I woke up the following day in my hotel, the sun hid behind a fill of gray and white sky, my body complained of exhaustion but my heart wanted more discovery, wandering, and the joy of seeing new things. I had two more days to get a full grip of what Paris had in store for a stranger like me, so I powered through the tiredness and jumped into something more comfortable, there was going to be a lot of walking, I presumed, France should be a completely walk-able country. Given how many gardens there are, with bright, colorful flowers scattered over the greens, the sight is a joy and frowns wouldn’t be welcomed during a long exploratory walk. Below are things to do and see in Paris, I listed them down for you.

1. Flea Market 

I decided to start an early day by going to the most famous flea market in Paris; Les Puces de Saint Ouen so I could have watched as the stores and stalls open up for the day and without much crowd. When I reached the flea market, I didn’t find anyone and all I could see was colorful shutters and graffitis on the walls. Turns out it only opens on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays.

I still continued walking through the many colorful streets in the flea market.

2. Montmartre 

Although many have warned me of pick-pockets and sly thieves, fortunately, I haven’t had a negative experience as I strolled down the cobblestoned streets fenced by gardens of vineyards and flowers, the village of Montmartre is one not to be missed. An atmosphere that is home to Artists, and why shouldn’t it be? Van Gogh and Picasso once found peace during their stay in the area. Their influence is evident by a single walk through the neighborhoods that stayed true to its roots in terms of design and layout, Bistros, Cafes, and Mini-markets lined up the pathway, distracting me from seeing the giant windmill, stashed behind a row of short buildings but when I finally saw it up close, it struck me feeling like I just walked into a painting, a real state of the artwork. At the top of the village sits one of Paris’ most prominent structures, the Sacre-Coeur where you can see the largest Mosaic in the world or the best view over the city of Paris.

Suggested from AGODA Things to Do:

Bohemian Montmartre Exclusive Walking Tour

3. Rue Cremieux 

Probably one of the most iconic-Instagrammable places in the world. A row of colorful houses line up the Rue Cremieux, I was told not to linger in the place too long as residents of the area has grown weary of Tourists flocking in the place and that they don’t like to be disturbed by people who loiter (there was once a lot of fashion shoots, music video filming, and Instagram selfie sessions,) I tip-toed my way through, hopefully, unnoticed.

4. Arc de Triomphe 

An Architectural wonder, how could such a gigantic structure have no columns? The Arc de Triomphe is an iconic landmark in the heart of Paris. On the Hop-on-and-hop-off Tour bus you can get to see the highlights of Paris including Arc de Triomphe, I caught a glimpse of it and jumped off in a hurry, it was truly a sight and definitely worth stopping for. There would be a line waiting to get in, however. The way up is through a spiral staircase that goes all the way to the top of the structure where a gift-shop is patiently sitting to turn you into a proper tourist. Up another flight of stairs and you’ll find yourself staring at the entire city. At every corner of the rooftop is a view of the city symmetrically aligned, almost as though the rest of Paris was built in consideration of how it’s going to look like from the top of Arc de Triomphe.

Suggested from AGODA Things to Do:

Hop on Hop Off Sightseeing Tours

Paris Pass Including Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour and Entry to Over 60 Attractions

5. Louvre 

Again, I was quite lucky to have the AGODA app on my mobile, through a package they offer many different options with Skip-the-line feature which allows me to cut the long queue of people waiting to get in. The Louvre is currently the largest Art Museum in the world, exhibiting an endless collection of paintings. It’s a very tourist-ish environment but it’s worth a stop.

Suggested from AGODA Things to Do:

Skip the Line Louvre Museum Independent Audio Guided Tour

Skip the Line Louvre Museum Must-See Guided Tour

6. Luxembourg Gardens 

Have I told you how much Parisians love gardens? Well, Luxembourg is their largest one. I found myself walking around in a peaceful state, watching everyone do the same. There’s a large pond-like pool right in front of the Palace where birds soar aimlessly above. The greenery stretches all around providing a nice breeze to contrast the warm air. If you’re a runner or need to put in some steps to your day, this is definitely a place to head over to. There’s also a tennis court, restaurant, a lot of benches and seating setups.

7. Versailles Palace 

Amidst all the everyday technology that represents a modern progression, here lies a courtyard that seemed to blast through from the past, something like 300 years ago. A once home to Louis the fourteenth, a walk through the Palace is a quick reminder to myself that excessive wealth is never going to be part of my life goals. Every edge and corner of the Palace represented Royalty and this may be a sight of awe to most, but as a person who grew up in Saudi Arabia, monarchy and wealth were an everyday occurrence. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait in the long line, again, Skip-the-line from AGODA. Download it.

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Palace of Versailles with Skip the Line Audio Guided Tour

8. Belleville 

Ah, they call it the neighborhood for the middle-class (borderline poor) but this is something more of what I was hoping to see in Paris. I was informed by AGODA that the Street Art in the neighborhood would be a tour that’d definitely make my day and as I walked through the vibrant sea of colors in works of graffiti and painting exhibitions, I couldn’t help but feel inspired, I suddenly got the urge to create something, motivated by the brilliance that surrounded me. If only I could do better than drawings of stick figures.

There’s a really cool cafe which is not to be missed where you could get info of different artists from the owner herself; Le Barbouquin Cafe.

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Belleville street art walking tour

Street Art Tour in Paris – Discover Paris 13th in Segway

9. Le Marais 

Diversity is a word that is said more often now than before. In Paris, it doesn’t get more diverse than this neighborhood covered with people from all over the world, boutique shops and cafes for all kinds of groups that our society has, it is also home to the LGBTQ community in Paris so you’ll find the rainbow flag in a lot of the area. This is also the place where people come to buy things in bulk.

10. Old Houses 

After seeing many Hussmann architecture, I wanted to see something different so I looked for old half-timbered houses in Paris. There is only a handful of these lefts and it’s definitely worth a visit.

Rue Volta 3 – The second oldest house in Paris from 1644.

Rue Francois Miron –  These two half-timbered houses dates back to the 15th Century

11. River Seine 

Of course, this list included this. Straight out of a scene from a Rom-Com or an overly cheesy romantic film, this place will still leave you floating with butterflies in your stomach no matter how much you despise love. You can people-watch, chill out with a friend or go solo in your headphones and lost in your world.

12. Covered Passages

The remaining covered passages in Paris are not to be missed. They go back to the 19th Century but only 25 of them still exist after the renovation of Haussmann. It felt like a step back in time walking through the narrow alleyways covered with glass ceiling and watching locals go by their day among the small boutique shops, restaurants, cafes and gift shops.

These passages are not to be missed:

Passage des Panoramas

Passage Joufffroy

Passage Verdeu

Galeri Vivienne

13. Sunset Cruise with AGODA 

Finally, I leave you with a blessing of one of AGODA’s packages, the sunset cruise where they let you off near the Eiffel tower. The calming short trip grants you the opportunity to see Paris during the Golden hour when the skies turn over into a burst of blue and red, mixing seamlessly while you watch your surroundings. I had my headphones off and just enjoyed the light chatter and the water slapping against the boat, the serenity of it all gave me a sense of a day’s accomplishment. When I got off, I got on the infamous Carousel that sits smack in the sake of randomness by the Eiffel Tower. Paris has its ways, I can tell you that.

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Seine River Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Cruise in Paris

Bateaux Parisiens Seine River Sightseeing Cruise