Paris is one of the easiest city's in the world to work around, it's well signposted and above all mostly flat...It's also very hectic and busy around the tourist attractions, but as usual I love to walk off the main streets and boulevards to discover the real heart of a city.
Paris is without doubt one of the most historical capitols and its architecture and beauty is at times breathtaking, so be ready for a sensory overload wherever you go.
Paris is not a city you can cover in a couple of days, but if that's all the time you have then my advice would be to invest in a two day ticket on an open top "Hop On Hop Off" bus of which there are many, this enables you to save your legs and be driven around the city viewing all the major sights from a great "up top" vantage point.
However My Paris on foot is all about going down the smaller side streets and basically discovering the non touristy shops and cafés.
My advice to anyone that wants to walk around Paris is to ensure that:
- You are fit, as Paris is not for the weak...
- You wear very comfy trainers or walking shoes and forget the heels...Paris is hard on the feet as many streets are cobbled and uneven.
- Carry a small backpack to accommodate your camera,cell phone, rain Mac (trust me it can pour down in Paris) and don't forget the important bottle of water.
- You always take a map with, so you can get back on track after you have wandered off down a side street.
- You check out which areas are to be avoided for safety reasons with the hotel before you set off.
As I have said before some of the best eating places can be found off the beaten track and a sit down for a 2 hour lunch is a great way to take in the atmosphere and to boost the energy levels for the afternoons walking session. On my recent trip my sister we set off at 9am and returned to our hotel at 6.30pm and even though I haven't yet calculated how many kilometres we walked, I estimate it was around 20 Kms and every step was filled with a feast for the eyes and wonderful memories.
Another piece of advice at the end of the day is to have a long hot soak in a relaxing foam bath and give yourself a good leg and foot massage with a specific "tired legs" cream or balm, as I guarantee your legs will be sore and tired.
These photos are just a few of things that I discovered on our wanderings,
so Enjoy!
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| Beautiful Biscuit Shop |
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| Pretty Bistrot |
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| Locals playing Petanque in a park |
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| Le Marais District |
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| "Have small car will find a parking" |
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| Space is at a premium so be creative on the street |
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| Expect the unexpected |
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| A problem with pesky rodents then visit this shop |
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| Canal Saint Martin |
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| Mushroom stall on many of the street markets |
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| Beautiful flowers |
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| Flower boxes everywhere |
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| Peonies |
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