While we’re still in January, I’d like to share a quick recap of my trip to Paris at the start of the year! I was there for my school’s Hackathon, but really, I had a few different goals for the trip. I wanted to:
- Go to Paris Disneyland
- Visit Lupicia and Mariage Freres
- Eat tonkotsu ramen at Ippudo (I really, really miss tonkotsu ramen)
- Visit the Louvre
The Louvre was actually a last minute edition because my dad convinced me that I shouldn’t miss it. Otherwise, I think I would be happy just fulfilling my cravings for tea and ramen!
Paris Disneyland
This was probably the highest priority item on my to-do list, to the extent where I was prepared to go alone if I couldn’t find any friends who were in Paris on the day that I wanted to go. But luckily, two of my friends managed to make it and we had a great time!
It was raining on and off the whole day but I had so much fun! We were very lucky because the lines weren’t that long (we only queued 30 minutes for Hyperspace Mountain!) and we managed to go on quite a few rides and see the Rhythms of the Pride Lands show. That show was amazing – I think they went through all the songs in the first Lion King movie and the dancers and acrobats were so talented!
Lupicia & Ippudo
I miss Japanese food so I really, really wanted to pay a visit to Lupicia for some tea and Ippudo for some ramen. There’s a small tea room in Lupicia and as it happened, my friends and I managed to get the last few cakes available! I had the yuzu meringue tart and it was delicious! As for Ippudo, the tonkotsu ramen was just as I remembered and I loved it!
The Louvre
This was a last-minute addition to the list but I enjoyed it so much! My friends recommended I buy the tickets online and I’m so glad I did because it was raining when I arrived at the Louvre and the queue for people with tickets moved much faster. I also got the audio-guide, which was on the 3DS and really enjoyed it – while I personally prefer to read explanations about the exhibits, I appreciate the content in the audio guide and it was nice to have a map that can lead you to the rooms you want.
There are so many things to see in the Louvre that there was no way I could see them all in a day. In the end, I chose to focus on the antiquities section (love the Near East sections!), saw the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo, looked at the queue in the Mona Lisa room, and then visited the Napoleon III Apartments, which were so gorgeous!
Mariage Freres
The last thing I did in Paris was to go to Mariage Freres for afternoon tea! I tried their Christmas menu, which was interesting, but what I really liked were their scones and caneles. Everything there is infused with tea, which is probably why I had such a hard time sleeping after that!
Finally, I opted to take the train back from Gare de Lyon, so I just wanted to mention the ekiben – something unexpectedly Japanese in the station! Their torimeshi (chicken rice) was really good and while food and drink aren’t allowed on board due to the coronavirus, it was still nice to be able to buy a bento at a train station.
And that’s my trip in a nutshell! In hindsight, it was a pretty long trip (almost a week!) but time flew by really quickly for me.
Paris Disneyland! How fun! One of my husband’s interests is Disney park history. It’s one of his dreams to visit all of the parks someday. If I ever visited Paris, the Louvre would be high on my list. I am glad you had a nice trip in Paris.
There’s also the Walt Disney Studios if you are in Paris! I didn’t get to go but my sister loves it!
The Louvre is also great, I hope you get the chance to visit one day!
Where did you stay while in Paris? Photos are great, as usual! Is there a Magic Teacup ride at Disney Paris? There’s one at DisneyWorld. I wondered if you would fancy that ride. Also, At Ekiben, did you speak French or Japanese? Looks like a great trip!
I stayed at CitizenM in Gare de Lyon – no regrets because it was really convenient and the amenities were good!
I didn’t see the Magic Teacup ride, but perhaps I missed it! We were looking for the well-known rides (like Space Mountain) and things that weren’t in Disneyland Tokyo haha
And I spoke Japanese at the Ekiben! I tried speaking French at first but quickly gave up hahaha
Sounds like a wonderful time despite the rain. I’d love to visit the Louvre one day.
Everyone told me Paris would be rainy and they’re right! The Louvre is definitely worth a visit – no regrets going there!
DISNEYLAND PARIS!!!
Honestly the reason why I decided to go to Paris hahahaha
I don’t fault you for that! Disneyland = Amazing!
You had such a beautiful time and I’m so jealous! How gorgeous!
It turned out to be a really fun trip!!