Over Easter break, I was lucky enough to go to Paris. And (thanks to my Eurostar on Saturday being cancelled) was lucky enough to spend three nights there, rather than the original plan of two nights. There was plenty of sightseeing, drinking, shopping and (according to my Fitbit) around ten miles of walking a day. I must admit, I went to Paris with school when I was fourteen, so had already done all the super-touristy things like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. My advice for people going is to avoid these things attractions too. Whilst they're obviously interesting, they're always swarmed with tourists. It's not unheard of to spend hours on end in a queue for the Louvre. So instead, for my fix of museums, I headed to The Musee D'Orsay. Once a train station, this building has been magnificently transformed into a museum holding all things art related, from sculptures to modernist paintings. To be honest, you could spend your time just admiring the architecture of the building alone without even looking at the artwork, as the original arches, windows and big spaces have been kept in place.
There was plenty of sightseeing, drinking, shopping and (according to my Fitbit) around ten miles of walking a day
For lunch, I headed for the Cafe at the top of the museum, which is set in a space just behind the building's clock face. The views were amazing and it was very atmospheric. After Musee D'Orsay, I headed to the Petit Palais to continue getting my museum fix. This is a free gallery with some really interesting work in it, although I must say it's hidden gem was its bar/restaurant. It overlooks a beautiful, Mediterranean looking courtyard and if it's good weather I think a glass of wine here is a must. Once my museum fix was over, it was time for a night out. I was situated in Montmartre, so decided to keep my night out local to here (although the metro is really easy to catch in Paris too if you wanted to go further afield). However, I was not disappointed. I'd recommend avoiding the bars on the lead up to the Sacre Coeur, as these can be really expensive, but the bars nearer the bottom of the hill are gorgeous. Think Aperol Spritz', red velvet draped everywhere and of course the trendiest Parisians you can imagine. I really got a sense that this was the best place in Paris to go out at night, as it seemed to be where all the Parisians gravitated to. And, it wasn't actually too expensive, by Paris standards anyway.
Just in general, I'd recommend seeing all of Paris by foot. Walking really is the best way to see and appreciate the city. If you get tired, there's plenty of metros to catch, but walking around the city really is amazing. My favourite place to walk by fat was along the river, starting at Notre Dame and ending wherever I pleased. The market stalls along the river provide all kinds of fancies, from books by Baudelaire to French food, and really give the walk that extra little something.