Is Paris Worth the Hype?

Ahhhh… Paris a very iconic city that many including you may want to visit, but before you take your time and spend your money you may want to know if it is really worth it. In this post I will be sharing a few places in things in Paris that may be a concern to an tourist and if it is really worth the hype.

Taken from the Arc de Triomphe we get a nice view of Paris and the silhouette of the Eiffiel Tower in the back.

Like basically every city in Europe Paris has a long history which in my opinion is beyond interesting but I'm pretty positive you didn't click on this to get a lecture on the Parisians rich history ,so I guess have to save it for another day.

Anyways, we often create images of Paris in our head, most likely it consists of the Eiffel Tower ,berets , poodles (I know I'm not the only one )and maybe even the cute pastry shops that sell the Instagram worthy treats. Putting aside these Paris stereotypes; one may discover that this city is more than all of that, it is not only full of many other Instagram worthy locations ,but it also has many sites that will leave you amazed and will make you want to indulge in this French cities culture.( Bonus:If you love history you will be double amazed!!! ) Although we want all of this, the real question is "Is it really Worth It?

Attractions

There are many different places to visit in this city ,but to make it simple I'm going to list a few, mostly the top visited place, and give my honest opinion on them.

Eiffel Tower- If you go to Paris and don't see the Eiffel Tower, Did you even go to Paris? Every year this iconic structure gets millions of visitors all there for the same reason ,but is a visit to 324 meter structure worth it ?

Of course! Not only do you get to say you have been to the Eiffel Tower ,but you also get to take Instagram worthy pictures of it and of the fantabolous views it has to offer.

Visiting this structure was like a dream, I couldn't believe I was at The Eiffel Tower ,but after the initial shock of being there you realize that its just a metal structure that serves no real purpose. If your anything like me you will probably be over it and ready to continue your Parisian adventure.

Notre Dame- Located in the center of Paris this Gothic style church has been around for over 800 years. If you visit Paris it is beyond worth visiting; the architecture might even leave you breathless. Out of everything in Paris this was by far my favorite place ,mostly because of how old it was. (I'm also a big fan of old churches.) We soon found out later on our trip ,that we could climb Notre Dame , let me just say, it was definitely worth the view and the bragging rights. In all honesty I would revisit Notre Dame multiple times, that's how much I loved it ,but it is also a place that you may see once and be over it.

The Louvre- Opening in 1793 ,this is the largest museum in the world. Known for the iconic glass pyramid and housing the famous Mona Lisa the Louvre is sure to keep you busy for hours on end. We spent only about 3 hours in the museum and still didn't get to see about half of everything the Louvre offers, if that gives you a perspective on size. If you decide to visit the Louvre just to see the Mona Lisa ,I can tell you now that she is a bit underwhelming; after getting your selfie you may take a moment to look at he painting and say ,"That's it ?," but don't worry there are hundreds of other paintings and pieces of art to look at that will leave you shook for days, in fact, I'm still shook. Anyways, the Louvre is definitely worth visiting multiple times and will never leave you bored.

Arc de Triumph-unlike the Eiffel Tower the Arc de Triumph is a famous structure that actually does something, besides being a good photo op. Commissioned by Napoleon ,the Arc was built in 1806 ,for the French Army. All over the arc there are names of soldiers and commanders that nobody really knows, but it was Napoleon's idea to build it so we must praise it. Anyhow, its really worth seeing because it lies in the intersection of 12 different streets and climbing it allows you to get an even better view of Paris then anywhere else (besides maybe the Eiffel Tower).

Pantheon-Its crazy to think that this was built in 1758 ,but is a replica of one that was built in 126 A.D in Rome(which is still standing). Basically if you like visiting dead famous peoples graves then this is for you. Many writers such as Alexandre Dumas (author of Count of Monte Cristo and The three Musketeer's)are buried here. If you take a trip to Paris this is worth seeing not only for the people buried here but also the art that is painted on the walls.

Versailles- If you go to Paris without going to this then bye.

Just Kidding, but seriously this place is astounding. Like the Louvre this it is a palace except instead of being turned into a museum it remains a palace that is open for self guided tours. It is also a bit overwhelming ,we took so long exploring one area that we didn't get to see many other parts of it .What we did see though was stunning and had me confused unto how people could live in a place so beautiful. Like every other place I have listed this is worth it and will have you wanting to come back.

There are obviously many more places to visit in Paris, but I kept it limited to the main ones. If I ever do a travel guide I will be sure to include these as well as almost every other big attraction to visit.

Transportation-This is obviously a big factor when it comes to getting from point a to point b and nobody wants to have to deal with the stress of this. Like almost every city you have many options when it comes to traveling walking, taxi , buses ,and subway. We mainly walked and took the subway.

Subway-If you live in New York or any other city with a subway it should be fairly easy but,people like my family who have only used the subway not even a handful of times it is can be well...confusing. Luckily after the annoyance of not understanding anything we finally got the hang of it and figured out which trains we needed to get on without going to the wrong location. Prices for tickets are also very inexpensive so you wont be paying tons of money to get on a 5 minute train ride.The downfall of riding the subway is that for some odd reason Parisians like to pile into a small space when there is no possible space left so beware of crammed train rides with sweaty strangers rubbing up on you in all directions and the smell of sweat lofting through the air. You wont have to really worry about this until rush hour hours which are about the same times as they are in America.If you are looking for a way to get around quickly the subway is definitely recommended and worth riding.

Walking- Walking is the cheapest of all transportation because of course it is free!!! If you really wanted you can walk to virtually anywhere in the city but it would make a while to get to some places this is where the Subway comes into play. Walking allows you to really take in the city the culture and really experience all that Paris has to offer.

Taxi- I don't know much about the taxi system besides the one that we took to get to the airport. I'm sure they are the same as everywhere else.

Buses - I'm not really sure about the buses ,but I'm sure they are like bus rides all over the world.

Food- I don't know about you but I love food!! Food is like beauty, its within the eye of the beholder. If you love trying new things then there are plenty of unique French choices ,but if you don't then there are also plenty of "normal choice"(hamburgers, fries, pizza, chicken tenders etc.) Many French foods can be found in America ,or wherever you are from ,like baguettes, crepes , and macrons ,but it is honestly way more authentic to get these foods where they originated. I binged on French pastries and crepes for a majority of my trip and I never got tired of them.

Restaurants are plentiful and will keep you on your toes when deciding where to eat. Gyro joints and French cafes were pretty popular but, places like McDonald's and even Italian restaurants are there too.

I really don't have much to say on food except to go out and try them for yourself.

Trust me French food is worth trying especially the pastries.

Accommodations

Hotels-Prices on hotels depend greatly on where you stay for example if you are staying closer to the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe it will be more expensive than if you stay further from all of the attractions .We stayed on the outskirts of the city so our Hotel was not expensive at all and it was just as nice if not nicer than the hotels within the city. Every morning we would walk to the nearby subway and ride to where we wanted to go which was only about a 5 to 10 minute bus ride if even that.

Most of the buildings are hundreds of years old so getting update appliances in them is expensive and a hassle so one thing that sucks about French hotels is a majority lack air conditioning because of this. We kept our window open which helped prevent our room from being 1000 degrees.

Bathroom-Public bathrooms are limited so its best to use one whenever you get the chance to. Randomly through out the city there are automated port a pods they have sliding doors buttons that tell whether the stall is occupied or not and complete with a sink. They also flush and clean themselves after every use .They are very modern and cool but it becomes frustrating when there are 30 people in line waiting to use a bathroom that takes 2 to 3 minutes to clean itself after every use. Lets just say we were not too happy with the long wait.

Is It Worth the Hype?

Paris is worth the hype! Overall nothing is terrible about this city ,except for maybe the bathrooms. There are tons of different places to visit that will keep you busy for hours on end ,and almost nothing is overly expensive. There is also a variety of different foods ranging from sweet old McDonalds to the cutest corner cafes. This city is definitely worth going to it provides the right amount of history and modernization that will leave you wanting to go back.

If you would like to see more photos of Paris check out our gallery.

Should I do a Paris Travel Guide?