Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles Hello, and welcome to Paris. This week we are exploring the city of love, city of lights and city of art. This video will be showing you the top 50 things to do here. Earlier this summer we spent a whole 10 days in Paris and we decided we wanted to highlight some of the best attractions and activities around the city. Over the course of our visit we came up with 50 things to do in Paris, but of course, there are plenty more things you could experience here. We hope this guide will help you plan your trip to Paris, and let us know if there's anything else you would add to this list. Now let's get started! So we are now standing in front of a landmark that needs no introduction. This is one of the most recognized sites in all of Paris and all of France really. So I present to you the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower was designed for the 1889 World Fair, and while people hated it at the time, we couldn't imagine Paris without it today. Champ des Mars is a large public green space right in front of the Eiffel Tower and it's where people go to get those postcard perfect shots. So today is our first day exploring Paris and we thought we'd sample a bit of the local cuisine. We came across a little stand that was selling crepes, so I ordered one with jambon au fromage. This one is ham and cheese. It looks delicious. We've been walking around for hours and I'm starving so I'm so excited to just bite in to this. Another thing you absolutely have to do while in Paris is try crepes with Nutella. Notre-Dame is the most visited church in all of Paris and it's a great example of French Gothic architecture. Don't forget to set foot inside for a glimpse at the spectacular rose window. The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars. Underneath the vault you'll find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame, that commemorates the dead who were never identified during the world wars. So we are now going for a stroll down the Champs-Élysées, an avenue that is known for its luxury and opulence. You can buy all sorts of things here. We've seen luxury cars, luxury handbags, jewelry. And yeah, it is also a great place to people watch with lots of little cafes. So today we are having a nice little picnic in the outskirts of Paris. We just felt like we needed to get out of the city for a bit. So we went to a grocery store, we picked up a few snacks and now we're in the Bois de Boulogne and we're going to be having a nice little picnic outside and it is a great day for it. So I'm excited to dig in to all of this food. Oh la la. Oui! Bois de Boulogne is the the second-largest park in Paris. It was once part of the hunting grounds for the French monarchy, but these day's you're more likely to find people jogging, rowing, and enjoying picnics. We're on a boat, on a lake in the Bois de Boulogne and Sam is going to row me around for a whole hour. Yeah! Hmmmm. So this one is for those of you who have a major sweet tooth. When you come to Paris you have to try the Macaron. And we've picked up a cute little box from a little Patisserie. And they look so nice I almost don't even want to eat them. But we're going to be sampling them. I did read up on these and they are made with egg whites, icing sugar, regular sugar and then some almond powder. And they also use a little bit of food coloring to give them different colors. So as you can see here we've got four different variations with four different flavors. Though technically not in Paris, Versailles is a short train ride away. We ended up joining a biking tour and our first stop was the Versailles Market to pick up some picnic items. Once in Versailles, we dove into the Marie Antoinette's world with a visit to the Queen's Hamlet. So just now we are visiting the Petit Trianon and this would have been kind of like a make belief village where Marie Antoinette could escape the palace and just leave everything behind. No one actually lived in these homes but she would hire peasants to just come around and pretend like they were going about their daily routine just so she could have some company but not have people stare at her. So it is kind of like an artificial village and it is really weird but really pretty at the same time. After biking down the boulevards and picnicking along the shores of the Grand Canal, our day concluded with a visit inside the Versailles Palace. So another fun thing to do in Paris, if you're here during the summer months, is to head down to the banks of the Seine where there is lots of different dance parties taking place. As you can see behind me there is a few different circles, lots of Latin music playing and everyone is having a great time. I think it is like eleven PM and the party is still going. It is just getting started. So I'm not sure how much longer the railings can hold on but if you do happen to visit Paris with a loved one you can always lock your love. This reminds me of our time in Korea when we locked our love on top of Seoul Tower. Aw. So today we are visiting the neighborhood of Montemarche and one of the main attractions here is the church Sacréur. And there is the option of climbing up to the dome where you get some really great views of the city. So that is what we're doing right now. 300 steps to the top. I'm already a little out of breath and we've only just begun. Lead the way. Let's keep going. Aside from climbing the dome of Sacre Coeur, you can also visit the interior. The basilica has the unique distinction of sitting atop the highest point in the city. We're going to be having something called Croque-monsieur so I'm going to show you what that looks like in a second. So as you can see over here the Croque-monsieur looks a lot like a grilled cheese sandwich. So it is just two slices of bread, ham and cheese in the middle. You can also have Bâchamel sauce and then there is more cheese over top and that has been grilled and melted and it looks ooey and gooey so I'm going to let Sam take the first bite because I'm always eating the food first. You sure are. Here you go. Wow! Is that ever good. Basically my best way of explaining this is if you've ever had a grilled cheese before this is like a premier grilled cheese. It has an extra layer of cheese on top, plus you get the ham in the middle and I just love how I think they put a lot of maybe butter on the bread or on the toast. And it just gives it that greasiness that makes it so tasty. Well, well it is time for another French dessert. So today we are introducing you to the Eclair. And I have two Éclairs in here that I just picked up from a little bakery shop. And it is time for the unveiling. Alright, so I went for the classic chocolate topped Eclair. So basically it is just a long doughy pastry. And the inside is supposed to be filled with cream. And it has chocolate icing on top. But let's bite in to make sure. Quality control over here. How is that? Actually, mine is not cream. It has like a creamy chocolate pudding in the middle. And chocolate icing on top. That is almost like a filled churro. And the taste? Yeah, it is delicious. It is amazing. And I mean the pastry, it is almost like a puffed pastry, it is very light. And it is hollow inside so then they just fill it. Is it overly sweet? It is not overly sweet. It is more creamy than anything. It is like pudding. That is really good. Surprisingly good. Originally built as a church, the Panthéon was eventually turned into a mausoleum for Frenchmen who sacrificed their lives for their country. Right now we're visiting Père Lachaise which is Paris's largest grave site. And it is the final resting place of some pretty famous people including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. So does this place remind you of anywhere? It actually does. When I was in Buenos Aires it reminds me a lot of a place called Recoleta. And I have to say along with that this is the most impressive cemetery I've ever visited. We have now arrived at the Tuileries Garden and it is starting to get a little bit dark so it might be a little hard to appreciate but I assure you it is really pretty in the daytime. So now let's continue on towards the Louvre. The Tuileries Garden is a public garden located between the Louvre Museum and Place de la Concorde. Grab one of the free chairs around the water fountains and enjoy the views. Behind me is the Louvre, one of the most famous attractions in all of Paris. The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. They say that if you were to admire every piece of artwork, you'd be there for months. One great way to experience Paris is by taking a boat tour. The Bateaux Mouches are open excursion boats that allow you to soak in the sights while you float down the river Seine. Alternatively, you could rent a bicycle and pedal your way across the city. Paris has the Vélib’ which is a large-scale public bicycle sharing system. Or you can see Paris by segway. The Plant Garden is a large botanical garden in the city and within its grounds you'll also find the National Museum of Natural History. The Pompidou Centre is a multicultural complex for the arts and culture. The unique architecture is worth a visit even if you only admire it from the outside. Le Marais was once the French nobility's favorite place of residence, but we went there in search of street art - and there was lots to see! There are lots of celebrations throughout the year and we just happened to be in town for Bastille Day. Check your calendar before you visit and see if there are any special holidays coming up. So we are now visiting the Luxembourg Gardens which are probably some of my favorite gardens in the whole city. It is a great place to relax, come have a picnic, visit the palace or just enjoy the gardens. Luxembourg Palace was once a royal residence, but today it is home to the French Senate. So up next we've visiting a place that is called Les Invalides and this used to be an old hospital and retirement home for war veterans. These days it is more of a military museum that you can visit. And it also holds the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Petit and Grand Palais are right across from each other. The Petit Palais houses a fine arts museum and the Grand Palais hosts numerous changing exhibitions. An alternative way to experience Paris is in a romantic car ride in a deux chevaux. Sainte-Chapelle is a medieval Gothic chapel. The lines were too long for us to go in, but it has one of the most impressive collections of stained glass in the world. If you want to see the Eiffel Tower from a different vantage point than Champ de Mars, Trocadéro is an alternative. Right now I'm visiting Parc des Princes stadium home of Paris Saint-Germain football club. And if you're a football fan this is where you want to come. The Moulin Rouge is one of the most famed cabarets in Paris and the birth place of the can can dance. You'll want to secure a ticket well in advance because this place is popular. Next up we visited the Montmartre Cemetery which is the final resting place of many famous artists who lived and worked in this area. Moulin de la Galette is a former windmill turned restaurant and it earns a spot on this list because it was painted by many artists including Renoir. Le Consulat is a little restaurant in Montmartre. It has been featured in many films and its a great place to people watch. There's also a museum in the area, the Montmartre Museum, which contains paintings, photographs, and posters that depict the history of the neighborhood. So you can't come to Paris and not try all the delicious pastries they have in store. So today I have picked myself one of these. This is called Mille-feuille. Which means thousand leaves. And that is just because you can see all the different layers of dough. They are super thin. And it looks like has some kind of custard filing and icing on top. So let's dig in. Oh, crunchy. That was a horrible bite. One of my favorite desserts I've been picking up from the Pâtisseries here in Paris have been these awesome tarts. This one here is a lemon tart and it is my favorite. Let's have a look. Oh la la. Galeries Lafayette is a huge department carrying high end brands. The interior is beautiful, but unfortunately we made the mistake of visiting on a Sunday when it was closed. This unusual building is La Madeleine. It was meant to be a temple to glorify Napoleon's army, but halfway through construction plans changed and it became a church. So our preferred method of getting around in Paris is definitely by Metro. There is a really intricate network of different lines. And to save money you can get a pack of ten tickets and it'll save you several Euros. It is definitely the way to go. The metro encompasses 5 zones, but we found that we stayed within zone 1 the whole time we were in Paris. Keep this in mind when you purchase your metro tickets! So we're wrapping things up here. What would be your one tip for visiting Paris? Well, I have recently spent a whole ten days here in summer. I would say that if you really want to visit the art galleries, the museums and all of the main attractions you should probably avoid summer and like either come in the spring or the fall or even winter. Because the lines are insane and sometimes you have to wait like an hour and a half or two hours just to go inside a museum or go inside a church. And you just kill a lot of time. So that is my one tip. Try and avoid summer when the crowds are just everywhere and it is also a bit too hot in my opinion. But that is just me. So how about you? What are your final thoughts on Paris? So my finals thoughts is obviously Paris is one of the top cities in the world in terms of attractions. But it is like any other big gritty city. And you have to come with realistic expectations. There is going to be garbage, there is going to be lines, there is going to be some areas that are a bit of an eyesore. But there is also a lot of beauty and there is also a lot to do here. So I highly you recommend coming but just don't have Paris on such a high pedestal that you're going to be disappointed. And that concludes our guide of the top 50 things to do and see in Paris. We hope you enjoyed watching, and let us know if there are other places you would add to this list. For more city guides and food videos around the world, don't forget to hit subscribe! Welcome to the extended vlog footage portion of this video where we have travel vlogs that cover our day-trip bicycle tour around Versailles, celebrating Bastille Day in Paris as well as food vlogs that cover eating macaroon, crepes and éclairs. Well, Bonjour! Today we have left Paris behind and traded it for Versailles. And what better way to see the gardens and the palace than on a bike. Our first stop of the day was the Versailles Market where we bought a few supplies for lunch - baguettes, cheese, wine, and everything you might need for a French picnic. So we picked up our supplies for our very French picnic. I have my baguette. We have some cheese, some salami, lots of pastries and a salad because we're trying to keep it a little bit healthy and balance all of the sweets we're eating. And now it is time to go and get started with the tour. I've kind of always wanted to ride around in a bike with a baguette sticking out the basket. Yeah, let's hope we don't lose it along the way. From there we biked to Versailles where we got an introductory lesson on the royals who called this place home, including the one and only Marie Antoinette. So just now we are visiting the Petit Trianon and this would have been kind of like a make believe village where Marie Antoinette could escape the palace and just leave everything behind. No one actually lived in these homes but she would hire peasants to just come around and pretend like they were going about their daily routine just so she could have some company but not have people stare at her. So it is kind of like an artificial village and it is really weird. But really pretty at the same time. And now for the view we've all been waiting for. I present to you Versailles. So now for the part of the tour I've been looking forward to - the food. We're going to enjoy our picnic and eat all of the little treats we bought at the market earlier today. The rest of the afternoon was quite leisurely. We continued our tour of Versailles and then finished off in front of the palace, which is truly impressive. At that point we were free to roam on our own, so we visited the Kings and Queens Chambers, as well as the Hall of Mirrors. No filming was allowed inside but if I had to describe it in one word I would say opulent. And just like that, it was time to go back to Paris. Well good morning from Paris. Today is the fourteenth of July which is a major national holiday. Today actually commemorates the storming of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution. So there is a lot to celebrate. We're going to go watch a military parade and then there is going to be fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. And maybe we may be attending a Fireman's Ball. So let's get started with the day. So they were handing out French flags just outside the metro station. So we're all patriotic and ready to celebrate. We definitely could have come a little bit earlier. Some people came really prepared. Check this out they've got step ladders. Oh, yeah. So the metro is free today and it looks packed. So what are we doing next? Well, we're heading over to the fireman's ball. We just finished watching the fireworks from the comfort of our apartment. It was awesome. We're on the eighth floor of our hotel and we just had such a nice view right out of our window. We didn't even have to go to the Eiffel Tower. We could sit here, relax and just watch it outside of our window. Okay, so let's go find that party now. Yes. So we are going in search of the fireman's ball. Apparently there is one taking place in our neighborhood just two streets away. So we're going to try to find it and see what it is like. So the whole idea of these fireman's balls in these different fire stations is to raise a lot of money for the fire station throughout the year. There is a lot of dancing, there is drinking, there is games, there is food. So we're pretty excited about it. So this is actually quite disappointing. Google has failed me. We looked at the address of fire stations that are supposedly having parties and here we are with a fire station right behind us. And there is no party tonight. There is just a fire truck pulling back into the station because they are working. Well 2 out of 3 isn't bad? Yeah, so no party tonight guys. I guess we're heading back to the hotel. And that is the end of Bastille Day. So today we are having a nice little picnic in the outskirts of Paris. We just felt like we needed to get out of the city for a bit. So we went to a grocery store we picked up a few snacks and now we're in the bois de boulogne and we're going to be having a nice little picnic outside and it is a great day for it. So I'm excited to dig in to all of this food. Oh là là . Oui! So we've been eating a lot in our hotel and also at cafes. So we thought let's go out to the park and have a little feast. So I'm going to show you exactly what we got. We've got two bottles of little wine. They're both really cheap. We've got Couscous. We've got humus. Baguette. Croissant. Ah! Of course. Croissant. Chocolate. Enough Macarons to last us for a week. Plenty of Swiss cheese. Prosciutto. And smoked trout. So what might you be drinking today? I've got Cabernet Sauvignon. And I've really been enjoying this since coming to Paris. This particular bottle of wine. And it is just for personal consumption. It is only 250 mL. I've been picking it up for like a Euro forty, a Euro fifty at grocery stores, so I've been having one per day. It is my guilty little indulgence. And a picnic would not be complete without a little sweet treat. Show us that chocolate. I went to get some chocolat. Ooh la la. Delicious milk chocolate. Chocolat Au Lait. Now that was quite the feast. Now it is time for us to burn off the calories by walking around the park. We're on a boat. On a lake. In the bois de boulogne. And Sam is going to row me around for a whole hour. Yeah! Hmmmmm. Hmmmm. Hmmmm. So another day in Paris calls for another little Parisian treat. Today we have a box full of Macaron. And if you spend any time on Instagram you've probably noticed that when your friends travel to France they are posting pictures of these sweet little treats because they just look so cute really. So we got ourselves a box from a little pâtisserie and we're going to be sampling them. And it looks like we've got four different flavors of this one. Let's zoom in. And I can't wait to dig in. So what exactly are in these bad boy macaroon? Okay, so I'm not much of a baker but I did read up on these. And they are made with egg whites, icing sugar, regular sugar and then some almond powder. And they also use a little bit of food coloring to give them different colours. So as you can see here we've got four different variations with four different flavors. Well, let's not waste any time. Time for the taste test. So the problem I have is deciding which one to try first. I think maybe I'll try the green one. You know what, it is probably civilized to like nibble on these but I'm going one bite. One shot. Can you guess the flavor? Just wait. Is that pistachio? Who knows? Maybe. I'm pretty sure it is. And wow are those ever sweet. So tasty and really fluffy and as you're biting in to it surprisingly I wouldn't say crunchy but it has a bit of a crispy exterior. Alright, so I'm going with the pink one. Look at you just taking nibbles. All civilized over there. Have a look. So that is like a strawberry jam inside. And we have a little visitor. Hey, puppy. Hi, puppy. Oh, what do you see? Hahahahaha. No! Now that has to be the funniest. That is not even. Is that a photo or video bomb? Dog bomb! That dog was trying to steal my food. Dog bomb. Alright, so where were we? Well, I ate the strawberry before the dog took it away. So let's try another one. Let's go with this one. What is this? It must be vanilla, no? Coconut? Almond. Almond? Seriously? That is almond, yeah. Show a close-up of that. It has a nice little jam in the middle. As you can see the biscuit part is really fluffy. It does have a crispy exterior but it is super moist inside. Alright, last but not least I think we have maybe a brown chocolate one here. That's not chocolate. Can you guess what it is? Coffee? Ah, bingo, coffee. That has a really strong coffee flavor. I think that is actually my favorite one. So macarons are not exactly the cheapest dessert you can have. We've seen them over 20 Euro before. The pack we picked up which was 16 cost 13 Euros. And we've already ate half the box so we've had a bit of an expensive dessert but that is okay. We'll take the rest home and have it later. So today is our first day exploring Paris and we thought we'd sample a bit of the local cuisine. We came across a little stand that was selling Crêpes so I ordered one with jambon fromage. So this one is ham and cheese. It looks delicious. We've been walking around for hours and I'm starving so I'm so excited to just bite into this. Oh, yeah. I'm so hungry. We had the tiniest breakfast this morning. This is so good. The cheese is nice and crispy. You can see it has also melted inside. One more bite just to make sure it is edible before I pass it on to Sam. Ha. Oh yeah. That is amazing. And it is a whole wheat crepe so I don't feel so bad about indulging in this delicious treat. Alright, so what do you have there? So finally I get a turn after Audrey's two gigantic bites. Yes. I've been waiting a long time to have an authentic crepe from France. And it is living up to its reputation. So so tasty. The cheese is really salty as well too which I like. Excellent. So now it is time for dessert. So I ordered a crepe with Nutella. Oh show that Nutella. Look at that. The chocolate is all nice and melted. Wow! I'm so excited to bite into this. Mmmmm. Oh yeah. That is the perfect dessert. The crepe is super thin so it feels super light when you're eating it. It's not too filling. And just Nutella. That is my favorite thing to spread on toast, on muffins, on anything. So, it is magic. Mmmm. Well, well it is your turn. That is just like beyond amazing. The only other thing that I'd like to put in here would be bananas. That would be the ultimate. But apparently you can also get these dessert crepes with strawberries, with whipped cream, with other types of flavors. So sample them all! So because we are in a really touristy part of town. Like right across from the Eiffel Tower these crepes are a bit overpriced. We paid 4.50 for the one with Nutella and 5.50 for the one with ham and cheese. I know you can get them a lot cheaper elsewhere in the city but we were starving and it was worth it. This is delicious. Well good morning from Paris. It is about eleven in the morning which means it is time for either a second breakfast or a first lunch. So we've stopped off at a little Patisserie and we picked up a little treat that we're going to be sampling. So here is my little bag. First let me show you, they gave us cute cutlery, wrapped in pink string. Aw. And today we're going to have be having something called Croque-monsieur. I'm going to show you what that looks like in a second. As you can see over here the croque monsieur looks a lot like a grilled cheese sandwich. So it is just two slices of bread, ham and cheese in the middle. You can also have Bechamel sauce and then there is more cheese over top and that has been grilled and melted and it looks ooey an gooey. So I'm going to let Sam take the first bite because I'm always eating the food first. You sure are. Here you go. Alright, time to dig in. Wow, is that ever good. Basically my best way of explaining this is if you've ever had a grilled cheese before this is like a premier grilled cheese. It has an extra layer of cheese on top. Plus you get the ham in the middle and I just love how I think they put a lot of maybe butter on the bread or on the toast. And it just gives it that greasiness that makes it so tasty. And you're up next. I sure am. Mmm. Oh yeah. That is really good. It makes such a nice snack. I mean you could have it as a meal but it is also light enough to have as a snack in between meals too. I don't really know what kind of cheese this is but it is really really tasty. If you know what kind of cheese they use in these sandwiches let us know so I can pick some up in the grocery store. That is a lot of cheese. Check it out. An alternative sandwich to try, instead of the croque-monsieur is the Croque-Madame. And that one is also a grilled cheese sandwich but what they do is they put a fried egg right on top of your sandwich. So it is a little more filling. Um, but yeah I think that is the kind of sandwich that you probably want to order at a restaurant when you're sitting down. Otherwise it could get a little messy. So these are about 3 to 4 Euros. You can pick them up in any French bakery, a Patisserie, and the one tip that I want to give you is ask them to warm it up. It tastes so much better that way. Well, well it is time for another French dessert. So today we are introducing you to the Eclair. And I have two Éclairs in here that I just picked up from the little bakery shop. And it is time for the unveiling. Alright, so I went for the classic chocolate-topped Éclair. So basically it is just a long doughy pastry and the inside is supposedly filled with cream. And it has chocolate icing on top but let's bite in to be sure. Quality control over here. How is that? Actually, mine is not cream. It has like a creamy chocolate pudding in the middle and chocolate icing on top. That is almost liked a filled churro. And the taste? Yeah, it is delicious. It is amazing. I mean the pastry, it is almost like puffed pastry, it is very light and it is hollow inside so then they just fill it. Is it overly sweet? It is not overly sweet. It is more creamy than anything. It is like pudding. That is really good. Surprisingly good. Okay, so you've got a slightly different one. Yeah, mine is the coffee flavored one. You can also get all kinds of different flavors. There are different fruit flavours, there is rum toppings, there is all kinds of toppings. So if you enjoy the classic chocolate one definitely consider trying the other ones as well. Yeah, I think we saw strawberry and pistachio. Yeah, they have pistachio too. Yep. Alright, let's try this coffee one. Again, it is the inside - the cream, the pudding - and this one is of course coffee flavored cream inside. A really generous amount. It is almost like there is more pudding than pastry. Which is delicious. That is surprising. I was expecting the interior to have like a white whipped cream. Like a white pudding. Nope. It has got the flavor to match the icing. Yeah. Okay, so once again the price point for the Eclair. So to pick up an eclair you're looking at 2 to 2.50 Euro and again it is at a French bakery or Patisserie. And what I would recommend having it with is with a coffee or even have it as a dessert. It is delicious and highly recommended.
B1 US cheese versailles chocolate picnic grilled french Visit Paris Travel Guide 32620 3176 Jane posted on 2016/05/28 More Share Save Report Video vocabulary