Paris Market Guide: What to Eat

The many open markets boast some great food choices in Paris. No matter which one you choose to visit, you will find something that caters to your taste buds and budget. Wanna immerse in the culture, discover the “everyday side” of Paris, get to know the locals, do some people-watching and grab delicious budget food? Although not in a usual designated tourist path, put an outdoor market in your itinerary. You won’t be disappointed.  

Day trip from Paris: Monet’s House and Gardens, Giverny

Need a break from the hustle and bustle of Paris? What if I tell you there is a place not far from the city where you can venture into famous paintings and actually BE a part of the paintings? Impressionist painter Claude Monet would be delighted to welcome you to the place he appreciated the most— his house and his lovely gardens. 

Best Sweets to Try in Paris

You will see some big names on this list, but before you rise on your feet shouting "Tourist Traps", note that this is my first trip to Paris and so tourist traps or not, I just wanna try them all and see for myself what's all that hype about! 

The Best Places to View The Eiffel Tower Up Close

Arriving in Paris was such a dream came true. The first thing that popped into my mind was "I am going to visit the Eiffel Tower". Then riding in the metro line 6, I realized something: It can be seen everywhere and everywhere seems to be a good photo point... so where should I start? 

Where to Find The Best Skyline Views in Paris (My Top 15)

Ask any one of my travel buddies and they'll tell you how I am obsessed with city skylines. While in Paris, I was determined to stand on all observation points that offer spectacular views over the City of Light, however, after a quick research, I knew it wasn't possible to do everything in 4 days.

Top Tips To Know Before Visiting the Palace of Versailles

Well, A trip to Paris is never complete without a visit to Palace of Versailles. Versailles was the lavish residence of French monarchs until the French Revolution in 1789. A total of three French kings had lived there and added improvements to make it the Versailles Palace we see today. 

40 Best Free Things to do in Paris.

The best things in life are free. Thus, best things to do in Paris are free too. Now, let me list down 50 best free things to do in the city of light!

100 Paris Travel Tips

       Where is my favorite city in the world? Although it’s hard to answer this question, as Paris, the City of Light is the first city in my “100 ___ Travel Tips” series, you know the answer. It might seem cliché, some will even say that it is a highly overrated city and I know their reasons. 

       Now let me reveal the answer to this mystery. Visit Paris on a day trip hopping from one landmark to another without immersing yourself in the culture, and you will most certainly dislike Paris. But if you take it slow, go past the surface and explore its core, Paris will be the most beautiful city you’ve ever seen. 

       Here I’ve listed down 100 tips to help make your first trip to Paris as enjoyable as possible! 

France: 24 hours in Tours, Loire Valley

       Tours (with a silent s) is a vibrant, bustling city in the province of Touraine in Loire Valley, located in the centre-west of France. Standing on the lower reaches of the River Loire, the city had long been an important crossing point of the Loire since the Gallic time. Since the city is ideally located rather near to most Loire Valley chateaux, for example, Villandry (19 km), Amboise (35 km), Chenonceau chateau (40 km)… it makes a great base for travelers wanting to explore the exceptional Loire chateaux. That's not all... The city of Tours itself has a lot to offer. As first-time visitors, we've heard so much about its first-rate cultural heritage. We knew that we were going in for a treat. 

A Walk with Leonardo Da Vinci: 1 day in Amboise, France

       If the Loire Valley is an open book, I was lucky enough to flip through 2 pages by visiting Amboise and Chenonceaux. 
       Once home to the French royal court, now a vibrant market town, Amboise is a charming town in central France with the most Italian flair going on. 

Aix-en-Provence Hidden Gem: Hotel de Gallifet (Food+Art+History)

There are a million thousand reasons to visit Provence in Southern France: the Lavender fields, the theater festival, the freshest selections of fruits and vegetables. Hence, we are not leaving without a proper meal in Aix-en-Provence, and we found just the perfect place to embark on our Provencal gastronomic venture. 

10 Things Not To Be Missed In Avignon, France

Last July, I had an amazing time in Avignon, the city of the Popes. Now let me tell you exactly what I did during my 2 days stay. I hope this serves as a useful guide for those who are planning their first visit to this beautiful medieval city. As for returning visitors, I am sure you've gain more insights, so feel free to let me know in the comment section below! Thank you in advance! 

Paragliding Over the France Alps in Chamonix

After a sumptuous breakfast buffet at Hotel Mont Blanc, Vivian and I walked to the flying school of Air Sports Chamonix, looking forward to the most anticipated paragliding experience. It was our first time flying in the air, and I am not talking about sitting securely on a plane.

The Best of Luberon In A Day

If you’ve read “The Lavender Keeper” by Fiona McIntosh about the French Resistance, then you’ll be excited to set foot in (some say, and I agree) the most beautiful region in France—Provence! I couldn’t believe I was in Provence already, one of my dream destinations. A visit to the picturesque Luberon region was mandatory, I’ve heard great things about it. Provence Reservation seemed like a good travel agent to book a “Pure Luberon Experience” tour with, so I happily went with the plan proposed by the tourism board of Vaucluse.  

FOOD AFFAIR: BISTROT BALTHAZAR, AVIGNON, FRANCE

I’ve developed a thing in France. I’ve become a slow eater. After the amazing 3-course-meal experience in Le Matafan, Hotel Mount Blanc, that took me 2 hours to finish, I continued to make history, beating my own record. It only meant one thing: I really enjoy French Cuisine.

WAKING UP IN: HOTEL MIRABEAU, TOURS, FRANCE.

     With The Palace of Versailles being one of the most popular chateaus in France, and I found out that despite it totally lives up the hype I didn’t really enjoy my visit, I reasoned that visiting other Chateaus in the country must be a good idea. Loire Valley is one of those places with elegant Chateau aplenty. Hence, I have to go there, and I was glad that the Tourism Board of Loire Valley stepped in to organize my trip. Making Tours the base of my visit to the chateaus of Loire Valley, I managed to check into Hotel Mirabeau.  

     The hotel is named after Mirabeau, one of the only few early shakers of the French Revolution that I knew, hence, I was excited to see what it had to offer.

WAKING UP IN: HOTEL BOQUIER, AVIGNON, FRANCE.

After a long day traveling on the train, We found ourselves standing outside the magnificent wall of a medieval city also known as “the city of the Popes”. Avignon is the kind of cities I’d love to be back in a heartbeat, find out why HERE! It was the start of the Theater festival when we arrived and we were lucky to be able to check into a quaint hotel— Hotel Boquier. 

WAKING UP IN : HOTEL MONT BLANC CHAMONIX, FRANCE

Browsing through TripAdvisor while planning for my 70 days long Europe trip, I came across the Hotel Mont Blanc and thought to myself: A stay there would be amazing, except that my imaginary pot of gold key doesn't exist. I never thought that 1 month later, I would be sitting on the terrace of the best room in Hotel Mont Blanc with my best buddy sipping champagne while marveling the grandeur of Mount Blanc. Pinch me I must be dreaming! 

8 Reasons to Visit Chateau du Clos Lúce (Leonardo da Vinci's House), Amboise

“Here Leonardo, you will be free to dream, to think and to work.”

The kings of Loire Valley had been looking up to Italy for it’s Renaissance ideas. To further incorporate renaissance into French life, inviting the Italian renaissance man seemed to be the best idea, and King François I did just that. 

How To Do Train Ticket Refund (SNCF)

A lot of my friends were in awe when I said I've successfully done a SNCF Train Ticket Refund. I did not know it is such a complicated process (some say impossible) but it did take 3 months for them to refund me. Here is exactly what happened.