Woke up in Paris on our second day, still in awe that we got to visit Paris in our lifetime. The second day was our first full day in Paris and it was going to be a long day. We planned for an early morning trip to Versailles, tickets purchased ahead of time. From the hotel it takes 50 mins on the RER C train, so we had to plan ahead and start our day early. While the visit to Versailles would fill up most of the day, we wanted a free and easy place to visit if we found time later. That plan was to visit Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, where the attraction is the funicular up the hill. By far, the Basilica was the most memorable of this trip.

Versailles: The Epitome of Luxury

Remember to buy tickets ahead of time, Versailles is a very popular tourist destination. We bought our tickets to Versailles soon after we booked our hotel in Paris. Pick a time that is early in the day, generally not as crowded as later in the afternoon. We went during winter, when the ticket to the Chateau also gave us access to the gardens. The fountains were closed during winter. At the gardens, there were options to self-drive a golf buggy around or sit on a road train that takes you around the gardens. It was a huge garden so walking was not going to be feasible.

When we were there and saw the crowd, we had flashbacks of our trip to Vatican City last year. We were surprised at the number of Chinese-looking tourists. It made us feel at home. With the crowd, we were not able to stay in one room and read up on the information. We just got pushed along with the crowd from one room to another. We should have signed up for a tour, at least someone to tell us stories about what we were seeing. This was a case of going to a place and then reading up on the history later.

What’s interesting at Versailles

1. The bed of Louis XIV was perched high with a low fence at its foot. That was because he had an audience when he went to sleep and woke up.
2. The Hall of Mirrors is impressive for its 357-mirror, 73-meter-long, 17-arch design, which perfectly reflects the gardens to create an illusion of infinite space and unmatched light. It is also where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, marking the end of World War 1.
3. Gallery of Great Battles contains paintings that depict 15 centuries of French military successes.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre

We wanted to visit Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre because we had spotted the funicular that goes up the hill on our research. The funicular costs one Metro ticket. There was a ticket booth and machines to load up the Navigo card, but I recommend that you get the tickets in advance since there were limited ticketing machines and a lot of tourists. The queue and ride up were pretty fast.

We arrived late in the evening as the sun was setting. We got to see the white Basilica in the day and lit in amber as night fell. Paris lighting up as the sun set was a sight to behold. The area was surrounded by classic French architecture, cafes and restaurants. Just around the corner, we stumbled upon Place du Tertre, a square where artists gather to show off their skills.

Montmartre is not just about the Church, the neighbourhood is also a great place to take a stroll. I would advise watching out for pickpockets and scammers. There was a gang while we were there doing the bracelet scam, where they forcefully tied string “friendship” bracelets onto tourists’ wrists or fingers and later extorted money. They formed a line so we had to pass them as we were leaving the area — I grabbed my son and we barged through the line.