Bye Paris: Montmartre, Seine Boat Tour and Eiffel Tower Views!

Intro

This is it! After almost 2 weeks in Paris, I was heading out. My Round the World Trip 2024 had to continue, and I had a lot of exciting things waiting for me in the upcoming days. This is a summary of my trip in Paris, including the jump from China:

Now, it was time to explore the eclectic Montmartre neighborhood, getting for the first time on a Seine boat tour, and finally saying goodbye to Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Let’s do this!

Montmartre

Montmartre is a historic and picturesque district in Paris, known for its bohemian charm, steep cobblestone streets, and artistic legacy. Nestled on a hill in the northern part of the city, it offers stunning views of Paris from the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Once a hub for famous artists like Picasso, Monet, and Van Gogh, Montmartre retains its artistic spirit with street performers, painters, and the lively Place du Tertre. Its unique atmosphere blends history, culture, and romance, making it a must-visit destination in the French capital.

We made the mistake of getting off the The Abbesses métro station in Montmartre, the deepest in Paris. And OMG. I was so mad to had to go an equivalent of 8 floors up on a spiral staircase, and then we found an elevator on top lol. After all that cardio, and looking for the top of the hill, we passed by this Colombian market where we got some passion fruit juices, very much needed at this point.

The owner of the establishment was very nice, and gave us instructions to get to the funicular and get to the top of the hill faster and easier. By the place where we take this tram, we found an official Olympics store where we got some shirts. This is a separate ticket, and the lift is very quick, but convenient.

Once up there, I was able to see all the stairs we avoided, and reminded me of the ridiculous scene in John Wick 4.

The ambience by Place du Tertre on the top of the hill is just amazing. Multiple stores, restaurants, art exhibitions, all in cobblestone streets and beautiful ornate buildings.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

On the very top of Montmartre lies the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. Built between 1875 and 1914, it was constructed as a symbol of faith and hope after the Franco-Prussian War. The basilica’s Romano-Byzantine architecture is distinctive, with a grand dome and intricate mosaics, including the famous Christ in Majesty. Visitors can climb to the dome for panoramic views of Paris or enjoy the peaceful ambiance inside. The Sacré-Cœur is both a place of worship and a major landmark, drawing millions of tourists and pilgrims annually.

The views of Paris from up here are amazing.

And the church itself is apotheosic. Definitely a must-do destination even if you are not religious at all.

Bouillon

After our visit, we walked down and all this going up and down in this hilly neighborhood made us hungry. Fortunately, I had bookmarked in my Google Maps, this restaurant, recommended by my French course teacher back in New York, Bouillon.

There was a little wait since the place is very famous, but we were able to find a table.

For starters, we ordered the escargots, which my mom had not tried before. I think she liked them lol.

For me, I got the Ratatouille, but it was not really what I was expecting. It was very mushy and condimented, not my jam.

For the Main Course, I got the Steak Frites. It is always nice to get some good protein during these long trips, so your body do not get too upset.

My mom chose the salmon and potato salad, and to be fair it looked really good. Fortunately, in the next leg of my trip I was going to get a lot of salmon included ;).

For dessert, we shared a Creme Brulee, because why not. We were in Paris, and wanted to try some traditional foods while in here.

Moulin Rouge

After dinner, and a few meters from it, we passed by Moulin Rouge. Reminded me of the Broadway play that I had just seen before starting this RTW24.

Seine River Boat Tour

On our last day in Paris, we decided to do a couple of paid activities, the first one being a Seine River Boat Tour, which I had never done before in my multiple visits to Paris, so I was excited about it.

We chose Bateaux Parisiens, very close to the Eiffel Tower. Got the tickets and waited until the next tour. They run about every hour or so.

After boarding, we found seats, and the boat quickly started with all the safety precautions. We would start around the Eiffel tour, go East towards the Île de la Cité and then back to the same spot.

Safety during the Olympics was everywhere, even in the river.

My mom stayed inside most of the time, but I stayed on the upper platform seeing the city landscape and taking pictures.

After a few minutes, we got to the Île de la Cité, where the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is located. It was nice passing by all the bridges. There was a full narration on the boat of everything we were seeing both in English and French.

Re-construction of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris continued and I hope I can get to visit this church again sometime soon.

It was time to get back, and after turning we went to the north side of the Isle, with the cathedral still semi-visible.

The boat tour was very serene and calm. I was running around tho, taking pictures and trying to see everything.

We passed by the Musée d’Orsay which we had explored previously.

And finally made it to the Eiffeel Tower once again, but oh surprise! The captain gave us a few more extra minutes and went all the way down to the Statue de la Liberté Paris in the Ile aux Cygnes, the same one we had explored a few days ago.

Incredible but yeah, my 2 favorite cities in the world in the same picture. New York City and Paris.

And with that surprise we finished the boat tour. Loved every second of it. I would probably not recommend it if you are on a budget or do not have much time, but if you can do not hesitate on doing it.

Eiffel Tower

I had been on top of the Eiffel Tower a couple of times already, so I did not want to go up again, but we had ran out of things to do literally, so why not. I went online, and booked the tickets to go up. Unfortunately, I was not able to buy it to the very top, but it did say online that they could be purchased on the tower.

Confused, we passed security (airport style), and went to the ticket booths located at either leg of the huge tower.

The line was long, and when we finally made it to the booth, we were told that we could not upgrade the tickets to go all the way, we had to buy them again and basically loose these tickets we had purchased. I was so mad I would not be able to go to the top, but at least we were going to the second floor.

We had to do another line, this time for the elevator, and up we were to the second floor, in which we saw the beautiful views of Trocadero, Parc des Champions and La Défense.

The views were amazing. All these venues just built for the Olympics always impressed me. This was the best way to finish my stay in Paris.

We had been to many of these place we were now seeing from the icon of Paris, and now we were saying goodbye.

We went down to the first floor, and got to the main store, the cafes and restaurants. Got a coffee, and relaxed for a bit, before heading back to the hotel. My mom was flying out early the next morning, but I would continue my RTW.

And this is how Paris ends. My visit with both my mom and my friend made a wonderful stay in my second favorite city in the world. I would definitely come back, and already have plans to do so. For now, I was excited to continue with my RTW.