Day 2: Paris: What to see in the Montmartre district: Wall of Je T'aime in Paris, Place du Tertre, Sacre Coeur - Rodin Museum - Champs Elysées - Opera Garnier - Place Vendome - Galleries Lafayette - Montmartre district at night
After going to bed yesterday rendered after the tour we did in Paris at night when it was just over 1 in the morning, today we needed to take advantage of the morning a little more and we got up about 7:30, already thinking about the Montmartre neighborhood, that place that we remember so much from our previous trip to Paris in 12 days and where we are looking forward to returning.
After a while of work we went down to breakfast at the lounge of the Hotel de Nell when it's about 9:00 in the morning something we really do very rarely on our trips, but undoubtedly today, after going to bed so late yesterday, the We really needed it and especially thinking that today we will also extend the day a little closer to another corner of Paris that shines in a special way when night falls.
Hotel de Nell breakfast room
Breakfast, as expected, is very complete and consists of a menu with different types of breakfast. After reviewing it several times, we decided to eat some pastries plus some pancakes made at the moment and a selection of cheeses, all accompanied by a couple of coffees that give us the energy to start the day.
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While we have breakfast, we look at the weather for the day and see that today practically all day will be cloudy, so we decided that we will dedicate the morning to the Montmartre neighborhood, an area that we really want to return to and that today, being the A little more gray day, maybe a little more to visit than any other area of Paris.
We leave the Hotel de Nell when it is about 9:30 in the morning and we go directly to the subway that we have near the hotel that in 6 stops and a transfer, takes us to the Montmartre neighborhood.
Keep in mind that when we talk about the subway stop of the Montmartre neighborhood we refer to line 12, which takes you to Abbesses. Although once there, to reach the area of the Sacred Heart, you have to climb some stairs or else, take the funicular, an option that we will choose.
You also have to keep in mind that to go out from this subway station you have to climb 90 steps, so if you don't want to get tired to the street, you can go directly to the elevator that takes you to the same spot. Something to keep in mind, especially if you already know in advance that there are 3 steps.
Metro Abbesses in the Montmartre neighborhood
Once we are outside the metro stop we turn right where there is a small park where the Wall of Love or the Wall Je T'aime, a place that we did not know the previous time we were in the city, where the words are written I LOVE YOU in all the languages of the world. While it is not true that it is also not essential or very characteristic of Paris, if you are in the Montmartre neighborhood, it is worth approaching.
Wall "Je T'aime" in the Montmartre district
After being in this area for a while, we approached the funicular area directly, since today we are going to take it easy and leave the stairs for the end of the visit and thus make them down, which tire considerably less.
Once we arrive at the upper part of the Montmartre neighborhood we face the Basilica of the Sacred Heart or Sacre Coeur, one of the symbols of Paris and one of the places we remember with more emotion from our previous visit to the city.
Sacre Coeur
Our tour of the Montmartre neighborhood It begins, how could it be otherwise by Sacre Coeur, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, one of the icons of Paris and a place you can not miss. But before approaching the basilica, despite the fact that the day is somewhat gray we can not stop going down the stairs that are right in front, where we meet many tourists to enjoy unique views of the Parisian rooftops.
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Views of Paris from Sacre Coeur
After a few minutes, quite a few, enjoying views that we would never tire of, we entered the Montmartre neighborhood, this time surrounding the basilica and admiring its incredible domes, which leave us once again totally stunned, looking at the travertine that was used and that gives it that characteristic white color.
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We do not need to travel many meters to reach the Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, a small street full of souvenir shops, from which you have a unique perspective of the basilica.
Views of Sacre Coeur from Rue du Chevalier de la Barre
From here we continue our tour turning left on Rue du Mont Cenis until we reach the famous Place du Tertre, also known as the painters square, one of the most visited places, not only in this area but in the entire city.
Place du Tertre. Montmartre neighborhood
After walking around this charming square, which in honor of the truth we have to say that when we first visited it it was something else authentic, we approached the area where we remember there was a painter to whom we bought some paintings on that trip and that curiously, several years later, we met again in the same place, something that reminds us of the days we spent in this incredible city and how we have changed since then.
Painter in Place du Tertre
The same painter, the same square ... 9 years before
From here we continue to get lost in the streets of Montmartre until we reach one of its most famous and photographed corners, the corner where Le Consulat Restaurant is located, between Rue Norvins and Rue Saint-Rustique.
Le Consulat in the Montmartre neighborhood
Although we realize that we have been in the area for a couple of hours, we cannot leave without approaching La Maison Rose, in the middle of Rue des Saules, where we find another of the most charming places in this beautiful neighborhood of Paris, where The tourists practically do not arrive.
Typical premises of Montmartre
Montmartre neighborhood
After looking at the clock and seeing how the day is still quite cloudy we prefer not to spend more time walking through this area of Paris and when it is just after 12 in the morning and with little anticipation that the weather improves, we decide that it is time Perfect to make the visit to the Catacombs of Paris, a visit that we did not do when we were in the city on the previous occasion and that we have to say, after reading and recommendations, we are quite curious.
With this idea we return to the subway, taking the funicular before, and we go with line 12 to Montparnasse station, from where we will transfer to Denfert-Rochereau, where right next to the station is the entrance to the Catacombs.
Paris catacombs
We leave the subway and when we look right in front of us we see the entrance of the catacombs, but right next to it a queue that seems endless And that end is three hours laterWhen a staff girl tells us that it will be our turn to enter if we get in line. At this moment we need only look at each other to make a quick change of plans, and we don't feel like waiting so many hours, so we return to the subway and head towards the Invalides area, where we want to enter the Rodin Museum, one of the best museums in Paris and a visit that we did not do the previous time we were in the city.
A good option to enter the catacombs without having to queue is to book this ticket in advance.
We arrived shortly before one o'clock and after a few minutes of queuing, seeing what time it is, we only get tickets to see the gardens for 4 euros. The price of the entrance to the museum and the gardens is 10 euros.
Rodin Museum Gardens
Rodin Museum
Just when we have been walking through these beautiful gardens for a few minutes, the sky begins to clear, so we believe that we have made the best decision by seeing here now and then posing the first hours of the afternoon with a visit to the Champs Elysées, another of the best things to do in Paris that we don't want to stop doing these days.
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With three hectares, the gardens of the Rodin Museum are composed of an incredible rose garden, the "Orpheus Garden"Where we find Rodin's amazing work Orphée implorant les dieux and the "Garden of the Fountains", another area that is well worth the visit.
Rodin Museum Gardens
In addition to all the works of Rodin that we can see, in these gardens we find two of the most important and at least for us, two of the most impressive: The Gate of Hell and The Thinker, which unfortunately are currently being restored.
The Gate of Hell
The Thinker. Rodin Museum
After spending almost an hour touring the gardens of the Rodin Museum and seeing what time it is, we decided that the best option is to approach the cafeteria / restaurant that is on the premises, where we have read that you can eat and where we ask for a couple of Salads, which by the way are huge plus a dessert cake, soda, water and two coffees for 36 euros.
Eating at the Rodin Museum
We finish when it is almost 2:30 in the afternoon, at which time we ask for a couple of extra coffees, which we are tasting while we take a last walk through these gardens that have certainly surprised us.
Rodin Museum
As we had commented previously, we left the Rodin Museum to go directly to the subway to go to the Arc de Triomphe, another of the symbols of Paris, from where we will cross the Champs Elysées until we reach the Louvre. A small change of plans that makes us change the direction of the march a little and thus take advantage of the day a little more, especially now that the sky is much clearer and allows you to enjoy the city.
Arch of Triumph
With 50 meters high, the Arc de Triomphe is another of the most symbolic places in Paris, as is the roundabout that surrounds it, one of the most dangerous of the world, so it is more than recommended that if you want to access the base, do it through the underground passages and forget about the possibility of crossing it.
After enjoying this area for a few minutes, we started our walk through the Champs Elysees, which we sincerely have to say we thought was much shorter, although we only need to think about the two kilometers that connect the Arc de Triomphe with the Plaza de la Concord to get an idea of the length of one of the most famous avenues, not only of the city, but of the world.
Elysian Fields
Elysian Fields
After about 45 minutes, we arrive at the Tulleries Gardens where we take the opportunity to sit for a while in a couple of the green chairs that are so sought after and more now that the sky is incredible and the temperature is perfect to sit for a while right in front of the lake . And how could it be otherwise, is where we had a good time resting from the walk we just took by the Champs Elysees.
Seeing what time it is, we decided to make a small change of plans again and walk closer to Place Vendôme, area where we take a walk and start to see that part chicfrom Paris we had not seen so far.
Place Vendôme
Shops in Place Vendôme
While here we look again at the weather forecast and check that the rest of the day is clear, so we propose to make a final visit this afternoon to the Galeries Lafayette, where on the last floor we have read there is a viewpoint with excellent views of Paris and where we didn't go last time.
On the way to one of the most famous galleries in the city we also pass by Opera Garnier, another of the essentials in Paris, which we surround to return to stay in the mind with its slender silhouette, which still looks, despite the weather, totally impassive . A good option to know the history of the opera and its most interesting places is to book this guided tour in Spanish.
Garnier opera
After this walk we arrive at the Galeries Lafayette, where we recommend that you come, not only for the views that are from the seventh floor, but also for the decoration of this shopping center, which at least, we can tell you that it does not leave anyone indifferent .
Interior of Lafayette Galleries
Lafayette Galleries
After a brief tour of some of the floors of the store, in search of the best views of the interior, which by the way are right next to the Starbucks, we go up to the seventh floor where we find a splendid viewpoint, with a small bar in one of the corners and several sunbeds, in which if we had some more time, we would not mind spending a few hours.
Views of Paris from Galeries Lafayette
Eiffel Tower from the Galeries Lafayette
A few minutes past 6 in the afternoon and counting that the sunset is from approximately 9:15 at night, as we could see yesterday, we decided that it is best to approach the Nell Hotel for a while, take advantage to rest a little and brand new the magnificent Japanese bathroom that we have in the room and that we can not leave without enjoying it.
Nell Hotel
A few minutes past 8 pm when we return to the streets of Paris, now towards Montmartre, to enjoy this neighborhood again in the afternoon and of course, at night, that moment of the day in which Paris dresses gala and we don't want to get lost.
We take the subway to Abbesses station, which takes us as it is tomorrow to the lower Montmartre and from where once there we return to take the funicular that leaves us at the top, giving us at this time of the afternoon unique views of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, which looks amazing.
Sacre Coeur. Montmartre neighborhood
If there were people this morning, we have to say that as soon as we arrive the first thing that has impressed us is the amount of tourists that are sitting on the stairs right now, entertaining with the shows that take place in the surroundings and as we intuit, waiting for the sunset . Of course, we can say that it is triple what we saw this morning, so if you want to be calm in the area and enjoy the sunset, it is best to come with time and thus be able to take place, at least at this time of the year .
One of the shows that can be seen at the foot of the Sacred Heart
After a while in the area, we go back into the heart of the Montmartre neighborhood, as we did this morning, to discover this area of the city with the fall of the sun.
The afternoon begins to fall in Montmartre
Restaurants in the Montmartre neighborhood
We get lost in the charming streets of Montmartre, without a fixed direction, enjoying the streets and especially the atmosphere that there are those hours of the day and when they are more or less at 9:00 at night and the sun begins to fall, it arrives the time to look for a place to have dinner and also make time until the time it gets dark.
The afternoon begins to fall in the Montmartre neighborhood
And this is when we have the surprise and it is that we are amazed to look at TripAdvisor, one of our inseparable companions when we are traveling and with which we can always say that we are right and see that 99% of the recommendations are outside this neighborhood, and is that of the 16,000 restaurants in Paris, most of those in Montmartre, are rated above 12,000, something that really surprises us and leaves us a bit out of the game, having to decide in the end for a pizzeria that we have just in front, where nothing else to enter and see a pieano, we remember at the moment that it was where we were eight years ago. We ordered a couple of pizzas plus water for 23 euros, which although we can say that it is an adjusted price, being where we are, the taste and quality of the pizzas pass without penalty or glory through our table, something that makes us give up any desktop and run from there, animated by the atmosphere of the area and the views we began to have of one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Paris, both day and night.
Montmartre at nightfall
After a walk through the little streets, now lit and with all the terraces full of people, we approached the Sacre Coeur again, which looks at this moment more spectacular, if possible, than this afternoon.
The Sacred Heart Basilica
Sacre Coeur
It is 12 o'clock at night when we decide that the time has come to undo the path walked and return to the Hotel de Nell where our bed perfectly prepared to clothe us during the night of this second day in Paris, one of the most beautiful cities of the world.
Day 3: Paris: Montparnasse Tower, the best viewpoint in Paris - Trocadero - Eiffel Tower - Champ de Mars - Le Marais - Place des Vosges - Bastille Square - Jardin des Plantes - Eiffel Tower at night
