Bonjouuur, Paris! I can’t even believe I’m writing this post because it still feels like a dream that I got to visit Paris. I started studying french in middle school all the way up to my senior year in college. Sad to say I can’t speak it but I can read it and understand some if you talk real slow ;). Paris was the second city we visited on our Eurotrip, we also visited Amsterdam. I wrote a travel guide for Amsterdam that you can read here.

Before we get into this post, I do want to clarify that Paris is expensive. Even when you think you’re balling on a budget, you’re probably spending more than you’d like. So keep that in mind when you save up a budget to visit.

 

Where To Stay: 

Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (arrondissements = neighborhoods) and yes, the city is pretty huge. I’m not knowledgable enough to tell you which arrondissement is the best to stay in because I feel like each one of them is special in it’s own right. We stayed in the 8th arrondissement and I would stay there again. It’s in a good middle location between the top spots to hit and it’s in a very affluent part of town.

With keeping my budget in mind, we decided to stay at Hotel La Sanguine. I don’t have anything negative to say about this hotel except for the fact the rooms/bathroom are smaller but you’d expect that in Europe. The staff at La Sanguine really made our stay better. They were nice, informative, and made us feel right at home. Not to mention, they offer breakfast every morning for an additional price.

 

What To Do:

You will never run out of things to do in Paris and you won’t be able to do everything in the amount of time you visit, unless you’re there for a couple of weeks at a time. That’s okay though because that just gives you more reason to return. For this trip I wanted an equal amount of relaxation and sight seeing/exploring.

On my actual birthday (April 3rd), we decided to check out the Louvre Museum. We bought our tickets ahead of time online and they weren’t that pricey. When you got there, there are two lines and usually the pre-bought ticket line moves faster. Be aware that the Louvre is huge and you could easily spend all day here. Grab a map and pinpoint your must see’s.

Have a picnic at the Eiffel Tower. So this was totally my mistake but the weather our entire trip was COLD. I prepared for a chilly weather but this was full blown winter. We still got to enjoy our picnic but I would have enjoyed the views so much better in warmer weather. We got all of our picnic stuff from a nearby Franpix (their local grocery store).

One of my favorite views of the Eiffel Tower is at the Trocadero.

On opposite side of the Louvre is Palais Royal. A former palace where Cardinal Richelieu used to live. It’s rumored that back in the day, the court used to host the best parties in France. Now? It’s a hub of endless content creation for instagrammable shots.

One of my more favorite stops on this trip was Palais de Tokyo. Talk about creative and visual overload. Palais de Tokyo is a hub for modern art. One of my favorite exhibitions from the gallery was the Julien Creuzet exhibition and the “More is Less” colorful exhibition. I would recommend this museum over other “history packed” museums in the city, I promise you don’t see stuff like this every day.

Visit the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. Located in the Montmartre neighborhood, it’s very hard to miss as it sits on top of a hill. Visiting the Basilique is free and once you reach the top, boasts an amazing view of Paris. If you come here with your significant other you’re also able to “lock” your love on the fence surrounding the basilique. Vendors surround the church with locks and sharpies, so if you don’t bring a lock yourself you’re able to buy one there (just bring cash).

Catch a show at Moulin Rouge. We decided to skip this because we thought it was cheesy and super touristy. No judgement if thats your thing though. The reviews I read said how outdated the shows have become, so maybe in the future I may go.

In Paris, you can’t miss the Arc de Triomphe, it’s HUGE in person. So I will go ahead and warn you. You will be tempted to go inside and to the top (for a fee of about $12 euros), but to get to the top you will need to climb 300 steps. Yup, you read it right 3-0-0 steps. Had I known this prior to buying tickets, I would not have climb to the top. Although the view is beautiful and some may say worth it, I was honestly expecting a elevator. Would I do it again? Nah. I think you can get just as good views from the Basilique although the Arc does have a pretty sick view of the Eiffel Tower.

Notre Dame. After spending half of my childhood obsessing over the Hunchback of Notre Dame, I had to see it in person. We didn’t go inside but the church is beautiful. I believe that you can also go up to the top but that will also be a couple of hundred steps, so I passed.

We all need a little bit of color in our life, Rue Cremieux will not disappoint. If you’re familiar with Charleston, SC you are aware of their Rainbow Row. Rue Cremieux is like the Paris version of it. Trae wasn’t impressed but I was in awe of all the pastel colored homes.

When I travel I love going to museums. I used to hate them but you know how your palate changes as you get older? yeah, my activity palate has changed too and now I have to go to at least art museum whenever I travel to. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Centre de Pompidou. It’s nothing like the Louvre or the Orsay. It’s home to contemporary and modern art. The centre is also home to a library that’s huge in and of itself.

If you’re into picnics, Jardin de Luxembourg is the place to be. The palace was originally created in 1612 by the widow of King Henry IV of France. The gardens are now owned by the French Senate. This is a perfect spot for a nice sunny day.

And last but not least the Eiffel Tower Night Show. Not going to lie, the Eiffel Tower is 100x more beautiful at night. The night show begins at night. At every start of the hour for five minutes – they’re the fastest five minutes ever. The Eiffel Tower glistens and sparkles and you’re just standing there in awe of how beautiful it looks. Definitely a highlight of our trip.

 

Where to Eat: 

Les Papilles. A small and cozy French bistro that does not have a menu. The courses are selected on the day by the chefs. The food was delicious, I love food but if you’re a picky eater this is still a good choice for you as Trae is one of the pickiest eaters I’ve met and he enjoyed it. We enjoyed a four course menu that consisted of Mushroom soup with Bacon, Pork Tenderloin, Goat Cheese and Jam, and a Caramel pudding dessert. The meal was delicious and I can’t wait to go back. The place is owned and ran by Chef Bertrand Bluy.

I recommend making a reservation – which you can easily e-mail (and not call) Bertrand. He will ask you to confirm the day of before 3PM and I did so by sending another e-mail and it worked.

Urfa Durum. Urfa is perfect for a quick lunch, but get there early because the line gets super long. Urfa Durum was coined by Anthony Bourdain as the best kebab in Paris and it truly lives up to the hype. This is a grab and go place as seating is very limited.

Pink Mamma. Besides the food being delicious, the decor in this place is totally beautiful and so “instagrammable”. Pink Mamma is a traditionally Italian restaurant. I recommend going with any of the pizzas because they know what they’re doing with them. Reservations are recommended and when you make it ask for the 3rd floor. The 3rd floor overlooks the city and feels and looks like you’re in a jungle.

 

La Petite Rose Des Sables. A must have experience in Paris. Not going to go into too much detail because I wrote a separate review on this place here.

Yolo Teahouse – Cafe. Okay, so we randomly stumbled upon this place when we were craving dessert but weren’t feeling any desserts from the restaurant we had just left. I’m going to be honest, when I ordered our desserts I did not have high hopes by just looking at it. But wow, it blew us away. We had a cheesecake and chocolate cream mousse and it was SO GOOD. I mean looking up the place now I see it has FIVE stars on Yelp, this place is legit y’all.

Frenchie Wine Bar. This place is a sister restaurant to the michelin star restaurant Frenchie. I really enjoyed what I read about Frenchie Wine Bar and to be honest I didn’t want to dish out michelin money. Frenchie Wine Bar has a very cool and lowkey vibe that I wish Charlotte restaurants had more of. They had old school Jay-z playing, the place was PACKED, the lighting was very dim, I mean I loved it. I recommend the chicken nuggets as these will be the best chicken nuggets you will ever taste. The pasta was one of my favorites as well.

Sidenote: you can’t go to Paris without eating a crepe. I recommend checking out Crêperie Mad’eo! or Crêperie Brocéliande. We tried going to Mad’eo! but it wasn’t opened yet. So we ended up getting crepes from a small cafe around the corner but I would try to go to one of these first before you just eat any ol’ crepe. Imo, street carts/trucks have the best crepes.

 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you have any questions about the places I went or the things I ate, ask away.

 

Xoxo,

Wynee

PIN IT!