A day In Paris

When they say, "Paris is always a good idea" it really is.!!! 

You can stay months together in Paris and still experience only a tenth of it. That being said, if you are short of time like us, and have to do Paris in a day then here is the list of must go places and details of how to cover it in a day.

For obvious reasons ,we had Paris in mind the first day we planned our Europe trip,

We planned a day trip for Paris from Brussels considering the fact that 'Thalys' is the best and fastest train covers the distance between Brussels and Paris in just over an hour.

We started early in the morning, Thalys starts from 'Brussels Midi' at 7:43 am, We Boarded 27 number bus at around 6:45 am .If you have mobib it helps, as you don't have to buy tickets when you board bus. Once we reached Brussels Midi, we Boarded the Thalys train and started our journey towards Paris. It was an exiting journey in the bright red and chic train, where the speed accelerated to 300 kms per hour at times. Before even we had the time to settle in we were at Paris.

Once in Paris, first thing we did is to buy the daily pass which gave us unlimited access to all the metro, bus, tram lines within the limits of metropolitan Paris. Our first stop was going to be CityPharma, we took the metro line 4 and reached there in less than 30 minutes not before a harrowing change of trains in between.  

City pharma : Parisians are know for their beauty regime. More so, Paris pharmacy are known for quality skincare products, and how can you be in Paris and not do any skin care shopping? 

In Paris, CityPharma at the corner of Rue du Four and Rue Bonaparte in Saint-Germain-des-Pres is not only known as “the world’s biggest,” but also the city’s best, for its impressive selection of skin care and beauty products, helpful staff, and highly unusual discounted prices. Since it is usually a crowded place it's better to reach there first thing in the morning. Though I am not a beauty products junkie, I still felt is a good place to buy staples like sunscreens, moisturizer, lip balms etc... We did all required shopping within half an hour ,had hot chocolate and headed to Louvre

Next transit was from Bus 95 which ran from Saint-Germain-des-Prés to Louvre .

Louvre :The world's largest museum - since  none of us were into art we just visited the Louvre from outside, which itself is a sight to see. But if you are interested in art, might take 2-3 days to cover each and every room. As we had crunch of time we did not chance to wait in the queue. 

Our next visit was Notre dame Cathedral, we took Bus 24 from Pont des Arts to Petit Pont, Notre Dame.

Notre dame Cathedral :

One of the most beautiful and most visited Cathedral in France. Made of Gothic architecture in the 12th century this Cathedral is sight to behold. The rose Windows and stained glass are breath taking. You can also go to the tower and get the view of the entire city, but buying ticket.... going up in stairs will eat out of the time kept aside for rest of the city, if you are here for a single day  you will have to ditch this idea. 

Next to the cathedral there are may restaurants where you can tantalize your taste buds
 

Cruise : Seine river is an identity of Paris much like the Eiffel Tower. If you don’t visit, walk around, stroll, cruise the Seine River while in Paris, your trip would not be complete . you can gaze at the famous landmarks like the Luvre, Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame, etc.—as you float along the famous Seine River.

Eiffel tower :This must be on the top of every travelers bucket list, no one ever can imagine a trip to Paris and not visit Eiffel tower. We walked next to the garden and reached the east end and spent ample time strolling eating etc.

Trocadero : After walking the through the Eiffel Tower, we walked across the river, and arrived at the Trocadero. Here is where you get the best view of the Eiffel tower. Although  very crowded, and swamped by Street hawkers.... You will be able to get the  perfect picture of Eiffel tower. 

Arc de triumph : the Arc de triumph is a historic monument in the heart of Paris. It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806. It is iconic victory monument which is a must see when you are in Paris. 

Sacre de cure basilica :this was the last  stop  during our visit to Paris The basilica  is nestled in the monte marte region of paris. There is a festiv aura around the region as you walk from the metro to the tram. The basilica  itself is stunning also the view when you climb  up the 300 odd claustrophobic steps. 

What we could have done better :                                                                                 

• We could have skipped city pharma altogether, as it is not the best experience to  have during a holiday to save some bucks if you are not a cosmetic freak. 
• We could have taken a water taxi which cost almost the same as the cruise ,and could have directly gone to Eiffel tower, and save some time.
• We could  have still climbed the tower if we had planned and got the  tickets earlier.
•  We could have booked tickets online and not miss the chance to see at least the world famous Monalisa smile.

Overall it was once in lifetime experience, and one more tick in the bucket list of mine.