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Paris France is, perhaps, the most celebrated city in the world. One of the nicknames of Paris is the City of Love. With that kind of a reputation, it’s safe to assume that it’s a very romantic place to visit. A Paris getaway is a dream vacation that often only comes around once in a lifetime for many couples, if at all. While going to Paris seems to be an extremely popular vacation destination, many people are at a loss as to how to start planning for it, what to see when you are there and what to expect during this dream vacation. It helps to talk to someone who has experienced the trip first hand. Lucky for us, Wisconsin Woman’s Art Director and Production Manager, Nicole Hesse, just returned from her Parisian vacation, bringing home a wealth of knowledge and helpful information to share with us and our readers.

Nicole and her husband, Jeff, along with their friends, Angie and Pete Adamcyzk, decided that now was the perfect time to experience all that Paris has to offer. Nicole is very interested in art and art history, so this was truly one destination she knew she had to experience.

One of the most important reasons the trip was so successful, according to Nicole, was advanced planning. She did a fair amount of research before planning this trip. While she did consult a travel agent, she found much helpful information on the internet as well.

Aside from air travel, one of the most important decisions to make on a trip of this nature is deciding on a hotel. Nicole and company stayed at the Ibis Tour Eiffel, and were greatly impressed with this hotel. Once again, she researched ahead of time to make sure this was the best option for their vacation needs. In addition to various recommendations from friends and associates, this hotel was within their price range and, most importantly, it had an ideal location for the vacation they had in mind. “We wanted to see and do everything, be close to everything, and at the Ibis, we were.” Their hotel was 10 minutes from the Eiffel Tower and very close to the metro stations.

Now that they had the perfect place to stay, the group had to decide what to see. Paris is known for the culture, architecture, food and wine - and they planned to experience it all! Yet again, advance research really helped the group decide what museums to visit and what to expect. Many of the museums are only open certain days of the week, so it was helpful to know the schedules in advance. Additionally, most of the attractions had quite reasonable prices, while others were entirely free. So if you are traveling on a budget, Nicole would recommend mapping out all museums you want to see and the costs you can expect to pay.

After they decided on their plan of attack, the two couples visited the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Sacred Heart Basilica, the Notre Dame Cathedral, The Palace of Versailles and a variety of art museums. One of their favorite places to visit was the Latin Quarter, where the Notre Dame Cathedral is located. In the Latin Quarter, virtually all cultures of the world can be found. There are great opportunities for shopping, and the numerous bistros serving foods from all over the world. “You could pretty much find anything in the Latin Quarter, and the atmosphere is lively and extremely fun.” When in Paris, the Latin Quarter is one stop to put on your itinerary!

And finally, to the food! As we all know, Paris is known for its cuisine. While formal dining could be fairly expensive, Nicole recommends taking advantage of the great street cuisine and plentiful bakeries throughout the city. “We really only had formal meals at night because there was so much to eat on the go throughout the city. The bakeries were all fairly inexpensive, and they had delicious foods,” Nicole said of her dining experiences.

There is food everywhere you look, and it is very possible to get the entire French cuisine experience while staying within your budget. A favorite restaurant of the group was La Fondue, which had a lively and exciting atmosphere that included jumping over tables to get to your seat and enjoying wine out of baby bottles.“It was a memorable experience and the food was great,” Nicole said of this unique dining opportunity.

And no trip to Paris would be complete without checking out the Moulin Rouge. The group enjoyed walking around this historic landmark and doing some excellent people watching! “We spent most nights just walking around the city, stopping at shops and taking in the atmosphere and culture,” Nicole adds “we were so exhausted after a full day of sightseeing that we did not have to really plan anything for the evenings.”

While this trip was a terrific experience for Nicole, she does have some advice for others planning to take a trip to the City of Love. First of all, be prepared to walk and bring comfortable shoes. Nicole said, “This is not a relaxing trip, we were on the go all the time because there is just so much to see and experience.” Additionally, she says everyone should get a metro card for the entire duration of the trip; it is the easiest mode of transportation.

In addition to transportation, Nicole believes it would be helpful to learn a few key phrases in French as most people there do not speak any English. Also, there are many helpful travelers’ books that can help with the language barriers. But, if you don’t speak the language, no need to worry. Nicole said all the local people were very helpful and nice to tourists, and did their best to help when they could.

There is so much to see and do in this historic and beautiful city that it would be easy to get overwhelmed by the magnitude of all it has to offer. Nicole’s best advice - “Plan ahead. I did a little research beforehand, and it made all the difference for us. We knew what we wanted to see, and what we could expect once we got there.” Planning ahead will allow you to make the most out of this once in and lifetime experience!