One Summer in Europe – the backpacking Europe podcast

episode #3 – Paris

Posted on 23. Mar, 2009 by Ryan in Previous Episodes

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We arrive on the European continent in perhaps the most enchanting city in the world, Paris. It may be an acquired taste for some travelers, but it is fairly easy to see why Paris is the favorite city of so many people from around the world. It’s an unmissable destination for your European adventure.

With countless sights and activities in Paris, we recommend five days and four nights there on our One Summer in Europe trip.

In this episode, Melissa and I discuss:

• arriving from Dublin and getting acclimated to Paris
• some basic facts on Paris and France
• overcoming the stereotype of the “rude French”
• avoiding theft, and my story on witnessing this on a Paris train
• daily cost of accommodation and sightseeing in Paris
• our respective top 5 things to see and do
• other interesting sights outside our top 5 selections
• where to go next and the experience of a night train

We also hear from our friend Tory, an American living and working in Paris, on her experience as a foreigner in the city. Finally, I speak with Katia on her perspective as a native French person and her advice to travelers to Paris.

Here are some relevent websites for Paris based on our discussion (in rough order as we talked):

TRANSPORT IN
Paris Beauvais Airport (how to get to Paris from there)
Paris Metro (subway system)

ACCOMMODATION
One Summer in Europe (Paris hostel and budget hotel search page)

SIGHTSEEING
Disneyland Paris (EuroDisney)
Champs-Élysées (the famous street in the heart of Paris)
Chateau de Versailles (official site)
Musee d’Orsay (official site)
Arc de Triomphe (Napoleon’s triumphal arch)
Eiffel Tower (official site)
Notre-Dame de Paris (official site)
Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens)
Sacre Couer-Montmartre
Sunset over the Seine in Summer
One Summer in Europe (other miscellaneous sightseeing activities)

TRANSPORT OUT
Elipsos TrenHotel (Paris-to-Madrid overnight train)

We find it nearly impossible to leave Paris but we pull ourselves away and head far south into Spain – first the capital Madrid!

Tags: Arc de Triomphe, Backpacking Europe, Backpacking Podcast, Beauvais Airport, Champs Elysees, Disneyland Paris, Eiffel Tower, Eurail Pass, Europe Podcast, Europe Summer, Jardin du Luxembourg, Luxembourg Gardens, Montmartre, Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, One Summer in Europe, Paris Metro, Picasso Museum, Sacre Couer, Summer in Europe, Versailles