When I Went: Late May-early June, 2012
Was That the Best Time of Year to Go? I think it’s the best time to visit Paris because it’s the second half of spring, warm during but not too hot, cool in the evening, and too early for the big crowds of tourists.
Why I Went There: Because I love Paris! Seriously, it’s just the best–like no other place on earth. In addition, we were able to day trip to Amsterdam on the high speed rail.
Who Went With Me? My lovely wife.
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We Stayed Here: Hotel Eiffel Segur
You Won’t Want to Miss: Beyond the usual list of Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, art lovers should take a day trip out to see Monet’s garden. It’s a quick hour by train, then either rent a bicycle or take a taxi to the garden. Bring a picnic lunch or hit up one of the multiple cafes. If you go early, you can beat a lot of the other tourist traffic, as we found out too late.
Eat Here: My favorite meal was at Le China, which feels like Hong Kong in the 20s. The food is only OK compared to a lot of other available cuisine, but the experience was incredible.
Play Here: Take a picnic to Jardin de Luxembourg and rent little wooden sailboats to push across the fountain.
If I Went Again: Pack a little less. I’d like to try a trip where I only bring one change of clothes and then buy a wardrobe there (since we ended up shopping anyway). Makes the return packing even easier!
How Did You Get There From Dallas? Flew United from Dallas to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Paris. Good airline, not the best but they did everything right.
Other Tips For Fellow Travelers: Paris is Paris. Everyone should go, as often as they can.
