European Itinerary

Destinations, Europe, itinerary

European Itinerary

This was our third visit to Europe and in our previous visits we had covered parts of Austria and Germany and most of Switzerland, Italy and Spain. We had visited Spain the previous year, during the holy week of Santa Semana and had covered Madrid and Andalusia (Absolutely loved it, and it remains one of the best trips we have ever had!). However, given the amount of time we had on that trip, we were unable to squeeze Barcelona into our itinerary. We knew we would be back in western Europe soon again, so we had decided to save Barcelona for this trip. Also, London was a must visit this time, as we had to meet close family.

So, when I started planning this trip, I decided to make London and Barcelona as our entry and exit points. We had a total of 18 days (including the travel days for flying from and to Los Angeles), and decided to cover these cities in the following order: London – Amsterdam – Brussels (with a day trip to Bruges) – Paris – Nice (with a day trip to Monaco) – Barcelona. My priority for almost any trip is to maximize what we can see and do, and this trip was no different. We planned to cover 8 cities in different 6 countries over the 18 days.

Our high-level itinerary was as follows:

Day 1: Fly from Los Angeles to London
Day 2: Reach London late in the afternoon
Day 3-5: Spend in London
Day 6: Take the train from London to Amsterdam (4.5 hours) and spend remaining day in Amsterdam
Day 7: Spend in Amsterdam
Day 8: Morning in Amsterdam and take the train to Brussels (2.0 hours) and spend remaining day in Brussels
Day 9: Day trip to Bruges; evening in Brussels
Day 10: Take the morning train from Brussels to Paris (1.5 hours) and spend all day in Paris
Day 11-12: Spend in Paris (with a trip to Versailles)
Day 13: Take the morning train from Paris to Nice (5.5 hours) and spend remaining day in Nice
Day 14: Day trip to Monaco; evening in Nice
Day 15: Take a late morning flight from Nice to Barcelona (1.5 hours) and spend remaining day in Barcelona
Day 16 & 17 – Spend in Barcelona
Day 18: Fly from Barcelona to Los Angeles

Any trip to Europe involves quite a bit of planning, and more so if you are trying to squeeze in multiple cities and countries into your itinerary. Also, travelling with a kid in Europe brings its own set of challenges, and there are a few critical factors that should always be taken into consideration while planning a trip.

For example, taking the train to connect between different cities is an integral part of any European vacation. How do you make that convenient, by travelling light, when you have all the additional kid’s stuff that you may need to carry? How do you balance out museum time with ‘fun’ time for kids? How do you manage to keep the kid(s) motivated to do all the walking that most European cities demand and most importantly, how do you keep it interesting, so that the kids have a good time along with the adults?

This was our son’s (almost 8 at the time of this trip) third trip to the continent, and I like to consider him a seasoned traveler by now ?. Despite that, thinking about all of these during the planning stage itself, helped me to reduce a lot of frustration during the trip. I have tried to highlight what we did to address the questions above in my detailed itineraries covering the different cities. While every kid is different and some of the things I have listed may or may not work, I think it is worth the time to think through these and decide how to make the most of your trip!

London
Day 3-5
Amsterdam
Day 6 – 7
Brussels & Bruge
Day 8-9
Paris & Versailles
Day 10-12
Nice & Monaco
Day 13-14
Barcelona
Day 15-17

London

Europe, United Kingdon

London

London was the first leg of an 18-day Europe trip, and after a rather long fight from Los Angeles, we finally landed in Heathrow on a warm and beautiful summer evening. London is so popular, that most visitors already know exactly what their agenda is going to be even before they get here. For others that don’t already know, it does not take a lot of effort to figure that out. The attractions in London are world famous for a reason.

The challenge we had to overcome was to see and do most of those things within 3 days, while also spending time with close family and friends. Also, unlike all our other trips (where we are pretty much on our own, or with friends that are traveling as well), for this trip, we were staying with immediate family in London and had to visit a few other close friends. Juggling all the sightseeing while also devoting some time to family and friends, did take a little bit of planning and effort to execute.

On our trips to most European cities, we have a pretty regimented schedule. We decided to make London an exception. To clarify – we still had a list of places we wanted to cover over the 3 days, we just did nor put it into a very rigid schedule. That enabled us to have some flexibility while meeting friends based on mutually convenient plans, and also allowed us to meet some of our family commitments. What also helped ensure that we had an amazing time was the beautiful weather we had all through our stay. London weather can be unpredictable, and almost everyone we met during the trip reminded us how lucky we were!

     Piccadilly Circus
     St Paul’s Cathedral
     10 Downing Street
     The Shard
     Marble Arch

    Here’s how we spent our 3 days in London

    Day 1 

    We were staying relatively close to central London (about 25 minutes train ride). We started the day by taking the tube to Piccadilly Circus and making our first stop at the Hamleys toy store (this stop was more due to nostalgia, but it did help to get my 8-year-old motivated for the rest of the day).

    TIP: Prior to your London trip, decide on all the sights you want to see and determine if you are better of buying a pass (e.g. London Pass). The pass though expensive, covers a lot of attractions, and if you are planning to visit most of those, you may be better off buying the pass.

    It was a Sunday, and Regent Street (major shopping street at the west end of London) was bustling with events and activities. We took the tube from here to Victoria station and got tickets to the hop on/off London Big Bus. Though, we did not plan this initially, in hindsight, this was a very good decision as it allowed us to see a lot of the attractions very conveniently and saved us a lot of time, that we would have otherwise spent commuting from one spot to another. We rode through the Parliament Square and got down at St. Paul’s cathedral. We have seen most of the famous cathedrals across Europe, however every time I step into one, I am always in awe. St. Paul’s was no different and is easily one of the most famous and recognizable sights of London. Though we did not opt to go to the top of the dome, you can get some incredible views of London from up there. After spending some time here, we walked across the Thames on the Millenium Bridge. This pedestrian footbridge is one of the coolest bridges in the city. It was also featured in the Harry Potter movies and you can take photos on the bridge with St. Paul’s in the background for an interesting perspective.

    We walked in front of Shakespeare’s Globe (theatre which was reconstructed based on the original Shakespeare’s Globe from 1599) and caught some great views of the Shard from across the river. We came back south on the Southwark Bridge and hopped back on to the bus at London Bridge to ride it all the way back to Victoria. Along the way we stopped at Parliament Square Garden and took some pics alongside Gandhi and Churchill. We also passed by Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, 10 Downing Street, Hyde Park and Green Park. While we did not spend any time at Hyde Park, if you can it’s worth visiting this royal park, to see the Marble Arch – this 19th century arch is a London landmark.

    After having got a pretty good orientation to central London, we called it a day early evening to head back home and spend some time with family.

    Day 2

    We started day 2, by walking down from Victoria station to Buckingham Palace to witness the change of guards. We had researched the time the actual change would happen and planned on arriving a little early to grab a good spot just outside the iron gates. We grossly underestimated how much earlier we needed to be there, as by the time, we got to Buckingham Palace, there were easily a few thousand people. Despite out best attempts, most of what we saw was the back of other people’s heads.

    We did have another day at our disposal, so determined to come back earlier the next day, we made our way to Westminster Abbey which is short walk away. Though, not as crowded, there was a long line here as well and it took us almost hour to get inside. The Abbey is one of the most notable religious buildings and has been the traditional place of coronation. It is also a burial site of more than 3,300 persons, usually of predominant prominence in British history (including at least sixteen monarchs, eight Prime Ministers, poet laureates, actors, scientists, and military leaders, and the unknown warriors). We spent about 1.5 – 2 hours inside and the audio guides helped is educating not only Daivik, but also us, on some very famous British personalities.

    We had a quick lunch close to the Abbey and hopped back on to the Big Bus to go all the way to the Tower of London. It was a beautiful day, and we got some great shots of the London Eye, (unfortunately the Big Ben was covered in scaffolding as there was repair work in progress). While we crossed over on the London bridge, we were lucky to witness the Tower Bridge open up to allow a ship to pass through. That was one cool sight! While we did not do it due to time constraints, there is also a Tower Bridge Exhibition where you can learn how this famous bridge works and walk across the glass floor and enjoy beautiful views from the top of the bridge.

    Despite its grim reputation, the Tower of London holds over 1,000 years of history that is a must see. The chief attractions are the Crown Jewels, which attracts the largest crowds. However, there’s plenty more to see. Our son was excited about the torture chambers – which we had decided would be our last stop. It did not turn out to be all that exciting, but it did keep our 8-year-old motivated. There’s plenty of history here, and it is relatively easy to build it into your narrative to keep the little ones engaged. After spending a couple of hours, we

    TIP: You can get a great shot of the Thames and Tower Bridge from here and they make for some great pics. We visited here during the afternoon. However, if it fits into your schedule, morning would be a great time to avoid some of the crowds.

    It was late afternoon, by the time we were done, and we had planned to meet a good friend for drinks that evening. We headed to the Borough market area (this is one of London’s most popular food markets, consisting of over 100 stalls and stands) and hopped across a few pubs for some great ale and food.

    Day 3 (Morning)

    We made our second attempt in as many days to witness the change of guards at Buckingham Palace. This time we arrived a little earlier and got much closer to the gates. However instead of people in front of us, there were now people packed right behind us. Also, since we had arrived earlier, it meant a much longer wait. None of us were very comfortable, and after whatever little we saw the previous day, we concluded that it was not worth the effort. We did hang around till the change of guards was over and finally got some good and clear shots of the palace.

    Our main agenda for the day was to visit the British museum. Though we would not call ourselves museum buffs, we have always enjoyed spending time in one. From the palace we cut through Green Park and took the tube to reach the British museum. This museum is amongst the largest and most comprehensive in existence and has about eight million works that have been widely sourced during the era of the British Empire. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present and was the first public national museum in the world. We only had about 4-5 hours at our disposal, we had pre-determined how we wanted to spend that time based on our interests. I would strongly recommend doing the same.

    TIP: For Indian travelers there is a whole section at the British Museum dedicated to how the Indian civilization has evolved through the centuries. We spend a considerable amount of time here with our son and found it very informative and engaging.

    Our last evening in London was dedicated to friends and family. After coordinating with some friends, we met up at Covent Garden and caught up on old times. After which, we headed back home to spend the last evening with family. We were also able to watch the England and Colombia game of the 2018 soccer world cup. (which England won on penalties!). A few days later, we also witnessed Belgium defeat Brazil in the quarterfinals, while we were in Brussels and saw France defeat Belgium in the semifinals while we were in Paris! (more on that in my Paris itinerary). I like to believe we were the good luck charm for the home teams!

    Gallery
      Buckingham Palace
     London Eye
     Victoria Memorial
     Westminster Abbey
     Tower of London
     Borough Market
     Change of Guard

    ChefChaouen & Volubilis

    Africa, Morocco

    ChefChaouen & Volubilis

    For our last 2 days of the trip, we spent a sizeable amount of time in the car. This was mostly because we wanted to visit Chefchaouhen which lies on the northwest corner of the country. This beautiful city sits on the Rif mountains and is and is noted for its bright medina, which has most of its buildings painted in shades of blue. (Most people would instantly recognize this city from the numerous pictures on magazine covers and social media).

    We started early from Fes and made our first stop at the archaeological site of Volubilis, which lies about 80 kms from the outskirts of Fes. (The king happened to be visiting Fes during our stay, so we saw police almost the entire stretch of the highway). The Roman ruins of Volubilis, was once a thriving outpost town occupied by the Romans. Today, this area has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and gained international acclaim when Martin Scorsese made it a feature location for the film The Last Temptation of Christ. The ruins are spread out across several acres and what remains visible today is several fragments of the ancient walls, dilapidated parts of massive columns, the capitol, the basilica, and a triumphal arch. It happened to be a beautiful day, with clear blue skies and a cool wind. The surrounding fields were lush with spring wildflowers in mid-April, which added to the beautiful landscape.

    TIP: For the best photographs, try to time your visit for early morning or late afternoon, when soft light gilds the columns of the ancient city with gold. Also, the entire area is in the open and it can get quite hot in the afternoon, so it’s best to avoid that time of the day.

    We spent a couple of hours walking through the ruins and enjoying the day. It also helped prepare us for the long car ride to Chefchaouhen, where we arrived by late afternoon. We did not have any specific agenda for Chefchaouhen, other than to wander around in the medina and get those Instagram worthy pics. So, after checking into our Riad and freshening up, we headed out and did just that!

    Our final dinner in Morocco was at one of the restaurants at the Chefchaouen Square. We retired early, as we wanted to make an early morning trip to the Spanish Mosque to catch some of the best views over the Chefchaouen’ s sea of blue and white houses. As planned, it was a bright and early start to the next morning and I made my way up the hill to the Spanish mosque. I got there just as the sun was coming up, and over the next couple of hours had a surreal experience watching the whole town below gradually light up. I also happened to meet a young Austrian who was backpacking his way through Morocco and had some very interesting stories to share.

    The rest of the day was spent in driving from Chefchaouhen to Casablanca with a quick pit stop in Rabat, to grab some lunch and visit the Rabat Kasbah and the Hasan Tower & Mohammad Mausoleum.           

    By the time a trip approaches its end, there is always an element of nostalgia and sadness. We made use of the several hours of wait time at the airport to go through the pictures captured over the last few days and realized what an amazing time we had in this beautiful country, and the many memories that we were taking back with us to relive the good times for many, many years to come. Morocco had lived up to all its expectations!

    Gallery
     Roman Mosaic- House of Orpheus
     Volubilis Triumphal Arch
     Chefchaouen
     Chefchaouen
     Hasan Tower & Mohammad Mausoleum

    Fes

    Africa, Morocco

    Fes

    Our first day in Fes stated with loud thumping on the door! We had arrived at Fes the previous evening and after a late dinner, had forgotten to put on the alarms for the next morning, hence causing us to oversleep (I think the jet lag finally caught up with us). Thanks to Kapil’s door banging skills, we woke up just in time to get ready and meet our guide – Abdul, who had already arrived and was waiting for us.

    Getting a guide to help us navigate Fes el Bali, was one of the best decisions we had made. Fes el Bali is part of the medina in Fes and is believed to be the biggest car-free urban area in the world. It was founded over 1200 years ago and some of the buildings here are several hundred years old. The entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is thought of as a living museum. Thousands of narrow alleys and streets crisscross the entire area, and it is almost impossible for the first-time visitor to find their way without help.

     Bab Boujloud
     Bou Inania Madarasa
     Moulay Idriss Zaouia
     Al Attarine Madarasa
     Fondouk Nejjarine
     Chouara Tannery

    Day 1

    We had a list of all the things we wanted to see, and our guide said in no uncertain terms that in his 27 years of being in this business, he had not come across better prepared tourists. Well, that definitely made our day!

    TIP: You can coordinate with your Riad/hotel to book a guide for either a half or a full day. It will save you a lot of time and is well worth the price.

    A short walk from our Riad brought us to the Bab Boujloud or commonly referred to as the Blue Gate. This is an architectural masterpiece which marks the entrance to Fes’ old city. The French-built gate is blue on the exterior and green on the interior, and both façades are decorated with elaborate zellij work and are well worth a photo-op. From here on we diligently followed our guide through the labyrinth of the Fes medina, passing by thousands of souks and numerous markets, while covering the following attractions.

    The Madrasa Bou Inania is a madrasa (educational institution) founded in AD 1351–56 by Abu Inan Faris. It is widely acknowledged as a major example of Marinid architecture and functioned as both an educational institute and a congregational mosque. Nearby is the Moulay Idriss Zaouia, this is mausoleum which is not accessible to non-Muslims. However, you can get a glimpse of the colorful interiors from outside the main doors. Our next stop was at the Al-Kairaouine Mosque and University. This was founded by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman who had fled her homeland of Tunisia for Morocco, in 859 AD. UNESCO considers it to be the oldest university in the world. From here we walked to the Attarine Madarsa, which is located next to the Qarawiyyin mosque in the middle of the medina, and like the Bou Inania madrasa is very ornate and beautifully decorated. You should also be able to go upstairs to peek at the student quarters as well.

    The Fondouk el-Nejjarine (also known as the “Wood Museum”) was our next stop. This faces the old Place el-Nejjarine or the “Carpenter’s Square” and the fondouk was constructed in the 18th century and originally served as a “caravanaserai” or “roadside inn” for travelers and traders. Make sure you make your way to the rooftop, which offers great views of the surrounding medina and beyond. The Fes medina is shaped like a bowl. So, essentially every time you are going downhill, you would be heading deeper into the medina. All the souks in the medina often blend into each other with little evidence you’ve moved from one souk to the other. However, toward the bottom of the medina, you can find the Henna Souk, a nicely shaded souk cozied up beneath a couple of large plane trees. Pottery and traditional cosmetic products can be found here. The Seffarine Square that is close by is an important center for the production Fassi style ceramics, brass-ware, and silverware. Our last stop prior to lunch was at the Andalous Mosque which dates back to the inception of the city in the 9th century, making it one of the oldest mosques in the world. The mosque has been renovated and expanded several times since then and though we could not go inside, it was a humbling experience standing outside its majestic doors.

    After a very traditional Moroccan lunch, we headed to the Chouara Tannery. This famous 11th century tannery is where locals have dyed animal hides for the past one thousand years. We went to the rooftop of a nearby building, which offered excellent views of the workers dyeing the leather in the stone wells. We could stand and stare at them for much longer, if it hadn’t been for the pungent smell that is overwhelming.

    TIP: If you are visiting the tannery with a guide, you will be offered some mint leaves, which really helps mask the smell. However, if you are going there by yourself be sure to carry some with you. This will allow you to avoid the hassle of taking it on the spot from the locals, who will offer it to you and then ask for money afterwards.

    Having seen most of the major attractions that Fes el Bali has to offer, our guide took us back to our Medina, where we were able to give our legs some much needed rest. In the evening we headed out to the souks in Fes. We had done most of our souvenir shopping in Marrakech, however we had left all our ceramic buying for Fes (considering this is the home for all Moroccan ceramics). After a couple of hours of intense bargaining, we were stocked up with some beautiful ceramic tagines, bowls, plates and vases. We wrapped up the day with some Thai food deep in the heart of the Fes medina!

     

    Day 2

    Our second morning in Fes was a sharp contrast to the first one. We woke on time, and after a very relaxed breakfast headed out to spend the day in a different part of Fes.

    Our initial plan was to cover the Dar Batha museum which houses many Moroccan artifacts, sculpted wood, plaster, jewelry, carpets and pottery. However, this museum was closed for renovations during our stay, so instead we decided to visit the The Mellah. Also known as Jewish Quarters, this area was established in 1438 is the oldest of the Mellahs in Morocco. Though this area was completely inhabited by Jews once upon a time, today most of them have moved out. In the morning, it was bustling with activities as we strolled through the streets adorned with ornate balconies and wrought-iron windows and made our way to the Ibn Danan Synagogue. The doorway of the synagogue is indistinguishable from the nearby doorways and the interiors isn’t the most elaborate either. However, a narrow flight of stairs takes you to the rooftop, which offers some good views of the nearby cemetery.

    TIP: You will have to pay a fee (in the form of a donation) to go to the rooftop.

    The Jewish quarters are located very near the royal residencies (which enabled its original inhabitants to be protected from the wrath of the Muslim populace), which allowed us to easily walk to the Fes Royal Palace. This is a functional residence of the royal family and not open to the public. However, the main attraction here are the massive brass gates ornamented with zellige tilework and carved cedar woods. We spent close to an hour here admiring the beautiful doorways and getting some excellent shots.

    The last place on our list of things to see in Fes was the Menerid tombs. This was a couple of miles away from the Palace so we called Soufien, who was kind enough to pick us from the Palace and drive us to the tombs. The tombs house many sultans and other members from the Merenid dynasty and while the tombs lack in aesthetics, the views more than makes up for it. Below, the whole of the Fez Medina stretches out in front and you can gaze upon the many minarets peeking out from the maze of buildings.

    TIP: Avoid being at the tombs after dark. There are several homeless people that come here late in the evening and its best to avoid the area at that time.

    It was our last day in Fes, and we had kept the remaining day free to enjoy a private hammam and spa next to our Riad. While the adults were rejuvenated from the special treatment, the kids got a good break as well. For our final evening, we headed back to the Blue gate area which has several restaurants all serving fairly similar Moroccan-style food. It was the perfect spot to enjoy a tagine and bid adieu to the “Mecca of the West”.

    Gallery
     Ibn Danan Synagogue
     Royal Palace
     Merenid Tombs
     View from Merenid Tombs

    Paris

    Europe, France

    Paris

    The train ride from Brussels to Paris is a mere 90 mins. During the short ride, we went through our plan for the next few days, and ensured the kids (Daivik was 7.5 years at the time of this, trip and we were traveling with a close friend and his family, and their daughter was 11) memorized the lock codes to the AirB&B apartment we were staying at. We stayed at a few other AirB&B apartments during the entire Europe trip, and found that the kids remained enthusiastic and had fun taking turns while punching in the codes to unlock gates and apartment doors. (this also saved us from the trouble of having to look it up on our phones).

    We arrived at Paris on a beautiful morning, and before we started exploring this amazing city, we went over to our apartment in central Paris (very close to the Louvre in the 1st district) to drop our bags. The AirB&B owner had given very clear instructions that the first-floor apartment was accessible through a flight of stairs (barely 20), or through a rickety old elevator. If we were to use the elevator, no more than 1 person and 1 bag should be on it at the same time. Considering we had a few bags between the two families, we decided to send 2 bags with 0 person on the ride up. (Well, the sum total was still 2, so what could go wrong!). Well, we paid the price for breaking the cardinal rule of a central Paris apartment. The elevator doors were accordion style, and our bags had shifted during the ride up and blocked the door from opening after the elevator made its way up to the first floor.  After trying everything our minds could conjure, we failed at retrieving the bags and had to call the elevator company. We did get lucky as the cleaning lady was still at the apartment. She happened to be from the subcontinent and fluent in Hindi, English and French (yay!), and was able to help navigate through the French IVR and get the elevator company to dispatch a technician.

    Despite this minor setback (which taught us a very valuable lesson), we had an amazing time in the City of Love. Its always special being in Paris, however to be here in the midst of a soccer world cup, where the home team played and won a semi-final game was something else. Witnessing the thousands of Parisians take to the street, after their victory, was the highlight during our stay. It would put any of the parades the we have in the US for the World Series or Super Bowl victories to shame.

    Here’s how we structured our 3 days in Paris.

       Notre-Dam Paris Entrance
       Notre-Dam Paris Interior
       Sainte-Chapelle
       Sainte-Chapelle
       Arc de Triomphe
       Eiffel from Trocadero

      Day 1

      After our elevator fiasco, we headed straight down to the Ile de la Cité, Notre-Dame (1.5 – 2 hours). This medieval cathedral is considered one of the finest example of French gothic architecture and it was very humbling for me to be in front of it. The cathedral was built by 1260, and unfortunately it was desecrated during the French Revolution, when a lot of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. Interest started piquing after the publication of Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1831. A major restoration project began in 1845 and continued for 25 years. Beginning in 1963, the facade of the Cathedral was cleaned of centuries of soot and grime, returning it to its original color. The facade has many interesting scenes and statues which makes for some very interesting story telling. That’s mostly how we kept the kids engaged, while we waited in queue for our turn to enter this grand cathedral. The interior is just as fascinating with all the stained-glass windows, and we spent a little over an hour just soaking it all in.

      Tip: The entry is free, so there is usually always a line here during the summer months. Also, ensure you visit during the day, as at night it is very difficult to see and enjoy the lovely stained-glass windows and other intricate touches inside the cathedral

      After Notre dame, we followed a guide book to walk through the Latin quarters. This neighborhood has some of the most diverse architecture in the city which includes Roman ruins and, gothic spires and the innovative Institut du Monde Arabe. The Latin Quarter is also home to the Sorbonne, one of world’s first universities, and owes its name to the Latin language and is also known for its restaurants, cafes, bistros. So, it is the perfect stop to grab some lunch.

      After lunch, we made it to Sainte-Chapelle (1.5 – 2 hours). This is a royal chapel built in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century. Even if I tried, I could not put into words how beautiful this chapel is. So let the pictures speak for themselves.

      Tip: My only tip for this place would be – If you can only do 1 thing in Paris – well, go to the Eiffel tower first and then make a mad dash for Sainte-Chapelle!

      Our original plan was to visit the Jardin du Luxembourg. These are beautiful gardens that house the Luxembourg Palace. However, after the somewhat crazy morning, we were running behind schedule and decided to skip that and head back to the apartment to get some rest.

      After avoiding the elevators this time (and every other time we went to the apartment over the next 3 days), we headed out to enjoy our first evening in Paris. Our plan was to follow a guide book and do a self guided walk along the Champs-Elysées from the Tuileries Garden, down the grand Avenue des Champs-Elysées to finally make it to the Arc de Triomphe by sunset.

      Tip: If you do plan to have dinner in this area, do some homework/research on where you should eat

      The Arc de Triomphe (1 hour). – The Arc de Triomphe was built to honor the men who fought in the Napoleonic and the French Revolutionary wars: The names and places on the arch are of the French generals and army victories. There was a really long line to go to the rooftop, so we did not end up doing that. However, if you do decide to go to the rooftop, you will be rewarded with excellent views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. (Tip: Do not try to cross the busy street above, instead take the underpasses to access the Arc de Triomphe).

      The sun was just about setting, by the time we were done seeing the Arch, so we headed straight to the Trocadero to catch out first glimpses of the Eifel tower (1.0 – 1.5 hours). Trocadero sits atop a hill just across the Eifel tower and offers some amazing views. Our plan was to be here just after dusk, so we could get some dusk and night shots of the Eifel. From Arc de Triomphe it’s a long walk or a short train ride to the Trocadero.  With all the walking we had already done for the day, we decided to take the train. This was also the last item on our itinerary for the day, and it was a perfect way to end our first day in Paris!

      Tip: The Eiffel is a spectacle when all lit up, it also sparkles after dark on the top of each hour, do remember to check the times and plan to be there to witness it!

      Day 2

      We started the day by visiting the Louvre (4 – 5 hours). This is both a historic monument and the largest art museum in the world. The apartment we were staying at was less than a 10 minute walk from the Louvre. That allowed us to be here right before the museum opened and avoid the long lines that had already formed, as we had purchased our tickets in advance.

      The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as the Louvre castle in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II and has a total area of 72,735 square meters. In 2018, the Louvre was the world’s most visited art museum – with 10.2 million visitors. If someone spent just 30 seconds observing every piece of art housed here, it would take over 100 full days to see everything, and we had only half a day at our disposal!

      My strong recommendation would be to do some research and decide in advance what you would like to see, to make the most of your time. Also, remember covering over 70,000 square meters takes a lot of time and energy!

      Tip: Book your ticket in advance, and get here before it opens, to avoid crowds and save some time

      The kids After the Louvre and some great Vietnamese food, we took a break for a couple of hours in our apartment.

      We had purchased timed entry summit tickets to go all the way to the top of the Eiffel tower (2.5 – 3 hours). We gave ourselves a little extra time, to take some evening shots in front of the Eifel and promptly made it to the elevators that would take us to the top. The first set of elevator takes you the second level, and from here you need to take another elevator to get to the top. Our misfortunes with elevators in Paris continued here as well, as only one of the elevators seemed to be working and there was a really long line. We spent a lot more time here than we had budgeted for, though it was a beautiful clear evening, and we got a lot of time to enjoy and shoot some incredible views of the city.

      Tip: there are several considerations you would need to make while planning a trip to visit the top of the Eiffel – what time of the day to visit, whether to go all the way to the top, how much time to spend, etc. I would recommend doing your homework and planning well in advance

      Our last activity for the day involved doing a Seine river cruise around sunset (1.5 – 2 hours). We had pe booked an hour-long cruise, that started from Paris’ oldest bridge, the Pont-Neuf, and passed by some of Paris’s most beautiful monuments. We had grabbed a picnic dinner on the way from the Eiffel to Pont-Neuf and enjoyed that during the cruise.

      After the cruise, we walked back to out apartment by making a short detour through Louvre and were rewarded with some awesome pics of its grand exterior.

      Paris Gallery
       Louvre
       Eiffel Tower
       Eiffel Tower
       Paris from Eiffel
       Cruise on the Seine

      Day 3 – Versailles

      For our third and last full day in Paris, we took the early morning RER suburban train to Versailles (5 – 6 hours), to tour the château and the gardens. The train ride is about 45 minutes to the Versailles station, and from there another 10-minute walk to reach the palace grounds. (you shouldn’t need to use any GPS or maps – just follow the vast throng of crowd heading out from the station, as almost everyone is heading to the same destination) we did not stick to our original plan of arriving here prior to palace opened (9:00 am) and paid a heavy price. When we arrived around 10:15 am, there were a few hundred people outside the palace gate already lined up to get in. There are 4 different lines/cluster of people:

      1. Line to purchase entry tickets (about 50-60 people)
      2. Line to enter the palace for people with open tickets (at least 300-400 people)
      3. Line to enter the palace for people with timed entry (25 people)
      4. Line to enter if you were a part of a guided private tour (varied, but always less than 50 people)

      We had purchased tickets in advance, however we had not opted for the timed entry tickets, so even though we avoided the first line, we waited in line for the next 2.5 hours to get in. One of the reasons for the long lines was that we had opted to visit on a Tuesday (the palace is closed on Mondays) in the second week of July (peak summer crowds). Our premise for buying an open timed general ticket was to allow for a little more flexibility, as we had to take the train from Paris to get here. Turned out to be a bad decision, as this is by far the longest we have ever stood in any line!

      We usually avoid doing guided private tours as they are much more expensive than buying the tickets directly from the official website, and you end up seeing exactly the same things. With a little bit of research, a good guide book, and the audio guides available after entry, we find it much more convenient to do the tour at our own convenience and pace, rather than follow a tour guide. Versailles proved to be an exception, as going through a private tour, would have assured us of a much faster entry.

      We were already mentally and physically exhausted by the time it was our turn to get in. Once inside the palace, it was a mad dash as well, there were people everywhere and almost always we were just following the crowds and being pushed from one room to another. Despite the crowds, the palace itself is grand, opulent and strikingly beautiful, and should not be missed. After spending a couple of hours, we were all in a much better mood. However, with all the delays, we decided to cut short our visit and save some time by not going to the gardens. After grabbing a quick lunch, we took the train back to Paris, and were back in our apartment by 4:30 pm.

      We had kept the last evening in Paris free of any ‘plan’, in order to do anything we might have missed or just take it easy. After 3 very productive days, we decided to take it easy, and went to have an early dinner at a nice French restaurant (how can you not have a fine French dinner when in Paris). Another reason for the early meal was to allow us to catch the semi final game between France and Belgium that was later in the evening.  While our wives and kids took off to the apartment after our nice fancy meal, my friend and I hopped across a few pubs and caught most of the second half of the game. France won 1-0 and reached the 2018 soccer world cup final that night. We hugged strangers, marched on the streets with the blue army, and joined the supporters of Les Bleus in singing the French national anthem (a few drinks always make singing easier, even when you do not know a word of the song!) it was a night to remember and probably the most remarkable way to end our Paris trip!

      Versailles Gallery
       Louvre
       Hall of Mirrors- Palace of Versailles
       Mercury Room – Palace of Versailles
       Mars Room Ceiling- Palace of Versailles