Paris | Day Four | Notre Dame

We started our fourth day with a stroll down the river towards Notre Dame and picked up breakfast on the way (a croque monsieur is a must when visiting Paris!).

  The queue was very quick to get inside the cathedral, which was surprising. Decribed as the finest examples of Gothic architecture in France, the stained glass windows are the most magnificent I have ever seen - the north transept rose (pictured above left) was mesmerising to look at.

Unfortunately the queue to go to the roof was over 3 hours long, and with temperates of 27 degrees we couldn't face a long wait out in the sun. 

However, if you are planning a visit I read that a narrow climb of 387 steps to the top allows you to view the cathedral's famous bell and gargoyles up-close, as well as having a spectacular view across Paris. Many small individually crafted statues were placed around the outside to serve as column supports and water spouts. The statues were originally painted with vivid colours, as was most of the exterior, however the paint has now worn off revealing the grey stone. 

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Paris | Day Two | Dome of Les Invalides

After a rest at the cafe we walked to Les Invalides, a collection of buildings containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans.

As we arrived rather late in the day we decided to visit the Dome of Les Invalides which we had spotted from the top of the Eiffel Tower earlier in the day.

The golden dome can be see from across the city and is the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte and other notable French military heroes.

The building is spectacular, with beautiful marble floors, stained glass windows and paintings across the inside of the dome.

It was the most breath taking place we visited in Paris, and the walk from Saint Germaine took us through winding roads filled with antique shops, classic restaurants and independent boutiques.

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Paris | Day Two | The Eiffel Tower

 

The second day of our trip was my birthday. We woke up and had breakfast in the courtyard of our hotel, and then headed off the the Eiffel Tower.

It was really simple to travel round the city on the metro line as we're used to using the tube at home. We planned our journeys outside of peak times so we weren't travelling with commuters, and the longest journey we took was around 20 minuets.

We arrived at the Eiffel Tower early in the day but the queues were already extremely long for the lift entrance - however, if you're up for walking the stair entrance was a lot less busy.

One thing I would recommend you to do is wrap up warm, even if it's a hot day. Underneath the Eiffel Tower is completely shaded and seems to be a bit of a wind trap - it was much colder down there than it was on the top floor of the tower.

After travelling to the second floor you're required to buy another ticket to the top floor. Remember most places in France give huge discounts (or allow you administration for free) if you're under 25, so carry a form of ID around with you.

The view was spectacular and surprisingly the platform wasn't too busy, allowing you take multiple selfies with a long selfie stick.

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