Guide to: Paris

Paris has definitely made my favorite travel destinations. I love the architecture, food, and all the different parts of town. It was amazing to see the Eiffel tower in person and drink of wine at any time of day (with no judgement).

Stay: 4 nights. I stayed in an Airbnb in Saint-Germain-des-Pres area for the first 3 nights. It provided the perfect Paris experience in a quaint apartment building up 6 flights of stairs. The apartment was pretty small, but I only needed somewhere to sleep and shower and it was perfect for just that. On the last night I stayed in a hotel called Hotel de l'Universite which had one of the most comfortable bed I slept in the whole vacation. There is something to be said about staying in a hotel.

Eat:

• The best dessert I had was at a restaurant called Cafe Constant. It was a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, has great service, and the food was even tastier. I ordered the profiteroles and the staff poured fresh chocolate sauce on them at our table. 
• The best lunch was at a cute cafe with outdoor seating called Cafe Central. The salmon tar tare was amazing! I sat in the sun and enjoyed snack and a mid-day latte. 

Don’t Miss:

• Even though there is a long wait and it's slightly expensive, I highly recommend going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I went later in the evening, near sunset, and waited in line for about 40 minuets. Once at the top I enjoyed a glass of champaign. 
• After walking about 10 miles a day, a boat tour around Paris sounded amazing to me. I took the tour with a company called Bateau Mouche. The ride lasted about an hour and I recommend buying some wine to bring along with you. 
• I completely stumbled on this this next experience, but apparently every night the Eiffel Tower has a light show at the Champ de Mars (the park looking onto the Eiffel). It was very pretty and unexpected! I heard that the show starts at different times depending on the season, but in summer it starts around 11pm. 
• Walk to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. I actually wasn't aware that you could get to the top of this thing until I saw it on the list of museums that came along with our Paris Museum Pass (which I highly recommend, BTW). It has a great view with a different perspective of the city. 

Skip:

• I'm not a huge museum person, but if I were to do this trip over, I would see less of them. The Rodin was basically a hallway of statues (that you pay to see) and an outdoor garden area that you can access for free. It was under construction when I was there, so that might have taken away from the experience.
• I had seen some beautiful pictures of the Great Mosque windows, so I traveled out of the main part of Paris to see it. Unfortunately, I couldn't get inside so I didn't get to see what I had gone there for. I would probably skip this if I were able to re-do the trip. 

Highlight:

• Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person! This was one of the main attractions that brought me to Paris, but it was an experience I can't even explain. Seeing it once made me want to keep going back for another look. 
• Also, don't skip macaroons! I tried almost every flavor at Laduree, but Lavender was one of my favorites. I'm sure it's hard to find a bad macaroon in Paris. 

Get Around: Metro! The Paris metro system is super easy and I didn't take a single cab while I was in Paris. I purchased the unlimited daily Metro pass and it was definitely the way to go. The Metro was only crowded during commuter hours, but still keep an eye on your bag. Also, walking is always a great option since Paris is so beautiful.

Pack:

• Black skinnies 
• A few blouses 
• Jean jacket 
• Light-weight scarf 
• White Converse 
• Sam Edelman booties, Petty in beige 
• Kate Spade cross body bag

 

Check out what I did each day while visiting Paris. On that page, scroll down for a day to day itinerary.