I have wanted to go to Paris ever since I saw a photo of the Hall of Mirrors in Chateau de Versailles when I was 10 years old. I tried to make it happen several times throughout my life but between life events and money the trip never came to be. At the beginning of July 2021, I saw someone post a photo from Versailles with it practically empty. France had just reopened to foreign tourists and the crowd sizes were very low. I looked at my July schedule, saw I had four days off at the end of the month and decided it was time.

With my first and last day taken up by travel, I had just 48 hours to see as much as I could in the City of Light. I put some feelers out to see if anyone else was available to go with me, and luckily had two friends, Melissa and Amy, to explore Paris with!

All prices I give here are approximate as I am converting from Euros to United States Dollars (USD). The conversion rate changes daily.

The Preparation

With such a short amount of time, we had to choose our top priorities. Mine were to go to Chateau de Versailles and to be as budget conscious as possible. Originally I was prepared to do this trip alone, so with that mindset I chose to stay in a hostel. This allowed all of us to spend our money other places. We stayed at St. Christophers Inn Gare de Nord. It ended up coming out to $30 USD per person, per night. $60 total for accommodations for two nights isn’t too shabby. They had great staff, and it was kept clean. Per typical European stays, there was no A/C so it did get warm in our 8 person dorm room.

One place in particular I was willing to drop some cash was going to Versailles. After some googling, I found Boutique Bike Tours. I cannot recommend them enough! The tour was $154, but more on that later!

We also decided in the interest of saving money, we would eat at cafes, street stalls, bakeries, and grocery stores. This decision also freed up more time for us as Europeans tend to dine at a more leisurely pace.

Day One

After we took the overnight flight from New York City, we arrived in Paris at 6:30am local time. I can sleep on planes pretty easily. This is an essential skill that allows me to push through the whole day without a nap. There is no time to waste with sleeping when you only have 48 hours at a destination!

We took the metro into the city for $13 one way. The metro was fairly easy to use, especially now that Google and Apple Maps have ‘public transit’ as an options for directions. After an easy check-in to our hostel and a quick refresh, we headed out to take on the day.

When planning this trip, I was getting overwhelmed at how to map out our day so that we could see the top sights without criss-crossing the city unnecessarily. Thankfully a week before my trip I ran into another flight attendant friend, and she told me about this AMAZING website/app. Visit a City takes all the guess work out of itinerary planning. You find your city, select how many days you have there, and it gives you multiple paths to choose based on your preferences. They have everything from a Family Plan to a Shopping centered itinerary. The best part? It’s free!! And with thousands of locations they have guides for, if you get nothing else from this post, I hope I was able to introduce you to this amazing resource.

Back to our day. I went with the Paris One Day Itinerary – Top Attractions. Now, with COVID, wanting to see as much as possible, and stay budget friendly, we decided not to go inside any attractions on this day. Yes, I went to Paris for the first time and did not go in the Louvre or to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I can do those things when I go back next time!

First things first, FOOD

The first sight to see on our Visit a City guide was Notre Dame. We purchased 2 day unlimited passes for the metro for $23 and headed a few stops down. Before we launched into major walking and sightseeing, we had to eat. We found the CUTEST cafe steps from the cathedral. I think it may have been my favorite one we went to the whole trip.

Notre Dame

After filling up on crepes and espresso, we strolled over to Notre Dame. Because of the fire in 2019, you cannot get too close or go inside at this time. It was still stunning to see, and I was so grateful the front wasn’t covered!

Floral Market

On the way to the next major attraction, we walked through Ma Petite Fleur and other floral shops. I love flowers, and it was worth the few extra steps for a more scenic route.

Palais de la Cité

The Palais de la Cité was the home of the royal families of France before Chateau de Versailles was built by Louis XIV. It is still the sights Sainte-Chapelle, the chapel of the palace and Conciergerie, the former prison.

La Samaritaine

After Sainte-Chapelle, we made our way back to the north bank of the Seine and walked along the river. This direction will take you to the Louvre, but I had a pit stop I wanted to make on the way. La Samaritaine was just (re)opened in June by the LVMH Group. This stunning building was constructed originally in the late 1800s. Now that it is owned and operated by the LVMH group, it is a designer shopping destination.

The Louvre

Since I did not go into the museum, I cannot speak on the collections housed within. I can, however, marvel at the care and detail that went into even the outside of the building. And of course, I had to take in the view of the glass pyramids.

Tuileries Gardens

Directly passed the Louvre, the Tuileries Gardens begins. I love public parks (kinda goes hand in hand with loving flowers I guess) and this was no exception. These gardens are beautifully maintained with sculptures and water features a plenty. Here it started to rain, and we were able to wait out the shower under some densely limbed trees.

31 Rue Cambon

31 Rue Cambon is the address of Coco Chanel’s apartment she owned in the city. I couldn’t come all the way to Paris and not see it! The building is now owned by Chanel (the brand) and is a boutique.

COVID Test and a Snack

While I only had to show my vaccination card to enter France, I had to have a negative COVID test to go back home to the states. At this point in the day, we found a pharmacy to get a test done, as we would have no time on day two. It was a quick nasal swab test and cost $35. The pharmacy said our results would be ready in 30 minutes, so we went to a cafe down the street to refuel and wait.

An Eiffel Tower Picnic

After showing impressive restraint all day, it was time for me to finally see the symbol of Paris, and arguably France, the Eiffel Tower. I had already screamed once earlier in the day when I saw the top of the tower for the first time. On our way there, we stopped in a supermarket and bakery to pick up food and champagne. This was my favorite activity of day one. Just sitting on the Champ de Mars, snacking and enjoying the view. It didn’t get dark out until 9:30pm and of course we wanted to see the tower sparkle at 10. We sat outside for probably 3 hours.

After finishing the snacks we brought, we also found a crepe stand so we could get some dessert. The man running the stand was so nice and good natured! He even took this picture of me and my friend Melissa.

After that, we turned if for the nigh to get up at the crack of dawn the next day!

What I Wore in Paris: Day One

Blouse, old from H&M: Most Similar | Darker Green | Different Shape | Jeans: Exact | Similar 1 | Similar 2 | Necklace: 2 in 1! | Purse, sold out from H&M: Similar 1 | Similar 2 | Sneakers, old from Adidas: Similar

Day Two

Another day of early rising, we headed into central Paris to meet up with our tour group at 7:45am and take the train out to Versailles together. We used Boutique Bike Tours and they were FANTASTIC. I cannot recommend them enough. For the price of $154 per person, they provided the train tickets to and from Versailles, the bikes we rode all day, our entrance tickets to the Palace and the grounds, a mini cheese and wine tasting in the town market, and guided tours everywhere we went, no pre-recorded tracks here. And it was an all day affair, we started at 7:45am meeting them in Paris, and got back into town around 5:00pm

An important note here; there is Chateau de Versailles, which is the palace build by Louis XIV and then there is the town around it, which is Versailles. After grabbing a ‘pain au chocolat’ (chocolate croissant) and a water for breakfast at the station, we boarded the express train to get out of the city! Versailles was the first stop on the express train and took just 11 minutes to get there.

Getting Our Bikes

Being that this was a bike tour, getting the bikes we would use for the day was the first thing we did. They are so cute, vintage-looking bicycles with large baskets on the front to hold a few things. My purse and later lunch fit perfectly! After making adjustments so that everyone was comfortable, we were off to the palace.

The Palace, Chateau de Versailles

What a breathtaking view to ride up to. Louis XIV knew what he wanted and the builders understood the assignment. It was so special to visit as the palace was opening back up to visitors and not many people were there. Stu was guiding our tour inside the palace and was incredible at giving us the back stories on the kings and queens that lived there. We went through dining rooms, meeting rooms, bedrooms, and of course, the Hall of Mirrors.

The Grounds and Gardens

After being inside for some time, we went outside to explore the gardens. Here Lola took over our tour and told us all about why the gardens look the way they do, and how they made it happen. For example, we learned that the fountains work through a hydraulic system, but they could not get enough water out to the palace for all the fountains to run at the same time. Even after bringing water from the Seine. AND they never replaced the pumps so it’s the same system that powers the fountains today, and they still can’t run them all at once!

Tastings and the Market

When we had our fill of the gardens we got back on our bikes and headed into the market. Here we did a mini cheese and wine tasting, and also did some shopping for our picnic lunch. At the cheese tasting, I bought a piece of one cheese that we sampled and some crepes that had been made earlier that day. Then my friends and I went to a boulangerie (bakery) that Lola told us was a local favorite. I got a sandwich there and also picked up some strawberries from a stand. Since I didn’t have any coffee that morning, I knew I needed to pick up an espresso when I saw the cutest little cart for it in the market. Most places in the market were cash only. So make sure to have some euros handy if this sounds like something you want to do!

The Further Grounds at Chateau de Versailles

I’ve seen so many photos from inside the palace and around the gardens, but I honestly did not know how far the grounds of the palace extended. There’s a very large canal through the middle and the king used to have gondola rides for himself and his guests. There is also the kings holiday home, the queen’s holiday home, and Marie Antoinette’s hamlet. We rode our bikes to all these sights and stopped for our picnic under some trees by the canal.

Back to Paris

We return our bikes and say goodbye to Stu, Niki, and Lola. We get back on the train to Paris. When we get back to our hostel, we shower and snack on our lunch leftovers. If I would have been on this trip by myself I doubt I would have gone back out this evening. I really could have gone to bed at 7pm. But! We did not make it to the Arc de Triomphe on day one, so we decided to get back out there.

Arc de Triomphe

We took the metro to the Arc and walked down the Champs-Élysées. At this time of night, all the shops were closed so we were not so tempted to go shopping. And as it was our last night in Paris, we thought the evening wouldn’t be complete without one more cafe visit. We found Liberta before heading back to the hostel and packing up to head home the next morning!

What I Wore in Paris: Day Two

Dress: Exact | Purse, sold out from H&M: Similar 1 | Similar 2 | Sandals: Exact (almost sold out) | Similar | Necklace: 2 in 1! | Blazer old, from Loft: Similar 1 | Similar 2 | Jeans: Exact | Similar 1 | Similar 2 | Top old, from Loft: Similar 1 | Similar 2 | Sneakers old, from Adidas: Similar

Day Three

Go home day! After asking a couple of friends that went to Paris earlier in the month, I knew that it was in our best interest to get to the airport early early to overcome any long lines there may be. We ended up getting there so early it took about 45 minutes from the time we got off the train to sitting at our gate. We napped a little in the 4 hours we waited for our flight to start boarding. After a quick 7 hours we were back in the states and I was ready to go on call for work the next day!

Final Thoughts

I love doing these micro trips! They are exhausting but so rewarding. Being able to see as much as I can without using tons of time and money makes me feel accomplished. I also want to encourage you that you can go and see things and not have to take two weeks off from work and have a big budget. All together I believe I did this trip for around $450, including the airport taxes I have to pay when I travel internationally.

I am so thrilled to have two amazing travel companions with me on this trip. All photos featured were taken by one of the three of us, with the really ~profresh~ ones courtesy of Amy!

Find Amy Here! Find Melissa Here!

I realize that going across continents may not be feasible for everyone, so this post may be helpful mostly to other flight attendants and those already in Europe. Would you ever consider taking a micro trip? Have you done so before? I’d love to hear about it below!

Thank you so much for reading, it really means a lot to me. Until next time, stay fab! Xoxo,