Let me guess… You’re a literature lover with a burning desire to go to Paris? Well, there’s some chance I might not be right, but if I am, here is a full travel plan for 2 weeks so you can go to Paris and fully immerse yourself in the landscapes and monuments of your favourite novels located there!
Day 1- based off ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’
You arrive in Paris!
Go to:
Notre Dame(it’s still closed for now, but will soon reopen)
Crypt of the Ile de Cite(closed Mondays)
Palais du Justice
Lunch at Chez Janou
Maison Victor Hugo
Dinner at the Procope, a cafe frequented by many famous French authors (needs a reservation, and I advise to make it a good while ahead of time)
Day 2 - based off ‘A Tale of Two Cities’
Go to:
La Conciergerie
Place de la Bastille
Go to the Rue de la Croix Faubin where it corners with Rue de la Roquette. There you will find the last remains of a guillotine (stones embedded in the pavement). This is important because you can see the last remainders of the weapon which killed Sydney in the novel.
Lunch at Le Trousseau d’Or Restaurant
Look at the ‘Nicolas’ wine shop on Rue Saint Antoine from outside.
Dinner at the Chez Papa in Montmartre, the best restaurant ever.
Day 3 - based off Les Miserables
Take the train to Montreuil-sur-Mer and spend the day exploring the town! Make sure to wake up early to get more time there and also book an inn room. This is a key location to your immersive Les Miserables experience.
Day 4 - based off Les Miserables
Take the train to Montfermeil and spend the day exploring the town! Make sure to wake up early to get more time there and also book an inn room. This is also a key location to your immersive Les Miserables experience since it was where Cosette lived in the inn.
Day 5 - based off Les Miserables
Return to Paris. Go to the Paris Sewer Museum.
Stroll around Rue St Denis and Rue St Martin.
Go to the Rue Oudinot (then called Plumet) and Rue de Babylone and try to see if you can find the large house with a garden of Valjean and Cosette.
Go to lunch: recommended; BARIBAL or Chez Papa again
Take a stroll through the Jardins du Luxembourg like Marius and Cosette.
Day 6 - based off Les Miserables
Go to the Rue des Archives (then called Rue de l’Homme Armé) and try to see if you can find Valjean’s apartment building! Take a look at the atmosphere.
Go to the Rue des Filles du Calvaire and try to see if you can find Gillenormand’s apartment building! Take a look at the atmosphere.
Walk and explore the Latin Quarter to experience the feel of the Les Amis de l’ABC. Go to the bookstores and cafes and immerse yourself. I recommend going to the Abbey Bookshop and maybe buying a piece of French literature in French.
Lunch and dinner; there are plenty of amazing restaurants in the Latin Quarter. Go to whatever suits you best!
Day 7 - based off Les Miserables
For breakfast, I recommend going to Cafe Daguerre in Montparnasse, as it makes you feel straight out of Les Mis.
Go to Pere Lachaise. Spend some time remembering the people, not only going to Murat or Proust. That’s where Valjean was buried, so it’s essential to go there to finish off the experience.
Go to Eglise St Paul St Louis to finish it all off- it’s where Marius and Cosette got married.
Go to Le Marmiton de Lutece for dinner or lunch for the 19th-century vibe!
Day 8 - based off The Three Musketeers
Go to Chateau de Versailles to experience the place where the Three Musketeers was most centred around.
Stroll through Cour du Commerce Saint-Andre. In this place real-life musketeers would meet and dine, so you can find an authentic place to eat and experience the atmosphere of the musketeer era.
Day 9 - General visiting of monuments of literature like tombs or memorials
Go to the Pantheon to visit the tombs of many famous personalities like Victor Hugo, Dumas, Zola
If you’re into Polish literature, you could go to Musee Adam Mickiewicz which has a lot of cool things from 19th century Poland and about Adam’s life and work.
Musée de la Vie Romantique, a place to indulge in art and literature
Stroll through Montmartre and enjoy the feeling of the past Parisian essence
Day 10 - based off The Count of Monte Cristo
Make sure to visit the Chateau du Monte Cristo, the old home of Dumas
It will be late by the time you return to the city if you want to visit the gardens of the castle too, so simply go around the old city, enjoy the more lush Le Marais and look at the houses. Who knows… one might’ve been Dante's house!
Day 11 - based off The Count of Monte Cristo
Make sure to visit the Chateau du Monte Cristo, the old home of Dumas
Eat at Le Train Bleu
Musée de la Préfecture de Police is a great museum if you want to better your understanding of Gerard de Villefort!
Go to a theatre show and try to spot Dantes and Haydee :)
Day - 12 based off The Phantom of the Opera
Visit the Opera Garnier on a tour
Eat at Le Comptoir General!
At night, go to the Opera Garnier and watch a performance. Make sure not to sit in balcony 5.
Day 13 - Cool things to not miss out on
The Louvre
Basilique du Sacré Coeur
Musee d’Orsay
Day 14 -Day of departure!
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