There’s something about Paris that really does feel like a movie. The beautiful buildings, sidewalk cafés, incredible food, and simply wandering the streets made it easy to understand why it has such a romantic reputation.
My husband, Zack, (also a Next Travel advisor) and I spent four nights in Paris, followed by two nights at Disneyland Paris and two nights in Brussels. It was the perfect combination for us: time to experience the romance, food, art, and architecture of Paris, a little Disney magic, and a final stop filled with Belgian waffles, chocolate, and beer.
And while we had plenty planned, one of my biggest takeaways from the trip was that sometimes the best moments happen when you leave room to simply explore.
Falling in Love with Paris
We flew nonstop from Detroit to Paris and took the Metro from the airport to our hotel, Cler Hotel on Rue Cler. We found the Metro system incredibly easy to use throughout our stay, which made getting around the city simple.
Over our four nights in Paris, we visited the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and Shakespeare and Company bookstore, took a cruise along the Seine, explored shops, and ate at plenty of cafés and coffee shops.
But Paris is one of those places where you don’t necessarily need to be heading somewhere to enjoy it. We loved simply wandering the streets, taking in the architecture, stopping for coffee, and experiencing the city at a slower pace.
There are seemingly endless things to do, but I wouldn’t recommend filling every minute of your itinerary. Give yourself time to wander. For us, that was part of the charm.
A Night on the Seine
One of our favorite experiences was seeing Paris from the water on a Bateaux-Mouches Seine River cruise.
We went at night, and it was beautiful. Seeing the architecture of Paris from the river gave us a completely different perspective of the city and made an already romantic destination feel even more special.
The Seine cruise ended up being a favorite for both of us. For me, it was right up there with all the delicious bread and coffee we enjoyed throughout Paris. For Zack, it joined the Louvre and the overall atmosphere of the city as some of his favorite parts of our stay.
If you’re visiting Paris, especially as a couple, an evening on the Seine is something I would absolutely recommend.
Why We Recommend a Guided Louvre Tour
The Louvre was another major highlight, but instead of trying to navigate the museum entirely on our own, we took a guided tour with Walks.
We both thought it was 100% worth it.
The Louvre is huge, and having a guide helped us make the most of our time there. With so much to see, it was helpful to have someone guide us through the museum rather than trying to figure out where to go and what to prioritize on our own.
A guided Louvre tour is easily one of our top recommendations from the trip.
From Paris to Disney Magic
After four nights in Paris, we traded cafés and museums for something completely different: Disneyland Paris!
We took the Metro from Paris and stayed for two nights at Sequoia Lodge. Our resort was only about a 10-minute walk from the park entrance, and we loved how easy everything was to reach once we arrived. The two parks are right next to each other, and the resorts are on property as well.
I had heard that Disneyland Paris was considered one of the prettiest Disney parks, and after visiting, I could see why. Beyond the rides, there were beautiful details and walkthrough areas that made exploring the parks part of the fun.
We rode plenty of rides, watched the nighttime entertainment, and, of course, tried some snacks along the way. Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean were two of our favorite attractions, and we especially enjoyed the nighttime show at Disney Adventure World.
For anyone hoping to experience both parks, I definitely recommend giving yourself two days. There’s enough to see and do that I wouldn’t try to squeeze both parks into one.
The food was probably the one part that didn’t quite live up to what we expected, especially after everything we had eaten in Paris. But overall, Disneyland Paris was a highlight for both of us.
If you already love the Disney parks in the United States, it’s a fun opportunity to experience Disney in a completely different destination. And while it’s an obvious choice for families, we loved experiencing it as a couple too.
One Last Stop in Brussels
From the Disneyland Paris area, we took a train to Brussels, which took about three hours. We spent our final two nights at the Brussels Marriott Grand Place, and we loved both the hotel and its location.
We kept our time in Brussels fairly relaxed. Instead of packing our days with activities, we walked around the Grand Place area, admired the beautiful buildings, shopped, and did plenty of eating.
The waffles and chocolate absolutely lived up to the hype. And, of course, we couldn’t visit Brussels without enjoying some Belgian beer.
Brussels felt more like a city to us than Paris did, and we didn’t love the Metro stations as much as we did in Paris. But the food was excellent, there was beautiful architecture to see, and our hotel put us in a great location for exploring.
I think Brussels works especially well as a one- or two-night stop within a larger European itinerary. If you love chocolate and beer, even better!
Our Favorite Moments
Looking back, Zack and I agreed on quite a few favorites.
For me, the nighttime Seine River cruise, all the delicious bread and coffee, and Disneyland Paris stood out most. Zack especially loved our Louvre tour, the Seine cruise, the overall atmosphere of Paris, and Disneyland Paris.
What I loved about this itinerary was how different each part of the trip felt. We had romantic evenings and leisurely cafés in Paris, two fun-filled days at Disneyland, and then a relaxed finale of food, shopping, and exploring in Brussels.
It gave us a taste of three very different experiences without feeling like every moment had to be planned.
Our Biggest Advice: Don’t Overplan Paris
If there’s one thing I would tell someone planning a similar trip, it’s this: don’t overplan Paris.
There are so many museums, landmarks, restaurants, shops, and experiences that it can be tempting to fill every hour. But part of what made us love Paris was having time to wander the streets and simply enjoy being there.
Stop for coffee. Find a café that catches your eye. Walk down a beautiful street just because you want to see where it goes.
Paris is certainly romantic, which makes it a wonderful destination for couples, but it’s also a city for food lovers, architecture lovers, and anyone who appreciates slowing down a little while they travel.
For us, combining Paris with Disneyland Paris and Brussels gave us the right mix of romance, fun, great food, and time to explore, with plenty of memories we’ll be talking about for a long time.
