13 Places to Visit in Paris

When my friend Julie and I were planning our trip to Europe, we were both a little nervous about what Paris would be like. Every time we asked our friends that had been to Paris, they all had different opinions. Some of them said they loved Paris and were dying to go back; others said it was their least favorite part about Europe and would've been fine if they had just skipped it. As you can imagine, this made the two of us nervous - would we like Paris? I'm glad to say, the second we got to our hotel and began strolling through Paris, we instantly fell in love. I personally, would even go as far to say that I liked Paris better than London, and found the Parisians to be nicer than the Londoners. But, that's just my personal opinion; maybe it's just because it's the city of love. Anyway, I wanted to share my favorite 15 places to visit in Paris - hopefully this will give you some fun ideas when you go to Paris too!

1. The Louvre 
The Louvre is a great place if you're super into art. If you're not really into art and you aren't a huge fan of gigantic, massive crowds, then I would recommend just skipping it. My friend and I just stopped outside of it, snapped some pictures, and moved along. We couldn't fathom the thought of pushing through huge crowds only to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa and find out that, well, it really is only as big as a normal piece of paper. Most people I had talked to told me to just skip the Louvre, so we did. But like I said, if you're really into art then you should totally check it out. There are some wonderful pieces in there.

2. The Eiffel Tower
Obviously if you're in Paris, you will get to see the Eiffel Tower. But, just seeing it isn't enough. One of my favorite things was to stand right beside the Eiffel Tower and to look up into the structure, only to realize how massive it truly is. I've always thought if it as being huge, but my imagination clearly didn't have the capacity to realize how gigantic it was. The Seattle Space Needle is 605 feet high, whereas the Eiffel Tower is 1,063 feet high - that's almost two times the size of the Space Needle! You can go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but you have to pay for it. It is pretty high so if you don't like heights, then you probably shouldn't go up it. But then again, it is a once in a lifetime chance, so it's worth it if you feel passionate about it.

3. The Tuileries Garden
The Tuileries Garden was one of my favorite places we visited in Paris. It's so gorgeous and there's all these vibrant flowers - you can literally stop and smell the roses! There are some really cool lounge chairs scattered about the Garden as well, so you can just lounge around or take a nap or enjoy the scenery. We liked to bring our books and sit and read and soak up the sun on good days. Sometimes they have goats that groom the gardens, so those can be a little fun to see as well.

4. Place de la Concorde
Paris isn't super large, so for the most part you can walk/bike wherever you please and visit places. One of the places we visited was Place de la Concorde. For all you history buffs and/or horror enjoyers, this is the place where a ton of French royalty was guillotined, like Queen Marie Antionette. It's a piece of history, so it's interesting to visit. Plus, there's a pretty fountain, ya know, to help wash away the blood of the beheaded - joking. I'm only joking.

5. Les Invalides
Les Invalides was a retirement home for war veterans during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. It's also the burial place of Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as some members of his family. The building is stunning, and you can physically go inside and see where Napoleon's tiny body is buried.

6. Notre Dame
Notre Dame is just one of the places you must visit while in Paris. The building is stunning to withhold and it's even more beautiful than I had ever imagined. I had always dreamed of going to Notre Dame after reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so I was so excited when that dream came true. Our hotel manager told us if we wanted to be as close to God as humanly possible, then we needed to go to the tippy top of Notre Dame. So if you want to seek so called spiritual closeness, then you can go up into the top of Notre Dame. You do have to pay to get inside, and the line can be really long, so plan to spend an hour or two in line. One of our favorite things was to grab a cappuccino and just sit around Notre Dame; it's so relaxing and it's great for people watching too.

7. Shakespeare & Company
I love reading, and so does my friend Julie. So when we heard about the super unique and well-known bookstore Shakespeare and Company, we knew we had to visit. Shakespeare and Company is one of the famous bookstores you see all over Pinterest, and after we saw it, we knew exactly why. There are tons of unique and old books there, and little reading nooks. For a book lover, this is a must visit in Paris. Plus, it's right across the street from Notre Dame, so you can just visit one after the other!

8. Laduree
Laduree is a famous chocolatier place. You can get all sorts of treats and goodies there, especially chocolate! It's just a fun stop when you're craving something sweet but don't want to spend too much money. They also have macarons there too.

9. Angelina
Okay, I have been waiting for the majority of this post to rant about how much I love Angelina. Angelina is a sweet shop, but it's a very high-end sweet shop. It also has the best hot chocolate, ever. So if you love hot chocolate and other goodies, then this is most definitely the place for you. If you just want hot chocolate, they have a little cart outside. If you just want some take out dessert, then you can go inside and buy whatever dessert and candies you wish. But, if you want to be really fancy, you can sit in the restaurant section of Angelina and have some dessert and cocoa. Angelina is usually pretty busy, so it may take a while to get a table. But if there's only two of you, it will happen fairly fast. I totally, one hundred percent recommend going to Angelina - it is every sweet lover's dream.

 
10. Le Relais de l'Entrecote
One of the main reasons we go to Paris, is for the food and the wine, am I right? We were highly excited to go to the city of love and eat our way through the city. We had been told by a friend that if we wanted to have one of the most amazing meals ever, then we had to visit Le Relais de l'Entrecote. They only have one thing on the menu, and that is, steak and frites (fries) with the most mouth watering sauce spread on the steak. People line up hours before the restaurant opens, or else you won't get a seat. But it is totally worth the wait! The food is beyond words, and the wine is wonderful too. This is a must visit place if you love steak and fries and good wine. But it is a little spendy (worth it though, I promise) and you do need to make sure to get there about an hour before it opens so you get a seat and aren't left waiting in the cold.

11. The Royal Palace
For all you castle lovers and fairytale dreamers, the Royal Palace is the place you need to visit. The architecture is brilliant, and the palace is stunning and it's quite grand. Sometimes it can be hard to see if the gates are up, and it can be a little difficult to get there, but it's totally worth it. The picture below isn't mine, but it's the best representation of the Royal Palace.

12. Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
This is not the Arc de Triomphe in the middle of the road in Paris that you can drive under, so keep that in mind. This is a different arc, but it's worth seeing. The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel was created to commemorate all of Napoleon's victories in France. The structure on top is depicting Peace riding in on triumphant chariots, because Napoleon was bringing "peace" to the city. It's worth the stop, and it's massive. It's also really close to the Tuileries Garden, so you can just stop by it on your way out.

13. Les Antiquaries
We're back on the subject of food, but this is a must visit for food lovers. We got this restaurant recommendation from our hotel manager, who told us it wasn't too expensive and the food was top notch. We were so surprised when we arrived at Les Antiquaries to find that our hotel manager had already called ahead and told the waiters that we were coming and to treat us right. We got mushroom risotto and a salad with pancetta, fried goat cheese balls, bacon and pesto. You have to visit this restaurant! It's delicious and the atmosphere is really neat.

I fell deeply in love with Paris, and I hope you fall in love with it as well. For all of you who were wondering, I stayed at the Hotel Verneuil, which is a wonderful place to stay. It's tucked away a little, but it's right in the center of Paris, so everything is must a mile or two away. Here's some pictures of our room and the hotel:

Paris is a wonderful place to visit, and I hope I have given you some good ideas on where to visit and what to check out. There's a lot of other wonderful places to visit in Paris, but we only had a few days to knock all of our destinations out. Hopefully you'll have a little more time and will check out some of the places I listed. Au revior!

24 Places to Visit in London

Over this past September, I got the amazing opportunity to visit both London and Paris. For this blogpost, I wanted to share the twenty-two places to visit in London, why you should, and what's so great about them. I hope this helps inspire you to travel to London, and also gives you some good ideas on what you should check out. For my next blogpost I will be talking about Paris, so keep tuning in if you want any tips or travel ideas for Paris! Anyway, here are my favorite places to visit in London in no particular order.

1. Twining's
For all of you tea lovers out there, Twining's is the place for you to visit! This is the original Twining's store, and they have dozens upon dozens of teas for you to check out. Keep in mind, Twining's is in an older building and therefore, the shop is very long but not very wide. They have different teas you can test at their tea bar, and then a section of the store where you can make your own tea box filled with the teabags you picked out. They also have a wide variety of loose leaf tea too, as well as some free recipes you can take home and try for yourself. Finally, one of my favorite other favorite things, is that they have portions of the store that show the historical background of Twining's, which is kind of neat.

2. The Grazing Goat
Clearly from it's amazing name, you obviously have to check this place out. The Grazing Goat is a pub about a mile or so from Hyde Park. You can eat a delicious English Breakfast there, or try their awesome fish 'n chips. Or, if you're looking for a place to stay, you can stay in the hotel rooms above The Grazing Goat pub. It's the most clean, orderly and fancy pub I have ever seen it, and I loved all the hotel rooms. The bathroom was super nice, and the room had this modern but woodsy theme.

3. Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is just one of those places you just have to visit. It's gorgeous, especially when the weather is nice. There are all of these massive statues and let me tell you, it's quite the place to people watch as well. I remember what my friend Julie and I did, was grab some drinks and read our books while sitting next to the fountain. It was very relaxing. There isn't a ton of things to see at Trafalgar, but it is a good place to check out and relax.

3. Piccadilly Circus
For all you Sherlock fans, this is definitely a place you need to visit. Who wouldn't want to stand in the spot that plays such a huge role in Sherlock?! If Sherlock isn't really your thing, don't worry. Piccadilly is a great place to get some shopping done. There are tons of shops to visit, and you'll be able to get whatever you need for souvenirs or goodies. Keep in mind that when you do go visit Piccadilly Circus, think about New York. Piccadilly is so busy you can hardly get by without bumping into someone. If you aren't a big fan of large crowds, I wouldn't recommend visiting here. But, if you don't mind some hustle and bustle, it's definitely a fun visit. This isn't my picture, but it's a good representation.

4 & 5. The Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben) and the London Eye
First, let's get some things straight. Big Ben actually refers to the bell within the Elizabeth Tower, not the actual Tower itself. So when you do go visit London and you need some help locating the Tower, make sure you ask the locals where the Elizabeth Tower is, not where Big Ben is, or else you will most likely be made fun of. But, the Tower is a wonderful place to visit. It's stunning and pretty and makes for some great pictures. You can go up into the Tower, but my friend and I didn't, because we didn't want to pay a bunch of money for it. You can also see the London Eye almost anywhere you stand in London. Keep in mind it's about three times bigger than the ferris wheel in downtown Seattle, so it's quite massive. If you aren't a fan of heights or spending a lot of money, then I wouldn't recommend visiting the London Eye. But if you want a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the majority of London and don't mind spending a bit of your money, then go for it.

6 & 7. Westminster Abbey and Church
Westminster is a wonderful place to visit. First of all, it's drop dead gorgeous. Plus, who wouldn't want to see the church where Princess Kate was married at? We all love fairytales, and therefore, this is the place for all of us who are princesses at heart.

8. House of Parliament
If you're stopping off to visit the Elizabeth Tower, then you'll be looking at the House of Parliament as well. The House of Parliament is practically attached to the Elizabeth Tower so you can't really have one without the other. We liked visiting this place because it was just a stunning, ancient building with so much history. Not only that, but there are beautiful parks surrounding it where you can just stop off and have a cappuccino and enjoy the view. If you look back at my picture of the Elizabeth Tower, you'll be able to see the House of Parliament off to the right.

9. The Thames
The Thames is very easy to get to because, well, it's just a really large river. It's breathtaking on a sunny day, and much more massive than I had originally imagined. There isn't really a lot to do at the Thames, but you can take boat rides and it's easy to stop by and see before you hit up your other destinations in London.

10. Churchill's Bunkers
I loved London, but one of my favorite places that I went to, was Churchill's Bunkers. It's the underground bunkers where Churchill and his men helped fight in World War II. Everything was left just as it was on the day the war finally ended, not a thing out of place. And it's like as soon as you enter the bunkers, you're transported back in time. There's so much history down there, and I learned a bunch of stuff I never knew about Churchill and all the work he and his employees did. You do have to pay for this activity, but it's not super expensive and it's totally worth it. You can easily spend two or three hours down there, because it is pretty big an there are a lot of activities you can do.

11. The Tower Bridge
The Tower Bridge you absolutely must visit. It's gorgeous, huge, and, you can easily walk across it. Plus, you can see the Tower Bridge from the Tower of London, so you can't really have one without the other. If you want, it's fun and easy to stop by the Tower of London and then walk across the London Bridge. There are great places to stop and take pictures on the bridge as well. You can go inside the bridge and I believe high up into it, but you do have to pay for it, so we didn't bother doing that.

12. The Tower of London
Since we're already visiting the Tower Bridge, obviously we have to stop off and visit the Tower of London as well. The Tower is particularly gorgeous in spring and summer, when all the flowers are in bloom, but we went in the fall, which was still very pretty. It's just incredible to be standing where there's so much history. Plus there's some really old ruins you can check out right by the Tower as well.

13. Saint Paul's Cathedral
I have always loved how old churches have looked, so naturally I had to check out Saint Paul's Cathedral. It's just so beautiful, and much bigger than I had originally thought it was. We didn't go inside because it costs about eighteen euros, and we weren't dying to get inside. We did step through the doors and kind of take a peek, but we weren't willing to spend a ton of money because we had other things we wanted to spend our money on.

14 & 15. Shakespeare's Globe and Swan
Shakespeare's Globe is a fun place to visit if you're a huge fan of Shakespeare. I loved visiting the place where Shakespeare had his plays performed - plays that I had grown up reading. Unfortunately we weren't able to physically go inside the Globe, but we were able to do something else fun while we were there. Right beside the Globe is the Swan London Bar and Restaurant, but, you can also have afternoon tea there! We had a great time enjoying our afternoon tea and looking out over London and the Millennium Bridge while rain hit the windows. The food and desserts were excellent, the tea fantastic, and the company even better. I would totally recommend checking out Swan for some afternoon tea. It's not super expensive and the food was top notch.

16. The Millennium Bridge (or as I referred to it, the "Harry Potter Bridge")
I am a huge Harry Potter nerd, like, to the extreme. I just really love Harry Potter; I have my own wand, multiple versions of the book series, all of the movies, my own Gryffindor sweater, scarf, and my own Hedwig, and that's not even making a dint in all of the Harry Potter stuff I own. So naturally when I saw the Millennium Bridge, I freaked out like a total fangirl because that is the bridge the Death Eaters destroyed in Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. If you're a Harry Potter geek and you're already at the Swan or Shakespeare's Globe, then you're right by the Millennium Bridge, so you totally need to stop by and check it out/walk across it. It's a really cool structure and, well, Harry Potter. Does it get any cooler?

17. The British Museum  
The British Museum is a must see if you're going to London. First of all, it's free, so why wouldn't you want to go?! Second of all, it's where "Night at the Museum" was filmed. Third, it's gigantic and there's a lot of really cool things to see. The museum is so big, we spent probably three or four hours there and hardly made a dent in it. So when you do go, keep in mind it is a lot to see, and it might be a little overwhelming at first, but just mosey around. Also, invest into a map. They cost a few euros but they aren't terribly expensive, and it's well worth it in case you want to visit certain areas of the museum. They also have a really expansive gift shop, so you can get some really neat souvenirs there. I particularly liked the Egypt section, but trust me when I say they have like, every area of the globe covered here.

18. Buckingham Palace
This is just a must-visit while you're in London. It's freaking Buckingham Palace! And, I think we are all a little obsessed over seeing the Royal Guards, aren't we? The Palace is beautiful, the guards just like in the movies and books, and it was just such a stunning sight to behold. There are a lot of people usually hanging around Buckingham Palace, and a lot of tourists, so watch your head and make sure you don't get smacked in the face with some silly person's selfie stick. You can go and tour Buckingham Palace but it is a little spendy and it only happens on certain days and certain hours.

19. Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre
After running around London like crazy people, sometimes it's just nice to sit down and enjoy a show. I have always been a huge fan of the Lion King, and if you are too, then you must see the Lion King production at the Lyceum Theatre. It's a beautiful show, and the costumes are unbelievable. There's a lot of interaction with the crowd and they have some hilarious one liners throughout the show. I recommend getting good seats and splurging a little so you can sit on the floor, right in front of the stage. Try to get an aisle seat too, because in the beginning of the production people in costumes walk down the aisles and up towards the stage. Plus, there's a bar there, and they have happy hour, so...might as well, right?

20. The Sherlock Museum
If you are a big fan of Sherlock Holmes like I am, then you must visit the Sherlock Museum! It's the neatest little house. You do have to pay to get inside, but I recommend doing it. It's a fun experience, and they have all these fun facts littered about the house, and you can see what their living would've been like during that time, if Sherlock really had been real. If you don't want to spend the money, then you can go into the museum gift shop. It's not quite the same, but there is a lot of fun stuff there and you can get some neat souvenirs.

21, 22 & 23. John Lennon's House, Abbey Road, and The Beatles Shop
I lumped all three of these things together because they all kind of fit in the same category. For all of you music lovers and Beatles fans, London is a great place for you to visit. You can find Abbey Road and take a picture of you and all your friends walking across (just like the Beatles did). Or, you can go on a little adventure and find the house that John Lennon used to live in - how cool is that?! And if you're still over at the Sherlock Holmes Museum, there's the Beatles Shop right next to it, so you can stop by there and get some cool gifts as well.

24. Platform 9 3/4

We already established earlier in this post that I am a huge Harry Potter nerd, so when we went to King's Cross to catch the EuroStar to go to Paris, naturally we had to stop by Platform 9 3/4. If you are a Harry Potter geek, then you must check out Platform 9 3/4. You can get your picture taken so it looks like you're entering onto the platform, and you can choose your house color scarf as well! There's also a gift shop, so you can buy whatever Harry Potter themed goodies you want. You can also purchase your official picture inside the gift shop as well, if you don't just want the cellphone one you snapped earlier (I got the official picture; it comes in a cool frame; how could I not?!). 

 

Those are my twenty-four places to visit while in London! There are a bunch of other places to visit too, like Kensington Palace (we went there too, but the fences were all blocked off so we couldn't see much of anything), the Doctor Who shops, and much more. But these were just the places I visited and fell in love with. So when you decide to go to London, keep these places in mind as some fun ideas. Stay tuned - my next blog will be dealing with places to visit in Paris!