Paris: The city of lights and love

Paris, the city of lights, the city of love...

With its romantic atmosphere, singular architecture, socio-cultural life, chic cafes and restaurants the city we instantly fell in love with...

As a source of inspiration for many important artists such as Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, F. Scott Fitzgerald and a home for most famous celebrities like Johnny Depp, Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Paris is one of the most beautiful cities on all over the world, maybe the first one...

Giving us world-renowned brands like Chanel, Dior, Kenzo, Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton and Lacoste, Paris is also the fashion capital of the world.

How to get to Paris?

You can find plenty of flights from Istanbul Ataturk Airport and Sabiha Gokcen Airport at various times every day. Companies such as Turkish Airlines, Pegasus and Air France have direct flights from İstanbul to Paris Charles De Gaulle and Orly airports. The journey takes about 3 hours 15 min.

How can I reach from the airport to the city centre?

From both Charles De Gaulle and Orly airports the city transportation is very easy. To do this, the first method we recommend you is using RER trains. These trains can be found in Charles De Gaulle terminal 2 and 3. For Orly, first you need to take the ORLYVAL train, 5 min later you must switch again to the RER train at Anthony station. You can get combined tickets, including both trains from airport information desks. You can also find metro and inner-city maps which are essential here. Another popular choice of transportation is of course the buses. The name of the bus departing from Orly is Orlybus. Tickets are 8 euros and can be obtained from the driver or the box office. The name of the bus at Charles De Gaulle is Roissy Bus and costs around 13 Euros. Also you have the option of a cab which is the easiest method, but this option is a bit expensive, especially in Paris. Thus we suggest you to use the trains.

How to use the urban transport in Paris?

The focus of the transportation in Paris is the metro. One of the world's oldest metro, Paris subway was opened in 1900. Today there is no end to the Paris metro. It is so normal to get lost with a total of 16 lines of subway. These lines intersect at many points with each other. This means you should study transfers on a subway map before you go somewhere. As soon as you arrive at the airport you can get maps of the city and the metro from tourist information counters. It's better to buy ten tickets combined called a Carnet since the tickets are much more expensive individually. If you are thinking of staying close to a week in Paris, then we have a suggestion that makes a lot more sense: Navigo Decouverte Card which is valid in nearly all metro, RER or bus lines. You receive this card for 5 euros at first. Then there's a full 10 years of validity. For a week unlimited travel, you must install 22.15 Euros to the card. Voila! You have the right to all transport vehicles for full week, unlimited. However there is one point that needs attention. No matter what day you load your card, it expires every Sunday midnight. So the most logical choice is to install on Monday.

Is Paris an expensive city?
Unfortunately yes ? In fact, as a result of research on this subject, it is claimed that Paris is the 7th most expensive city in the world and the most expensive city in Europe. The price of a hamburger or pizza in an average restaurant varies between 10-15 Euros. In addition, with drinks and other side dishes, the bill for two comes to around 40-50 Euros. Instead of eating in restaurants all the time, you can occasionally consider alternatives such as sandwiches, crepes and croissants, which appear everywhere. Museum entrance costs on average 10 Euros. While this figure is slightly cheaper in state museums, it can go up to 15 Euros in private museums. The price of a single metro ticket is 1.90 Euros. You make a 20% profit on 10 tickets called Carnet. Water is quite expensive in kiosks. You can buy it much cheaper than Carrefour and similar ones that you can find on every corner.

10 Places you should definitely see in Paris

1. Eiffel Tower

Not only Paris's, Gustavo Eiffel's this masterpiece is the world's most popular tourist attraction. It's one of world's most famous structures, maybe the first. Between the years of 1887-1889, it was constructed for the French Revolution's 100th anniversary celebrations. The tower first served as the entrance door of the world fair the same year. By the artists, architects and intellectuals of the era the tower was described as ugly stack of metals and it fortunately escaped from being demolished at the last minute to serve as the telegraph and radio antenna. With the tv antenna, the Eiffel tower has got a height of 324 metres, and kept its title as the world's tallest structure until the year 1930.

Eiffel Tower Transportation:

You can reach the Eiffel Tower by getting off at the 'Bir Hakeim' metro stop or 'Champ de Mars' RER station.

Eiffel Tower Prices:

If you use the elevator, the ticket for the second floor is 16 euros per person. If you want to go over the top, you have to give 25 euros. But if you decide to go up from the 670 steps staircase like we did, the price falls down to 10 euros ?

Eiffel Tower Queue Bypass Tips:

When you are talking about the Eiffel Tower, it is not too difficult to consider the huge queues of people where you will wait for hours. Here are a few suggestions for you to overcome this problem:

Our advice is to climb the stairs instead of waiting in the line of gigantic lift queues. The adventages will be the magnificent Paris views, a good exercises for your heart and legs and of course the much cheaper ticket price. You can still use the elevator on the way back. By the way, the queues are much shorter at the rear legs of the tower where you can find the box offices just selling stairs tickets.

If you want to go over the top, we recommend you to take the stairs first to the second floor where you will find a tiny office which sells tickets for the elevator to the top. And the good news is there is no queue in this box office.

Also there is an official site of the tower where you can buy your tickets online well in advance.

Finally, at the time of night, the queues are much less and the views are spectacular.

2. Louvre Museum

The world's most famous and largest museum: Louvre. This historic museum dating back to the Middle Ages was previously the royal palace. It is just impossible not to get lost in the Louvre where 30 thousand pieces of art are being exhibited. If you have a knowledge and curiosity of art, you need to devote a full day to stroll literally. If you are there out of curiosity just like us starting with the pole star Mona Lisa you can see many works half a day. The museum also has something from us. We advise you to see the Ottoman section.

Louvre Museum Transportation:

Getting off at the metro stops 'Palais Royal - Musee de Louvre', you can reach the Louvre Museum.

Louvre Museum Fees:

Museum entrance fee is 15 euros per person. Under 18 is free. EU citizens aged 18-25 is free. Every Friday evening after 6 pm it is free of charge for everyone under 26. And it's free the first Sunday of each month. You can follow the particular free times from the official site.

Louvre Museum Queue Circumvention Tips:

At the famous pyramid main entrance huge queues exist every time of the day. So how do we overcome it? Instead of entering the main doors of the museum, it is much better to try the side doors which are located in a much more secluded place. On both sides of the museum there are two entrances located 3 minutes away from the main entrance. No queue around here.

3. Notre Dame Cathedral

The most important example of the French Gothic Architecture, this gorgeous Medieval structure is one of Paris's most popular tourist attractions.Victor Hugo's world-famous work 'the Hunchback of Notre Dame' has got an important role in its reputation. The Cathedral is situated on Cite Island which is in the middle of the Seine River and still actively being used. If you visit on Sunday, you can watch the sacrament. Admission is free, but there are huge queues. You should go early in the morning not to waste your valuable hours in the queues. For climbing its famous towers and watching exquisite panoramic views of Paris, you must pay 8.5 Euros. You can reach the Cathedral from The ' Cite ' or ' St. Michel metro stations.

4. Sacre Cour Basilica and Montmarte

Located in the bohemian neighborhood of Paris, Montmarte, on a hill overlooking one of the most beautiful views of the city, this beautiful building was built in 1914 in memory of those who died during the Prussian war. The church, which is quite new compared to the 850-year history of Notre Dame, is one of the most popular touristic buildings in Paris with its white travertine structure and castle-like architecture. The entrance to Sacre Cour, which you can reach by getting off at Antwerp station on metro line 2, is free, just like Notre Dame. While you are in Montmarte, do not forget to get lost among the narrow streets smelling of art and see the famous Moulin Rouge, which is the subject of movies.

5. Arc de Triumph

This world-famous building is located at the beginning of the Champs-Elysees, in the middle of 12 streets intersecting in Charles De Gaulle Square. The construction of the Triumphal Arch, which was built in memory of Napoleon's greatest victory, the Battle of Austerlitz, started in 1806 and was completed exactly 30 years later in 1836. The 50-meter-high building fascinates with both its exterior architecture and the panoramic views of Paris that you can take from its terrace. The fee you have to pay to go to the terrace is 12 Euros. But it's so worth it. Additionally, entrance is free on the first Sunday of each month between November and March.

6. Orsay Museum (Musée d'Orsay)

Paris is a city of art and culture with more than 300 museums. Orsay Museum, the most important museum after the Louvre is an absolute must-see. With both its great architecture converted from a train station andthe works of art by master painters such as Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Manet Orsay is a place which must be found in the list of all art enthusiasts. The museum entrance fee is 12 euros. You can reach it from Solferino subway stop. It is closed on Mondays.

7. Grevin Wax Museum

We experienced some of the best moments of our Paris trip in this museum. The museum, which is similar to Madame Tussauds in London, is one of the oldest wax museums, having opened in 1882. In the museum, which has a very high-quality atmosphere, you first attend an impressive light show. Afterwards, you can take photos with the celebrities in the museum. There are wax statues of many celebrities in the museum, from Brad Pitt to Angelina Jolie, from Michael Jackson to Pele. Also, the descriptions of the dungeons on the lower floors are very realistic and scary. The entrance to the museum is quite expensive compared to state museums: 23.5 Euros. Family and group discounts are available. You can reach the museum from the Grands Boulevards stop on metro lines 8 and 9.

8. Choco Story Paris

If you are chocolate crazy like us, one of the places we we definitely recommend you to see is this interesting museum. In the museum you can experience the entire history of chocolate and learn the recipe from the hands of its masters. The entrance fee is 11 Euros and it can be accessed from Bonne Nouvelle metro stop.

9. Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps

Galeries Lafayette, the world's first shopping mall, and Printemps, which houses the world's most luxurious brands, are must-see places for shopping lovers in Paris. Lafayette, which has 3500 stores that appeal to different budgets, is famous for its eye-catching decorations, especially during Christmas time, fashion shows held every Friday, and its roof decorated with magnificent stained glass. You can find wonderful products, especially at Lafayette Maison, located opposite the main building, where there is a delicatessen and interior decor products. Moreover, the panoramic view of Paris from the cafe on the terrace is the best you can find. At Printemps, there is nothing! Both shopping malls are located in the Hausman district, very close to Opera Garnier and each other. You can also get off at the Chausée d'Antin-La Fayette stop on metro lines 3 and 9.

10. Disneyland Paris

You should definitely come to this magnificent city to meet the Disney characters, the dream heroes of our childhood, to have fun with fun and exciting toys, and to buy a few gifts and souvenirs from the huge Disney Store on the way out. Yes, I said city because this is a town and a city rather than a park. You can come early in the morning and tour until the night. While one half of Disneyland, which has two main sections, is devoted to toys, fairy-tale streets and castles that appeal to children, the other part is full of rollercoasters that offer speed and adrenaline for adults, tours and visual shows that show how the movies are shot, under the title of Disney Studios. You can buy Disneyland daily tickets in advance from its official website and avoid queues and benefit from suitable promotions.

Disneyland Transportation:

Disneyland is located about 45 minutes away from the Paris city center. From the metro line you must transfer the RER-train and get off at the last stop Marne la Vallée-Chessy Disneyland.

5 Activities you must experience in Paris

1. Seine Boat Trip (Bateaux-Mouches)

In Paris a romantic river cruise on Seine is a must. Watching the city from these boats going back and forth between the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower is a unique pleasure . You can reach the starting point of the boats by getting off at Alma-Marceau station of the metro number 9. You can complete a day of sightseeing at the Eiffel Tower in this way because it is very close. The price is 13 euros per person for an hour tour .

2. By Bus City Tour

If you want to explore Paris from the top of a double-decker bus, let's take you like this? There are three major companies doing this business in Paris: BigBus, L'Opentour and Foxity. We chose Foxity because of its more affordable prices. You can either do a full city tour that lasts 2 hours, or you can choose daily tickets called Hop on Hop off, where you can get off and get on again at the tourist spot you want. Prices are 17 Euros for the city tour and 20 Euros for the full day.

3. Rent a bike

BParis is known to be best discovered on foot. This is true, but there is a more enjoyable alternative. Riding on bicycle <img draggable="false" class="emoji" alt="?" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.3/svg/1f6b2.svg"> On every corner of the city there is a total of 20.000 bikes and fantastic cycling paths. Opening fee is 1,70 Euros. Moreover you pay no extra fee if you deliver the bike to another stop in half an hour time. Just jump on one of them, and live this beautiful city from this perspective <img draggable="false" class="emoji" alt="?" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.3/svg/1f60d.svg"> However there is a bad point of the system. The first time you enter the system, a 150 Euro provision is taken from your credit card. This is an assurance for the bike. It is fully understandable. When you park the bike within 24 hours, it is should be paid back to your credit card, but this provision does not come back immediately all the time. It takes a couple of days and this becomes a hassle for us tourists.

4. Walking and Shopping in Champs Elysees

Wandering among the sparkling stores on this most famous shopping street in the world and exploring the huge stores and boutiques of world-famous brands are among the best activities to do in Paris. On this street, which extends from Concorde Square to Arc de Triumph, there are many stores that will remind you of your childhood, from luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton to Disney Store. We saw a Sephora here, you couldn't see the other end from the door, it was so big?

5. Wheel of Paris

This giant Ferris wheel, installed in the middle of Concorde Square, is one of the best activities that can be done in Paris. The only downside is that it doesn't work at all times. Even though we walked around the square a lot during the time we went, we couldn't see it and we were sad because we couldn't find it. Apparently it gets stuck and disassembled from time to time?