Sarah & Erik
Paris
Catacombs of Paris
A city beneath the city, this incredible maze of (real) skeletons is a fascinating descent below Paris. In the late 18th century, major public health problems tied to the city’s cemeteries led to a decision to transfer their contents to an underground site. Paris authorities chose an easily accessible site that was, at the time, located outside the capital: the former Tombe-Issoire quarries. The first evacuations were made from 1785 to 1787 and concerned the largest cemetery in Paris, the Saints-Innocents cemetery. The site was consecrated as the “Paris Municipal Ossuary” on April 7, 1786, and, from that time forward, took on the mythical name of “Catacombs”, in reference to the Roman catacombs, which had fascinated the public since their discovery. You MUST book time specific tickets ahead of time, and this may be one to skip if skulls or tight spaces frighten you.
Bar Hemingway
Hemingway became enamored with the Ritz as a penniless writer in Paris in the 1920s along with F. Scott Fitzgerald, a time he later immortalized in "A Moveable Feast." With the help of his contacts in the American armored division, Hemingway wrangled a meeting with French commander General Philippe Leclerc, whose tanks had been given the honor of liberating Paris. His humble request: to be given enough men to liberate the Ritz's bar. To the writer's surprise, he got a frosty reception. But Hemingway persevered, and turned up at the hotel in a Jeep mounted with a machine gun, leading a group of Resistance fighters. Bursting into the hotel, he announced that he had come to personally liberate it and its bar. The manager of the hotel approached him and Hemingway demanded: "Where are the Germans? I have come to liberate the Ritz." "Monsieur," the manager replied: "They left a long time ago. And I cannot let you enter with a weapon."
Moulin Rouge or Other French Burlesque Show
The options are endless, it's worth seeing at least once in your life. Go discover why the French think Americans are prudes. The most legitimate shows will include dinner and drinks - for what is a little nudity without champagne? Popular options include Lido de Paris, Crazy Horse Paris, Le Cabaret Burlesque, and of course, Moulin Rouge.
Le Train Bleu
The ceilings alone here are worth a visit, but they also do an excellent brunch. During the heyday of train travel in the late nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries, rail stations in major cities were places where wealthy travelers showed off their status and prestige. Le Train Bleu, a restaurant situated in Paris’ Gare de Lyon train station, is a historic reminder of that bygone era. With its impossibly high and lavishly decorated ceilings, interconnected dining rooms that never seem to end, large mirrors, picture windows, and troupes of servers humming around in black and white Maitre D‘ uniforms, Le Train Bleu is inarguably one of the most beautiful brasseries in Paris. As long as you’re not a die-hard minimalist, that is.
Louvre Museum
It is worth the hype. The easiest and most effective way to avoid a long line at the Louvre is to purchase skip the line tickets in advance. These tickets are available to purchase online and allow you to skip ticket queues and make it straight to the security gates. A quick security check later, you are allowed to enter and enjoy the stunning art collections at the Louvre. Note that skip the line Louvre tickets are time stamped i.e., they are valid only for the specific date and time. You can also actually visit the Louvre at night, after closing hours. All you need to do is sign up for a Louvre After Hours tour - Art Journey by Paris Private Tours does great ones, although they will be much more expensive than the regular tickets, at around 100 Euro per person at night. But if this appeals to you, this way of skipping the line at the Louvre comes highly recommended, especially for art lovers because of its relaxing experience and truly empty halls.
Eiffel Tower
Ah, of course. There are many ways to see the Eiffel Tower, as it is the highest building in the city by...a lot. It peeps out from nearly every alleyway, street opening, river bend, and café, providing lots of photo opportunities and sightings throughout your day. I would recommend walking up close to it at some point (you are allowed quite close, and there is a lovely tree lined park down one end to sit and just enjoy the day), but personally I would not recommend taking the paid tour up inside it - Paris is a flat, grey, rather ugly city from above. The best views in the city are OF the tower, not FROM the tower. Similarly, the French notoriously snub their noses at the very expensive tourist trap restaurant located inside the tower, with better food found easily in this city. Unless you're quite keen on the history/building itself, just grab fresh bread and a bottle of wine, sit on the grass with the gathering crowd, and wait until sundown - it will start to sparkle.
Embrace being a tourist with a hop-on, hop-off tour
This bus tour is fantastic. Options in English, inside or rooftop, with the ability to depart and rejoin at any location on the route you wish (use the 24 hour pass as a free hop on Uber when your route aligns, too). I have personally taken this tour as it was too rainy to walk one morning and I am SO happy I did. I learned all kinds of fascinating things - like how the palace courtyard inside the Louvre walls (which was once, incredibly, just the residential home of the French Royal family) was also the location of the guillotines during the French Revolution. During the uprising, the courtyard stone floor became so entrenched with blood - often running inches thick - from the amount of beheadings of overthrown government officials, that to this day horses spook at the entrance. I knew the Louvre used to be a palace, and I knew the French had a low tolerance for politicians, but if it were not for the bus tour, I would not have known horses can still smell the death on it.
Take a Day Trip to Champagne
If it's not from the Champagne region, it's just sparkling disappointment. Many day trips from Paris to Champagne can be found with a quick Google search. Some include transportation (it is about a 90 minute drive), some include multi-course lunches and tastings on incredible vineyards, more adventurous travelers can rent a car and wing it - but I would advise a DD. The French have an opposite stance on crime to the US, with the accused being *guilty until proven *innocent. I don't know about y'all, but I can't pass a field test sober, in my own car, in my own language, on the usual side of the road - I suggest not risking the DIY version, and just booking a tour or driver for this one!
Take a Shorter Day Trip to the Palace of Versailles
Similar to Champagne, various tours and options exist for getting you from Paris to the Palace of Versailles, with or without including the Marie Antoinette gardens and House of Mirrors, lunch, skip the line tickets, or transport. It is stunning. It is huge. It is....ornate. A quick search will allow you to browse for a tour that includes what you're looking for, with Versailles being only about 9 miles away from the Paris city center. The train also runs there and is really easy, but the chateau is a long walk from the station (damn those acres and acres of estate gardens and rich people driveways), so do map out your route before hand.
Eat, Drink, Chocolate
Paris, like all cities, has its flaws, but chocolate, wine, and cheese are not among them. Several tours exist, including chocolate tours, cheese making excursions, wine classes and tasting tours. If you're looking to stretch your legs after that long flight, learn your way around the neighborhoods, and have a delicious foodie experience, one of these tours may be perfect for you. Alternately, if you’d rather make your own list of stops, a quick Google search will let you know the top three or four places in each category (best chocolate shops, best bakeries, best wine near me etc), and you can map out your own decadent crawl with whatever combination you’d like. When in Rome do as the Romans, when in Paris find yourself a chocolate croissant.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
On the evening of 15 April 2019, a large fire partially destroyed the upper part of Notre-Dame Cathedral. The fire caused serious damage, but thanks to the 400 firefighters at the scene, the monument was able to be partly saved. From May 31, 2020, the cathedral’s parvis (square) is back open and accessible to the public, a first step towards the full reopening of Notre-Dame. The square is located in front of the cathedral, on the West side. Since 2006, it has been known as Place Jean-Paul II, in homage to the Pope who died in April 2005. It is also a gathering place for people and an events area. On one side of the square, you can see a statue of Charlemagne created by sculptor Louis Rochet. Underneath the square, you can visit the archeological crypt - now open to the public again as well - which shows archaeological remains discovered during excavations in the 60s and 70s. However, the cathedral’s towers and treasures are still closed to the public until further notice.
Shop the Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées needs no introduction. A fixture on the list of the French capital’s top attractions, it is visited each day by nearly 300,000 people, who come to admire its majestic monuments, enjoy a shopping spree, or get caught up in the excitement of the major festive events that are organized here. There’s always something going on here, along the world’s most beautiful avenue. Start at the Arc de Triomphe and make your way down one side and up the other along this ~2km avenue. The flagship Louis Vuitton store and mouth-watering French macaroons from Ladurée are two highlights not to miss. There are high and low end shops alike, foodie delights, small cinemas, and disco clubs. Also, cars are now banned from the Champs-Élysées on the first Sunday of each month, making the stroll even more pleasant, if you are staying through the weekend after the wedding.