Destination: Ibiza. [see post: Girls Just Want to Have Fun: Ibiza]

From Chicago, getting to Ibiza is easy. However, getting to Ibiza for relatively cheap takes some creativity. The most direct route is on Iberia via Madrid. A cheaper alternative is booking the cheapest airfare that you find to any major European city, and then taking a discount airline (such as Ryanair) from there to Ibiza. By doing so, you ultimately cut the cost in half.

For the first weekend in October, the cheapest airfare from Chicago to Madrid was through Air France, connecting in Paris. Having never been to Paris, I opted for the longer nine hour layover.

I was traveling with my childhood best friend Urszula. The plan was to go see the Eiffel Tower and wander around the city. We wanted to see as much as possible during the layover. Arriving at 11:30 in the morning on Thursday, October 5, 2016, we quickly walked through customs and immigration and headed for the exit.

To save money, we hopped in a shuttle bus to the city center.

Prior to departure, we purchased the lift entrance tickets with access to the Summit. These tickets give access to all three floors (first, second, and summit) of the Eiffel Tower via the lift. It is important to note that these tickets are time stamped, meaning that you must present yourself at the ground floor pillar entrances at the time period indicated on your ticket. If you are more than 30 minutes late, you may not be allowed in. Inconvenient? Yes. But, I strongly encourage purchasing tickets before your departure to Paris. They do sell out. When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower, the entrance tickets with access to the summit were sold out for the day. The other option is purchasing lift entrance tickets with access to the second floor. These tickets give you access to the first and second floors of the Eiffel Tower. If you can, purchase tickets with access to the summit – you did not travel all the way to Paris to partially experience the Eiffel Tower.

Our tickets were purchased for 1:30 in the afternoon (13:30). Leaving the airport a little past noon, we barely made it there in time. It took a while to get up to the summit. The queue for the lifts wrapped around the tower. We stopped to admire the views on the first and second floors, before heading up to the top.

Cold and windy, but spectacular panoramic views of Paris.

Instead of grabbing a glass of champagne at the champagne bar located at the top of the tower, we opted for macarons and coffee. What better place to try the French delicacy for the first time?

After we were done enjoying the views from the top, we wanted to capture the tower from the bottom. We walked around the grounds admiring the architecture.

Our flight to Madrid was leaving at 8:50 later that evening (20:50). We did not have much time left to wander the city before we had to head back to the airport. Across the street, we noticed sightseeing boats lined up along the river. To our surprise, there was an hour-long tour leaving as we were walking up to the ticket booth. Not dressed for the occasion, we bundled up in the airplane blankets that we took with us and tried not to freeze.

Paris is not Vaduz. You cannot simply take an hour or so bus ride and explore the entire city over the duration of a multi-hour layover. Contrary to what is advised on most generic travel advice columns, nine hours really is not enough time to explore the city. I mean, you can most definitely squeeze in experiencing the Eiffel Tower and a short walk nearby, but that is about it. It takes longer than usual to get through customs and immigration at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport, and even longer to get through security on your way back. Depending on the time of day, getting to and from the airport takes quite a bit of time. If you are short on time, take a taxi. It is a lot more expensive than taking a shuttle, but it will get you there quicker – no stops along the way. Unfortunately, whether you take a taxi or shuttle, neither will get you through traffic any faster. And, traffic in Paris is bad. Not Nairobi bad, but more like Chicago or New York bad. If you want to venture into the city, give yourself at least a seven hour layover.