Paris 2013 - Arriving in Paris

The drive from Brussels to Paris is around 300 km and takes close to 4 hours. The journey is quite scenic and smooth - but once you reach Paris the traffic starts to pile up. We arrived on the outskirts of Paris around 4.30 p.m. which was the start of the rush hour - it was drizzling and traffic was really heavy. There was no way we were going to reach the restaurant for dinner on time on a bus - so we decided to get dropped off at a subway station and take the tube.

The tube was just as crowded as the streets, but we did manage to squeeze ourselves in. The Paris Subways is one of the oldest in the World, and also one of the busiest. It carries a mind-boggling 4 million passengers a day!

We had to change lines a couple of times. It was a good way to familiarize with the subway system. Our restaurant was near the Louvre - probably one of the busiest stations in Paris. Once you get out of the subway you are greeted with some of the best quarters in Paris.

Walking along the streets is one of the great joys of visiting the city. You are surrounded by beautiful buildings.

The Paris Metro is also one of the densest in Europe. There are stations everywhere so it is a very convenient way to move around the city. The only problem is at night you are bound to encounter a few drunkards and suspicious characters on the trains - so do take the necessary precautions.