Our second day of sightseeing around the city of Paris involved us taking in the Notre Dame Catherdral, the Ile St Louis, the Basilica du Sacré Coeur and the charming neighbourhood of Montmartre. We would spend a free style day of exploration through these charming sights, without the commitment of a firm schedule. This made for a pretty relaxing second day in Paris, France.

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This post is one chapter on our trip to Jordan, Israel and France during the end of the pandemic. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and Alaska Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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What’s Left of Notre Dame Caterdral, Sacré Coeur and Montmartre, Paris, France

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There is nothing like visiting Paris, France. It’s one of the leading cities to visit in the world, and a must see for any visitor to Western Europe.

As I had written on a summary of our first day’s sightseeing, it had been a while wince I had visited Paris, France. The last time I had the opportunity to visit the city was when I passed through on my way to business school in Grenoble, France in the year 2007. As a result, I was keen to see the spots were we had missed on the first da’s sightseeing.

Why Visit Paris, France ?

The reasons remain the same. There are dozens of reasons to visit Paris, France. First and foremost, the city of Paris has several of the world most famous landmarks. The world would not be the same without the Eiffel Tower, the Arc the Triomphe, the Louvre, the Notre Dame Catherdral, and the wonderful Seine River flowing underneath’s Parisian’s bridges.

In addition to the wonderful landmark sights, Paris is also known for world class food. As the home of the French Bistro restaurant, it also offers Michelin Starred dining opportunities. As the home of French Onion Soup, Grand Cru Classé wines and french baguette bread, there is more than enough french cuisine to dive into.

Lastly, Paris, France is also known as the City of Lights. The city is lit up throughout the night with wonderful light displays. The Eiffel Tower also has a terrific light display that appears on the hour, until about midnight.

All of these are great reasons to visit Paris, France.

Getting To and Around Paris, France:

The city of Paris France has an excellent train network and rail system. As a result, I’ve never had a need to rent a car in Paris. I have always relied on the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer (SNCF) rail system and the métro in order to get around the city.

On our stay, we were staying at The Westin Paris – Vendôme hotel, which was exceptionally well located for sightseeing. The Westin Paris – Vendôme hotel was conveniently located next to the Tuilieries Metro Station, which made for convenient navigation to and from the hotel.

The Place de La Concorde:

We set out for a day’s worth of sightseeing from The Westin Paris – Vendôme hotel. The hotel was located next to the Jardin des Tuilieries park just steps from the hotel.

Today, we headed left walking on foot towards the Louvre Museum, and started walking over toward the Notre Dame Cathedral. We passed the fountains in the Jardin des Tuilieries as we headed over to the Louvre Museum.

While we didn’t visit the Louvre Museum, it appeared that the rest of the world had the museum on their schedule. The crowds at the entry courtyard demonstrated that this would be a busy experience.

The Notre Dame Cathedral:

We walked from the Louvre over to the Notre Dame Cathedral. It had been a while since I’d visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, especially since the electrical fire that consumed most of the historic wooden chapel.

Arriving to Notre Dame on this visit, the front of the Notre Dame was in great shape.

However, the rear of the re-construction project was in full swing. Based on photographs, it would be years before the Notre Dame Cathedral would be finished.

We headed across for a brief walk through the charming Ile St Louis; picking up some take away sandwiches for a brief snack.

Visiting the Basilique du Sacré Coeur:

We took the Metro Train from the St Michel de Notre Dame up to the Château Rouge Metro Station. After walk through some engaging Parisian neighbourhoods, we climbed the stairs up toward the Sacré Coeur church.

The Basilica of Sacré Coeur was constructed in 1873 but the grounds weren’t consecrated until 1919. It was built as a result of contributions from Parisian Catholics after the Franco – Prussian war between 1870 -1871.

The Sacré Coeur Church commands an excellent view across Paris. We enjoyed our take away sandwiches while we enjoyed the fall skyline views under the shadows of this wonderful cathedral.

There is nothing like being locked into Paris, France.

Walking the Hilly Streets of Montmartre:

From Sacré Coeur, it was a short walk to the charming neighbourhood of Montmartre. The streets of Montmartre were very popular on our visit and we saw many cruise ship excursion groups making their rounds.

Along with some charming tourist cafés, we saw some local artists sketching out their subjects.

We wandered down the hill towards the Moulin Rouge. The quiet charm of the Montmartre neighbourhood was fully over come with tourists today. It marked a busy place to visit and was a consistent theme to our visit.

After climbing down the hill, we enjoyed a great dinner at Bouillon Pigalle near the Moulin Rouge, prior to heading back to The Westin Paris – Vendôme under charming sunset skies in the City of Light.

My Thoughts on Visiting Paris:

Our second day of visiting Paris, France had us taking in some of the city’s familiar sights that included the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Sacré Coeur church and the wonderful Montmartre neighbourhood.

The city of Paris remains one of these places where you can visit and simply wander, taking in the city as it comes.

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If you have visited Paris, France, what sights do you take in on your visit to the city ?

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