Let's Eurostar

Don’t Miss Montmartre

Take a Parisian walking tour with Holly from our social media marketing team. She thinks you’ll love Montmartre as much as she does:

 

In a way, you can’t miss Montmartre.

Just look up, to the north. It’s both a hill and a district. And it’s the best window-shopping wander in Paris.

The Métro Anvers is a good starting place, early in the day. 

Take a croissant and café from any nearby boulangerie (they’re all lovely) up to Sacré Coeur, the highest spot in Paris. Enjoy the view, then wander your way down – towards Abbesses. Look for Petite Mendigote, one of my favorite bag shops, and Belle de Jour, with vintage perfume bottles glittering like jewels in the window.



Want to stop looking and start digging into things? Tombées du Camion is maybe the most curious vintage shop in the world. 

To get out of the weather, look for the tall brick tower of Église St Jean de Montmartre—not as old or famous as Sacré Coeur, but it’s awesome anyway.

For lunch, Ma Biche: delicious, local, fresh, French. 

For music buffs, take a turn along Rue de Douai. So many instrument shops to see and explore! Don’t miss Moulin Rouge—classic. And if you’re still there by nightfall, find Le Consulat (possibly the best-looking lit-up street corner in France) or, for a bona fide French dinner, La Petite Le Petit Parisien.

5½ Ways to Save on European Travel

Nobody stops you from going to Europe. You’re a goer, and you’re going. But even with the dollar stronger than it’s been in years, you still have a budget. Here’s how to make the most of it in London and Paris—and one other great destination. To save big, go smart: 1. Book early. Planning pays off. Oh, you can improvise. But better to wing it with 23% more money under your wing—avg. savings on hotels, booking 3-5 months ahead.

2. Find the fun freebies. The best things in life are like London’s Natural History Museum: free. Don’t miss cultural spectacle (the changing of the guard) and free-entry clubs (https://www.timeout.com/paris/en/events/the-best-free-nights-out-in-paris).

3. Travel mid-week. Less crowded, less costly. Save an avg. of $86 NYC to Paris, and more city-to-city on the continent.

4. Day-trip to Brussels on Wednesday.

Not only are you traveling mid-week, you’ll be in one of Europe’s coolest cities on the day all its museums are free. It’s only a couple of hours by high-speed rail, so…

5. Train, not plane or car, between cities. Going city center to city center (instead of airport to rental car or taxi) saves you time, which means more Europe for your money. Stretch out, sip wine, and arrive refreshed, not frazzled.

My favourite pub in London? The Queen's Head on Acton Street, less than 10 minutes' walk from St Pancras. A proper little Victorian pub, always an interesting selection of real ales. The staff are very knowledgeable, always happy to help, and will let you try before you buy.

If you're lucky you may be able to bag one of the comfy leather sofas by the window. After my shift, it's heaven to walk down, grab a pint, and make a friend or two. More than once, I have had to drag myself away from a great conversation to avoid missing my last train home.

My passion for beer has really developed at Eurostar. One of our drivers used to organise pub crawls by minibus around his native Lake District. I went on a couple of them and was hooked.

A couple of hours by rail and you can compare ales from London to Brussels. Hoist a pint en route, for that matter. But before you go, another favourite destination is Hackney Wick in East London. There are breweries side by side, so you can hop, so to speak, from one to the next. Despite Hackney's reputation as hipster central, beards are not compulsory! I really think the beer scene in London rivals Brussels now.