DC and I have very different travel styles. I’m more ‘book the essentials’ (plane ticket, with an aisle seat to be specific) and then sort of figure out the plan from there.
My hubby is the polar opposite. He pretty much books whatever is humanly possible to book in advance. And then he maps it all out, with time frames next to each activity (yes that includes food, naps and free time) and pastes a google map at the bottom with walking routes. There is always a plan B and the itinerary is printed, bound and laminated (with an extra copy just in case).
As much as I make fun of him, I am always grateful in the end that I don’t have to think about anything when we travel together and his research always pays off.
I won’t bore you with all the nitty gritty details of the 15-page bound “Tour de Foot” as he calls it, but here is DC’s epic itinerary in my own words plus a little travel vlog I create while we were away.
Things to do:
- Sandeman’s Free Walking Tour: This is the perfect first day activity as it’ll help you get your bearings, understand the history and main attractions. This 2.5 hour tour focuses mainly on the Ile de City + Latin Q + Louvre area. They also have paid tours of other areas and pub crawls. (Make sure to tip them if you love your guide like we did!) And obviously DC booked this online in advance – but it ended up being necessary. There was a huge line and we wouldn’t have gotten on if we didn’t have a reservation.
- Louvre: For us, the outside area is a better attraction than the museum itself. It’s a massive complex that is very cool to see from the outside and there is a ton of action in the surrounding Tuileries Garden. Obviously it’s cool to see the Mona Lisa in person but the Museum itself has no pieces from later than 1860 so “you must be into the old shit to appreciate it” – DC’s exact words! Research what you want to see beforehand and try to map it out as if you wander aimlessly you’ll waste a lot of time. The cliché things to visit are Mona Lisa + Venus du Milo + Hammurabi code. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays and tickets are 17 Euros. Busiest days are weekends + Monday (when many other Museums are closed) but you can pay a few extra Euros to bypass the line.
- Tuileries Garden: massive, beautiful garden surrounding the Louvre that is a solid spot to post-up and picnic during the day.
- Place de Concorde: The Tuileries Garden feeds into the Place de Concorde which is a public square with a big water fountain, ferris wheel and obelisk. Spoiler alert – Mary Antoinette was beheaded here.
- Palais Royal: massive palace 3 min walk North of the Louvre where you can take a cute Insta on the black and white cement blocks.
- Galerie Vivienne: Paris has something called ‘covered passages’ which are the precursor to shopping malls as they are small markets that are covered. They have some cute ones with plants and fun decor worth doing a quick walk through or getting a coffee at. Galerie Vivienne is a pretty one close by Palais Royal and worth taking a pic in.
- Champs L’Eyesses + Montaigne: these are the ‘high fashion’ streets that lead up to the Arc Di Triomphe. They have wide pedestrian walkways but nothing too special as they have better shopping in all over town and this is just a busier area that is now full of H&M and other stuff most people have at home with expensive cafes. When making your way to Arc Di Triomphe try finding the random side streets as they have a better vibe. The Champs L’Elysses Park has a nice view of Arc Di Triomphe
- Arc Di Triomphe: Cool to see as the Arch is massive and there’s always a lot of action around here but you don’t need more than 20 minutes here.
- Explore the Marais: We avoided the main street (Rue Rivoli) and focused on whatever side streets DC thought looked cool such as Rue Francois Miron + Rue du Roi de Sicilie + Rue des Francs Bouregois + Rosiers Street. Some highlights:
- Merci: walk in through the Used Book Café and you’ll see a cool café lined with old books and then head to the back and you’ll walk into a very hip ‘concept’ store
- Places des Vosges: city square/park in the heart of the Marais that is a solid post-up spot
- St Gervais Church – nice buildings and town square
- Latin Quarter: Very cool area on the Left Bank of the Seine. It’s known as the student/intellectual areas as the home to many universities and where the legends like Voltaire, Hemingway, Victor Hugo used to chill. It has the stereotypical Parisian vibe with cool streets, cafes and Gothic architecture. This would be a great area to stay as it has awesome food, is central and very cool place to aimlessly wander at night. There are lots of Airbnb options. Here are some highlights:
- Pantheon: cool grandeur building originally designed to be a church but after the French revolution it was transformed to honor rational thinking and secularism. This is where Voltaire, Victor Huge, Marie Curie and Rosseau are buried.
- Shakespeare Bookstore: historic, old bookstore where Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald used to write out of.
- Walk around St Germain – really pretty stores, cafes and Bon Marche department store is worth checking out.
- Jardin Luxembourg: large, beautiful garden with a big fountain and little kids racing boats. It’s a solid spot for a picnic.
- Champ des Mars Gardens: this is a large park that is the most popular viewing area for the Eifel Tower. It’s busy but also a fun chill with lots of younger people picnicking and drinking. Head here for your perfect Eifel Tower Insta opp! And obvs don’t forget the baguette and wine.
- Sacre Couer: This is in the Monmartre – the area with Moulin Rouge. Don’t be a baby and climb up the 20 steps to the beautiful church where they used to burry kings. You get a stunning view looking down at Paris. Come in the evening as there’s lots of people drinking on the hill and it’s a good time.
- Notre Dame Cathedral: massive church made famous by the Hunchback. It’s free to go in some areas but also worth it to just check out from the outside.
- Seine River Cruise: they have many river cruises that go pretty much all day but you should go about 20 minutes before sunset to get a nice view and then see Paris all lit up. They leave from various areas but we did the one at Pont Neuf.
Where to stay:
A note about hotels – queen/king beds aren’t common so when booking pay attention to the bed size as I wouldn’t want to get stuck in a double bed. The most important consideration in hotel/Airbnb is location. Don’t get upsold on breakfast as the pain du chocolat next to the hotel is likely infinitely better
We stayed at Handsome Hotel which was cheap, clean and solid value. The location was great in that it was very central and in walking distance to most tourist attractions. However, the area was packed with people and not necessarily the most laid-back Parisian vibe or the top restaurants. You don’t get the same romantic/laid back feel walking around here that would in some other areas like Latin Q or Marais.
What to eat:
Brunch:
- Lockwood’s: amazing salmon avocado toast
- Ellsworth: a popular weekend brunch spot
- Wild and the Moon: amazing vegan options
- Ralph’s: in the Ralph Lauren store and very overpriced with decent food but a great splurge lunch option if you want to post up and enjoy the beautiful garden patio
- Seasons: popular spot known for their pancakes
- Fragments: café with small, simple menu and solid coffee
- Café Oberkampf: small café with amazing shakshuka, often a big line
- Two Stories: cool decor
- Café Mericourt: Israeli style breakfast
Dinner:
- Juveniles: supposedly a great small bistro in the back of a little wine store
- L’Aller Retour: yummiest burger ever!
- Grazie: We went for a very fun and delicious pizza
- Sacre Fleur: we made a late reservation at this bistro and loved it. It was in the residential part of the area and mainly locals were eating there. Delicious, authentic French food.
- Pink Mama: funnest decor and plant heaven! Italian restaurant/bar at the South of Montmartre with very cool decor. It opens at 6:45 PM every day so get there around 6:30 as there will be a line and then grabbing a drink on the 4th floor. Not necessarily known for it’s fod but worth starting your Montmartre visit here with a drink as it’s at the bottom of the hill and then making your way up to Sacre Coeur before a later dinner at Sacre Fleur.
Drink:
- Little Red Door: amazing small little cocktail bar with cool seating and décor. The best drink “program” in Paris – obviously DC’s words. Will likely be a wait on weekends.
- Candeleria: there is a tiny taco shop up front and you walk through the back door into this bar that is blasting good music. It’s very small but more of a party than your average cocktail bar.
- Le Syndicat: cool cocktail bar with only French ingredients
- Copperbay: trendy cocktail bar
- Café Marly is the posh café by the Louvre. It’s very overpriced by you go if you want to post up by the Louvre
- Hotel Costes is a five star hotel with a nice garden patio that you can splurge for a drink
- Experimental Cocktail Club: stylish cocktail bar
- Le Bonhomie: good cocktails and late night food