Paris Travel Guide
Everything you need for your next trip to Paris…
Breakfast & Lunch
- Cafe De Flore
- My favorite breakfast of the entire trip! It is also one of the oldest coffee houses in Paris. We sat outside (which was great), and got coffee (they had “american” iced coffee which I was thrilled about) and we had les oeufs à la coque (aka where you dip bread into a soft boiled egg… so good!). No reservations, but the line was quick.
- Carette
- We ate at Carette for our first meal in Paris! I believe that they have multiple locations around Paris, but I could be completely wrong lol. I definitely recommend sitting outside if you can. We ordered sandwiches (which were beautifully presented) and tartines with butter & jam. Also, no reservations here but again the line was not a long wait.
- Sébastien Gaudard Pâtissier
- Rated one of the best croissants in Paris… we started the day with coffee & croissants there one morning! Not sure if it was my favorite croissant, but it was delicious. No reservations needed, more of a walk-in cafe!
- L’As du Fallafel
- Everyone’s favorite falafel place in the Marais (there is seating inside or you can grab it to go). I loved the chicken pita! No reservations needed!
- L’Avenue
- Fancier lunch and great for people watching! Definitely ask to sit on their patio if it is nice out. My friends loved the soup that they got & I got avocado toast. Definitely make a reservation here in advance.
Dinner
- Brasserie Cezanne
- One of my favorite meals of the entire trip! Perfect for your first day or any day that you are looking for something more casual. Everything was delicious (especially the truffle pasta). We went on the weekend so there was live music during our dinner. And the best part, after dinner you can walk around the corner for a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower (turn right out of the restaurant and then another right). Easy to make a reservation as well, I would recommend making one!
- Hotel Costes
- A fancier dinner inside of a hotel… the food was good, but if you don’t want to eat a meal here, you could also go just for a drink and dessert! Definitely a vibe in there! No reservation is needed, but I would make one incase (we made our reservation the day of).
- Lou Lou
- Get their vodka pasta… it is soooooo good! Try to sit on their patio as well for a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Definitely harder to make a reservation here so start working on this one in advance!
- Le Petit Lucas
- Would definitely recommend… great French food! The fish & dessert were my favorite parts of the meal (for dessert we got some french toast (ish) thing and it was great + the chocolate mousse)!(My friends got escargot there and were obsessed with it!
- La Fontaine De Mars
- Cute, authentic french restaurant closer to the Eiffel Tower area! They had different specials, but everything was great there if you love French food.
- Places that we did not go, but that I’ve heard great things about:
Shopping
- Flea Market: Mostly open on the weekends, and some places are open on Monday. There were so many great designer finds here! The flea market is located right outside of Paris & my two favorite shops were named Chez Sarah and Ritchie Vintage.
- Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche: Giant designer mall (also has non-designer items as well)!
- Galeries Lafayette: Giant & stunning shopping mall not far from the Louvre (designer and non designer items)!
- La Vallée Village Paris: Designer outlets about 40 minutes outside of Paris with Gucci, Prada, Miu Miu, Balenciaga, etc! You can eat there, but we just went to shop! We took an uber there and back and it was super easy. Perfect for anyone who loves designer shopping. (I personally did not find anything there (sadly), but all of my friends found amazing things).
Activities
- Watch the Eiffel Tower *sparkle*! This happens at the beginning of each hour at night for five minutes!
- Walk along the Seine River and grab a drink at Maison on the River.
- Go on a long walk in this order to see lots of Paris (my favorite part of the trip was doing this walk): Start at the Arc de Triomphe, walk down the Champs Élysées, see the Palace de la Concorde, walk through the Jardin des Tuileries, & end up at the Louvre.
- Day Trip to Versailles & Giverny’s Monet House (highly recommended)
- Click here for the exact tour that we did.
- Areas to walk around with lots of cute shops and cafes:
- Saint Germain: Where Cafe de Flore, Le Bon Marché, and Musee Rodin are located
- Marias: “Soho” of Paris
- Montmartre: The cutest (instagram famous) pink building is located there named La Maison Rose.
- Drinks at @sohohouseparis (need to be a member for this).
- Musée Rodin: a museum located in Saint Germain dedicated to the works of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. It had gorgeous grounds and was in a stunning building. We bought tickets there onsite, no need to pre-book!
- Crazy Horse Show: burlesque show & a fun activity for any night of your trip… you can drink there too!
- La Galerie Dior: Dior Gallery in Paris, a must if you love all things fashion! Reserve tickets online prior. (Has the famous colorful Dior wall). Also if you are looking for somewhere to eat after, L’Avenue is across the street!
