Bunny Explores Paris by Foot
Paris is the epitome of elegance. Bunny is, well, not that elegant. Perhaps that is why she has always had a bit of a tough time with Paris.
She has visited Paris a number of times over the years, marvelled at the architecture, checked all the major sights, drank copious amounts of wine and stuffed herself with local cheese, even tried to speak a bit of French… and yet, there is no particular love in her heart for this remarkable city.
Bunny appreciates Paris alright, it’s just not one of those cities - Rome, Jerusalem, New York - that she adores.
Doing Paris Differently
When the Bunnies were celebrating a special occasion in Paris last year, Bunny decided to show Mr. Bunny, who had been to Paris only once before, and very briefly, the best that the city can offer.
They both like walking (Bunny because it is healthy, Mr. Bunny because it is cheap) and hate the crowds, so they decided to walk through the main sights of Paris in two days while avoiding the obvious tourist traps.
In addition to walking, the Bunnies opted for a handful of select activities, gorged on picnic food and wine and splashed out on a stay in an indulgent boutique hotel.
Check out the Bunnies’ 2-day walking itinerary of Paris below.
Day 1: Instagramable Paris Highlights without the Lines
Bunny’s hotel choice in Paris was a former brothel cum small luxury hotel Maison Souquet in Montmartre. This boutique hotel promised the kind of quiet luxury the Bunnies were looking for this trip and it mostly delivered on the promise. Bunny was very pleased with the location and the ambiance of the hotel and Mr. Bunny… He was mainly won over by the cakes and cookies offered at breakfast so he is easy to please.
On their first morning in Paris, the Bunnies fuelled up with butter croissants before starting their long march across the city. Bunny had planned an ambitious walking route that would keep them both fit and busy for the day.
The first stretch of the walk took the Bunnies from their hotel towards the Louvre, with a short stop on the way at the Galeries Lafayette Rooftop Terrace for some (free!) aerial views of Paris.
The Louvre Without the Hordes
How to do the Louvre without the horrendous crowds ruining the experience? Go on a Tuesday when it’s closed, Bunny says! You will not get inside the museum (a minor detail really…) but you can have a sneak peek at the collection through the glass windows in the Passage Richelieu and enjoy relative quiet at the Louvre Pyramid.
From the Louvre, the Bunnies continued their stroll through Jardin des Tuileries and Place de la Concorde, which became infamous as the public stage for executions during the French Revolution. Today, the square is better known for the Luxor Obelisk (swindled from Egypt, obviously) than the guillotine.
Heart of Paris
The most famous street in Paris, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, opens directly from Place de la Concorde. Bunny has never really understood the fuss, and since she is not a shopper (or rich), she had no use for the luxury shops lining the avenue. That said, it was pleasant to hop along the famous stretch of real estate and eventually end up at the iconic Arc de Triomphe at its western end.
Honoring the brave French soldiers (sarcastic cough), Arc de Triomphe offers great views of Champs-Élysées, particularly at night, if you climb the 280 stairs to the top. The Bunnies were happy to just wander around the base as Bunny had other plans for the sunset.
Picnic at Eiffel Tower
After Arc de Triomphe, the Bunnies headed straight for the Trocadero Gardens - their designated picnic spot for the day. Now most people plan their Parisian picnics for Champ de Mars at the foot of the Eiffel Tower but Bunny is not most people.
Picnicking on the higher ground in Trocadero Gardens is much nicer because you get a gorgeous view of the iconic structure, very few people, a nice green lawn and even some shade-giving trees. In addition, you don’t have to deal with the annoying security checks or litter that plague Champ de Mars, Bunny says.
After Bunny photographed the Eiffel Tower to her heart’s content at the Trocadero Gardens, the Bunnies spread a picnic blanket on the grassy area close to the Carousel and lingered for a good while with their stash of baguettes, cheese and a bottle of chilled white wine. This is the kind of France that Bunny loves!
Truth be told, it was a bit difficult to get going again after their lovely picnic, but there was much more of Paris to take in. So, the Bunnies crossed the Seine and brushed past the Eiffel Tower whilst heading towards Les Invalides - a complex of military museums and monuments, including the final resting place of Napoleon.
Best Night-Time Views of Paris
Getting a nice night-time view of the Eiffel Tower is a must in Paris. Bunny contemplated a number of options but finally settled on the Montparnasse Tower.
In late afternoon on their first day in Paris, the Bunnies headed to Montparnasse and planned to linger on the panoramic observation deck until sunset. This was no hardship. The 360-degree views of Paris from the 59th floor were stunning, the sun was shining and Mr. Bunny proceeded to buy generous amounts of chilled rose wine to sweeten the wait.
Just be prepared for the crowds at sunset. Bunny had a tripod with her and basically claimed her spot by the railing a full hour before the sunset. It was all worth it though. A top spot for sunset photos in Paris!
Afterwards, Bunny was happy to make further use of her tripod by stopping again at the Louvre for some night-time shots. The Pyramid is particularly stunning at night so this should be on your itinerary if you fancy some cool Paris photos, Bunny says.
Walking back to the hotel in the warm August night, filled with wine and nice impressions, Bunny could almost have admitted loving Paris. Back at the hotel, after a private spa session and a light snack, she was ready to conclude that their first day in Paris had been a success.
Day 2: All the Senses of Paris
The next morning, the Bunnies woke up with sore feet and paws from all the walking, but something more like hiking was in store for them on day 2. After an early breakfast, they headed for Notre-Dame’s opening hour in order to, you guessed it, avoid the crowds that would gather soon after.
Notre-Dame Tower Tour
The Gothic Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris on the Île de la Cité is the symbol of medieval Paris. Its construction started in 1163 and lasted almost 200 years. Over the years, it became one of, if not the, most iconic buildings in Paris. Victor Hugo’s famous novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, further consolidated the church’s place in popular psyche.
Bunny was lucky to visit Notre-Dame before the devastating fire that ravaged the building in April 2019. She started her visit early in the morning by strolling the quiet banks of the river Seine and then popped into Notre-Dame (entrance was free) to admire the grandeur and, in particular, its beautiful stained glass windows.
The highlight for Bunny was the tour of the towers of Notre-Dame. She had reserved tickets online in advance and her planning was rewarded with a queue-less experience. The tour included a bit of climbing and some squeezing through tight spaces but it also afforded amazing views over Paris. It is the only way to see the famous gargoyles (Mr. Bunny is a fan), flying buttresses, spires and the tower bell up close – all easily worth the entrance fee.
Please Note
Notre-Dame is currently being reconstructed and is closed to visitors. It is expected to be back to its former glory by 2024.
Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie
Just a short hop from Notre-Dame is Sainte-Chapelle, a stunning royal chapel that has a gorgeous collection of stained-glass windows. Bunny had not visited before and was duly impressed with the beauty of the place. A word of warning though: it is quite a small place and likely to be overrun by tourists. Take it in your stride.
Right next door to Sainte-Chapelle is Conciergerie - a former royal residence that had been turned into a revolutionary prison. This is where Marie Antoinette (Bunny has always had a fascination with the ill-fated Queen) spent her last weeks before being forced to make close acquaintance with the guillotine.
The building now serves as a somewhat morbid, but interesting, museum about the French Revolution. Save a few bucks and buy a combined ticket for Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle, Bunny says.
Luxembourg Palace Gardens
Nothing piques your appetite quite like touring old prison cells (just go with it) so the Bunnies next headed for Jardin du Luxembourg, the Luxembourg gardens, for another open-air picnic. Their short walk across the Latin Quarter provided plenty of opportunities to grab yummy picnic food on the way and the garden offered plenty of shaded park benches for a quiet picnic.
The beautifully landscaped Luxembourg Gardens have 106 statues, a picturesque fountain and a pond where you can rent vintage toy boats for some afternoon amusement. Bunny has always loved the place and cannot think of a better-suited venue for a sunny picnic in central Paris.
Montmartre
The rest of the Bunnies’ second day in Paris was devoted to Montmartre - the principal scene of Bunny’s favourite French movie Amelie. This is quintessential touristic Paris, overpriced and swarming with visitors.
Nevertheless, Bunny enjoys strolling the narrow cobblestone streets, checking out cute cafes and wine bars and admiring the talented street artists. The Basilica of Sacre-Coeur commands excellent views of Paris from the top of Montmartre hill and is always an impressive sight.
Of course, it’s also hard to pass up taking selfies at the Moulin Rouge and the Wall of Love, staples of the Instagram era. So naturally Bunny had to show all these sights to Mr. Bunny who was basically just itching to reach the next phase of their programme: The Secret Food Tour.
Secret Food Tour
In her previous travels, Bunny has participated in excellent food tours in Miami and Seoul, so when she stumbled onto the Montmartre Secret Food Tour online, she knew they had to give it a try.
This three-hour, small group walking tour included 6 food stops and provided great insight into Montmartre and, of course, French food. A genuinely local tasting room session at the end of the tour replete with cheeses, pastries, crepes, macarons, chocolates, baguettes, sausages and wine was a crowd pleaser to be sure.
For Bunny, the highlights included the macarons and she doesn’t even usually like macarons. Ordering crepes from a street vendor was also cool, possibly because Bunny would never have done it on her own (the stands always seem a little ramshackle and dodgy to her). The Bunnies also enjoyed the wine and, for once, didn’t feel robbed as vegetarians as there were vegetarian options available at every stop - even at the butcher’s!
All in all, the food tour was a pleasant way to conclude the Bunnies’ two day stay in Paris. They had not had a single meal in a restaurant or taken any rides by taxi or public transportation during their visit but they had done and seen a lot and enjoyed it all.
Anything Missed?
Mr. Bunny is a fan of tunnels of all kind (go figure) so Bunny thought the famous Catacombes of Paris would be a hit with him. That was until she did a bit of research and learned that summer-time queues can be as long as 2 to 4 hours. Ugh. Not surprisingly, Mr. Bunny passed. Maybe next time.
Conclusions
You can have a great time in Paris, even if you are a Bunny who (sometimes) harbours less-than-positive thoughts towards everything and anything French.
Don’t do whatever everyone else does. Instead, go for a different experience by following these principles:
Following this formula will give you a different and more enjoyable experience than lining up like sheep with the rest of the tourists. Plus, what you save with this approach, you can spend on a super nice place to stay. Voila!
