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I’ll see you at the bookshop!
The Best Day Trips from London to Paris
For me, one of the best things about living in the UK is having Europe right on our doorstep.
Paris is particularly close thanks to the Channel Tunnel, and takes just over two hours to reach by train from central London. There’s no need to catch a flight or board a ferry, making the journey from England to France feel seamless.
Viator - Best Paris Tours & Day Trips
Here’s my guide to the best Paris tours and day trips available on Viator.
You’ve booked a trip to Paris! Congratulations, you’re going to have the most amazing time.
There’s so much to see and do in the city - from climbing the Eiffel Tower and touring the Palace of Versailles to taking part in food tours and sailing down the Seine river.
The Best English Language Bookshops to Visit in Paris
A city beloved by bibliophiles, Paris is packed with stunning bookshops, libraries and literary cafes.
For those interested in literary history, you really are spoilt for choice. Follow in the footsteps of Hemingway by dining at Brasserie Lipp, and sip coffee with Oscar Wilde at Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots. You can even visit the home of the famous French author Victor Hugo, who penned The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables.
Paris has continued to embrace and champion the written word, and you’ll find dozens of bookshops to visit around the city. There are even a number of booksellers that specialise in English language books, making these shops a must visit for English speakers.
Shakespeare and Company, Paris - Bookshop Review
I explored Paris’ famous English language bookshop and literary meeting place, Shakespeare and Company.
I arrived at the bookshop on one of those cold yet sunny winter mornings as part of an excursion with Viking Cruises. The tour guide had allocated us an hour of free time to spend as we liked, and as most of the tour group pottered off to peruse the nearby Christmas market, I rubbed my hands together with glee, knowing that I was about to visit one of my bucket list bookshops.
Although many people report having to wait in line to enter Shakespeare and Company, I was fortunate and ended up walking straight inside.
The Abbey Bookshop, Paris - Bookshop Review
Located in Paris’ Latin Quarter, The Abbey Bookshop is an independently owned Canadian bookshop specialising in English language books.
I was excited to finally visit this iconic shop during my recent visit to Paris, where I embarked on an exciting press trip with Viking Cruises, which involved sailing down the Seine on a roundtrip from the capital.
Welcome to the Viking Skaga - one of Viking Cruises’ noble river ships. She takes her name from an ancient Norse myth, where the Valkyrie Skaga rode into battle and escorted the dead to Valhalla, before preparing them to fight in the epic battle of Ragnarok.
A relatively new ship, the Viking Skaga only entered the fleet in 2020. At just 410 feet and carrying 168 guests and 48 crew, she was built specifically to sail down the Seine in France, although the specific itinerary will vary depending on the time of year. I was fortunate enough to join the ship for her week long Christmas on the Seine cruise, which starts and ends in Paris, calling at Vernon, Caudebec-en-Caux, Rouen, Honflour (via an excursion) and Les Andelys along the way.