Paris & The Bavarian Alps

October 14-21, 2022

Paris, France and the Bavarian Alps of Germany were the perfect mix of city, nature, and food for our last trip, to Europe, before baby Patterson.

We spent our first two days in Paris going to the major sights and trying to fit in all the pastries and good food. Since we only had about a month to plan this trip, we weren't able to get tickets for the Eiffel Tower online or reservations at certain restaurants. However, other companies have open spots for guided Eiffel Tower tours, or you can try to get same-day tickets. The guided tours did not appeal to us, so we booked a three-course lunch at Madame Brasserie so we could at least go to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower and not be herded around with a group. Although somewhat expensive, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience! The top of the Eiffel Tower ended up being closed that day due to mechanical issues, so it worked out that we weren't able to get tickets. Our other favorite food stops were Pastamore and Coeur de Breizh. The crepes at Coeur de Breizh were the best we have ever had!

After two days in Paris, we flew to Germany, making a quick stop at Neuschwanstein Castle on our way to Lake Eibsee. With limited time we took the bus up to Marienbrucke, a popular viewing point, but we would have loved to hike there and tour the castle if time had allowed.

Lake Eibsee is even more stunning in person and lies at the base of Zugspitze, Germany's tallest mountain! On our first day, we walked around the lake, an easy 4.3-mile loop, and took advantage of the hotel pool, spa, and canoes. The next day, we took the cable car up Zugspitze and enjoyed a pretzel, cappuccino, and hot chocolate while taking in the 360-degree views. For a different experience on the way down, we took a smaller cable car and cog train, which turned out to be fun because there is a restaurant, sledding area, and church to check out where you switch from the cable car to the train.

On our way back to Munich, we stopped at lake Sylvenstein, which is pretty, but a lot cooler viewed from above. Not having a drone or time to hike to a higher point, we considered this stop a bit of a bust. We had dinner in Munich, which was a little nerve-racking to navigate, but in the end, worth it. It turns out meatloaf in Germany is not like traditional American meatloaf, but it was still tasty!

We flew back to Paris and had a short list of must-dos; Du Pain et des Idees chocolate pistachio escargot pastry, hot chocolate, and Le Relias De L'entrecote for dinner. The chocolate pistachio escargot pastry was our personal favorite of all the pastries we tried in Paris. We had pastries from La Masion d’Isabelle (rated best croissant in 2018) and Stohrer’s (Paris’ oldest pastry shop) at the beginning of the trip. (Our ranking of the three would be Du Pain et des Idees, Stohrer, then La Masion d'Isabelle.)

The hot chocolate at Du Pain et Des Idees was not the thick kind I had heard about, so I did not get to check that one off my list, but still delicious! Our last must-do was Le Relias De L'entrecote. I had read you need to get in line before they open to avoid a lengthy wait, and we had witnessed a very long line one of the previous nights. We arrived an hour before opening, which on that particular night was not necessary, thirty minutes before would have sufficed. There is no menu except for dessert at the end. Dinner here is a salad and bread, followed by steak and fries. Before we had even finished our first plate of steak and fries, they were filling it with more. We aren't sure how many times they will refill your plate since we couldn’t even finish our second one. We had to stop ourselves to leave room to try one of their desserts!

Itinerary:

Day 1- Flew RDU to Paris

Day 2- Uber from airport to hotel / Dropped off luggage / La Maison d'Isabelle / Pantheon / Notre Dame / The Louvre / Saint Pearl / Nap / Eiffel Tower / Pastamore

Day 3- Stohrer / Eiffel Tower Lunch at Madam Brassiere / Arc de Triomphe / Eiffel Tower at night / Tripletta Pizza / Coeur de Breizh

Day 4- Flight to Munich / McDonalds / Neuschwanstein Castle / Lake Eibsee / Dinner

Day 5- Breakfast / Lake Eibsee Loop / Canoe / Pool / Spa / Dinner

Day 6- Walk around Lake Eibsee / Breakfast / Cable Car up Zugspitze / Cable Car/Cog Train Down / Lake Sylveinstein / Nuernberger Bratwurst Gloeckl am Dom

Day 7- Flight to Paris / Du Pain et Dees Ides / La Vittoria Pizza / Eiffel Tower / Le Relias De L'entrecote

Day 8- Flight Home

Food Recommendations:

Saint Pearl (Paris, France)

Pastamore (Paris, France)

Madame Brassiere (Paris, France)

Coeur de Breizh (Paris, France)

Nuernberger Bratwurst Gloeckl am Dom (Munich, Germany)

Du Pain et Dees Ides (Paris, France)

Le Relias De L'entrecote (Paris, France)

Accommodations:

Hotel Mayet

Ebisee Hotel

Hilton Munich Airport Hotel

3H Paris Marais Hôtel

Notes:

-The metro is a great way to get around Paris, and you still get in plenty of walking.

-In Paris, some restaurants book up, so it's best to check well in advance to see if you can make a reservation.

-It's recommended to get pastries early in the day when they are freshest, but we couldn't make it to Du Pain et des Idees until almost 1:30 PM, and their pastries still ended up being our favorite. Du Pain et des Idees is closed on the weekends.

-Hotels were quite pricy in Paris, and the ones we stayed at had very small rooms. They met our needs but were not our favorite, which is why they are not linked above.

-When we booked our stay at the Eibsee hotel, breakfast and dinner were included.

-Online tickets for the Zugspitze cable car/cog train can be purchased up to 3 days in advance and ends at 8 PM the night before.