I wanted to put together your questions about London and Paris in one place because I thought they may get lost in the more lengthy dedicated travel post coming up! So let’s get to it.

General Questions

favorite restaurants?

In London – Dushoom

In Paris – lunch at Le Brebant. Order the ravioli and thank me later! Plus, always try the bread and butter if it’s on the table. SO GOOD.

Best places for photos?

I’ll do a dedicated post on this soon!

Do you have any new outfit ideas from being inspired by your trip / seeing the street style?

Yes! I saw a lot of girls wearing tights under skirts and shorts and it made me want to try them again. I always swore them off because I’m always here for comfort, but it looked so chic! I also picked up a beret and plan to continue wearing it throughout the season. Surprisingly, I also seem more drawn to black hues than I had ever been. I have an unhealthy obsession with the classic Chanel look and can see myself adding in more black throughout Fall and Winter.

Did I plan the trip or did I use a travel agent?

I planned everything since we booked it 2 weeks out! With blogs and youtube readily available these days, I used those resources to pick what to do, where to eat, and what to see! I used Pinterest to help find cute photo spots, saved Instagram photos of places in the city I liked, etc. I also didn’t feel stressed to see absolutely everything all in one trip. London and Paris are huge cities and unless you’re staying for a significant time, it’s impossible to really see everything on the first trip! Hit your highlights first, and save the rest for a future trip. Don’t stress and just enjoy it!

What was your skincare routine during the flight?

I shared this on stories as I did it and saved it to a highlight if you missed it! Here are the products I packed in my carry on to freshen my face before the long flight. I came straight from an event, or else I would have just done this at home before leaving. I plan to do a full video on what I packed in my carry on soon!

Affordable places to eat near landmarks?

I’m probably not the best to ask because we had sit down meals for lunch and dinner each night. Surprisingly, we really didn’t eat much, especially considering how much we walked. If you’re wanting something quick and affordable, there are sandwich shops throughout the city! Another quick and affordable place to keep your eye out for is Pret A Manger. This is where we picked up coffee and a quick sandwich on travel days. I packed enough bars for us to eat for breakfast to save time in the morning.

Tips to avoid being pickpocketed?

When we got to Paris, we received several reminders on the Metro and by out hotel clerks to be cautious of pickpocketers. Women should wear a cross body bag and always keep it zipped closed. Men should keep their wallets and phones in a zipped jacket or backpack instead of their back pocket! When in crowded areas, move your bags to the front of you and just be aware of your surroundings. I was constantly aware of my phone in my jacket pocket when I wasn’t using it. Just be smart about keeping up with your things and you should be fine.

What can’t be missed?

I think this depends on your priorities! But 100% you can’t miss seeing the Eiffel Tower both at sunset and at night when it twinkles. It’s the most magical sight! If you’re viewing the Eiffle Tower at Trocadero, be ready for a lot of vendors selling trinkets and wine. Plus, be aware of your belongings! You don’t want to be pickpocketed here as there are a lot of tourist around.

In London, I prioritized seeing the pretty Instagram spots I had always admired. I’ll do a post on this soon!

London Questions

Where did you stay? The Bailey Hotel. I booked it the day before and we loved the location. I booked through Hotels.com because I earned 10x the points with my credit card. This is actually the only card I used on the trip because it has no international fees and the travel points are really good. I’ll go into more detail on the location of the hotel in the travel post.

Paris Questions

What did you use for transportation in Paris?

We either walked or used the metro! We preferred to walk when we could to take in Paris from above ground, but using the metro was pretty easy with the citymapper app!

How to you get to the airport?

We used the metro and RER train to get directly there. It was much more cost-effective than getting the shuttle offered at our hotel (which was about $80/person). Plus, we already had leftover tickets. I think in total, it took two tickets to get to/from the airport. For whatever reason we had to put in another ticket to exit the RER train at the airport, so make sure you have enough!

** TRAVEL TIP: When staying in cities with underground transportation, be sure to look up how far of a walk your hotel is from the nearest metro. You’ll be traveling with your luggage and don’t want to stay too far if you plan to use it for easy transportation around the city

Eiffel Tower – go up or just admire?

We decided to just admire it from afar. My personal favorite was spotting it through buildings and from across town! Plus, when you’re on top of it you can’t see it! Another great view of the city is from Arc de Triomphe It was also pretty overcast on the days we were there. If it’s a beautiful sunny day and you have enough time to do other things in the city, then, of course, you might as well go up and see the view!

How was communication in Paris?

Almost everyone we encountered spoke English. I always read to at least attempt some French when asking a question so I did attempt to learn a few basic sentences and you can also use Google Translate if you need to. Everyone can at least remember Hello (Boujour or Bonsoir if it’s evening) and thank you (merci). The restaurants we ate at also had English menus.

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Stay tuned for more in-depth travel guides on London and Paris!

Thanks for reading,

xo Amanda John