I was only in Paris for a day, and it only took that long for me to fall in love with it.

While I wish I had had more time in this beautiful city, I did manage to do quite a lot in my brief time there. I arrived around six in the morning, which meant the streets were pretty much deserted. I dropped my luggage off at Hotel Verneuil and, while I couldn’t yet enter my room since it was so early, I was able to enjoy a delicious breakfast in their underground dining area. The server actually said, “Bon appetit!” as she finished pouring my coffee, and that’s how I knew I was really in Paris.

With a yummy French breakfast in my belly, I was ready to explore. The hotel was only a few minutes’ walk from the Louvre, and when I arrived, I was struck by how eerily deserted it was. One of the perks of being a morning person—avoiding ridiculous crowds of tourists!

After wandering around the Louvre, I began to make my way toward the Eiffel Tower because you can’t go to Paris and not see the Tower. I took my time, meandering through the Tuileries Garden, admiring the fragrant flowers and stoic statues.

Once I reached the end of the Garden, I walked along the Seine, keeping the Tower in view all along the way. The walk took only about 40 minutes, and I was taking my time, stopping occasionally to snap a photo or to people-watch.

Although the Louvre and Garden had been relatively deserted, the Eiffel Tower was already pretty lively by the time I got there. I enjoyed walking around and taking in the view from various angles and, of course, did some more people-watching.

By this point, I was feeling in need of a bit of nourishment, so I Yelped cafes nearby and found Kozy Salon Urbain. Many of the reviews mentioned that this place had the best croissants in Paris, and they weren’t kidding. The barista was pleasant and welcoming despite my VERY limited French speaking skills. My croissant and caramel latte were completely satisfying. I could’ve eaten 10 more croissants, but I’m an adult, and adults don’t do things like that. I only slightly regret not having at least one more croissant, though—it was really the best I’ve ever had.

Later that day my partner in crime/boyfriend arrived and we went to the Ponts des Arts (the bridge with all the love locks), of course, because how could we not? But no, we did not add our own lock. They cut the locks down now, so instead we admired the sentiment and the view from the bridge.

Next we made our way to Notre Dame, which is immeasurably more impressive in person than it even is in photos.

We enjoyed Paris to the fullest one can in just over 24 hours. I can’t wait to go back and get to know this lovely city even better.