I visited Paris last August Bank Holiday for a quick girly weekend with an old friend of mine. We stayed in the R. Kipling hotel, right near Blanche Metro station and the world famous Moulin Rouge. It is the perfect location if you want to be right near the red-light district… I will let you decide where you wanna stay though!
The hotel itself is a gorgeous boutique hotel influenced by Rudyard Kipling’s visits to India, Japan and China. The hotel is lovely but a little on the small side – the rooms are tiny with barely any space to move. However, you’ll only be here to sleep, so they are definitely perfect for a pit-stop in Paris. There are plenty of hotels to choose from in Paris and it all depends on your budget and what you want, luxury, romance, boutique or basic? When I do go back to Paris (one day!), I would love to stay somewhere near the Eiffel Tower, with a balcony and views of the gorgeous Parisian skyline.
With flying time being less than an hour from all London airports, I wondered if this was the best way to go as you usually spend more time getting to the airport. Other ways of getting there are Eurostar or the Megabus. I tried booking with Eurostar, but the flights were much cheaper every time (and meant I could drag more luggage with me).
Sex and the City Feels
The last few episodes of Sex and The City always had me obsessed with Paris. The scenes of Carrie Bradshaw walking around discovering Paris on her own really tugged at my heartstrings. It seems like the sort of place you can visit alone, as a couple or with your friends. I imagine myself just jumping on the Eurostar one weekend and just soaking up the culture and some good coffee (don’t get me started on the Nutella crepes). To me, it has more laid-back cultured vibe in comparison to the busy streets of Cental London.
We visited Le Perchoir, a rooftop bar in what you would call the ‘hipster’ area of the city. Cocktails were pricey, pretty much on par with London but they were much much tastier. Le Perchoir has a more mature, laid back vibe with stunning vistas of the Parisian skyline. I would highly reccommend a visit if you’re after somewhere off the beaten track. I found this place from a Buzzfeed article – see here, a must read if you love a rooftop bar...
The Metro is easy to navigate once you have a map and a daily travel card works out at around £3.50 – so you can explore to your heart’s content.
Shop til’ you Drop
The shopping in Paris is amazing if you are after Chanel, Cartier, Dior. I could list a plethora of designers. But if you’re a high street girl like me – H&M, Zara and many others have loads on offer. My favourite shop of the trip was Sephora – their own brand products are really good value and actually well made.
Paris, to me, is such an extraordinary city. It’s romantic, beautiful, and perfect if you want a change of scenery. It’s the kind of place you can come alone and sit in a coffee shop all day and people watch.
[…] France, Turkey, China, Middle East, Spain, Tunisia, Dominican Republic, Barbados, […]