Interrail Travel Diary #1 | Paris

The first stop on my interrail adventure was the beautiful city of Paris. We only spent two full days here but we managed to fit lots in!

WHERE TO STAY

Hostels are my preferred form of accommodation when travelling with friends as they're affordable,  in great locations and are the best way to meet fellow travellers! We opted for Vintage Hostel, conveniently located a short walk from Gare du Nord (the train station), Le Sacré-Coeur and right by the Anvers metro line. The room was small but had everything we needed, beds and our own private bathroom. They also have computers, printers, a kitchen and a gym which is definitely a luxury! It's also very safe, which should always be a top priority. In regards to nightlife, the atmosphere wasn't all that great when we were there but we found that was in Paris in general, not necessarily just this hostel.

WHAT TO DO

There's so much to do and see in Paris, I'd recommend planning your day to make sure you fit as much as possible in.

Day #1

We started off our trip with a visit to Le Sacré-Coeur, which I found breathtakingly beautiful. After that we headed to Le Notre Dame and walked across to the cutest little bookshop, Shakespeare & Company, which is certainly worth a visit. Make sure you go upstairs and take a turn on the typewriter and the old piano in the back. There's something very magical about sitting with a book and listening to the sound of the piano in the background. Just a warning though, no photos allowed inside the shop! 

We ended our first day by going to watch the Eiffel Tower light show, which occurs every hour on the hour, for five minutes. It was pouring rain when we were there but if you're lucky enough to get some sunshine, pack up a little picnic and sit by Place du Trocadéro (the best place to watch the show) for a truly magical experience. If you happen to be visiting around Winter time, forego the picnic and head up to the first floor of the tower to the ice rink instead!

Day #2

We decided to take a trip to Chateau de Versailles today. The journey takes about an hour and a half via the RER C train. For full details on how to get there check out this very handy blog post. There are a number of ways to get in for free so make sure to bring your passport and check if you meet any of the criteria here. The entire grounds are extremely lavish and ornate, and really bring you back in time. I would definitely recommend taking advantage of the free audio guide that is available to really make the most of the experience. 

No trip to Paris is complete without catching a glimpse of the Mona Lisa (and the many other beautiful pieces of art), in the Louvre. Again, ensure to checkout the free entry requirements and bring along your passport to avoid the €15 entrance fee. If you don't fancy queuing for hours, I'd recommend going as late (or as early) as possible as this is when we went and didn't have to queue for even a minute!

We ended this busy day with a quick metro ride to see L'Arc de Triomphe, grabbed a crêpe and took a stroll down the Champs-Élysées to gaze lustfully at the countless designer shops. 

TRANSPORT

We flew into Beauvais airport (€30 Ryanair flights, yes please!), which is located about an hour and 15 minutes outside of Paris. Buses depart approximately every 20 minutes after each arrival to Porte Maillot and tickets can be bought either online (€15.90 one way) or at the airport (€17 one way). Once you get to Porte Maillot you can hop straight on the metro to wherever your heart desires!

For more info see here.

The metro will be your most-used form of transport and there are various ticket options depending on the duration of your stay. I'd personally recommend purchasing a 'carnet', which includes ten tickets for €14.50 which tends to workout as the cheapest option. For more information regarding all things metro, checkout this website.

That's a wrap on my Paris trip! I hope you enjoyed and this is somewhat useful to some of you. Stay tuned for many more travel diaries coming soon. If you have any questions, comments or anything at all please leave a comment below. Oh, and Merry Christmas!