Sacre Coeur to the Eiffel Tower

It's no secret that Paris is one of my favorite spots in the world, and this trip we stayed up in Montmartre, the 'artist's district' where the likes of Dalí, Monet, Picasso and van Gogh had studios. I'm glad I let my sister talk me into it, instead of staying down near the Seine like I originally wanted. Montmartre's beautiful cobblestone streets, and abundance of bakeries and cheese shops made me never want to leave!

Luckily the hill of Montmartre is pretty steep, giving you the chance to burn off all that delicious cheese. And if you're ready for a bit of a hike I highly recommend making your own pilgrimage up the hill to the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur. Sure, you could take the little funicular trolley from one of the Metro stations, but then you wouldn't get to walk through the little parks and see all the little side streets on your way up. And, you want to make room for even more cheese!

The Basilica of the Sacré Cœur is pretty spectacular, although it certainly struck me how new it is compared to the Notre Dame we visited the day before. Groundbreaking on the Sacré Cœur began in 1875 and the structure was completed in 1914, compared with the Notre Dame which began construction in 1163 and was completed in 1345!

After you've climbed all the way to the top of the hill you might not be too interested in climbing the 300 very claustrophobic and dark spiral stone stairs to the top, but it is well worth it. The view is amazing from up there, and possibly more beautiful and interesting than from the Eiffel Tower. It is certainly more intimate because they only let a handful of people up at a time. You'll find the ticket office out of the way, around to the left hand side and down some stairs.

Take notice of all the different gargoyles they have around the top, some of them are pretty amazing.

And here is the view from the rotunda at the top. Gorgeous no? As you walk around Paris you get glimpses of the Eiffel Tower, but because of the buildings in the foreground it never really looks that big. It's only when you get some distance that you can really appreciate it's height.

Ah the Tour Eiffel, hated by so many Parisians and loved by the rest of the world. Proposed as a centerpiece for the 1889 World's Fair, the Eiffel Tower is the most visited paid monument in the world, so expect to line up to climb to the first or second viewing platform, and even longer lines for the elevator to the top!

View of the Seine from the second viewing platform. I recommend going up about an hour before sunset, so you get to see the city in daylight and as it begins to light up for the evening.

Having only ever climbed the stairs to the second level on previous visits we decided to head straight to the top, and the view certainly didn't disappoint. I made sure to use a wrist-strap on my LifeProof case...can't imagine anything worse than dropping my phone all that way onto an unsuspecting tourist below!

It's only when you look down that you realize just how high up you actually are. When cars look like ants and people are just dots.

We took the stairs down from the second viewing platform, about 600 to get to the bottom from there.

Here's a little video from my time at both the Sacré Cœur and the Eiffel Tower. I'd love to hear your questions or about your own experiences in Paris, so why not leave me a comment!