City of Love ❤️

Words can not explain how magical Paris is, especially in the summertime. If you haven’t been, stop what you are doing and plan a trip. My mom and I booked our trip to Paris three weeks in advance. Now I am not saying that you should do that, but if you plan in advance you can travel for cheap especially through Wow airlines.

Now if you are a first timer to Paris of course I would see all the tourist sites because honestly how could you not! I would also suggest spending at least a week because 2–3 days is just simply not enough to explore.

My family is very active, so we like to walk a lot, but if that is not for you, there are bus tours around the city that many people take advantage of. It is an easy way to see the city in a couple days as opposed to an entire week. Plus you don’t have to rub your feet at the end of the day because you walked 10+ miles.

Ok, let’s get to it.

First Day

After trying to caffeinate yourself after a long plane ride, I would first get out in the sun and walk around. There’s nothing that helps more with jetlag. I would suggest that you stay in an Airbnb in the Saint-Germain district. Paris is always flooded with tourists and the best way to avoid the crowds, but you’re close enough to the action in this cute neighborhood. My suggestion always when I am traveling is to try to stay in a place with the locals. I say that for many reasons, one being you avoid the crowds of course, but also you get to try all the local restaurants and mom-and-pop type of stores/restaurants where you usually aren’t getting ripped off. I will warn you that most of the Airbnb’s do not have air conditioning, so if that is a necessity, you might want a hotel. When I was there it was one of the hottest times of the year and I was taking 3 am showers because I was sweating through the night. Not ideal, but I would never stay anywhere else besides our cute little apartment.

Second Day

Once you get your bearings and catch up on some much needed zzz’s, you should go on a bike tour to explore the city. This will take you to the main site for Paris. We did the “Paris Night Bike Tour”, but honestly you can’t go wrong with any of them. This is one of my favorite things to do when I travel to a new city. My mom and I went on a Fat Tire Tour in the afternoon that ended with wine and a boat ride on the Seine River. If you mention wine, I am totally in. The picture I posted is actually the view you get of the Eiffel Tower from the boat. What’s great about this tour is that you not only get some exercise wandering the streets of Paris, but also make some friends along the way. We met a family from Australia and hit it off with them immediately. Since I took a trip to Australia back in January we definitely had a lot to talk about. Talk about another magical place. **Blog post about this trip will be up within the next couple weeks!**

Third Day

It has been awhile since I have been up the Eiffel Tower, but I would definitely recommend this as a half day activity. The views of the city are great and can’t be beat. You could also pair this with a trip to Notre Dame. This beautiful cathedral is an extremely popular place especially for evening workout classes. If you have time, I would suggest going up the church, but booking would definitely be required so make sure that you plan ahead of time. And to cap off the day, we found an Airbnb Paris’ Best Kept Secret Tour. Great for history buffs and casual sightseers alike!

Fourth Day

Since the Louvre is so big and there is usually a pretty big line, I would reserve a day for this. Of course you don’t have to explore the entire place (it would probably take a week to see everything), but it is a a place that should definitely be on your list to see…especially the Mona Lisa!

Fifth Day

Of course I am saving the best for last…the Champs Élysées! This 2 mile stretch of high end stores ranges anywhere from Tiffany’s, Louis Vuitton, Long Champ, Gucci and of course the famous Ladurée macaroons. If you buy anything on this strip, please have it be a macaroon! This tasty treat is to die for and are often served best with an afternoon tea. If you do decide to take some back with you make sure to not crush them. I made that mistake..

Of course all this information is just a suggestion, but aside from what I said above make sure you definitely spend hours people watching in coffee shops, stores, streets, etc. it is normal to stay at a restaurant for 2–3 hours. The waiters will never bring the check to you either, you always have to ask for it. I always like to say, “you have to do as the French do”, so take your time. Hopefully after reading this you get a little spark of excitement and have wow airlines flights in the next tab. If not, then maybe sometime in the future you will get to experience this magical place. Below you will see some links, restaurant suggestions and tips from the trip. Until next time…Bon voyage!

Restaurant suggestions

Even though French food is not my favorite, I still never had a bad meal while I was Paris. See below for some of my favorites. The one regret I will say is we didn’t go to a crepe place, but being there is one on almost every corner, you will definitely find one you like. Why try just one when you can go to three or four places.

Les Deux Magots for a nice lunch or afternoon snack.

Ladurée is a must for macaroons.

Zorba le Grec was my favorite place we ate at the entire trip. If you love Greek food like I do you need to check it out. Such a cute place right near the Saint Germain district.

Berthillon Glacier is named the best ice cream in Paris. If you are a big gelato fan like me you need to check it out. My favorite flavor was Carmel vanilla. It was so creamy and on a hot day was the perfect snack.

Iced coffee is very popular, but expensive in Paris. If you would rather spend money on shopping than on coffee, I would grab a coffee at the Monoprix (grocery store). There is practically one on every corner so you can’t miss it.

Frenchie tips

I was fortunate because I traveled with my mom, who is fluent in French and translates and interprets as a living, so it was easy to get around. But don’t let that scare you. Even if you only know a couple words, it is better than nothing. A simple, “bonjour” or “merci” is always appreciated by the French. Plus speaking another language is always the fun part of traveling!

If you really get bothered by smoke, make sure you pick inside seating at the street cafes.

As I mentioned above, look where the Parisians hang out and eat. You want to go where the local crowds are because that usually means it is a good place and reasonably priced.

Wear comfortable shoes! I can’t stress this enough. Us Americans don’t walk that often if you think about it so we can wear those 6 inch heels to dinner, but in Paris it is a necessity to invest in a pair of chacos or gym shoes.

If you want to fit in with the locals, I would suggest wearing dark colors. I know this sounds stupid, but Parisians really like to wear black with a splash of color in their outfits. However if you are dying to wear that bright orange shirt or want to support your favorite football team from afar, go ahead and wear it. Just don’t be alarmed when you get some strange looks 😉.

Most importantly, have fun! Take wonderful pictures and soak it all in. Splurge a little and enjoy yourself.

À plus tard!

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