Visit to the Parisian capital

During the numerous months I spent as an Erasmus student I got the chance to visit different European destinations, and it was made easy mainly because of the low cost transport options which are available between European countries such as the buses or the cheap airline companies.

Once, I decided to visit the capital, Paris with my friends, because of what I had heard about this marvellous capital. It is really worth visiting at least once in your life. It's quite a rich capital and characterised by its luxury boutiques and a nightlife of jet setting. We wanted to immerse ourselves into the capital and discover the best places to visit.

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The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is the most symbolic monument in the city, the most beautiful and magnificent, just like the statue of liberty in New York. It's a gigantic structure which you can get to by taking the underground metro. It's also an amazingly beautiful monument from the inside too, if you visit it, you can go up to the top floor and have a superb view which is magnificent and extremely beautiful. You can see a panoramic view of the main horizon during sunset. The sight is surely magical at night by seeing its dazzling beauty, and it's showcased at night by many lights. It's amazing and you can also make the most of going to the sweet restaurant at the top. The entrance is 25 euros to see the magnificent monument from the inside and to enjoy a beautiful romantic night.

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The Louvre Museum

By taking the underground you can stop off at the Palais Royal Musée du Louvre station. That's where you can find the second masterpiece in the city which is called the Louvre Museum. It's built in a pyramid form and has a very rich cultural heritage which lets the public discover a superb culture. Paris is characteristic of a historic and cultural heritage beyond compare which you can definitely find out about at the heart of this museum.

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The Sacré-Coeur Basilica

The Sacré-Coeur Basilica also makes up one of the most prestigious monuments in Paris, due to the fact that it's an extremely beautiful white castle, with magnificent architecture and picturesque details, which is situated at the top of the hill in Montmartre. It attracts people who go to take their photos there, putting aside the fact that it's a very popular religious monument. You can also use the cable car to get to the top of the hill.

After visiting these places, you can go back to the metro station called Anvers and get off at the Blanche station. There, you only have to walk a few metres to discover the Moulin Rouge, the famous and well-known cabaret on Boulevard de Clichy. You'll see a very beautiful mill which shows its history, and fame due to the American film made in its honour. In the area, you can also see a theatre nearby which puts on comedy acts and tragic plays. There are also some cool restaurants and nice corners to explore and spend the evening with friends.

In the same way, if you want to get out of the capital a bit and get lost in the middle of nature, you can go to the Jardin du Luxembourg. This park has several acres of green nature and you can explore the area called Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It's green and fresh, it has a marvellous fountain with flowing water and an immense castle called Luxembourg Palace. It's a park where you can lounge around on the grass and have a picnic in the shade under the trees. There's also a play area for children where they can play and have fun under their parents' supervision. You can get to this beautiful garden by taking the REF (the train) and getting off at the station called Luxembourg.

We took another metro from there to get to the Pont Saint Michel (a famous bridge) where we could walk along the street admiring the boats passing under the different bridges going through the city. You can also go over the Pont des Arts and admire the river Seine which goes through the Parisian capital. It has the most beautiful landscape. There's also a park called parc des Buttes-Chaumont which is really worth taking a detour for. It's situated in a region high up, a little out of the city, but it's not very popular amongst tourists so you can really find true serenity and peace there.

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Trip along the Seine on a tourist boat

In order to really make the most of the Parisian capital, you can visit the city and see so many monuments by going on the tourist boat. It's a sort of covered boat which lets you visit the quays and magnificent greenery in the city. It's a romantic trip for couples, as well as being able to appreciate the city and the heart of Parisian streets. Afterwards, you can walk along the covered pathways where the architecture of the oldest shopping centres mixes with the architecture of the ceilings which cover these pathways in a beautiful way. In terms of what's along the big streets, you can find galleries with quite a distinctive atmosphere. The ceilings are made of glass. There are also bookshops with their tea rooms and boutiques giving you an urge to go and immerse yourself there.

Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Élysées

The Arc de Triomphe is situated on a roundabout in Paris and if you go up it, you get a magnificent view of the champs Élysées. The street is long and decorated with trees and the presence of luxury shoe boutiques, clothes boutiques, everywhere you go, you'll see such beautiful shops and restaurants with amazing terraces. The thing which is a little annoying is that this famous street is a little over-crowded during the day as well as at night. Therefore, you can end up waiting a long time in queues in takeaway stores, and you can even find thieves right in the middle of the street. You have to always keep your rucksack in front of you to prevent someone from stealing something.

You can also visit the Château of Vincennes, which represents the historic heritage of the city where the kings of France lived previously and great detailed architecture at the same time. It's open every day at 10a. m. to 5p. m. The entrance is free for under 26-year-olds and only 9 euros to everyone else, so it's quite cheap.

In the same cultural environment, you can also go to see the Mona Lisa, and this itself is inside the Louvre Museum. A great number of artists, painters, poets and writers can be discovered along the Montmartre street with their amazing drawings of Paris. Some of them draw the areas of the city with the Eiffel Tower, others draw the areas surrounding the river Seine, and they could even offer to draw a portrait of you. These artists represent the best cultural side of the Parisian city and contribute even more to the beauty of the landscape.

The Rodin Museum is also a very beautiful museum which has a magnificent garden where people can sit down on the benches, out in the open and make the most of the greenery and the birds singing. They can even bring a small picnic with fruit and vegetables and enjoy it whilst sitting in front of marvellous fountains. It would be perfect to have the adequate weather to walk around the different parks in the city.

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