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Belle Paris – it’s cliché but true that the City of Lights can steal your heart on its first try. My first trip to Paris in 2010 I spent my days wandering solo around assorted museums and gardens, and my evenings sipping cocktails at chic bars with two friends living the Paris 9-5 life. Two years later I went back as part of a study abroad trip with my grad school program. This time, I was nervous but excited to show Reed all my favorite spots. Would he love Paris as much as I did?

Day 1 – Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Île de la Cité, The Marais

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We took the train from Dijon to Paris, and then caught a cab to our hotel, the Esprit de Saint Germain in Saint-Germain-des-Prés on the Left Bank. Just steps from chic boutiques and cafes, and a few blocks away from the Jardin de Luxembourg, our travel advisor Mackenzie had assured us it was one of her favorites and she was spot on – it truly was the perfect Paris retreat. We were immediately ushered into the hotel’s parlor, where we enjoyed complimentary drinks while we checked in. Even better, the hotel informed us that the full bar and selection of snacks was complimentary for guests every day. It was such a luxurious touch and made us feel completely at home. Then up in our room, we were surprised with rose petals, champagne, and macarons! All the amenities were just lovely – thank you to the Esprit Saint Germain and Mackenzie at McCabe Travel for making it such a special stay!

After unpacking and enjoying the Moët and treats, we met up with my best friend from middle school, a native Parisian, who walked us over to Île de la Cité to see Notre Dame, through the Marais for drinks, and to Le Dôme du Marais for dinner. A former auction house, my friend’s boyfriend turned the chic interior into an intimate upscale restaurant, crowned by its namesake dome, one of Paris’ finest neo-classical circular skylights. After a fantastic meal (get the chicken-in-a-pot, inspired, the owner says, by “the kind of chicken your grandmother would make,” we took a short walk over to Le Perchoir Marais for after dinner drinks with amazing rooftop views of City Hall and the glittering Eiffel tower.

Day 2 – The Catacombs, Montmartre, and Parc de Buttes-Chaumont

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Reed was really excited to see the Catacombs, so that was our very first stop. Expecting a long wait, we got up early and took a morning stroll south to the Denfert-Rochereau metro stop which is across from the Catacombs’ entrance. By the time we got in line it was 9:30 am (it opens at 10) and there were already about a 100 people in line – eek! Thankfully, our hotel had provided us with a handy little wifi device (complimentary to guests staying three or more nights) so we spent 2.5 hours reading the news and looking up all the other things we wanted to see and do in Paris. I’d read that the wait times could get up towards 4 hours so all in all it wasn’t terrible.

We got in at noon and it was a very cool, weird experience. We spent about 45 minutes inside, and then took the metro up to Pigalle for a late lunch at Bouillon with my friend and her boyfriend, then walked up to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. Unlike my previous visits to Montmartre, the streets seemed extra packed with street hustlers and knick-knack sellers. We kept a firm hand on our bands, but soaked in the serene sight of Sacre-Coeur’s white domes.

Afterwards, we took an Uber to Pavillon Puebla, another hipster-chic Le Perchoir property in Buttes-Chaumont park, for early evening drinks, mini-massages, and a wonderfully relaxed pizza dinner.

Day 3 – Musée d’Orsay, the Champs-Élysées, Place du Trocadéro, Eiffel Tower, Jardin du Luxembourg

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Day three, I warned Reed, would be The Day of the Long Walk. I planned out our route in advance, taking us from our hotel in the Left Bank across the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay, through the Louvre courtyards and the Tuileries gardens, across the Place de Concorde, up the Champs-Élysées, and to the Arc de Triomphe. It was a very long, but very satisfying and picturesque walk. (Those who want to spend less time on their feet can take an Uber from the Place de Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe).

We had a quick lunch at an American-style French brewery called Frog, then I took Reed around the corner to the Place du Trocadéro for his first majestic daytime view of the Eiffel Tower. I highly recommend this vantage point as everyone’s first look at Paris’ elegant trademark.

After snapping some photos, we walked down to the tower itself and then across the Champs du Mars to see it from the other side. We had planned to do the Rodin museum but (after all that walking) skipped it in favor of a short rest at the hotel and then a picnic dinner in the nearby Jardin du Luxembourg, where we people-watched and enjoyed the sunset over the majestic Palais du Luxembourg.

Day 4 – The Louvre and The Marais

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We woke up early to have some photos taken with Olga, a wonderful photographer we booked through Flytographer, a website Mackenzie recommended that specializes in international photography experiences. We thoroughly enjoyed our hour with Olga, who paid great attention to detail as she perfected our poses around all the Jardin du Luxembourg’s most picturesque spots. We got a teaser photo back within just a few days, and the full set of photos in less than a week! Our Flytographer concierge Karolina communicated clearly with us at every stage of the process – it was a terrific way to get professional photos as mementos of our trip, and I highly recommend it. Use my code CODE2899 to get $25 off your next shoot (full disclosure – I’ll get $25 off too)!

Olga also told us about a “secret” way in to the Louvre, which was our next stop. There is a less-well known entrance she told us, if you go through the underground shopping mall, Carousel de Louvre. We took her advice and skipped the crazy line outside by the pyramid (which looked like it would have easily taken four hours to get through), walking down the Place du Carousel to 99 Rue de Rivoli, where you enter a set of glass doors and go down a set of escalators to a set of boutiques and at the end – a small inverted glass pyramid, where the (much shorter!) line for the Louvre starts. We were through security, tickets in hand, in less than 30 minutes!

The Louvre, as you might have heard, is daunting. We spent two hours split between Italian painters (including a glimpse of the Mona Lisa), sculpture (the Winged Victory and Venus de Milo), and Ancient Egyptian artifacts. After getting more than a little lost trying to find our way out we finally exited and caught an Uber to the Marais, where I had scouted out Les Philosophes as a good classic Parisian café for lunch. We took a table outside where we were greeted by the effervescent proprietor himself, and enjoyed a splendid lunch while people-watching in the heart of the Marais.

In the Jardin du Luxembourg

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After lunch we spent a couple hours wandering the Marais and perusing boutiques. I had a few already in mind that I wanted to explore, including:

Iro

A Parisian staple that’s much cheaper there than in the U.S., where Reed bought me a stunning black and cream tweed jacket.

Sandro

A chain that is available in the U.S. at comparable prices, but I had to check out their sale after I found my new favorite blouse in London (it was the last one left in my size so I had to snap it up).

L’Habilleur

A hotspot recommended by this article in The Guardian, I found a beautiful pair of gold vermeil and stone earrings that look like they’re by Ippolita for a fraction of the price, and Reed found a blue linen Magee blazer with a thin magenta check that looked très chic on him for only 150 euros.

La Chambre aux Confitures

We popped in here to taste the wares and left with a small jar of passionfruit jam that tasted like freshly opened fruit. It’s made breakfast delightful for the past few weeks and it continues to remind us of the trip!

A couple other boutiques I wanted to explore were closed – the downside of visiting Paris in August, and doubly tricky, shopping on a Monday. There were so many places I wanted to check out but didn’t have the time for – check out my blog post scouting Parisian shops here.

For our last meal, we had dinner at Champeaux at Les Halles in the middle of the city, then popped our last bottle of Crémant de Bourgogne and got our bags in order to leave the next day.

Photo Credit: Olga in Paris for Flytographer – Use my code CODE2899 to get $25 off your next shoot (full disclosure – I’ll get $25 off too)!

Four key tips for visiting Paris

1. Research what is open or closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Shops tend to be closed to Sundays and many museums are closed on Mondays. August is all-around tricky because that’s when Parisians flee the city for their vacations.

2. Taking the metro is super easy

…But beware scammers who try to tell you the ticket machines don’t take credit cards, or who try to buy your tickets for you and ask for cash. This happened to us and we were like, “uh…. No.” Don’t feel the need to be nice – con artists rely on your sense of being polite, of assuming he/she is being a good Samaritan. Just say no and walk away.

3. Take Uber

For trips under 20 minutes it’s pretty affordable and easy.

4. Find a café

Pick one that isn’t super touristy and enjoy a meal the Parisian way – slowly, and with lots of people-watching.

I like to think Reed fell in love with Paris just a little bit on our trip – it was marvelous for me to be back. What are your favorite places to go and things to do in Paris? Let me know in the comments so we can add it to the list for our next trip!

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