Daily Summary Our day started with a walking tour of The Marais district, led by a local guide named Elisabeth. She showed us around a beautiful area of Paris full of shops, markets, and historic buildings, and we were treated to samples of many tasty foods along the way.
At the end of the walking tour, we were guided to the underground entrance of the Louvre, where there was a very short line to enter!
We were then on our own the rest of the afternoon, to visit the Louvre at our leisure, have lunch, and try to decide what other exciting things to do for the day.
Our family bought tickets to ascend the Eiffel Tower in months in advance, so after the Louvre and lunch, we made our way there along the Seine.
We ended our day by eating at one of Rick's recommended restaurants and then crashing into bed. It was a busy day!
Miles Walked: 9.1 Steps Walked: 21,619
A Walking Tour of the Marais
After taking the Metro for the first time as a group, we started our tour with a local guide, Elisabeth, at the square called Place de la Republique, historically a meeting place for discussions and gatherings. Then, our tour of the Marais (meaning swamp) district began. It was buit in the 16th and 17th centuries and was known as a very aristocratic neighborhood, which after some rebuilding, it is now once again how it's known. We saw many beautiful mansions along the way. We also visited, Marche Des Enfants Rouges, Paris' oldest food market (since 1615) . We tasted some strawberries there, then went on down the road to taste fresh bread, cheese, apple pastries, and chocolates at shops along the way. We also stopped at Palais Des Thes and tried some teas. Our tour ended with a metro ride to the Louvre.
The Louvre Musée du Louvre
Once a palace built for kings, the Louvre is now the world's biggest art museum, with enormous amounts of art, over 35,000 pieces -- including the famous Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo. There is too much to see in one visit, so we decided to start with the Denon Wing. Some of us followed along with Rick Steves' Audio Tour, which was entertaining and informative, and helped to make the Louvre a little less overwhelming.
Go to the underground entrance for a much shorter (or no) line. Download Rick's audio tour before you go.
Orangerie Museum Musée de l'Orangerie
Monet's Water Lilies
The Orangery Museum is near the Louvre in the Tuileries Garden. It was built specifically to house Monet's eight large water lilly paintings in oval-shaped rooms. There are other Impressionist paintings downstairs. It was nice to see these paintings here and then later in the tour to see where they were painted in Giverney.
There's a separate, shorter line for Museum Pass holders.
The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was originally built to be the centerpiece of Paris World's Fair in 1889. It was meant to be taken down after the fair, but popular demand has kept it standing. The ride to the top of the 1,000 foot tower was a highlight. The views were amazing, as you can see in the pictures above. The soccer ball in the middle was in honor of the Euro Cup taking place at the time.
Buy your tickets online, 3 months in advance, to avoid very long lines. Watch out for pickpockets - especially on the elevators.