Forget Bangkok, it’s all about one night in Paris. Since the last, and coincidentally first, time I went to Paris was when I was five, I begged for the city of love to be included on the itinerary of our recent European family holiday.
With the itinerary already jam-packed with Germany, Spain and Portugal, my ever-patient mum threw her hands up in the air and agreed we could have one night in Paris before we headed back to London.
While there’s no shortage of hype surrounding Paris, often this build up of excitement can only lead one to having a disappointing experience rather than the exuberance imagined in one’s head. Thankfully, however, my experience wasn’t tainted.
Paris was all that I had dreamed of and more. While it’s not exactly inexpensive, a night in Paris can make for a special celebration, especially if you’re already heading to Europe. if you’re headed to Europe or have something special to celebrate why not add a night in Paris. Based on my encounter, here’s how to make your night in Paris one to remember:
5:30pm – We land in Paris (always a plus in my fear-of-flying book)
8:30pm – After a trip that rivals the Tullamarine freeway and checking into our hotel in the Marais district, we hightail it to dinner on what can only be described as a 30-minute powerwalk. I catch my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, twinkling against the black evening sky, and for a moment at least, all is right in the world.
9:05pm – Politely on time (let’s be honest no one’s ever ready to welcome you at :00 on the dot) we arrive at Le Soufflé, the restaurant my parents have picked to surprise me with an early birthday celebration.
11:15pm – After fresh bread, even fresher green salad, champagne and two soufflés each, we roll out the door. But back to the soufflés: words really don’t do them justice. With a selection of both savoury and sweet, there wasn’t a disappointing, or deflated, one at the table. I choose the beef bourguignon as a main and can’t go past the chocolate soufflé as a dessert. Somewhat of an institution and experience in itself, Le Soufflé is the one Parisian restaurant I can highly recommend.
6:45am – Not quite the 6:30am start we were aiming for, but pretty darn close, my aforementioned, ever-patient mother is out of bed at an ungodly holiday hour so that I can see as much of Paris as humanly possible before we leave that afternoon.
7:45am – Pitch black, freezing cold and raining, the unforgiving Paris morning gets the better of us and we have to run into a local coffee shop off the Champs Élysées for cover – a tactical move in an attempt to avoid paying the ridiculous prices on said Champs Élysées. We refuel with coffee and a croissant – when in Paris – as we watch the local Parisians stroll in and throwback their coffee while standing at the counter.
8:30am – We make it to the Arc de Triomphe and I make my poor mum inspect it from every side to get the best photograph possible.
9:15am – We’re now at some sort of shrine for Princess Diana, which features a gold flame and countless padlocks one assumes symbolises love. In the background across the river the Eiffel Tower beckons us.
10:00am – After losing the tower for a brief moment (yes it’s possible) we turn down a narrow street and see it looming ahead of us.
10:10am – Stop to pat a cute, if a little cold, white fluffy dog that looks exactly like our beloved Monty. Mum uses her ‘very impressive’ French to communicate this fact to cute dog’s owner, who immediately looks rather alarmed and proceeds to bid us au revoir quite quickly.
10:15am – As we wait to cross the street, mum realises she has in fact stated that poor Monty was “killed” rather than had died.
10:30am – Still laughing – better than crying – we finish admiring the Eiffel Tower in all it’s statuesque glory and, armed with photo evidence, we head back towards Notre Dame along the river.
10:45am – I’m sure my legs are about to fall off. It’s been four hours of walking. Mum seems fine. Quite a sad state of affairs that I’m struggling more than her.
11:00am – After seeing the Notre Dame – no sign of the hunchback and no photos because an annoying yellow crane won’t move out of the way, we stumble back to the hotel for a 12pm checkout.
1:00pm – All I can think about is food, so we reunite with my sister and dad and the four of us set out to have brunch, lunch, in fact, anything resembling an edible item.
2:00pm – After enjoying a very appropriate croque monsieur at a local café doing a roaring trade, we head out for one final hour of power before we need to head to the Gare du Nord.
3:30pm – Having spent most of said hour of power in Zara – obviously fashion runs in the family – we head to the station and our awaiting Eurostar back to London.
5:30pm – I watch as Paris whizzes past the Eurostar window and, as I enjoy the surprisingly delicious mid-trip meal, I think how lucky I am to have had such an amazing experience in such a special city.
Moral of the story? While Paris is by no means inexpensive, it’s an incredibly special experience that you won’t forget in a hurry. I now know why they call it the city of love – it’s impossible not to fall under its charms.
SJ is a regular travel contributor to YourLifeChoices, and if she had one superpower, it would be teleportation – the ultimate cure for her fear of flying.
Related articles:
Stay at the Palace of Versailles
Best getaway airports
Chocolate Soufflé
