Paris July 2022

The first and most important thing you can do in Paris if you don't speak French is say Bonjour to everyone you see, in shops, any service industry, restaurant, just say it. Usually they will speak in English back to you, if they can. Only once I explained that I don't speak French and asked if they spoke English, we made it work. We didn't experience rudeness, but everyone is sloooooow, everything is sloooow. Don't be in a rush.

On arrival to Gare Du Nord everyone wanted to use the bathroom before getting a cab, the toilet was 1 euro each to use. We had no coins, the let us go for free. Almost every toilet in France had a price tag from 1-3 euros. It is a lot. Try and use the bathroom at any meals or coffees you can.

We grabbed a cab from from the train station, there were no cabs, we queued for an hour, it was wild. Much easier to get without luggage.

Hotel Des Deux Continents
Wonderful location everything is so walkable, family room is a two room suite which was lovely and unexpectedly, breakfast was included (I wouldn't have paid for this as it is quite light, but it was a wonderful addition, lovely staff), good shower pressure, we really enjoyed our time here.

Luxembourg Gardens
This was right around the corner from where we were staying, so after walking around the neighbourhood, we went for a look. It is magnificent. So much on offer, great use of the space, we loved it here. There is a pond in the middle where children hire sail boats (6e for 30 mins) and sail them around, it was so sweet, we had the best afternoon here, so much so that we came back on our final day to hang out in the park.

Centre Pompidou
This is worth just seeing from the outside for the architecture if yu have no interest in art. If you do, there is a lot of modern art to see here. We got to see our first Frida. Lots of Picasso and lots of other famous art from that time. We enjoyed our time here.

Les Halles
A Westfield mall, mostly underground. Was a good place to do some chain shopping.  Not special, not worth going to unless you need something that you can only get there. Lots of the usual chain stores you can find anywhere. We were killing time on a rainy day, might not have gone otherwise. 

Louvre - ThatMuse tour
We did the ThatMuse tour of The Louvre. It is good to have some structure in a space with over 70,000 works. It was also fun. We did the beauty and the beasts one, which did take you to see Mona Lisa, its hectic in there. 

Roger La Grenouille
This spot is small, make a booking. They are known for their traditional French food, so we went for the frogs legs. They were not for us, no disrespect. They did have the best Creme Brulee that I have ever had. Worth it just for that. 

Le Marais
This was my favourite part of Paris, it is just awesome. The vibe, the stores, the art, the people. It is a cruise around and see where you end up type of spot. Would have spent way longer there if we didn't have the kids. Very cool. Make sure you visit Le Gay Choc for some penis bread. This area is around the corner from Centre Le Pompidou.

Paris Prestige Transfer
We used them for our trip from the hotel to Disney and back to the airport. It is 80e for a big, clean car, with a professional driver, felt safe and looked after.