Paris Travel guide

Paris is one of my favourite European destinations. Ever since I was a little girl living in South America I used to dream about visiting Paris. Later on when I grew up and I started to become interested in fashion my dream cities become Paris, Milan, London and New York. But after I stepped out in Paris for the first time I knew that would be MY city, the one I would love with passion and admire forever.

My first trip to Paris was before the year 2000. It was a short city break that I had as a present after my university graduation. I was literally in love with Paris since I stepped of the plane. Paris was all I had ever dreamt of and much more. I remember taking the train from the airport to the city centre. The train was full and an elegant gentleman gave me his seat. A courtesy that I had never experienced in London or New York. When I sat down I started listening to these two men talking in the seats behind me; their accent was enchanting, the sound of their words smoothly caressing my ears. I remembered watching the French film Cyrano de Bergerac with Gerard Depardieu many years before, and in that very instant without even looking at the men behind me I decided that French men were irresistible.

My first trip to Paris was like a dream. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I took it easy, just visited a few landmarks like the EiffelTower, The Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame and the Champs Elysees and spend the rest of the time walking around the Parisian streets, admiring the architecture, sitting down for long coffee breaks tasting the most delicious cakes I had ever had. Of course I also reserved a day for the obligatory boat trip down the Seine and a day for visiting Versailles. The palace of Versailles was a place I could not miss as I had always been fascinated by castles -and France as I later discovered has hundreds of them.

After my first visit to Paris, I decided that I was completely in love with it. Eventually, I become such a Francophile that I ended up moving to France. Nowadays I live in the French countryside, about two hours away from Paris by train. I take any excuse and opportunity to visit Paris, and whether I only go for a day trip or a weekend city break I am never disappointed. I have been in Paris so often that I cannot count it, but Paris never stops to amaze me. Every time I visit I find a new little street that I hadn’t seen before, a new patisserie that I hadn’t tasted before. I discovered that it doesn’t matter how many times I visit Paris, there is always something new for me.

Paris can also be a great place to visit with children. My little ones love Paris, whether it is having lunch at the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Louvre or just walking along the Tuillerie gardens, they are always excited to visit Paris.