Abi Summers

Articles

Here you can find all of my articles! These articles cover some of my favourte things in Paris, personal projects like alphabet of Île-de-France and travelling. You can find the category of articles on the homepage

About me

Hi, I'm Abi, welcome to my corner of the internet! I'm a tour guide & backend developer based in Paris. I'm passionate about learning, communication, community and slow travel.

All things cheese: guided through Paris

An overview on french cheeses, from how they're made, to the eight families of cheeses

Annual events in Paris (and Île-de-France): guided through Paris

Here you can find some of the events that happen in Paris each year, including one of my favourite nights of the year!

Arc de Triomphe: guided through Paris

Visiting the Arc de Triomphe.

Bastille to Vincennes: guided through Paris

A 5km scenic walk along the Coulée verte René-Dumont

Belgium - June 2024

A week in Belgium including a stop in Saint Quentin, seeing family and the Bruges Triennial

Bike packing

What I love about bike packing and some of the things I always travel with

BNF: À nous les stades ! Une histoire du sport au féminin

In keeping with the 2024 Paris Olympics, an exhibition on the history of women in sports

BNF: La France sous leur yeux

My thoughts on my first exhibition at the BNF.

Board game cafes

Some of my favourite places to play board games in Paris

Book stores

My favourite places to buy English books in Paris

Bruges: Triennial

Exploring the Bruges Triennial

Carnavalet: Paris 1793-1794

Exploring the Bruges Triennial

Carte avantage

Tracking how much money I save with the SNCF discount card

Common scams: guided through Paris

Scams to watch out for throughout the city

Cycling the ViaRhôna

Cycling from Valence to Avignon along the ViaRhôna

Destinations

Planning a day trip within Île-de-France? Here are some recommendations on places to visit broken down by train line

Eiffel Tower: guided through Paris

My tips and tricks for having the best experience - with or without a guide.

Exploring Montmartre: guided through Paris

What makes Montmartre notable? A brief overview of the history and a self guided walking tour

Festive foods: guided through Paris

Foods that are eaten throughout the year as part of holidays and celebrations

Free activities in Paris: guided through Paris

Some of my favourite free activities in Paris

French history

Preparing for the French nationality interview

Getting around Île-de-France

Explaining different ways to get around the Île-de-France region using public transport

Heritage days - Brussels 2024

An overview of everything I saw while in Belgium during the 2024 heritage days

How to plan a day trip

Tips on planning a day trip within Île-de-France as part of my alphabet project

La Petite Ceinture: guided through Paris

Places to visit along an old train line that runs through the centre of Paris

Learning French

My experience with learning French and how I actually became confident enough to speak

Learning to code

My experience on learning to code at a bootcamp in Paris.

Libraries in Paris

a change in work place, visiting different libraries around Paris

MaM: Jean Helion

Visiting the Jean Hélion - 'La prose du monde' exhibition

Musée Bourdelle: Rodin / Bourdelle. Corps à corps

Visiting Rodin / Bourdelle. Corps à corps at Bourdelle museum

Museum passes

I have three subscriptions to museums in Paris. Are they worth it? Here I track what I have seen and how much I've saved.

Museums outside of Paris

Museums and exhibitions within Île-de-France (excluding Paris). Places that I have visited and places that I would like to visit

Olympics in Paris

2024 Olympic games in Paris - an overview of what I've seen and how much I paid per ticket

Paralympics in Paris

2024 Paralympics games in Paris - an overview of what I've seen and how much I paid per ticket

Parks in Le Marais: guided through Paris

My guide to some of the best parks in le Marais

Petit Palais: Theodore Rousseau

Visiting the Théodore Rousseau - 'La Voix de la forêt' exhibition

Picking a restaurant: guided through Paris

My guide for picking a restaurant in Paris

Sacre Coœur: guided through Paris

Get to know the Sacre Cœur!

Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux

Exploring the area around Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux

Slow Travel

what is slow travel and what are the benefits?

Taking the metro: guided through Paris

Advice for taking the metro in Paris (buying tickets, navigating etc)

Travelling with your bike on a train

A short guide on taking your bike on a train in France on both TGVs and TERs

Visit Paris with me!: guided through Paris

The experiences I offer, from personalised guided tours to planning an itinerary based on your criteria

Volunteering in Paris

My experience with English speaking volunteering in Paris with Serve the City

Alphabet of Île-de-France

Here you can find all of my articles related to my Île-de-France project. This is an ongoing project, for me to discover some new locations within the region.

I love looking discovering the hidden things, both in Paris and outside of it.

Visiting Auvers-sur-Oise

A day trip to Auvers-sur-Oise. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Bièvres

A day trip to Bièvres. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Champs-sur-Marne

A day trip to Champs-sur-Marne. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Dourdan

A day trip to Dourdan. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Écouen

A day trip to Écouen. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Favières

A day trip to Favières. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Houdan

A day trip to Houdan. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Parc Kellermann

A day trip to Parc Kellermann. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Nemours

A day trip to Nemours. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Provins

A day trip to Provins. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Rueil-Malmaison

A day trip to Rueil-Malmaison. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Ville-d'Avray

A day trip to Ville-d'Avray. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.

Visiting Yerres

A day trip to Yerres. Part of the alphabet of Île-de-France series.