles. With one simple transfer, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and Gare de Lyon (other major train station). This area is full of tourists and locals. You’ll find book stores, cafes, boulangeries (bread shops — eat LOTS of croissants while you are in Paris), churches and shopping within easy walking distance. In the summer, when Paris remains under daylight until almost 11:30 PM, the cafés are full of late diners and the streets are full of couples holding hands. And there are two Starbucks close by. What more can you ask for?
I recommend the Hotel d’Albe for its combination of location, location, location, reasonable pricing, and a great shower (a hard to find commodity in Paris!).
Eat crème brulee here:
L’Alcase on the Champs Elysees. Amazing steak frites, an opulent atmosphere, and *fantastic* crème brulee. And it’s right where you’re going to be one night at sunset, when you head to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to snap a picture of the gorgeous colors in the sky. After eating a very late dinner and stuffing yourself full of vanilla bean crème brulee, you’ll head to the Trocadero Metro stop to stand across the river from the Eiffel Tower as it does its nightly light show after dark.
Go to the Louvre:
On Sunday — when the rest of Paris is sleeping. Eat a breakfast of croissants and coffee, available freely in the cafes adjoining the museum and NOT available freely in the boulangeries, which are closed. After seeing such highlights as the Mona Lisa, Raft of the Medusa, Le Moulin de la Galette, and Winged Victory, you’ll hop on Metro line 1 and head over to the other Sunday hub of Paris, Le Marais (St-Paul Metro stop). Paris shops are generally closed on Sunday but this area is the huge exception to the rule. Pop into fantastic boutiques, like Comptoir du Cotonniers, and find a pub to rest your feet in. Most even will feature some American sports on TV (but usually you’re going to be watching football — the real football, not American football).
Not to be missed:
A visit to Sacre Coeur in Montmartre for a stunning view of Paris and a fun ride on the Funicular. When you think of old-timey Paris, you probably picture Montmartre. Here lies the windmill of the Moulin Rouge, many artists painting Parisian scenes in the square and fantastic creperies, among many shops selling all sorts of Paris souvenirs. This is your stop for Eiffel Tower erasers or I Heart Paris t-shirts. But most importantly, this is also your stop for great restaurants, a look into a very cute and well-preserved neighborhood, and the amazing structure that is Sacre Coeur. Go day or night, the view is fantastic either way and it will be just as bustling at any time of the day!
The Musee Marmottan Monet in the 16th arrondissement, Metro stop Muette. Not only is the museum home to a very comprehensive collection of Monet’s best paintings, but it’s in a residential Parisian neighborhood where you’re likely to see cute pups lounging in the cafes with their owners.
The stained glass and rose windows in Le Sainte-Chappelle. Well worth the admission fee, because there’s nowhere like it in the world. Combine your sightseeing here with the close-by Notre Dame, where you should make sure you’re wearing non-slip shoes to climb the 300+ stairs to the Bell Tower. The church is beautiful, but you can’t beat that winding stairway for a unique experience you’ll remember for a looooong while.
Spend your money on:
Museum and church admissions. It’s truly worth it to see Paris’s most important treasures.
A great piece of clothing from your boutiqueing in Le Marais. Find a store in a nook or cranny and you’ll purchase something you’ll never see on anyone else!
A decent hotel. I know you are on your honeymoon and probably broke from throwing the big, amazing, and fun party that was your wedding, but trust me on this one. Bathrooms with showers and not just hand-held shower heads are only available in generally nicer hotels — take it from someone who’s flooded a bathroom with those shower heads one too many times… it’s worth it.
Save by:
No need to take taxis in Paris – take the Metro everywhere! Purchase as many carnets of tickets (a package of 10) as you’ll need. Paris isn’t zoned, so one ticket gets you everywhere you’ll need to go.
Eating breakfast at your local boulangerie rather than in your hotel. Most hotels charge 10 to 15 euros for a mediocre breakfast. Take the opportunity to eat buttery chocolate or fruit croissants while you can! You’re on your honeymoon, forget that they are buttery and chocolate-y, you deserve it!
Carrying a student ID everywhere with you, if you have one. All museums and most churches have student discounts, and you will save lots of euros by showing your ID!
I hope you enjoy this little feature — It’s going to be so fun for us to write on our favorite places (but sad too, this made me crave steak frites like nobody’s business).
E.