From rainy Dublin we hopped the British Channel to continental Europe, landing in Paris, France where we spent 5 nights. Without further ado, check out my Travel Hack Recap: Europe, Part 5 – Paris below!
Full disclosure: I’m not sure how many parts this trip will be split into. Ninety days of continuous travel was a huge undertaking on our part! Documenting the details has been daunting enough for me to procrastinate nearly 6 months to start doing so. But I’ll do my best to share the highlights and travel hacks along the way!
Travel Hack Recaps of Europe so far:
- Europe, Part 1 – Baltic Sea Cruise
- Europe, Part 2 – Baltic Sea Cruise (Part II)
- Europe, Part 3 – London
- Europe, Part 4 – Edinburgh & Dublin
Where We Went
The first thing to note related to our activities through most of this European extravaganza is that we pre-booked a lot of tickets weeks, if not months ahead of time. Given the precarious nature of COVID-19 throughout the world at the time, most attractions were open but requiring advance booking for a specific time slot.
This had its pros and cons: a designated time slot meant guaranteed admission and minimal time waiting in lines, as well as reduced crowds; however, this greatly reduced our flexibility by being locked in to nonrefundable tickets with a particular entrance time. All in all, I’d say the pros outweighed the cons, but note that your experience may be different than ours depending on the restrictions in place.
Day 1 (Day 25 of the trip) – Dublin, Ireland to Paris, France
With a 6:40am flight we opted for a taxi to Dublin airport ($29) instead of public transit. Our flight ended up delayed for over 4 hours! So we sat in a satellite terminal with nothing but a small coffee stand for that entire time. Though we were provided a 5 Euro voucher for the stand, it wouldn’t scan correctly. Not a good look, Aer Lingus.
At long last, we boarded for Paris and the flight was uneventful. Upon arrival, the RATP (public bus, about $14 each) took us from Charles de Gaulle Airport to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Paris Opera – Grands Blvds, where we met up with some of Mrs. FIby35’s family. After a long, frustrating day of travel we found a local restaurant for dinner and went to bed early.
Day 2 (Day 26) – Paris, France
Big Bus Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour
Our hotel did not include breakfast so we found a lovely establishment about 2 blocks away. We ended up eating there just about every morning! Facing the bustling Parisian boulevard as locals trudged to work, we gorged on fresh croissants and hot coffee. Mrs. FIby35 even dusted off her childhood French and successfully ordered our meals.
For our first foray in Paris, we boarded the double-decker Big Bus for a circuit around town. Popular sights included Place Vendome, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte Chappelle, Jardin des Tuileries, the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and of course the Eiffel Tower. The prerecorded narration provided explanations as we passed along, occasionally stopping to get out and explore on our own.
Overall impression: construction everywhere. While common in many of the European cities we visited, it seemed like just about every major building and monument in Paris was under restoration. We surmised that the city was attempting to spruce things up before hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics. Mrs. FIby35 also noted just how clean the city was compared to her memories as a child.
Day 3 (Day 27) – Paris, France
Big Bus Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour
After another partial loop on the HOHO Bus, we took a longer stop at the Eiffel Tower. Despite having a pre-booked time slot to ascend to its summit, the line for the Eiffel Tower was still long (though I’m sure not nearly as long as pre-COVID). Upon reaching the top viewing deck (~$27 each), expansive views of the City of Lights greeted us. Fantastic sights down tree-lined boulevards throughout the arrondissements. The skies were clear and the weather was unseasonably warm so it was a beautiful day to view Paris from above.
We finished the day with one last loop on the HOHO Bus and then walked the streets near our hotel, enjoying the beautiful weather. Dinner was at a terrific Indian joint just down the street before calling it a day.
Day 4 (Day 28) – Day trip to Versailles, France
Palace of Versailles
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (and full of croissants), we ventured aboard the Paris metro and a connecting train to the town of Versailles. Just a 10-15 minute walk from the train station later, we found ourselves face to face with the gilded gates of the Palace of Versailles, glinting in the morning sunlight. After a short while at the gates (pre-booked timed entry slot, ~$28/pp) we were allowed into the grounds.
Following the Rick Steves Versailles Palace audio guide (for free!) we traipsed through the various areas of the Palace. We saw a lot of palaces and cathedrals during our time in Europe, but none compared to the opulence of the Palace of Versailles. Ornate frescoes and portraits by the finest artists of the time covered every surface, framed by immaculate gold. Louis XIV sure had a knack for the extravagant, particularly in the King’s state apartments and the famous Hall of Mirrors.
The Gardens
After picking our collective jaws up off the fancy marble floor, we continued the tour outside and were…underwhelmed. Unfortunately, most of Europe was going through a severe drought so the normally immaculate gardens were a bit drab. The expansive grounds were still impressive but lacked the beautiful floral arrangements and fountain shows were limited. While Mrs. FIby35 splurged for a glass of champagne (~$18), we continued on to explore the Estate of Trianon and associated gardens.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience to see the famous palace we had heard so much about (especially after watching the Versailles series on Netflix). Exhausted, we meandered back to the Versailles train station and traveled back to Paris. Another delicious dinner and we slept well after a long day on our feet.
Day 5 (Day 29) – Paris, France
Montmartre Walking Tour
For our final day in Paris, we took a walking tour of the scenic Montmartre neighborhood ($43/pp + tip, ~2.5 hours). Our guide led us past the famous Moulin Rouge club and to the only winery within Paris city limits. We continued all the way to Sacre Coeur, the majestic white cathedral near the summit of the hill. The tour was well done and it was nice to see a different part of the city than we had been staying in.
From Sacre Coeur we carefully negotiated the decline back towards our hotel. The group decided to savor our remaining hours in Paris with drinks overlooking the street and a prolonged dinner together before calling it a night.
Day 6 (Day 30) – Paris, France to Brussels, Belgium
We arose early the next morning and hauled our suitcases to Gare du Nord train station, en route to our next destination: Brussels!
How Much We Spent (and Saved)
Let’s take a look at the Travel Hack Recap spending breakdown for our 5 nights in Paris. I should note that during our entire 3 months in Europe, the US dollar was extremely strong. The exchange rate with the Euro was at or near 1:1 for much of our trip, so everything was at a bit of a discount compared to historical exchange rates.
Spending in Paris:
| Category | Budget | Actual | Notes |
| Flights | $26.00 | $25.20 | 8,000 Avios points + fees |
| Accommodations | $0.00 | $28.91 | 121,000 IHG points (4th night free) + Paris city taxes for 5 nights |
| Food/Drink | $375.00 | $328.47 | So many fresh croissants |
| Entertainment & Misc | $338.00 | $300.42 | 2-day Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tour ($61/pp); Montmartre walking tour ($38/pp); Eiffel Tower ($27/pp); Versailles ($29/pp) |
| Transportation | $111.00 | $51.98 | Bus from CDG-hotel; metro/train RT from hotel-Versailles |
| TOTAL | $850.00 | $734.98 |
Despite its reputation as a high-cost, highfalutin city, we still managed to stay under budget for our time in Paris. It helped a bit to travel with family, as we shared the cost of some meals.
Total savings from travel hacking:
- Flights from DUB to CDG were about $109 each at the time of purchase. We paid 8,000 points and $25 in fees for a savings of $193.
- 5 nights at the Holiday Inn Express Paris Opera – Grands Blvds would have cost $1,260.
Even excluding the savings of walking and taking public transit instead of Uber/Taxi/Rental car, we saved over $1,450 by travel hacking this leg of our trip to Europe in Paris.
Conclusion
Due to drought and construction/restoration, the sights of Paris were a bit muted compared to what we were expecting. That didn’t damper the overall charm of the city though, as the iconic architecture and tree-lined boulevards afforded us a lovely Parisian experience. Visiting the Palace of Versailles was a bucket list item and the palace itself did not disappoint. Even the notoriously snooty people of Paris were unexpectedly pleasant to us Americans – many waitstaff spoke English to us with only a slight trace of annoyance, though Mrs. FIby35 and her brother did their best to speak the local language.
I had my reservations as to how much I would enjoy Paris and was pleasantly surprised. The food was terrific and though it wouldn’t top my list of destinations to return to any time soon, I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.
Up next on our European hor d’oeuvres sampler platter: Brussels, Belgium and Amsterdam, Netherlands!
Have you been to Paris? If so, did what were your impressions of the people, food, and sights? Comment below!
