New Year’s in Paris: Fireworks and Pain au Chocolate!

After Christmas in London, we hopped on a train and headed to Paris for the New Year Holiday. This trip crossed a few things off the bucket list: The Chunnel, New Year’s Eve on the Champs-Élysées, and Raclette. We spent four days in Paris before taking the train back to London and flying home. We packed quite a bit into our short stay.

• London to Paris via the Chunnel
• New Year’s Eve in Paris
• Sacré Coeur and Montmartre
• The Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe
• Les Halles and the Latin Quarter
• Paris Dining Highlights (nothing fancy)

Getting There and Back Again

We left London early on December 31st to give us plenty of time to get settled in our hotel and work our way to the Champs-Élysées. Due to national rail strikes that were impacting The Underground, we took an Uber to St. Pancras International Station, arriving quite early as is our habit. We booked our Eurostar London to Paris tickets about four months in advance and arrived at the station with tickets in hand. At both St. Pancras and Gare Du Nord in Paris, you line up by departure time. We were so early that our departure time did not have a line.

St Pancras station is a major railway and underground station located in the borough of Camden. This iconic landmark serves as the southern terminus for the Eurostar international high-speed rail services to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. The 19th-century building is constructed in the grand ‘Renaissance’ style and is one of the best-known stations in the world. After some coffee and wandering around this the shops, it was time to queue up. All border control and security checks are done at St. Pancras so when we arrived in Paris at Gare du Nord we simply stepped off the train and headed to the hotel.

The train ride is 2 hours and 16 minutes. We rode in the coach section and the seats were comfortable and roomy enough for us. We did not try the cafe and heard from others that it was pretty busy. You can bring food and drinks with you on the train. We also had no trouble bringing a couple of bottles of wine back from Paris on the way back.

Gare du Nord is in the heart of Paris and there are Métro and RER trains just outside the station along with a long line of taxis. Our hotel was within walking distance from the station which while convenient would not be a neighborhood we would choose again. It never felt unsafe and we did not have any issues, but at night the area is full of locals just hanging out with seemingly nowhere else to go and blocking the sidewalks. That and the slightly grimy feel left us a little uncomfortable.

For the return trip to London, all security and border crossing checks are done at Gare du Nord. The line and waiting area for the international trains are on the second level of the station. The process felt a little disorganized with some lines being held back for long periods (our line) while others were allowed to make their way through the screening process more quickly. This agitated more than a couple of people in the slower lines. A minor inconvenience for this really great way for us to add Paris to our holiday vacation.

New Year’s Eve in Paris

Truly unforgettable. Paris had not had a New Year’s Eve celebration since 2019 and the City was expecting about 500,000 people to ring in 2023 at the Arc de Triomphe; over 1,000,000 people showed up. As we walked from our hotel to the Champs-Élysées the sidewalks got busier and the streets got congested. Several roads were closed with armed officers blocking the entrance and a security screening was required to enter the Champs-Élysées area.

So many people. This was my first visit to Paris and I had no idea how long the Champs-Élysées was. It was completely packed with people. Everyone was polite and we had no issues with such a large crowd. We stopped a few blocks before the Arc de Triomphe and watched the pre-fireworks light show and the crowds from our spot on the curb. At midnight we watched the countdown and I managed enough high school french to join in. The spectacular fireworks show lasted eight minutes then it was time to very slowly make our way back to the hotel along with a million other people making their way home. A New Year’s Eve we will never forget.

Sacré Coeur and Montmartre

On New Year’s Day, we walked up Montmartre hill to see the Sacré-Cœur Basilica and check out the shops and restaurants. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located in the 18th arrondissement. The basilica is known for its Italian-Byzantine style of architecture and its white appearance, which dominates the skyline of the city. It was built between 1875 and 1914 as a token of thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary following the end of the Franco-Prussian War. The Basilica grounds offer sweeping views of Paris and we found more than a couple of empty bottles of champagne on nearby streets from New Year’s Eve celebrations. If you don’t like huge crowds, Montmartre might be a good choice for New Year’s Eve.

The community known as the Montmartre District has been a popular area for artists and writers since the late 19th century. It is known for its lively street life, winding cobblestone paths, scenic views, quaint cafés, and traditional Parisian architecture. The neighborhood has many attractions, such as the Sacré-Coeur basilica, Place du Tertre, Moulin Rouge, and Musée de Montmartre. The area has served as an important source of inspiration for many famous painters and writers such as Van Gogh, Dali, Modigliani, Renoir, and Picasso. Place du Tertre, a square just a few blocks from the basilica, is full of artists and their easels.

Taking the Metro to the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe

Feeling like we knew what we were doing after watching a YouTube video we headed out to the Metro station to work our way to the Eiffel Tower. Google maps did a great job of telling us what station to use and what train to take but our confidence cratered almost immediately when we failed at the ticketing machine.

Pro Tip #1: The place where you swipe your card is not the same place where you wave your iPhone for Apple Pay

Ticket in hand we headed to the turnstile, inserted our tickets, and waited for the gates to open.

Pro Tip #2:  The gates don't open, you have to push them

Having mastered the complex logistics of the Metro we were on our way. We took the Metro several more times this trip without incident – it was quite convenient and not nearly as frightening the second time.

Walking from the Léna Metro Station I was pretty excited to turn the corner onto the Avenue des Nations-Unies and catch my first full view of the Eiffel Tower. We stopped for photos on that corner then proceeded to take about a hundred more photos at all of the places:

• Across the River
• From the Pont d’Iéna
• At the base looking up (from all sides)
• From the gardens
• From the Trocadéro

In all combinations:

• Just the Eiffel Tower
• Lynn and the Eiffel Tower (including an attempt at a pose I saw on Instagram that will not be shared on this blog or anywhere)
• Bob and the Eiffel Tower
• Lynn and Bob and the Eiffel tower

There are shops along the Pont d’Iéna selling food and souvenirs and people selling tiny versions of the Eiffel Tower laid out on blankets everywhere. There are also some scammers offerings games of “chance” or asking you to complete a survey. We did not take the elevator to the top nor did we dine at the restaurant – reservations are required for both and I am saving those things for a trip with my daughter later this year.

We exited the Eiffel Tower area through the Trocadéro. Named in honor of the Battle of Trocadéro, this iconic location is known for its dramatic views of the Eiffel Tower, particularly from its sweeping terrace. It was built for the 1897 World’s Fair and has been the site of numerous exhibitions and festivals since then. Today, the Trocadero is home to several museums, restaurants, and shops.

From the Trocadéro we walked down Avenue Kléber towards the Arc de Triomphe checking out the shops along the way. At 50 meters (164 feet)tall the Arc de Triomphe was much larger than I had expected, it’s an impressive sight. Napoleon commissioned the Arc de Triomphe to honor his military victories and stands as a symbol of French national pride. The construction of the arch began in 1806 and was completed in 1836, with its iconic starburst pattern decorated with images of Napoleonic soldiers and eagles representing his victory. We took a few more pictures.

Les Halles and the French Quarter

There were two stores we wanted to see in Paris: E. Dehillerin and Shakespeare and Company so we headed out to the Les Halles and French Quarter Neighborhoods on our last full day. We took the Metro to the Les Halles station and walked from there. Les Halles is an old market district near the Seine and home of Julia Child’s kitchen store: E. Dehillerin.

E. Dehillerin is a family-owned cookware shop in Paris that has been operating since 1820. It is one of the oldest and most iconic kitchen stores in the world, offering an unparalleled selection of professional-grade cookware and baking supplies. E. Dehillerin was closed for inventory so I can’t confirm any of that. I’ll be back in August and report back.

From there we headed towards the Seine and unexpectedly found ourselves at the Louvre – we walked through an arched walkway and on the other side saw the pyramid – which explained what that very large, palace looking building was. The Louve visit is also planned for the later trip so we just stopped for a photo and moved on.

We crossed the Seine on the Pont des Arts pedestrian bridge and entered the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter on the Left Bank of the Seine was named for the language used at the University of Paris in the Middle Ages. The area is home to a number of landmarks, bookstores, restaurants, and cafes. The narrow streets and lively atmosphere made this a fun place to look around. We only had to wait a few minutes in line to get into the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore. The store features new and used English-language books which you can get stamped with the store logo. A fun place to look around, pick up some gifts, and a must see for any book-lover. Our trip to the Latin Quarter was a terrific way to spend our last day in Paris.

Paris Dining Highlights

For this quick trip to Paris we figured out where to eat as we wandered around the different neighborhoods. As we looked back on the trip these places stood out.

• Bistrot Leo – This is a charming little cafe is in the Le Marais neighborhood. We didn’t actually eat here but did enjoy a glass or two of wine. Sharing this spot because our host was so friendly and helpful and the food did look terrific. This was one of our first stops after we arrived and was a lovely introduction to Paris.
• Maison Bayat – This is an amazing artisan bakery located about a block from our hotel and close to the Gare du Nord station. There was almost always a line out the door but with plenty of staff it moved quickly. We picked up lunch here a couple of times and I can highly recommend the croque monsieur. I may have had more than a couple pain au chocolat here as well.
• Yasmin – We stumbled on this casual Indian restarant wandering down Passage Brady. The host was encouraging us to come in for dinner, we walked past, read the online reviews, turned around and headed back to give it a try. I had the Thali (large plate) dinner. It was delicoius and plenty of food at a reasonable price.
• Crêperie Bobo – I couldn’t leave Paris without having a crêpe so on our last day we found this restaurant in the Latin Quarter. We both had galettes which is a crêpe made with buckwheat flour and savory rather than sweet. Bob’s had ham and eggs, mine had honey and goat cheese. Both were outstanding
• Mangioni Paris – Another terrific pizza stop for us! We were looking for some place close to our hotel near Gare du Nord and found this little spot with great reviews. The Neopolitan pizza was excellent as was the service.