Trips for Mature Travelers

I’ve mentioned that this is the time of year for our anniversaries. (See my post on cool anniversary gifts!)  

To celebrate our five year dating anniversary in 2019, we planned a trip to Paris.

Probably the most incredible of our many trips together!

Travel and Packing Tips

Check out my post on Tips for Mature Travelers for general suggestions for making traveling a bit easier for us older folks!

Similar to my tips about packing for Seattle (see my post on this trip), Paris is also obviously a totally walkable city, so as a mature traveler you really need to prepare.

Be sure to stay centrally located. When we visited Paris, we stayed right ‘downtown’, ie Saint-Germain-des-Pres, a charming area with incredible architecture and nearby to many attractions.

Walking Shoes are Key. The shoes I wore in Paris were perfect. They were versatile enough to wear with a skirt, casual dress or pants. They didn’t look at all like sneakers (see “Style’ below) but had the same support for all that walking.

Rely on Ubers for those places a bit farther away. They can be life savers!

Book ahead of time. Some places get booked up months in advance, so getting your tickets well before your trip is very important (Versailles). But even though other popular places like the Louvre do not necessarily book up, getting those tickets ahead of time lets you skip the lines.

Waiting in lines isn’t great on my back these days, so the pre-ordering of tickets is just so helpful. Plus, when you have pre-scheduled entrance times, this helps keep your itinerary on schedule. You aren’t just winging the trip, and get to see everything you want.

Style. In addition to practical items, I tried my best to fit in style-wise. There is no way you can replicate the easy style of the Parisians, but I at least did a better job here than in Venice! See an upcoming post on our trip to Italy!

For Paris I packed:

• A baret
• Scarves
• Striped shirts
• Skirts with tights
• Lots of black clothes
• Stylish but functional walking shoes

Cultural “Must Sees”

When we go on vacation, by husband is the one scoping out all the traditional ‘touristy’ sites, whereas I’m the one who likes to see how the locals live.

The Eiffel Tower. OF COURSE. It’s funny now, but I wasn’t in a great mood the day we visited here, and didn’t care all that much about going to the top. But when we got up there, my husband popped the question! How romantic!

He thought he was being unique, and that people rarely get engaged there. But then we saw a little kiosk selling champagne in adorable lit up plastic glasses. I got one of course. 😊 The.most.memorable.day.ever.

Moulin Rouge. This is an experience, which is the only way to describe it. I have never seen so many acts crammed into one show. In a lot of acts the women are topless (what they are known for), but just the sheer number of acrobats and circus performers is crazy. It’s a fun and colorful club with a nice dinner and bottle of wine included in the show price. Since my husband doesn’t drink wine, I may have had a little much since I guess I’m trying to be a showgirl in the photo below!

The Louvre. You must go, even if you aren’t a huge art fan. The building is gorgeous and there are so many famous pieces-see below.

Rodin Museum. Of all forms of art, I love sculpture best, and Rodin is the master. We actually have a Rodin museum in Philadelphia and I’ve been several times. This museum is very near the Louvre and has a beautiful outdoor garden, so it was a lovely visit.

Palace of Versailles. We took a bus near our hotel and made a day of this incredible mansion and gardens. The architecture and artwork inside the building is just unreal.

Arc De Triomphe.

To be honest, this stop was more for my husband than me. I know there’s a lot of history here, and it is a beautiful memorial. But I loved how it was the entrance to the famous Champs-Elysees, the bustling avenue lined with high end shopping and incredible restaurants!

Fun Additions

Hop on Hop Off. I will say it again…for every city that offers this, definitely do it! See my Colorado and Utah Trip post.

It’s generally one of the first, if not THE first thing we always do. You just get the best overview of the city, and even see things you may not have the time or ability to visit. For example, we were able to see Notre Dame from the bus, which was under construction so we couldn’t go. But it was cool to see it anyway!

Dinner Cruise. I’ve also mentioned that we try to do a boat ride everywhere we go. I just love them! This was such a lovely, romantic dinner cruise along the Seine. Incredible views while you’re having a delicious dinner? Yes please.

Pont Des Arts. (“The Lock Bridge”). Apparently attaching locks is not allowed anymore, because the weight of the locks was damaging the bridge 😬 But here is a short video of us writing our names on one. It symbolizes love, so I was so happy we had the opportunity to do this on this very romantic trip.

Montmartre (Art District).

This area is so funky with artists everywhere! Definitely get your portrait done! I will admit I was 100% against it, since I can be really self-conscious about seeing myself in photos. I gave in, and it was actually fun. And well worth having the beautiful framed sketch in our home today!

Food!

It was so much fun sitting at cafes and people watching in Paris! I thought it was funny seeing guys on motorcycles smoking cigarettes, and people rushing down the street eating whole baguettes!

Bakeries. To say that Paris has the most incredible bakeries is an under-statement. Some we visited had been around since the 1500s! Apparently the French bake their bread and pastries fresh every day. So hence how incredibly delicious they are!

Cafes. These little restaurants are truly the most adorable places ever, and even in November you can still sit outside which is wonderful.

In addition to however many croissants, baguettes, and pastries you have the chance to sample, some other foods to definitely try in Paris:

• Croque Madame/Monsieur
• Steak Frites
• French Onion Soup
• Escargot!
• Crepes
• Wine!!

Have you been to Paris and have thoughts to share? What did you love the most or want to suggest to others? I’d love to hear!