I just got back from a 5-day trip to Paris! A couple of my IES classes were canceled due to it being finals week at the local universities so I was able to go without missing any classes. I highly recommend not missing/skipping a class and not traveling the weekend before finals! I only have one exam at the end of the week so I believe traveling was reasonable. This will also be the longest trip I take because I do not have a break, so it will be back to weekend trips now.

My trip was amazing, I met up with an old friend from Seattle for a couple of days then did the rest solo. I highly recommend solo traveling to at least one destination if you are comfortable with it. The language barrier was a more prominent issue than any of my other trips, but I was still able to get food and directional help without knowing any French! The touristy destinations were always packed (as expected) but still a must-see.

These places include:
Notre Dame Cathedral,
Eglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont de Paris,
La Madeleine,
parc de Saint-Cloud,
Luxembourg Gardens,
Petit Palais,
Montmartre,
Luxemburg Palace,
walking around the Latin Quarter

The Metro was super convenient and easy to use and I got my steps in by doing roughly 8 miles a day so bring good walking shoes! Bakeries were delicious and practically on every block. I would also take advantage of having such diverse cuisines in one city and try some new foods. Budgeting was a bit different for me since my hostel did not have a kitchen I was eating at restaurants for every meal. I tried to keep each meal under 15 dollars which was very dueable.

It was also my first time at a hostel and shared a mixed dorm room with 3 other people. Although the folks tended to be a bit older they were very nice and I felt safe. I noticed people were more open to connecting and being social at the hostel than any hotel I have stayed in.

when comparing Paris to Amsterdam the main thing I was shocked about was the amount of space between buildings in Paris. I had not realized how squished everything is in Amsterdam. The streets are tiny and usually one way, buildings are all connected with businesses on the ground floors and apartments above.

Overall Paris has great and diverse food, beautiful buildings and architecture, and lots of history, and you can get by solo and without knowing French!