Paris

30 hours to explore the famous city

By Michael Wilson

August 4^th, 2016

It was Thursday evening and I had no plans for the upcoming weekend. I also hadn’t been abroad in July so I decided to book myself onto the Eurostar and spend the weekend taking photos of Paris. I wouldn’t have long so I booked a hotel next to the Eiffel Tower and decided I’d see as much of that area as the time would allow.

Eiffel Tower

As soon as I’d checked into my hotel, I dropped off my stuff and headed to the Eiffel Tower. The weather was lovely the area was packed with people having picnics and spending time with friends and family.

The tower dominates the skyline in Paris and it’s as spectacular as you’d imagine.

Arc de Triomphe

After watching the sun set over the Eiffel Tower by the river Seine, I walked to the Champs-Élysées to discover how bad the famous traffic around the Arc De Triomphe really was. Actually, it wasn’t that busy. There was traffic but not nearly as much as I’d imagine.

The area is great though, there’s so much going on and the lights from the shops look great at night. It really reminded me of Oxford Circus here in London, but with less crowds.

Tower at night

On my way back to the hotel I stopped by the Eiffel Tower once more to watch it twinkle in the night sky. Every hour a light show commences with thousands of lights twinkling all over the tower, which is quite spectacular.

Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine and Pont Alexandre III

The next morning I had decided to walk the few kilometres to the Louvre and see what there was to see on the way. The first thing I noticed was a huge number of vintage cars on the road. I wasn’t really sure why until I made it to the Museum of contemporary history. The roundabout was packed full of classic cars from all eras and countries. There was a party atmosphere and the cars looked amazing.

At the other end of the street stands the magnificent Pont Alexandre III bridge. This is the bridge you see whenever Paris is filmed and it’s easy to see why.

Jardin des Tuileries

My next stop were the beautiful surrounds of Jardin des Tuileries, which lead up to the Louvre. At the entrance though is a big wheel, which looked amazing in the sun, so I decided to sit by the water and take in some of the surroundings.

Musée du Louvre

After my pit-stop I finally made it to my destination. It was instantly clear to me why the Louvre is one of the most photographed places on the planet. The contrast between the classical stone buildings and the modern glass pyramids are quite something. It was certainly pulling some crowds, the queue to get into the museum was huge!

Time to go

My time in Paris was coming to an end so I made my way to the Gare du Nord to catch my Eurostar. Paris is of course beautiful and full of things to do and see, and my short time meant I only ticked off a few.