Paris in the spring — there’s songs and poems about it, it’s featured in movies from spy thrillers to romantic comedies — but nothing beats being there in person. If Paris in the spring is where you want to be, GetAway Travel can make that happen.  We can arrange your trip, book your tours and make that dream vacation in Paris a reality. 

 Paris in bloom 

Jardin des Plantes

 From March to May the city comes alive. It’s a great time to explore before it gets too hot. The street markets spring to life, the cafe terraces are perfect for people watching and the gardens burst into bloom. Marvel at the pale, pink cherry blossoms in Trocadero Gardens around the Eiffel Tower or in Square Jean XXIII by Notre Dame. The cherry orchard at Parc de Sceaux just outside Paris is gorgeous in the spring. Magnolia and wisteria start blooming in the parks in April, but the Luxembourg Gardens and Jardin des Plantes are filled with blooming daffodils, tulips and peonies earlier in the spring. 

Rodin’s Sculpture Garden outside the Musée Rodin has seven acres of flowers and trees with greenery all year round. In March the yellow forsythia is in bloom and so is the blue ceanothus. Some of Rodin’s most famous works like The Thinker and Gates of Hell, are actually outside. 

 There’s music everywhere 

 Every church and chapel has Easter concerts in the spring. If your cup of tea is Bach, Vivaldi or Purcello, try the Gothic Sainte-Chapelle, La Madeleine Church or the Palace of Versailles. English services are offered at the American Church, American Cathedral, Trinity International Church, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church or The Scots Kirk. 

 Food, glorious food 

 Tasting baguettes, coq au vin, onion soup, beef bourguignon, croque monsieur or croque madame, bouillabaisse and cassoulet will keep you busy and satisfied. But there’s also pain au chocolate. If you think a chunk of chocolate baked in a croissant is boring, think again. There’s savory or sweet crepes, eclairs and macarons to try, too. 

But Easter time is when chocolatiers try to outdo each other with fabulous chocolate creations. Chocolates are featured in fabulous window displays at the Jeff de Bruges or La Mason du Chocolat shops and the Galleries Lafayette Department store goes all out with it’s chocolate-themed window displays. 

For the serious chocolate lovers, the Saint-Germain-des-Prés is the place to be. Higher end chocolatiers such as Jean-Charles Rochoux and Patrick Rogers are located there as well as Pierre Herme. You can book a tour featuring chocolate shops as well as bakery and pastry shops. Thank goodness it’s a walking tour! 

 Produce, flowers and bargains 

Fresh produce and flowers show up at the farmer’s markets which really get rolling in the spring along with the flea markets or Marché des puces as they are called. Search for quirky antiques or vintage clothing and glassware at Marché aux Puces de St.-Ouen. With its 3,000 plus vendors, this is the busiest and most diverse of the flea markets. Luckily, it is broken down into categories by streets so the shopping is easier. 

 Don’t forget those familiar places 

 You can’t miss it, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris. She, because in France the Eiffel Tower is considered feminine, offers breath-taking views of the city. It is the most visited paid monument in the world. Take the elevator or, wearing comfortable shoes, take the 674-step staircase to the top. Le Jules Verne, a Michelin-star restaurant is on the second floor and there’s also a champagne and a macaron bar. It truly is a stunning sight during the day, but at night it is illuminated throughout with a five-minute light show that goes through the tower every hour. 

L’Arc de Triomphe

The most beautiful avenue in the world is the tree-lined Champs-Élysées. A little over a mile long between the Place Charles de Gaulle and the Place de La Concorde, there are restaurants, cafes and luxury boutiques as well as brand-name stores and theaters along the avenue. Go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for the best overall view of the avenue. 

You can’t visit Paris and leave without seeing the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo at the et Louvre Museum. Pro tip: get a map of the museum and an audio guide at the ticket desk. With more than 350,000 items on display, you could spend days there. As a bonus, there’s great views of the city for the hundreds of windows in the museum. 

Venus de Milo

Walk in the steps of the Sun King at the Palace of Versailles. Entirely restored to its Seventeenth Century splendor, it is chock full of gilt, glamor, marble and carvings. 

Do plan on spending some time outside. The landscaped and manicured gardens around the palace take up almost 2,000 acres. There are 55 fountains and part of the charm of the gardens his the baroque music show at the fountains. Maps show routes to the different fountains and there are evening shows with lights and lasers. 

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Whether you want to spend a couple of weeks in spring in Paris, or take a leisurely river cruise, we can help you with that at GetAway Travel. Give us a call at (262) 538-2140, or e-mail: sue@getaway.travel or paul@getaway.travel