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We first visited France last year, and since then we’ve talked about coming back. When we decided to go back to France in time for the Christmas markets to start, the trip became all the more exciting. We have been patiently waiting for November for this great adventure.

Our trip started in the beautiful city of Paris. Paris seems to be a city that causes great debate among travelers on whether they love it or hate it. But we definitely fall on the side of loving this city.

We only had a short time in Paris and decided instead of trying to see all that we could that we would simply enjoy the city, stroll through the streets, and eat as many pastries as possible.

Paris had seen snow the week before which would have been lovely, but when we arrived the snow was gone and in its place was the rain. But even in the rain, walking along the Seine was beautiful.

Strolling the Streets of Paris:

• The Louve
• Tuileries Garden
• Grande Roue De Paris
• Christmas Market at Tuilleries
• Notre Dame Cathedral
• Sorbonne University
• The Pantheon
• Christmas Market at Montmarte
• Sacre Coeur Cathedral
• Montmarte
• Orsy Museum
• Eiffel Tower

The Louve

We said hello to the Louvre but did not go in this time. Rainy days are perfect for museum visits but we didn’t want to join the crowds of umbrellas in line to get in. The Louvre could easily take a few weeks at minimum to go through but it just didn’t seem to fit with our more leisurely pace. But just seeing the building is always a delight.

Tuileries Garden

We walked through the Tuileries Garden where bare trees lined the walkways. Normally this park is filled with people, but with the days rain we had the park almost to ourselves. A few people were paying no mind to the rain and sat beside the fountain bundled up their coats. We happily dodged the puddles and continued walking through the park. We could see the Eiffel Tower down the river.

Grande Roue De Paris

On one side of the park we could see the massive ferris wheel, known as the Grande Roue de Paris, rising above the garden. This is not the first time that the Roue De Paris has excited visitors. In 1900 a ferris wheel was set up in honor of the world exhibition. While this Roue de Paris is set to be taken down sometime in early 2025, there is possibility of it becoming a permanent feature.

Christmas Market at Tuilleries

Next to the Roue de Paris is one of the favorite Christmas markets of the city. Paris is not necessiarly known for markets but there are still a few around the city to enjoy. The market next to the Tuilleries Garden is considered the biggest and best.

We had a great time walking through and looking at the different stalls and what they were selling. Because of the rain, there were few people out in the market. We grabbed some cups of hot chocolate and hot wine to keep us warm while we walked.

One of the favorite parts of Christmas markets is the food. We got food at one of the stalls after watching the wheels of cheese be put under the warmer to make it ooey gooey and ready to go on top of bread or potatoes and chicken. Between the cheesy potatoes in one hand and glass of hot wine in the other, we were warming up from the rain.

One thing we were not expecting from a Christmas market was the amount of carnival games and rides. The neon lights and flashy lights seem to be at odds with the little white huts of stalls.

The market had not one, but two fun houses. My daughter somehow convinced me to try the fun house with her and it was anything but fun. The four storied structure was filled with glass walled walkways, twisty staircases to slides, and moving staircases. With the rain it made it all really slick and neither one of us really enjoyed the experience.

Notre Dame Cathedral

We were so happy to hear the bells ringing from Notre Dame, but so sad to know that we had missed the grand reopening celebration by a week. Because of the all the big white tents set up for the celebration, we couldn’t get very close. But we were close enough to hear the bells and it filled the soul with joy.

It has been so many years since Notre Dame suffered that terrible fire so to see it restored to its glory was really beautiful. At the top of our list for our next visit is to go inside the beautiful cathedral and really experience its rebuild.

Sorbonne University

We happened to pass by the famous university the Sorbonne. This university has had many well known people pass through its doors, one of which being Marie Curie the famous scientist.

Marie came from Poland and at the time education was a limited privilege. After many years of struggle her dream of attending the Sorbonne finally came true. There were only 2,000 female students in this large university and only two of those women were studying science.

Marie Curie went on to be the first woman to ever be awarded the noble prize, and then she was awarded a second noble prize. There is a Marie Curie museum in Paris, but sadly it was closed while we were there.

The Pantheon

Another monument of the city is the Pantheon where important people have been buried for hundreds of years. Among the famous residents are Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Roussau, Marie Curie, and the architect of the Pantheon Jacques-Germain Soufflot.

Christmas Market at Montmarte

The next day we started out in the Montmarte area of the city. We got off the train and were met with a beautiful example of the art nouveau metro signs found around Paris. Next to the metro stop was a small Christmas market with the stalls set up in between the streets. We wandered through but we didn’t spend a lot of time in the market.

Sacre Coeur Cathedral

No visit to Montmarte is complete without seeing the Sacre Coeur cathedral with the perfect view over Paris. There are a number of beautiful old carousels around Paris, but one of the favorites is the Carrousel de Saint-Pierre at the base of the hill below Sacre Coeur. This double decker carousel is full of romantic charm and old world finery.

Of course we had to stop and have a couple of rides on the carousel so we could ride both the bottom and the the top tiers. There were a few ‘instagrammers’ there blocking the stairs to get to the top tier as they were determined to get their picture with no mind of the kids lined up to go up the stairs. If they want to take their picture, that’s fine, but don’t get irritated at the kids who want to actually ride the carousel.

Sacre Coeur was built in 1875 in a Romano-Byzantine style that speaks of a much older time period that when it was built. The hill itself has long been a place of worship first for the Gaelic Pagans and then the Gallo-Romans. Before there was a Christian presence around the 12th century, there was temples dedicated to Mercury and Mars on this hill.

Montmarte

After marveling at the stunning architecture of Sacre Coeur, we continued into the artsy area of Montmarte. The square was full of artists displaying their skills. This area was established by the artists of Paris and has continued that legacy. Some of the buildings had beautiful and creative Christmas decorations above their shops.

We were especially impressed with the gold balls and silver peacocks above the Boheme restaurant, so much so that we decided that was the perfect place to get some lunch. The food was excellent and the ambiance of the restaurant was delightful.

Orsy Museum

One of the big places that we wanted to see on this visit to Paris was the Museé d’Orsy. This train station turned art museum is incredible.

As with many museums, I am much more interested in the art of the building outside than all the pieces of art on the inside. But even then, I was amazed at all the incredible pieces of art from so many different periods that was there.

The view of the museum as you walk in is stunning. They put so much beautiful detail into the train station that it was. We spent hours going through the different areas of the museum with particular interest in the art nouveau and impressionism sections. The hours spent there was not nearly enough time to really see and fully appreciate everything that was there.

Eiffel Tower

And what would a trip to Paris be without a visit to the Eiffel Tower. It was so beautiful all lit up at night. We didn’t go up in it this time (although our daughter was pretty determined that she could take all the stairs up) and settled instead for just admiring it from the park.

We had such a lovely visit to Paris with our slow pace and laissez faire attitude. While there will always be more we want to see of the city, it was nice to just see where we ended up without any real plan or have to lists. We will happily plan another trip here and next time see a little more.

Thanks for coming along on this visit to Paris. May you have the time to simply enjoy where you are.

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