13 days in Paris and Disneyland Paris

Trip Description

Paris is a city suited to everyone—young people, the elderly, couples and singles—and it's beautiful by day and even more so by night. We arrived on Monday at CDG on an Air France flight and, as advised many times on TPC, we immediately got the Carte Orange at the airport offices, with which we traveled all week by bus, metro and trains. The card is essential and convenient for a holiday of more than 5 days, especially if you arrive on a Monday; in fact, it's valid from Monday through the following Sunday inclusive, so for us it was a godsend to get around without limitations for 7 days at a cost of only 36 euros for zones 1-5, including the Montmartre funicular to reach the Sacré-Cœur and the minibus ride from the airport (they ask only 8-9 euros for that).

Remember to bring a passport photo to attach to the pass! Our Hotel Leonardo da Vinci was located in the Marais district, Parmentier metro stop, near Place de la République. We booked through an agency because the price per night was convenient—39 euros per person with breakfast included—clearly a 2-star hotel, certainly not luxurious but clean, with courteous staff (some even speak Italian) and reasonably connected to the center by metro. In eight days we visited quite a bit of this city, trying to make the most of our time and the museum pass (3 days).

For example, on Wednesday we went to Versailles and the Louvre, since in the evening it's open until 9:45 pm; on Thursday, Notre-Dame–Conciergerie–Sainte-Chapelle–Panthéon and in the evening the Musée d'Orsay, open until 9:45 pm (in my opinion, not to be missed); on Thursday, Musée Carnavalet–Arc de Triomphe–the Cathedral, and in the evening the late opening of the Centre Pompidou. In the first three days we used the metro a lot to save time and to see the interiors of the various monuments and museums; the other days we used our poor legs to roam the Eiffel Tower area, the Champs-Élysées area and the various neighborhoods, but we also went to the outlying areas, to the Parc de la Villette where we saw a striking show inside the Géode, and also to visit the Cathedral of Saint-Denis where the royal families of France are buried (including Marie Antoinette).

To get to the Cathedral from the train station you have to cross the center of this Paris suburb, and I must say that the surrounding environment is much more dilapidated and sad compared to the central areas of the capital; the Church, however, is truly striking! Then we headed toward the beautiful Château de Vincennes (the royal residence before Versailles) and the nearby botanical gardens where we were able to observe an innumerable variety of Dahlias!! A somewhat unusual destination we visited is in the St-Germain-des-Prés district, and it was the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, run by the Sisters of Charity, where Saint Catherine Labouré had apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1830, on the basis of which the famous medal, now known throughout the world, was struck! A simple and spiritual place (crowded with pilgrims) that left us with a beautiful memory! For the less believ

ing, it should be noted that right next door we found the most striking and luxurious food supermarket we had ever seen—in my opinion, not to be missed, …or rather, to lose your head, your appetite and your wallet over if you're a "GLUTTON" like me. Naturally, being a little couple, we treated ourselves to an evening cruise on the Seine with Bateaux Parisiens and a dinner at a restaurant that served exclusively oysters prepared in several ways (in front of the St-Eustache church)!!! On the other days, though, we made do with food by grabbing bites on the go, especially in the Latin Quarter and Beaubourg and Les Halles, where you can find everything.

The best thing is the Crepe, both sweet (with mandarin liqueur) and savory (excellent with champignon mushrooms and cheese)!!!!!!!! After these very intense and busy 8 days in Paris, we headed to a more carefree destination, namely Disneyland Paris. We had booked the Hotel Cheyenne because, precisely during the days we were going, there was the offer of the fourth night free, including the entrance ticket even on the last day. The hotel is truly very cute, in my opinion the most characteristic, themed like a Far West town with country music keeping you company everywhere, making you feel like a Calamity Jane or a Girolamo!!!! As for the parks, we threw ourselves into all the attractions for adults and children alike without restraint, despite the husband being 40 and me 33 and with no little ones in tow.

We definitely liked the Studios more, but everything was still beautiful and fun! As for the Studios, don't miss the shows; check the times right away (they give you the brochure at the entrance) because for some there are only 2 performances a day. Unmissable is Moteurs Action, where the stuntmen put on a real show with cars and motorcycles! Cinemagique and Animagique are also nice. As for the attractions, the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Aerosmith has the fastest roller coaster of both parks (even faster than the more famous Space Mountain Mission 2); I assure you the start takes your breath away—I personally came close to fainting!!!! This park is smaller in size compared to the Disneyland Park; to go around it all and see all the shows (which take up more time) you need about a day and a half, and the attractions are more suited to adults.

The Disneyland Park, on the other hand, is prettier in terms of scenery, but there are some rides almost exclusively for children (I say almost, because we did those too!!). I want to highlight the Tarzan show (there are 3 fixed times for this one too), and as for the roller coasters I want to mention Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, and as the most striking and well-made attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean! By the way, eating there is a real blow, we did some grocery shopping in Paris before leaving (ham and long-lasting bread, various sweets and biscuits, water and drinks) and made do with that and with breakfast the first morning at the hotel, otherwise we'd have come back plucked like chickens!!!! Last but not least, since we had several days to use, we took the train which, with a 5-minute ride, took us directly to the Marne-la-Vallée Shopping Center where we found everythin

g and more, and obviously we threw ourselves into shopping in the clothing stores (big brands at reduced prices), squandering the last money we had left!!! The holiday was spot on, even if we spent a bit of money we came back satisfied with the choice and we highly recommend this "Format!!!!"