The Eiffel Tower and Seine Walks

After a pretty incredible first day in Paris, Brandon and I were looking forward to what day two would bring.

And day two was looking to be a lot more laid back. We had no plans. No tickets, no reservations – Paris was our oyster.

The decision was made that we would spend the day walking from our hotel to the Eiffel Tower, and then cross to the north side of the Seine and wander along the river until we wanted to come back for a rest.

On our way to the Eiffel Tower, the first stop was going to be breakfast. And what better place to stop for a quick bite than the Cafe de Flore?

We’re morning people, so we arrived as soon as it opened and grabbed a table on the sidewalk. All I really wanted was an iconic Cafe de Flore hot chocolate, and it did not disappoint. Especially when served on the side of a flakey, buttery croissant.

About forty minutes of walking through the cobblestone streets of Paris, and we’d made it to the Eiffel Tower!

Last time I was in Paris, I never came right up close to the Tower. One thing that I didn’t consider was that it was going to have construction fences surrounding it, considering they were preparing for the Summer 2024 Olympic Games.

It still felt magical to see up close with my partner.

Then we crossed to the north side of the Seine and walked back – this time, with a nicer view. Walking along the Seine, passing various parks and beautiful bridges, was so beautiful and calming.

A long walk later, we made it to the Louvre. I’d been to the massively intricate museum on my last trip to Paris, and Brandon isn’t huge into museums, so we didn’t buy tickets this time around. It was still cool to see the Louvre itself.

We grabbed fast food for lunch and then headed back to the hotel, to get off of our feet for a minute.

One of our favourite ways to discover places to eat on vacation is literally going on Google Maps and searching up the type of food we’re feeling at the moment. Usually we settle on something that has high reviews and captivating pictures.

So we looked up Italian food and found SoHo Trattoria only a short walk from the hotel, and our tried and true method did not disappoint. The pasta and pizza dishes were some of our favourite of the whole trip.