This article is reposted from the WeChat public account of a reader in our WeChat group, 懒人 33 的吃喝玩乐. Original link.

Delta Flight

The previous post, Christmas in Paris with a Three-Year-Old, Part 1, covered some of our pre-trip preparations. This installment is where the trip report officially begins.

We flew Delta on the outbound trip. There weren’t too many people at check-in, though we still had to wait in line for a bit.

The aircraft was an Airbus 330-300 with a 2-4-2 seat layout. The last few rows were a little unusual, with only three seats in the middle section. Because of COVID concerns, we didn’t want to sit right next to other people, so we picked one of those odd rows. The row in front had four seats, while ours had only three, so it actually felt pretty spacious. If you fly the same aircraft type, it’s worth paying attention: when selecting seats, the website shows those three seats as separated, but in reality they’re together.

The onboard meal was just very standard, very average Western airline food, and I wasn’t even interested enough to take photos. Since it wasn’t a red-eye flight, our kid alternated between sleeping, waking up, fussing, and playing, and eventually we made it.

We landed a little after 8 a.m. Paris time, which was a little after 11 p.m. Seattle time, and our kid entered a very fussy state. We took the airport train to passport control.

The immigration line was incredibly long and slow, and our child kept crying and fussing in line. Eventually, a staff member followed the sound of the crying, found us, and took us through the fast lane… The immigration officers we encountered barely asked any questions before letting us in. After clearing immigration, we picked up our luggage and withdrew some cash. By then it was already close to 11, and our airport pickup driver had been waiting near the airport for quite a while.

We arranged our airport pickup with Driver Xiao Yang through Three Little Pigs. He was very nice and reliable. In addition to the airport transfer, he later drove us to Versailles and to Disneyland as well. His WeChat ID is auvergne if you need it. Three Little Pigs also offers local guides and other services. According to a friend, they’re quite good, but since we had already booked our own itinerary, we didn’t use those options.

Hyatt Regency

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency on the edge of central Paris. Driver Xiao Yang told us that high-rise buildings are not allowed within the central Paris area. Because this hotel sits just outside that boundary, it was built quite tall, and the view was excellent, overlooking the city of Paris. The hotel lobby also had a bit of that grand, upscale Chinese hotel feel to it.

Arc de Triomphe

After check-in, we disinfected the room a bit, changed clothes, and headed out to the first stop of our first day: the Arc de Triomphe. Winter temperatures in Paris were similar to Seattle, but since our itinerary involved long stretches outdoors, we still dressed pretty warmly.

Right away, the language barrier gave us a rude welcome—we were trying to find the Metro station and somehow ended up in an underground parking garage instead. After wandering around and wasting quite a bit of time, we finally found the station and got our Navigo weekly transit passes (see the previous post, Christmas in Paris with a Three-Year-Old, Part 1, for details).

The Paris Metro really isn’t very stroller-friendly for small children. We hardly saw any elevators at the entrances or exits, so we had to carry the umbrella stroller up and down the stairs ourselves. The stations were a bit like New York’s—kind of run-down—but the inside of the train cars was fairly clean and tidy. Since we were out around noon, it wasn’t too crowded.

By the time we arrived at the Arc de Triomphe station, we were starving—the last meal we’d had was breakfast on the plane. We didn’t want to waste time, especially since it gets dark early in winter and we were worried about safety after nightfall. So we just bought a few pieces of bread in the station and ate them above ground while admiring the Arc de Triomphe.

You could see that the Arc de Triomphe sits in the middle of the traffic circle, so my partner and I guessed that we probably needed to use an underground passage to get there. Going through that underpass brought us to the Champs-Élysées.

We entered the Arc de Triomphe from the underpass entrance on the Champs-Élysées side.

At the entrance, they checked both tickets and the Covid Pass. Here’s qyer’s introduction to the Arc de Triomphe:

The Arc de Triomphe, located in the center of Place Charles-de-Gaule in Paris, is formally known as the “Triumphal Arch of the Star.” In 1806, to celebrate the great victory in the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon laid the first stone here. Unfortunately, he did not live to see it completed. Twenty years after his death, the French people held a funeral ceremony for him beneath the Arc de Triomphe. Walking through the underground passage from the Champs-Élysées to the base of the monument, you’ll find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where an eternal flame is kept in memory of the 1.5 million French soldiers who gave their lives for the country in World War I. On major holidays, a huge French flag is hung from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, along with related commemorative events, such as May 8 for Victory in Europe Day and November 11 for Armistice Day.

Walking through the underground passage from the Champs-Élysées to beneath the Arc de Triomphe, you’ll find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with an “eternal flame” commemorating the 1.5 million French soldiers who gave their lives in World War I. On major holidays, a giant French flag is hung from the top of the Arc, along with related memorial events, such as Victory in Europe Day on May 8 and Armistice Day on November 11. Each year on July 14, the Bastille Day military parade runs from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde. If you want a good viewing spot, you’ll need to get there early—on clear days, people are already waiting first thing in the morning. Around New Year’s, the Arc is also one of the main gathering spots for the countdown. The crowds are no smaller than on Bastille Day, and even more intense (though there are no fireworks in Paris for New Year’s Eve).

There’s an entrance where you can go up, but strollers are not allowed. The spiral stairway is quite tall, and with jet lag plus exhaustion, we could only climb in short bursts with lots of stops.

After huffing and puffing our way to the top, we looked out over Paris from every angle in the biting wind.

Champs-Élysées

After coming down from the Arc de Triomphe, take a stroll along the Champs-Élysées.

Radiating out from the Arc de Triomphe are twelve avenues. The one aligned with the Louvre and connected to Place de la Concorde is the famous Champs-Élysées, a boulevard nearly 2 kilometers long and often described as one of the most beautiful streets in the world.

The Champs-Élysées (Avenue des Champs-Élysées or les Champs-Élysées) is one of Paris’s most famous avenues, located in the city’s 8th arrondissement in the northwest part of central Paris, and is often called the city’s most beautiful street. “Champs-Élysées” originally refers to Elysium, the underworld in Greek mythology where the souls of saints and heroes reside. The western end of the Champs-Élysées is the Arc de Triomphe; following the axis farther west leads to Paris’s business district, La Defense, where you’ll also find the “new Arc de Triomphe” (Grande Arche). At the eastern end is Paris’s largest square, Place de la Concorde, and continuing along the same line toward the Louvre takes you past the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. These three arches together form Paris’s historic central axis.

On major holidays, a giant French flag is hung from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and the trees lining the Champs-Élysées are decorated with special lights. The Bastille Day military parade and the final stage of the Tour de France both take place on the Champs-Élysées. These days, the avenue is often packed with people and can feel a bit like a pedestrian shopping street back in China. The luxury names directly on the boulevard are mainly Cartier, Tiffany (not yet open), and Mont Blanc, while the main concentration of high-end boutiques is in the nearby Golden Triangle formed by Avenue Montaigne, Av George V, and Rue de François 1er.

On major holidays, a giant French flag is hung from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and the trees lining the Champs-Élysées are decorated with special lights. The Bastille Day military parade and the final stage of the Tour de France both take place on the Champs-Élysées. These days, the avenue is often packed with people and can feel a bit like a pedestrian shopping street back in China. The luxury names directly on the boulevard are mainly Cartier, Tiffany (not yet open), and Mont Blanc, while the main concentration of high-end boutiques is in the nearby Golden Triangle formed by Avenue Montaigne, Av George V, and Rue de François 1er.

Palais de Chaillot

Seeing that the timing was about right, we took the bus to the Palais de Chaillot, which is said to be one of the best places to view the Eiffel Tower. You can also tap a Navigo card on Paris buses, and small children ride free. In central Paris, buses and licensed taxis have dedicated lanes, which cuts down quite a bit on time lost in traffic.

The Palais de Chaillot was built for the 1937 World’s Fair. Located directly across from the Eiffel Tower, it is one of the best spots for photographing the tower. The complex is divided into two main wings: on the east side are the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine and the theater; on the west side are the Museum of Man and the National Naval Museum. Below the terrace are more than a dozen fountains, and the water display is spectacular. It is also translated as Chaillot Palace or Palais de Chaillot.

I noticed that in Paris, anywhere there is a wire fence, there are locks on it—probably a tradition left over from the love locks once attached to the Pont des Arts.

It was almost time for our Eiffel Tower reservation, so we walked over to the tower.

Built in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was originally created for the World’s Fair and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. At 324 meters tall, it was a symbol of the Industrial Revolution that was sweeping the world at the time. Yet after it was completed, many French people questioned it, feeling that such a massive steel structure clashed with the rest of Paris, and some even proposed tearing it down. Today, however, it has become the undisputed symbol of Paris and even of France itself.

Visitors can take the elevator or climb the stairs to enjoy a panoramic view of Paris from the tower (the stairs only go up to the second level). Since the 2000s, from nightfall until the early morning hours (2:00 in summer, 1:00 in winter), the tower has sparkled for ten minutes at the top of every hour. During special holidays and events, it may light up in special colors—for example, red for Chinese New Year and blue for Europe Day. Every year on the national holiday of July 14, you can come to the Champ de Mars beneath the tower to enjoy a concert, and it is also one of the best places for a New Year’s Eve countdown.

There are two restaurants in the tower: Tour Eiffel 58 on the first level, and the one-Michelin-star Jules Verne on the second level. One advantage of dining at the tower is that the restaurant can help arrange or provide tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower, so you do not need to wait in line below. As for these two restaurants, lunch at Tour Eiffel 58 starts at 19 euros (mainly quick sandwiches), while dinner starts at 80 euros, more like a standard sit-down meal, with a good portion of the price going toward the setting. Upstairs, Jules Verne, overseen by chef Alain Ducasse, now has just one Michelin star. Lunch starts at 90 euros, and dinner starts at about 300 euros per person. Unless you specifically want the experience and setting, the author suggests that at the same price point you could try other three-Michelin-star restaurants and likely eat better. But because of their unique location, dining there is not easy, and during peak season it is best to book at least 2 months in advance.

When I was booking, I decided not to reserve because I thought the restaurants were not very kids friendly. I kind of regretted it afterward, because in Paris it seems that fine dining restaurants can often prepare something separately for children (?).

At the entrance, they were also checking Covid Passes, doing security screening, and managing the line for the elevators. The elevators go up at an angle, which was pretty interesting, but they were quite crowded. The tickets we bought included elevator access all the way to the top, since climbing stairs with a child would have been too much. We first took the elevator to the second level. By then the sun was setting, and the glow of the evening sky over old Paris was absolutely beautiful.

Not wanting to miss the sunset colors, we did not stay on the second level for long and quickly headed up to the top. Paris in the evening sun was stunning.

As night slowly fell, Paris became breathtakingly beautiful. We went back down to the second level, where the city shimmered in the dark like a brilliant pearl.

Shang Palace

After leaving the Eiffel Tower, we were completely exhausted. We took a taxi back to the hotel, and the taxis around the tourist sites all seemed to have agreed on flat rates and charged outrageous prices without batting an eye. But we were simply too tired, so we gave in this one time. After lying down at the hotel for half an hour, we finally felt a little more alive, then took a G7 taxi to dinner at Shang Palace.

The Michelin one-star Shang Palace is a Chinese restaurant. We had never tried Michelin-starred Chinese food before, so we made a reservation to see if it was really that good.

This is a very authentic Chinese restaurant inside the Shangri-La Paris, near Iéna metro station. Recommended signature dishes include salmon sashimi, Cantonese dim sum, and Peking duck. The dining room is elegant, though prices are on the high side.

Overall, for a Michelin restaurant, this one was still a miss for us. There were no standout dishes, only disappointments. The pricing, however, was very much Michelin-level. The setting was decent, with a bit of an upscale Hong Kong-style cafe vibe. When we arrived around 7:30, it was just us and one other table; by the time we finished, the place was full, which was rather baffling...

To sum up, the first day’s itinerary matched our plan almost perfectly, so we can call it a successful start. After this incredibly long day of staying awake for more than 20 hours, we could finally head back to the hotel and get some well-deserved sleep.

Paris Trip Series

This article was originally published in 2021 and still contains some pandemic-related content. However, most of the tips and experiences are still useful, so we’re republishing it on this site.

About the Author

This article is reposted from the WeChat public account of a reader from our WeChat group, Lazy 33’s Food, Travel, and Fun. The account features original and well-written articles, so feel free to follow if you’re interested.