Paris 2022 Trip Report
Travel party of 7: Myself and husband, 44, our younger kids, 8 and 12, known as “the lils,” our older kids, 24 and 21 and our daughter’s boyfriend, 20.
Flew out of ORD. Used Preflight Airport parking, as recommended here. Very efficient- shuttled to Terminal 5 in about 10 mins. ORD is a wasteland- almost no lounge access. We were flying Biz class to Paris on Air France, and the Air France Lounge is permanently closed. Only option was Swissport, so we passed. But security was super fast. The con was we had much way too much time on our hands at ORD.
Air France Biz class service was exceptional. Our flight attendant even wrote down a list of recommendations for our time in Paris, what wine to buy, etc.
Taxi from airport (make sure to get in taxi line, not the scammers offering taxi rides near the taxi line) to City Locker to park our luggage, then on to brunch at Kitchen, a super fresh vegetarian cafe.
We stayed at this
AirBNB in the II Arrondisement, just a street away from Rue Montorgueil. This is a pedestrian street full of cafes, bakeries, fish markets, butchers and produce stores. Every morning we popped out and got fresh produce and bakery.
We did all the typical touristy stuff- Eiffel Tower to the summit at night, the Louvre, viewed the exterior of Norte Dame, the Arc de Triumph, Center Pompidou, and a private macaron baking class at Galleries Lafayette. We repurposed ThatMuse scavenger hunts from a previous trip- the Louvre and Harry Potter ThatRue (new to us). That made touring so much more interesting for my kiddos. We spent a morning in Montmartre, which was such a lovely part of Paris. We started at Le Consulat cafe and made our way through picturesque Montmartre to a Harry Potter mural the kids wanted to see. As recommended by Jay Swanson (YouTube expert on Paris), we made sure to visit from the back of Sacre Coeur. Beautiful pics without the hoards of visitors. We checked out the artists square, ate some lunch from an inexpensive Boulangerie and got in lots of pics.
View attachment 658647
View attachment 658648
View attachment 658649
View attachment 658650
View attachment 658651
View attachment 658652
View attachment 658653
View attachment 658654
View attachment 658656
Because of our large group, we traveled a lot by foot, Uber, or taxi (airport) and only used the Metro on occasion. FYI, I purchased Uber gcs in advance and loaded them. Upon arriving, there were no wallet funds in our account, so I’m not sure if they aren’t available in Europe? This has worked for us in Mexico.
Charles de Gaulle was a disaster for our return. Took 2 hours to clear bag drop, border control and security. Then almost 45 mins to board our plane. We flew economy on the way home. I think that combination (Biz class to Europe, economy to US) might make sense for our family, to optimize point usage and fuel surcharges. We scored such a great deal on our Biz class flights (35k MRs each one way) during a transfer bonus to Flying Blue, while AirFrance was also having a fare promo.
Misc:
⁃ Bought a pocket WiFi device from TravelWifi for $99. From there you just buy data plans for your trips. Worked well and cost effective- I’d recommend.
⁃ Used Abbott’s eMed COVID tests for US return testing requirement, as we have throughout the pandemic. Easy and convenient. I’ll try for partial reimbursement from insurance.
⁃ Jay Swanson’s YouTube videos are so, so helpful for Paris. I think he has books and a guide for purchase, as well. I’d often hear my kids say “remember Jay said…”
⁃ We’d previously bought a kids crumpled map of Paris. This time my kids really used it a lot and it helped involve them in the different areas of Paris and sites to see. It even got competitive and there were map quizzes.
Takeaway: We visited Paris four years ago, but did a split visit of DLP, Paris and London. This time Paris just seemed SO much busier- at least in the streets and cafes. Perhaps because they lifted most mask and COVID restrictions just a week prior? The street and cafes were packed. We also had beautiful weather (mid 60s) for March, so perhaps that brought everyone out. Last time we stayed in a much quieter area and that may have influenced our perception. We expected to eat at cafes often, but given how crowded everything was and our group size, and the constant cigarette smoking, we actually ended up eating in our AirBNB most often. We had lots of fun family time, but I don't see our party returning to Paris anytime in the near future.
View attachment 658638
We have a trip to Italy (Tuscany and Rome) in June, which I am sort of regretting after our Parisian experience. The summer crowds, combined with scorching heat and pent-up COVID travelers doesn’t sound like a great trip. But it is a graduation trip for my son and on my Mom’s bucket list, so I don’t feel I can back out now. I'm going to go into it with a really positive attitude and I'm sure we'll create some amazing memories, which is what is most important.