“I went to Paris from Manchester airport for a day trip and it felt like a dream”

City of Lights, Capital of Romance – Paris is a place with many different characters and is definitely one of the most chic cities in the world. Luckily for us, Manchester is about a 60 minute journey from the French capital.

That makes it perfect for a short break – such as a long weekend or bank holiday – or perhaps a day trip? I spent a day in Paris and was able to return to Manchester and my own bed after a day of French culture.

If you’re checking in for a flight at Manchester Airport, it’s quick and easy to get through, thanks to the lack of luggage. Would you bring a hold for 12 hours? Me neither.

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My bag had a few essentials – wallet, book, phone power pack – and I was through security in just a few minutes. With a flight leaving at 8am, there wasn’t too much of an alarm sound.

Once at the gate we were called, boarded and airborne quickly. At just one hour and 35 minutes – the run to Paris Charle De Gaulle takes slightly longer than the Manchester end.

I disembarked, hopped on a main RER B train for about 12 euros and was deposited at Gare Du Nord within 30 minutes. The hustle and bustle around the massive train station and outside is very high, with street vendors milling around trying to get you to buy their wares.

For those who haven’t been to Paris, it’s pretty much what TV and movies would lead you to believe. The beautiful, architecturally stunning streets are filled with impossibly fashionable people – of all ages – and there’s a general air of haughty indifference to tourists.

That’s not to say unfriendly. The first stop I made was at a cafe on the Rue De Dunkerque near the station, where my schoolgirl French was able to secure me a black coffee.

The waitress was sweet and smiley and it helped that she laughed when I stumbled over French grammar I hadn’t conjured up in nearly three decades. She didn’t treat me like someone intent on butchering her beautiful language and was happy to speak English too.

I had pre-booked a trip to the Louvre, but instead of taking the metro the 40 minutes across the city, I walked through leafy neighborhoods in the June sun. Parisians walked their dogs, drank coffee and went about their business, seemingly unaware that the buildings and roads surrounding them were perfect.

Lines of second-floor balconies, which became part of the city’s appearance around the 1850s under Napoleon III, give each street a regimented neatness, many with their iron balustrades laced with flowers and giving off the air of an attractive holiday apartment . The French are stylish in this, as in all things, it seems.

In my travels, I found Rue Cadet in the 9th arrondissement – or zone – which was full of restaurants and delicatessens and seemed to offer food from all over the world. Shortly after lunch the French came out in force for a leisurely lunch and I grabbed a table at a place called the Nook.

A confit chicken tagine and a glass of red wine later – less than €16 with tip – I was back on my feet on Rue Richelieu heading for the world’s most visited museum.

Along the way, there was so much street art that showed the modern side of the city, nestled comfortably next to centuries-old fountains and park areas. On a hot day in June, it was a pleasure to rest by the Louvois Fountain, with a crowd of young people seeking to cool off from the humidity that seemed to engulf the city.

Arriving at the Louvre, I was taken in by the crowds and the expanse. People were milling around the famous glass pyramid of the Louvre as I went inside in search of the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

It was a great display at the Olympics, with fascinating sculptures of hunters and soldiers. I could have spent hours in the museum, but I still had a meeting to attend, so I hurried through the crowds back to the Seine.

The city’s thoroughfare, walking up and down the Seine could be a vacation in itself, lined with thrift poster and antique sellers on the sidewalk. There were plenty of others walking along the river with more American than French accents reaching my ears.

My destination was Shakespeare and Company, a bookstore that built its name by hosting aspiring writers and artists in exchange for helping out around the bookstore. Of course, there were queues to get in, so after a short search, I ordered a coffee from the cafe next door and took in the view – Notre Dame cathedral, still being rebuilt and repaired after the devastating fire of 2019.

A walking tour I had booked left from that place so I joined the group and our guide Jay led us through the most fantastic tour of the Latin Quarter. The pay-as-you-go tour was full of historical and cultural nuggets of wisdom that I would have otherwise missed.

We made our way through the fifth arrondissement and up the steep Rue Lagrange to St Etienne Du Mont, a neoclassical church that housed wedding pictures as we heard about its history. After spending some time at the Pantheon, we headed back past the Sorbonne – one of the oldest universities in Europe – and finished the walk in the Luxembourg Gardens.

The afternoon heat had dissipated slightly, so after paying Jay what I felt for his two and a half hour whirlwind through the history of the Latin Quarter, I drank a glass of chilled white wine with a fellow traveler We also tasted a truly French macaron while looking at the palace, which is now the home of the French Senate – their equivalent of our upper house of government.

It was a short hop to the metro and back on the RER B, which whisked me away from the city and back to Charle De Gaulle. Landing back in Manchester just over 12 hours after leaving made the trip seem like a dream, but then there’s something magical about Paris – and it’s a lot closer than you’d think.

Kirstie flew from Manchester Airport at 8am on a Thursday, landing at Paris Charles De Gaulle at 10.35am. Return departed Paris CDG at 22:00 and arrived back in Manchester at 22:35 (all local times)

The flight, with EasyJet, cost £96.47 return, however fare prices change frequently based on offers.