Exploring the City of Love Alone: A Solo Travel Guide to Paris

A chaotic airport experience at Birmingham, almost missing my flight and a quick nap later I landed early on a not so lovely spring morning in Paris. For a second I thought the plane didn’t even take off from Birmingham because of the grey clouds until I heard the attendant announcing in French. I was lucky enough that I had some family who stayed in Paris and was kind enough to let me crash at his. Paris has two airports, one in the city and one far out and guess which one I landed on. Ofc had to be the one far out as we love to save every pence possible and travel tirelessly. So , a bus ride from Beauvis to Saint Dennis and 2 metros to Nanterre finally ended my long trip. I was warned that the Paris metros are infamous for their pickpocketing so I kept a careful watch on my belongings. After catching a quick breather, I packed my camera and headed out. I had only seen Paris in movies and heard about it from people and finally I was going to see it for myself.

To be extreme (bad) luck, as soon as I reached my first stop, it started to drizzle but it didn’t stop me (I had already paid for tickets). The Arc de Triomphe, what a beautiful structure, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to honor the great French Army. When I climbed on top of it (paid tickets), several roads from different directions were leading to this monument clearly defining it as a victory arch. It is 50 metres tall so you can see a fair bit of Paris and also have a nice view of the Wonder of the World. Every time I travel to a new city, I try to walk to 90% of the places and that was my case here too. I started walking towards the Eiffel Tower via Champs Elysee – the famous 2km long avenue known for luxury shopping and cafes. The luxury brand Louis Vuitton has its store here where everyday there is a queue for tourists to enter the store. I continued walking, crossing the Pont Alexandre III bridge which is an extravagant bridge where a lot of famous movie scenes have been shot. I have seen pictures of it at night where it looks even more beautiful. After a long rainy walk through the Parisian streets, I reached the Eiffel Tower. You don’t realise how humongous and charming it looks until you stand in front of it. I never had a dream of seeing the Eiffel Tower until I was standing in front of it mesmerized by it. Again, Paris has a lot of pickpocketing and scamming so bear in mind as all the touristy spots are prime locations. I felt like just looking at the Eiffel Tower because if my eyes went anywhere else, it was just couples everywhere!!

I kept my head low and walked towards its entrance as I had got tickets to go on top. A quick note that for almost everything you need to buy paid tickets well in advance as things can get sold out quickly especially for tourist locations so make sure you plan accordingly. You can buy the Eiffel Tower tickets through their website which has different options. I took the ticket to the top with an access lift. I had some time until my slot so I just sat down under the tower, had a croissant cause why not and just enjoyed the atmosphere. When you start going to the top, you first go to the second floor and change lifts to go on the top floor. The second floor is at 115 metres which is pretty high with really good views but you need to go to the top at 330 metres. You literally see the whole city and on a clear sunny day the views stretch upto 70kms. It was surreal to experience this. After coming down I went to a view point of the tower which I found on Instagram which is supposedly hidden (not anymore). My phone was about to die and it was already close to dusk, with a long day of travelling I decided to call it a day. I had three more days to explore and I was going to take it slow and easy.

Woke up early just to find out it was pouring cats and dogs. No harm in getting some extra sleep in. Fortunately the rain stopped but it was a tad bit late when I left. It was close to lunch and the first stop for the day was Montmartre – a bohemian hilltop district which has the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, a famous church again seen in many movies. This is one of the places where a lot of people put locks to bind their love. I almost got scammed there when I was not aware of my surroundings, thanks to a tourist who spotted it and helped me out. It started to drizzle again and there was a huge queue to go inside Sacré-Cœur so I just decided to work around the neighbourhood. Cobbled streets, artists paintings and sketching with some music playing, you surely could feel love is in the air. On the foothill of Montmartre in Pigalle is Moulin Rouge – the famous cabaret is strongly linked to the bohemian history of the area. It was time to have lunch and I was craving to try French cuisine. I was recommended Bouillon Pigalle where I had the Veal liver with parsley and garlic with mashed potatoes with a delicious glass of red wine. After a satisfactory lunch, I wanted to stay indoors for a bit more to avoid rain and what better way than going to a mall. Galeries Lafayetter, the most famous shopping mall in Paris with a beautiful structure as well. I had gone to Paris just before the 2024 Olympics and when the Roland Garros was on so they had a screening on top of the mall where I hung around enjoying a lovely game of tennis. The terrace of the mall is also a good free viewing point. I still wanted to stay indoors but wanted to keep exploring so I walked towards the Louvre Museum famous for Mona Lisa. Upon arriving, I found out there was a 2 hour long queue in the rain. I couldn’t be bummed so I decided to warm myself up by having a nice cup of hot chocolate at Angelina. Another instagram famous spot, an aesthetic cafe known for its hot chocolate. Honestly, I liked the hot chocolate but for that price it wasn’t worth it.

The rain finally stopped and I walked towards the Eiffel Tower as I was going on a river cruise. I know it might sound very couply and cheesy relationship stuff but give me a break, I just wanted to have my main character moment. The cruise was just after sunset so I was just hanging around near a bench where I was (un)lucky enough to witness a typical cliched Paris proposal. Not just that but I saw the Eiffel tower sparkle too which happens at dusk. It happens for 5 minutes hourly until midnight. After shedding a tear or two at the proposal, I hopped on the cruise and enjoyed the ride on the River Seine. It is a one hour cruise which gives you a different perspective of the city and shows the city lit up at night. After having my main character moment cruising through the Seine river and soaking in the cool post rain breeze, it was time for bed.

Day 3 and there was this shiny thing in the sky peeping from the clouds. Finally, I could explore in peace without the worries of getting soaked. If you have read this far, you might be wondering he has almost seen everything and he’s not even going to Disneyland so now what? Another bohemian neighbourhood with medieval streets and vibrant atmosphere – the Latin Quarters was my first stop of the day. The 800 year old Notre Dame which had a fire in 2019 is here. Another famous structure – the Pantheon is also in the Latin Quarters. Why is a place in Paris named Latin Quarters though? It is because during the Middle Ages, Latin was exclusively spoken by people in this area, usually students and professors as it is a student-friendly neighbourhood. If you are a fan of Gothic Architecture, you would love walking around its streets and it’s perfect for street photographers. Unfortunately , I couldn’t go inside Notre Dame as it was still under construction. There are many cute cafes in this area so if you fancy reading a book whilst having a cup of coffee overlooking the medieval streets, you should definitely hang around here for a bit. After a lengthy walk in the sun, I needed a breather and what better way to sit in a park. On the edges of the Latin Quarters, in the middle of the city is this 25 hectare green space – Jardin du Luxembourg. It’s a 17th century park with over 3000 trees, a series of statues of former French queens and saints and a fountain in the middle. It has a calm and relaxing feel which one might need from the hustle and bustle of the city. For lunch today, I went to Bouillon Republique. There are many Bouillon restaurants and they originated in the 19th century where they serve traditional French food at low prices. As a budget traveller who wants to experience this exquisite cuisine, this was the way to do it. I had beef with macaroni and chocolate Profitroles for dessert.

I gave another shot at visiting the Louvre but was unlucky as there was again a 2 and half hour wait. Maybe it wasn’t written on this visit. Apart from the Mona Lisa, it has some amazing art in it which can take you easily 3-4 hours to properly explore it. I still wanted to go to a museum and see some art ( I am a big museum geek). I got to know about the Modern Art Museum which is a free place to visit and has some good art too. It is not that far from the eiffel tower so you can combine the two. It was a nice museum, not one of my favourites but surely if you want a free thing to do, then visit this museum. In the evening, I had a dinner plan with my cousin and his friends and that was it for my penultimate day.

I don’t have much to write about day 4 as it was a weekend, me and my cousin had gone for a hike near the forests of Fontainebleau. Fontainebleau is located southwest of Paris and is known for its palace. It’s a good day trip if you want to get a short escape from the city. We didn’t see the palace but had a nice day out in the forest. I ended my trip with drinks and dinner out again. There are so many things which I skipped on this visit. One can do many day trips from the city – Versailles, Normandy, Giverny, Mont Saint Michel and many more. Yes, Paris can be seen as overrated but it is worth one visit. If you are planning a trip to Paris but are on an extreme budget, read my blog about all the free things you can do in Paris.