The City of Lights

On your arrival day, it really all depends on how you're feeling, but I strongly recommend pushing through the day. Getting a bit of exercise in really helps get your circadian rhythm in alignment with your new time zone and will get you sleeping through the night more easily and adjusted. What I suggest to do is drop your bags at your hotel (I recommend the Renaissance Arc de Triomphe for its amazing location) and then head out for a solid walk around the area. The Eiffel Tower is in easy walking distance, and if you're adventurous, even trekking down to Notre Dame and walking along the Seine is a possibility to really give yourself a push and also have you not waste your arrival day with jet lag.

Day two should have you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. I think starting your trip with a guided food tour of Montmartre is just the way to kick off your first full day. It also allows you to get a taste of some of the Parisian staples that you may want to keep sampling through the rest of your trip. You just might find that Parisian Cream Puffs and Eclairs are something you need more of in your life, and there's no better time to figure that out than on day one. So, if you do it right, you'll leave your food tour feeling happily stuffed and ready to work a bit of that off. Afterward, I suggest heading up to Sacre Coeur and taking in the view of the church and the surrounding landscape. Even if you don't go inside the church, the area is delightful. Once finished there, stay on the upper level and start heading back toward your hotel (Renaissance Arc de Triomphe) and after you reach the first windmill, start heading down the hill and back to your hotel.

One incredible benefit to staying at the Renaissance Arc de Triomphe is the option to have breakfast provided in your room rate. I highly recommend including this, as the food options throughout Paris are incredible, but being able to start your day with a variety of fresh-made breads, eggs, sausage, crepes, artisanal cheeses, and coffee... all from the comfort of your own hotel before setting out on your adventure really makes the start of your day convenient. I know, I know... Paris is full of amazing food. You aren't wrong, but we have plenty of time for that. Okay! Let's assume you've taken my advice and just had a delicious breakfast at your hotel. Afterward you hail an Uber and head toward Versailles. This is about a 30-40 minute commute, and there's no one better equipped for the job than your local Uber driver, as Paris driving can be a bit intense in the city.

I recommend getting the tickets in advance that include both access to the palace and also the garden, as you won't want to miss either, especially after making the trek out there. Line up a start time around 10:30am so you have time to make it through all there is to see before we come back to Paris proper for a delicious dinner. Once you get through the audio tour of the palace, head outside and take a leisurely walk through the many gardens, being sure to find the ones with water fountains dancing to the music played in the area, it's a treat! Keep wandering until you find the large main corridor where you'll find canoes and paddle boats skimming through one of the most picturesque areas you'll see this day. The statues and fountains with the palace in one direction and glorious lake in the opposite are truly a sight to be seen. At dinner, we have reservations at Les Deux Magots, a restaurant Ernest Hemingway references in his book A Moveable Feast. Let's go!

This morning starts the same as the others, with breakfast at our hotel before we head out for the day. We have a guided tour by a local guide at the Louvre and we meet her outside of the museum about 10-minutes before 10am. I recommend Ubering to get you there on time. The tour is incredibly insightful and lasts around 2-hours but your tickets give you access to the museum for the rest of the day. Make sure you see what you want once the tour ends, but also know that the tour will provide you the highlights, such as the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Once you complete what you want to see here, we are walking! Onward to Notre Dame. Today we don't do tickets to Notre Dame because it's not a weekend and the line moves rather swiftly during the weekdays. Notre Dame is not to be missed after re-opening but is also something that you can plan to do on a day with some fluidity after our morning tour/activity, so it's a 'plug-n-play' option.

Today we have a special day. It starts with a tour of Giverny which we line up with a local tour company who picks us up early and drives us out to the town where Claude Monet painted his Water Lillies. This sets up our next day, so be sure not to miss out on this ½ day tour. I will leave it at that, because this day is highlighted by something special. A dinner cruise on the Seine to add a little extra pizzazz to an already amazing trip in Paris. The dinner cruise starts late, so be sure you prep yourself for that with taking a little mid-day nap or hammer the espresso around 3pm, as we won't head out for dinner until closer to 8pm since your cruise takes you down the Notre Dame and back to the Eiffel Tower so you can see it light up under the nighttime skies. I recommend springing for the upgraded menu that starts with a glass of Champagne at the start of your meal. We are celebrating and doing so in fashion.

Saddle up because you just had a late night but we end Paris with a bang and we are up early! Don't worry -- they have coffee, and some of the best in the world. We have an 8am reservation at Laduree, which you will have already learned, DOES NOT have the best Macarons, (you have the best ones on your food tour on day 2), but Laduree is adequate, and once you leave Paris, also the most convenient store to keep your new-found love of Macarons alive. Breakfast is amazing, but the day is just starting. Afterward, we walk down the Musee de l'Orangerie, where we have a guided tour by Hugo, my personal recommendation. He will show you the museum in depth and you will see the Water Lillies painting that stretches through two rooms. It's also the last painting Monet made before his death. Speaking of death. We aren't done with this day. We are going to the depths of Paris with a walking tour of The Catacombs... and of course we are getting there on foot. Let's go!

To cap of this Parisian adventure, I suggest adding 3-days at Disneyland Paris onto the end of your trip. From its' iconic castle, complete with life-size sleeping dragon underneath it, to Hyperspace Mountain, and an incredible fireworks show to close out your night, if you have children, this is the absolute perfect way to give them a taste of Paris (Proper) with a little bit of magic added at the end of your trip. I personally recommend the Disneyland Hotel in a Deluxe room, which will give you a 30-second walk into the parks and come complete with lounge access which provides breakfast, tea time, and unlimited coffee, tea, and soda throughout your day and throughout your stay. With quick access to the parks, this is a perfect compliment to your park days and a fantastic way to close out a proper Paris trip.