Skip to main content
search

Paris: A Change of Plans

By July 27, 2023November 13th, 2023Travel
Paris

Three Days in Paris

Sometimes even the best laid-out trips don’t always go as planned.  This was the case for us in Paris.  We started our trip with my son feeling under the weather. We had to take everything I planned for three days in Paris and either condense it or omit it entirely from the itinerary.
This Paris trip ended up being something else entirely different from what I had originally planned.  Our first day was pretty much a wash. Instead of the sites, we visited things like pharmacies, laundromats, and our hotel.  We ended up seeing Paris at a much slower pace, which actually wasn’t bad at all.
Paris
Paris
Since we pretty much lost our first day, we only had only two days to fit in everything that I wanted to do and see in Paris.  Trust me, this is no easy feat.  We had some must-sees we still wanted to visit. These included the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre.
Paris

Montmartre

Thank goodness my son was feeling good enough to see some sites on our second day in Paris.  He was still not feeling 100 percent, so I didn’t want to push him too much.  We were staying right on the border of Montmartre, so we decided to explore this fantastic area of Paris.  Montmartre is perched on the top of a small hill in the 18th Arrondissement.  The artistic vibe and small-town feel make Montmartre one of my favorite areas in Paris. We spent the morning walking the charming cobblestone streets, grabbing some ice cream, and making our way up to Sacré Coeur Basilica.
On the way down from Sacre Coeur we stumbled upon the “Wall of Love.” It’s a love-themed wall composed of 612 tiles saying “I love you” in 250 languages.  The wall is located in the Jehan Rictus garden square and was a delightful stop during our morning.
Paris

Eiffel Tower

Later in our second day, we did make it over to the Eiffel Tower. Despite my attempts prior to the trip, we weren’t able to get advanced tickets to go to the top. Once there we were short on time and we didn’t want to stand in the long line to buy day-of tickets.  We took our photos, took in the site, and took a walk along the Seine.
paris
paris

Arc de Triomphe

We booked our reservations to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe about 30 days in advance.  Our time slot was roughly at dusk which I would totally recommend. Watching the sun go down while the city lights up is truly beautiful. They don’t call it the City of Light for nothing.

Canceled Plans

Day three of our three days in Paris started unexpectedly. We had a 9 am reservation at the Louvre.  We got up early and made our way to the Carousel de Louvre entrance which is underground in the mall underneath the Louvre.  Despite our planning, once there we found out that due to an “exceptional event,” the museum wouldn’t be opening that morning.  So yeah, you read that right. No Louvre visit for us this trip. We were bummed, but what else could we do but shake it off and move on?
These canceled plans resulted in the rest of our day being a free day. The kids were exhausted and just wanted to rest back at the hotel.   This gave my husband and I the opportunity to enjoy more of Montmartre, do some shopping and grab a delicious dinner together.

Perfume Shopping

While we were out shopping we came across the most amazing perfumery.  We stepped into the shop and enjoyed learning about the perfumes. Each perfume came with backstories of how each one was imagined and came to be.  The coolest part of the entire process was that I got to watch my perfume being mixed and created right in front of me.  It was such a cool experience, and I still love and wear my perfume religiously every day.  I would totally recommend visiting Abstraction Paris if you are visiting Paris.

Where We Stayed

I want to mention where we stayed because I found that it can be hard to find hotel rooms in Paris that accommodate a family of four.  Most rooms that accommodate four have a pull-out sofa and this wasn’t going to work for my two teens.  I found the Astotel Joke Hotel for a reasonable price early in my hotel search.  It’s perfect for families and is located in a great area right on the border of Montmartre.  We booked a family room that is comprised of two separate rooms and bathrooms connected by a hallway.  It was so nice to be able to spread out, especially since my son wasn’t feeling well.

The hotel offers breakfast that is included in the price of your stay.  Further, they offer free drinks and snacks all day. This was fantastic for us since we were traveling with two teens who were always either hungry or thirsty.  I would totally recommend the Joke hotel to anyone visiting Paris.

Joke Hotels
As I mentioned earlier, this wasn’t the Paris trip I had originally planned. I envisioned our trip filled with so many more of those iconic Parisian experiences you envision when you think of Paris. Instead, we had our own slower, relaxed Paris experience. It turns out that this wasn’t bad at all.  If you want to read more about our Europe travels check out my post on our Ultimate Three Week Europe Itinerary.

Tags:

You May Also Like

Pirates Lair Disneyland DisneyTravel

Best Places to Relax at Disneyland

Michelle Tucker
Michelle TuckerApril 23, 2024
Las Vegas FeaturedTravel

Las Vegas Girls’ Trip: Five Fantastic Things to See & Do

Michelle Tucker
Michelle TuckerMarch 7, 2024
Napa Valley Family friendly FeaturedTravel

Napa Valley: A Family-Friendly Getaway

Michelle Tucker
Michelle TuckerFebruary 13, 2024

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

×