There’s no better way to celebrate the New Year, than celebrating it down the Champs-Élysées, with fireworks coming from the Arc de Triomphe, welcoming the New Year!

On New Year’s Eve, 2016, we flew into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, in aid to celebrate the New Year in a different country, a different city. We choose Paris, as it was recommended as one of the top spots to go for the New Year. The city did not disappoint us one bit!

Not only did we celebrate the New Year in Paris, but we also started the year, 2017, exploring the streets of Paris. What better way is there to start the New Year, than being surrounded by the magnificent Eiffel Tower and freshly made croissants?

Accommodation

Traveling for New Year can be pricey, especially when you are after accommodation with a view of the Eiffel Tower, from your very own room window. However, we found a way to make it more affordable. We decided to choose to stay with Airbnb. Airbnb is a site where people hire out their spare rooms and homes. We have stayed with Airbnb a few times and they have all been fantastic.

I cannot remember the name of the one we stayed in. However, if you go on to the Airbnb website, there is loads to choose from. If you are after a room with a view of the Eiffel Tower, just type in the search, view of Eiffel Tower and loads of options should come up.

Here’s a direct link to the Airbnb website: Airbnb.co.uk

Photos are taken from our room:

Food

When in Paris, trying all the lovely baguettes and freshly baked pastries, is a must. From croissants to French Macrons, there is something for everyone.

Here are some of the mouth-watering treats I enjoyed, while staying in Paris:

Transport

To get around Paris, we used the Metro and the overground train. However, you can also use their buses and trams too. A single metro ticket will cost you €1.90. You can buy a Paris Visite Pass, which is valid for either 1, 2, 3, or 5 days and gives you unlimited use on all RATP services. The RATP services are the Metro, train, tram, and buses in the centre of Paris. You can buy a pass that will cover you for zones 1, 2, or 3. A pass for just zone 1, for 5 days will cost you €38.35 for an adult ticket. However, please note this will not cover you to get to and from the airport. So make sure you do your research before buying the pass.

Spending New Year’s Eve In Paris

New Year’s Eve in Paris is certainly one to remember! We arrived hours before midnight, just to get a spot down the Champs-Élysées, attempting to get as close as we could, to the famous Arc de Triomphe. As midnight drew closer, a fantastic light show was presented on the front of the Arc de Triomphe, as the locals sang away the song, Aux Champs-Elysées. The song we ended up singing to ourselves for the rest of the trip! The atmosphere was fantastic! As midnight arrived, fireworks fill the night sky, celebrating the New Year, 2017.

It was a great experience! The only downside to it all, it was cold standing out for the length of time before midnight, just to be close to the Arc de Triomphe. Not only were we cold, but our legs were also aching by 10 pm! Maybe we’re just getting old!

Sightseeing In Paris

Here is what we did in the beautiful city of Paris:

Eiffel Tower

A trip to Paris cannot be complete without seeing the Eiffel Tower! The wrought-iron lattice tower, located on the Champ de Mars, is one of Paris’s most popular attractions. Built in 1887, the tower reaches a grand 324 metres high into the sky. In the first couple of days, after we arrived, the top of the tower was buried in the clouds. Luckily, by the third day, the tip revealed itself to us, as the clouds burnt away and out came the sun.

Each night, after dark, the Eiffel Tower lights up. On the hour, every hour, the tower sparkles away. It is truly magical to see.

The iron tower is magnificent to see and even more impressive to go up. To beat the long queues for the lifts to go up, I recommend booking a tour. Not only do you get educated about the tower, but you also get to skip the line. Once you get to the main viewing platform, you then get a choice to pay extra to go up to the very tip of the tower. We decided not to pay the extra, as before we went, we had read about the views at the top being not much different. Plus, I am not fantastic with heights. Going up to the main platform was a challenge in itself. If you are really bad with heights, you may want to enjoy the view of the Eiffel Tower from the ground only.

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is a very popular monument in Paris. Or should I say, it’s one of Paris’s most popular monuments to see! It is a truly impressive monument to see. Sat in the middle of a roundabout, of one very busy roundabout, at one end of the Champs-Elysées, it cannot be missed. The Arc de Triomphe is 50 metres high and was constructed in 1806. It is over 200 years old!

You can pay to go up it, however, we decided not to. It cost €12 per adult. Under 18s are free. Apparently, admission is also free for 18-25 years old if you are a citizen of one of the countries of the EU or are non-European permanent residents of France.

Champs-Elysées

The Champs-Elysées is one long shopping street in Paris. It is one of the world’s most famous shopping streets. It is 1.9 km long and 70 metres wide. Champs-Elysées, Paris’s most famous shopping street is full of designer shops, cafes, expensive restaurants, and showrooms. Basically, if you’re off on a shopping spree to find some bargains, I maybe would avoid the Champs-Elysées.

Montparnasse Tower

The Montparnasse Tower is a 210-metre office skyscraper, located in the Montparnasse area of Paris. The views are fantastic from the top! On a clear day, you can see for miles over Paris.

To go up, there is a choice of tickets. We paid for the day and night tickets, booking in advance from their website: Tour Montparnasse. The ticket cost us €23 each. You choose a date you would like to visit. The ticket is then valid for 48 hours from that date. If you are a student your ticket will cost you €20 and if you’re taking a child between the ages of 4 and 11, their ticket will cost you €16.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris or what most people call it, the Notre-Dame, is a beautiful medieval Catholic cathedral. The construction of the Notre Dame started in 1163 and is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It is absolutely stunning to look at. Sadly, earlier this year, part of it caught fire. This was after my visit, so I’m not sure how it looks today, how much of it was sadly destroyed. I believe, at the time of writing this blog, it is still closed to tourists.

The Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge is a famous cabaret in Paris. The original house was sadly burnt down in 1915. Each night, the iconic Moulin Rouge show is performed. I tried to get tickets for it, however, as I was there over New Year, the tickets sold out fast. If it is something you would like to see, I recommend booking tickets well in advance, especially during busy periods of the year.

The Louvre

The Louvre, or the Louvre Museum, is the world’s largest art museum and a historic monument. To visit, you have to be prepared to queue for hours! Once you finally do make it through the doors, you then have to be prepared to see the 35,000 works of art on display, located throughout the 300 different rooms. Even if you spent the whole day there, surely you would still struggle to see everything right?

We decided to enjoy The Louvre from just the outside. The queue to get in did not appeal to us, nor did we have the time to fully appreciate the 35,000 artworks, as we arrived middle of the afternoon.