Fancy a trip to Europe? If you've never been to France, that's definitely a good way to start your adventure!
About the weather...
There isn't a specific month or season but personally, We would recommend going around spring, as during the winter It rains a lot, whereas in summer it might be too hot.
Paris
When we think of France, we immediately think of Paris… also known as the City of Love, where everything suddenly becomes magic...
Our experience in Paris was something more than a simple holiday… so we had the opportunity and time to understand their culture and to travel around the country.
Even though, Paris is an excellent place that can be visited in just a weekend!
Tour Eiffel
The Tour Eiffel is the most famous monument in Paris.
It's located literally in the centre of the city, and it's really well connected to most of the underground stations.
There are two locations where you can admire this monument in all its beauty...
One of them is the Trocadero, a majestic building with a beautiful terrace literally in front of the monument but with a higher perspective... really good for pictures and thanks to street artists making their shows you will find such a good vibe there!
Most of the "Classic" Tour Eiffel pictures has been taken there :)
The other perfect spot is the Champ de Mars, that's where the Tour Eiffel is located, around it there are trees and an amazing park, ideal place to have a picnic, drink a glass of Prosecco while listening to the sweet music coming from a musician playing his violin! Just... Amazing!
On a nice day the parc can be quite packed but still is worth the stay.
It's also possible to visit the tower inside... with a lift or... by steps!
Personally, I'll say to do it the old way... you'll get to the second floor after 704 steps, and there you can get another ticket to get to the very top... which we highly recommend during the night, so magical!
Also... Did you know that the Tour Eiffel after the sunset starts to shine ?!
Is a really beautiful event, when the sky is clear and the Tower start to sparkle all over, everything becomes magical.
Absolutely LOVE IT!
La basilique du Sacré-Cœur
The Sacre Coeur is located on top of Montmartre from where you can admire the city of Paris.
All around it, locals love spending time sitting on the hill... reuniting with friends, listening to music or having a picnic, it's something that we also used to do.. and it was lovely!
We have to be honest though... during the weekend It might be slightly too busy, but definitely still worth the visit!
Don't be scared to explore behind the Basilique too, you will find many little shops and cafe to visit, where you can easily fell the french vibe.
It is possible to visit the Basilica and also the dome.
Remember that there are no stairs, only 222 steps.
But don't get scared, you may be a little tired at the end, but we can guarantee you that once you get there you will have even a better view of Paris... breathtaking!
The Arc de Triomphe
It is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, located at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle. It's definitely one of the places I liked the most... If you have the chance you have to go up to the top, from there you'll have an amazing view!
I found it amazing how clearly you can see the structure of the city! Right in front of it, there are the Champs Elisee, on the right the Tour Eiffel, a visit to the Arc De Triomphe is definitely worth it.
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682.
I highly recommend you to visit Versailles, I've never visited anything so majestic before!
Let's be honest, It's busy, all the time.. so once you arrive you'll probably have to queue.
If you are under 25 you'll get a free pass... One more reason to go!
The palace is huge, we started our visit in the morning... you can manage your tour as you like, for example, we started with the inside of the palace and then we found a nice spot outside in the green to have lunch.. a quick break :)
After we spent the afternoon wandering around the colossal gardens and getting lost!
We had our lunch sitting in the garden and enjoyng the sun and the vibe of another time.
After 5 years I can say that we absolutely would love to visit Versailles once again, and we will once back in France!
Paris is an elegant European capital, is stunning in its own way, and it has many things to offer, either you want to just have fun, or learn more about the culture of this lovely country.
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is a beautiful city located in the Alsace Region, east of France, it looks like it came out straight from a fairy tale, its typical houses and tiny streets make this place unique!
This is the fascinating Cathedral
its particular red colour was given from the typical stone founded in the region, and that gives a really particular touch to the structure itself.
The cathedral itself has been one of the tallest building for 200 years, between the 1600 and 1800, not bad!
Few Km away you can explore the Jardin des Deux Rives where you can find the river that connects two countries, with just a bit of a walk you can step into the city of Kehl and find yourself in Germany. Personally, we really enjoyed our stroll and we advise you to take it too.
Don't get surprised if you hear about the French Venice, a small district made of canals that remind the beauty of the Italian city, have a walk around and enjoyed the atmosphere, the city of Strasbourg even if it's French, and it's under French law, you can definitely see the Germanic influence, and that creates a particular marriage between two culture, sometimes different and sometimes similar, but beautiful in its own way.
Less then one hour away from Strasbourg, we advise visiting Colmar, another little pearl of the Alsace, smaller with a more relaxed vibe...
Unfortunately that day the weather wasn't on our side, but still, we felt in love with the typical building, and the small canals all around the city.
Don't forget to check the Statues of Liberty... yes that's right, you can find an exact copy of the statue of liberty in Colmar, because in case you don't know that, the statue has been built by a Auguste Bartholdi, an artist and sculptor from Colmar, and gave it away as a sign of friendship between French and USA.
Lyon
We spent a few days in Lyon, a well known city in the East of France. Unfortunately for us, we have been hit by really bad weather for all the times that we spent there, but we managed to visit all the city, rain or not :)
Our first scroll was at the Parc de La Téte D'or The biggest park within the city centre, it has a zoo inside, but even if you simply walk around you can easily find animals, no need to pay any ticket for any zoo :) Walk around the lake and you can easily find animals there too. Not far from the park you can find the stunning Passerelle du Collège a nice walk crossing the river, right in the heart of the city. Do not forget the Old Town of Lyon, get lost inside the famous Quartiers, and feel a french vibe of another century.
France is a fascinating country, every city has it's own history and charm, the whole country is different north to south, starting from the architecture till the cuisine, is definitely a nation that we suggest visiting.
Did anyone say Food or Drinks?!
Here our favourite places in Paris
While we talked about Le Sacre Coeur, I'd like to seize the opportunity to tell you about one of my favourite restaurant that is actually located very close from here...
It's called Le Refuge des Fondus, here you can have an amazing cheese or meat fondue!
How about the drinks? Well, don't worry, you won't need to be a wine expert!
In fact, you can choose from white or red wine from the house... but the uniqueness of this place is that they will be served in baby bottles!
I know it sounds crazy... but personally I've never tried before then, and I loved it.
The vibe in this restaurant is cosy and fun! Also if you've never tried the fondue this is the right place for your first time .... Highly recommended!
While we are talking about food... I'd love to share with you guys some of my favourites dishes that literally drove me crazy during my stay!
For the chocolate enthusiastic like me, please, please, please try "Le pain au chocolate",
it's made of the same layered doughs as a croissant, it's filled with chocolate and It's usually served warm from the oven.
You can find it in supermarkets or French bakeries... I used to buy it every morning for breakfast, It smells and tastes amazing... just irresistible!
But... If you don't like chocolate, don't worry... everything that you will find in a French bakery is so tasty and worth a try, be careful though... you might fall in love!
A must try are certainly the cheese.. I remember going to this morning street markets where you could find any kind of products, fresh and typical from their lands.
Some of my most-liked ones where the Roquefort, a blue cheese, and as a good Italian who loves gorgonzola, I couldn't resist!
This is a kind of french version of it... it has a stronger flavour and it's thicker
Another widely used cheese is the goat cheese... they usually eat it in their salty crepes dressed with honey or jam. I tried it and It's so full of flavour, strong and tasty combined with a touch of sweetness... awesome!
Last but not least.... sweet and salty crepes, always a good idea!
There is such a variety of dressing that you can choose for your crepes and I'm afraid they are all amazing! The salty version is called "galette" they are typical from Breton, but you'll find them in Paris too.
They are square folded, and they are left open in the middle where the filling is, also... they are huge!! Creperie Broceliande is where I had my first galette, one of the many! check it out!
You will fall in love with French cuisine, so many things to try for all the palates, rich in flavours and taste, you can't get tired of their food and wine.
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