My TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest is always full of incredible travel opportunities, packed with travel hacks, or tips, and a list of the best places to eat, drink or visit in various places. I love reading them and looking at all the beautiful pictures, and I love adding them to an extremely extensive notes page on my phone, ready to be used when I book a holiday!
However, on my feed I love seeing the ‘overrated’ reviews on a place or the ‘Instagram vs reality’ ones, because i'm sure we all know that social media is very good at only showing us the ‘best’ bits, and less of the realities.
One place I hear a lot of controversy about is Paris. Its somewhere so beautiful yet so troubled and sometimes dangerous, and very very touristy! The Eiffel tower is one of the world’s most visited sites, which means that there’s definitely places to avoid or alternative attractions to save you a lot of money
The Eiffel tower
I know this is probably the reason many people go to Paris, however for the price and the queues, I just cant recommend it! For me, I want to be able to get a good view without having to battle crowds, and now even to walk under the Eiffel Tower you have to go through metal detectors and queues, so I do try to avoid it. I always go to the Montparnasse Tower, It’s a little out of the way but so much quieter and you get a great view of the Eiffel tower!
The Champs Elysees
This is a shopping lovers dream, unfortunately there’s a lot of shoppers in the world and this street os tourist heaven! It is stunning to walk down and its very central to Paris, however you may not get to see much due to the number of crowds. The shopping centre Printemps and Galleries Lafayette is a lot quieter, and equally as beautiful with their Glasswork observation platform where you can view their famous stained glass dome!
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa
I think this is quite a well known tourist trap, because who would really queue that long if they knew the Mona Lisa was that small? I know why people love going, and I was very excited to see her when I went, however would I go again? No. I feel its one of those places you want to go ‘to say you’ve been’, but if you’re ever there stuck in queues waiting hours to get in, I think id tell you to save your money.
The Moulin Rouge
When in Paris, going to see the Moulin Rouge wheel was something that was a priority on my list when going, however for the price of it, I know there’s a lot more quieter and better values things we could’ve been doing. It is an iconic show, however for me going to see the wheel for free was enough!
When going to Paris, I do recommend doing your research about what it ‘worth it’ or not! I hate waiting in long queues, especially if you’re going in the summer and its going to be super warm! I would have a look at what more locals recommend, or going at times that there may be less crowds !