We took a red-eye from Iceland and arrived in Paris around 6 am. There is a while since we booked the flight so I’m not really sure what we were thinking, booking a flight at this hour with 2 children, but I think we didn’t have much option and other flights around our traveling date were much more expensive.

Transport

The first thing we did was buying transport pass. We were aiming for a 3 day visitor pass but were sold a week pass – Navigo Décourverte. A photo was necessary for that pass. We did not have a photo and did not bother to get one. After staying in Paris for 2 days we ended up in a random check. The guard wrote the date he stopped us on the passes and told us we would get 35 EUR fine each next time we were stopped. We sure were not going to let that happen. An epic scene of the four of us taking pictures at a photo booth at Gare du Nord resulted in horrible mug shots. Of course we did not have any scissors so we just had to use our creative skills – pulling the pictures apart and sticking them to the passes.

Accommodation

We stayed at Le Montclair hostel which is at the foot of the Montmartre hill. We had a private room with a masterbed, bunk bed and a private bathroom. The hostel had a bohemian feel, it was clean and staff was friendly. The walls were thin so we sometimes woke up when people were getting to their rooms late at night. It is located near Sacré-Cœur Basilica and close to metro so it was easy to get to all the main attractions.

Wandering elves in Paris

On the first day, we “climbed” up to Sacré-Cæur at the Montmartre hill. Montmartre hill is the highest point of the city. We brought delicious sandwiches which we ate in a cozy garden near the basilica. The Sacré-Cæeur is a magnicifent building, both on the inside as well on the outside. The view over the city is spectacular. We just sat there for a while listening to a musician playing the harp. A funicular ride down the hill was welcomed for jetlagged elves. The rest of the day was used for resting.

On the second day we visited the Eiffel Tower. As recommended in various travel blogs we stopped at the Trocadero metro station. From the Trocadero square there is an amazing view of the tower and a nice walk through a beautiful garden. To save time, money and exercise those legs of ours we took the stairs to the second floor. We did not go to the summit this time. Before entering the Eiffel Tower area there was a security line. Two hours after we entered that line we had been to the second floor – with a pit stop on the first floor, had admired the view and were on the ground again.

We also visited Arc de Triumph and window-shopped at Champs_Élysées

On the third day we visited Notre Dam with its beautiful architecture. There was a pretty long line going into the cathedral but it moved very quickly. Luckily we had some light cardigans in our backpack because it is not allowed to enter the church with bare shoulders. The afternoon was spent in Jardin_du_Luxembourg which is a must visit if you are travelling with kids!

On our last day in Paris it was time to see the famous Moulin Rouge.

Next stop – Basel Switzerland!