After several trips to Paris over the last few years, I thought it was only necessary to share a full travel guide of all the things to do and see. From where to stay, where to eat and must-visit neighborhoods that you won’t see in most travel guides. Paris and I had a rough start to our relationship. My first visit was a mess with rain, no cell service and not enough hours to explore. But now, now it’s a city I cherish, love and so desperately want to spend an extended period of time in. Here’s all the things I recommend doing plus some essential tips to exploring this romantic city.
How to Get To Paris
There are two airports you can fly into, Charles De Gaulle and Orly. CDG is probably the one you’ll fly into it. It’s a disaster of an airport so when leaving Paris, give yourself ample time to navigate the millions of terminals and confusion. Once you land in CDG, you’re about a 40-minute drive to the city. Uber and taxis are readily available. There is a train, but I personally haven’t tried it.
Where To Stay In Paris
AirBNB – We stayed at a beautiful space off the Arc De Triomphe that’s no longer listed but loved the location.
Westin Paris Vendome – This was across from the Tuileries and highly recommend staying here. The location is incredible since you can pretty much walk to everything from here.
Best Restaurants In Paris
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Claus – great brunch
Au P’tit Grec – best crêperie in the Latin Quarter
La Maison – Lunch and Dinner
Chez Nous
Ellsworth – best fried chicken I’ve ever had
Chez Nennesse – incredible steak frites
L’as du Falafel – best falafel in Marais
Cafe Central
Café de l’Ompia
Le Saint Medard
Best Cafes & Sweets
Little Red Door
Cafe Kitsune
Laduree
La Boulangerie Marius
Maison Hardel
Paris Photographers
Whether you’re in Paris as a blogger or a tourist, I truly believe it’s great to work with a photographer to capture some great photos and memories of your trip. It’s an hour or two of your day with guaranteed pictures you’ll cherish forever. Plus, the local photographers always seem to have the best recommendations on what to see, do and obviously eat.
Best Museums And Monuments In Paris
Louvre Museum
Home of the Mona Lisa, but fun fact turn around when you’re looking at her to see a stunning masterpiece.
Tuileries Palace & Gardens
Louvre is located inside the Tuileries and is a stunning park to sit and relax. The Tuileries is also a stunning garden to explore. Spend a couple of hours here walking around, resting your feet by a fountain in a chair, and take it all in.
Eiffel Tower
Pack a picnic and watch it light up at night on the hour. The Eiffel Tower can also be viewed at the Trocadero which is where this photo was taken.
Arc de Triomphe
Visit this gorgeous arch in the middle of the wildest roundabout in Paris. Be sure to take a pic at the crosswalk in front of it like we did here!
Shakespeare and Company Bookstore
An english bookstore that opened in 1919. This place is small but packed with books. You could totally spend an hour here browsing. It’s also right across from Notre Dame.
Musee Dorsay
Sacre Couer
Located in the 18th ar, this must visit church is a bit far from everything else. However, it has incredible views of the entire city. It’s also just 2 blocks from the popular Instagram worthy pink cafe, Le Maison Rose.
Notre Dame
A free tour, walk inside to see the incredible history and architecture. This is a must visit if you’re in Paris.
Latin Quarter
Home to my favorite creperie. This is a fun little neighborhood walking distance from Notre Dame. Tons of great restaurants, cafes and shops.
La Marais
A predominantly Jewish neighborhood with great food and shopping. A heavy Israeli influence with lots of great mediterranean dishes to explore and bakeries for traditional fare.
Jardin du Palais Royale
This is where all those black and white stumps are. Also home to Cafe Kistune, a must-visit. Be sure to order the chai or matcha latte. Two of my favorites from there.
Galleries Lafayette
Jardin de Luxembourg
This is like a mini Tuileries and I loved it. It borders two really great neighborhoods, Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter. The classic green Paris chairs are everywhere here. Check out this post!
AirBNB Experience
We did a pastry class (this one) and absolutely loved it!
Best Day Trips From Paris
The trains in Europe make getting around easy and quickly. Highly recommend taking a day to explore at least one of the below.
Reims/Champagne Region
Accessible by high speed train. Plan ahead and schedule tours and visits with a car service. Mumm and Pomery were highly recommended, but are quite massive. I recommend just doing Mumm, then visiting smaller ones to just do tastings. I wish I had recommendations on where to eat, but we tried a few spots along the main downtown strip and they were all unimpressive, unfortunately.
Chateau Versailles
Accessible by the Paris subway system. Spend the day in Versailles exploring the chateaus. Skip the main museums if you’re short on time and head straight to the far back right area where Marie Antoinette house is. Lunch at the restaurant was also surprisingly good.
Monet’s Garden
A friend recommended this and said it was one of her favorite things she did in Paris. I believe it’s an hour or so outside the city accessible by train. Because of her great photos, it’s on my to visit list for next time.
Things To Know Before Visiting Paris
Currency
Euro – I always recommend having some US dollars on hand as well as Euro’s. Visa is taken pretty much everywhere though.
Getting Around
We used Uber’s mostly and if you need to, taxis are available. But Uber just makes it easy while abroad if you ask me. Also, walking is great and the Paris train system is super easy to navigate.
Tipping
Usually included in the service of the bill. Leave a little extra if they were fantastic.
Learn A Few Words
Anytime I travel to a foreign country, I like to learn a few easy things like hello, thank you and goodbye. It’s nice to be able to say these things to the locals so you don’t look like an ignorant American (it’s painful to watch when you don’t try!). Hello – bonjour // Goodbye – Au Revoir // Thank You – Merci. I also like to use the Google Translate app to learn a few things and how to properly pronounce them. Highly recommend it!
