In August 2017 my friends, my husband and I visited Paris for a two night, three day visit.
Our friends drove us from Folkestone (near Dover) England to Calais, France in the Eurotunnel or Channel Tunnel. It was very close quarters and I found it difficult to relax, knowing that some parts of the journey were under water.
PHOTO BY ALAMY
When we reached Calais, it was weird being driven on the right hand side of the road but the scenery was so beautiful.
Along the way to Paris we passed a lovely old restaurant which gave me the reality check that we were in France.
Unfortunately no restaurants were open so we ate some chicken (poulet), ham (jamon) and egg (oeuf) sandwiches from a garage. Luckily I took some French lessons when i was 12 which helped a little.
We stayed at the Timhotel which was very close to the Eiffel Tower.
Unfortunately we didn’t have a view of the Eiffel Tower but it was a short walk away.
Photo: Timhotel
The next day we purchased a ticket for the BigBus Paris hop on, hop off bus which took us to the feature sites of Paris. It was an amazing way of seeing the ‘city of lights’.
On August 6th, 2017 we booked tickets on the Bateaux Parisiens Seine River Sightseeing Cruise. It was a lovely Autumn day and I was very excited as the Seine River cruise was one of the things I was most looking forward to.
I didn’t get many photos from the cruise. Below is an image from the Viator website which gives you an idea what the cruise boat looked like from the river bank.
Photo: Viator – Bateaux Parisiens Seine River Sightseeing Cruise
It was amazing cruising down the Seine River. Here’s a description from the website:
Enjoy a leisurely trip down the Seine on this Bateaux Parisiens river cruise. Glide past Paris’ world-famous monuments including Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower and historic bridges like the Pont Neuf.
Glide beneath beautiful historic bridges, including the famous Pont Neuf. Listen to audio commentary along the way to learn more about passing attractions. Cruise during the day, or choose an evening departure time to float through the enchanting city at night. Either way, it’s a fantastic introduction to the highlights of Paris.
Even the riverbanks of the Seine are a sight to behold and have been collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along the way, a prerecorded audio guide provides commentary on the history and legends of Paris.
Read more about Bateaux Parisiens Seine River Sightseeing Cruise 2021
We saw many famous sites such as Notre Dame Cathedral which is famous for being the location of the Hunchback of Notre Dame story. Almost two years later on April 15th, 2019 it burned down but they are working on restoring it.
The canals were lovely and at one section there was three parks, each had a different type of music and people were dancing. It was an amazing site to behold and made me very happy to see. The photo below was taken in front of Notra Dame. I was so excited to capture it as we cruised past.
We got back on the BigBus Paris for more sightseeing, then headed back to the motel.
The next morning we enjoyed a buffet breakfast at Timhotel.
It was a wonderful three days, with some ups and downs, and an experience I will never forget. We returned to Dover and then on to London. So many experiences in such a short amount of time.
