A few week ago I got back from the best trip to Paris with my hubby! This was my first time to Paris so we wanted to do a combination of not only sight seeing but shopping, eating and drinking our way through Paris and feeling like a total Parisian! It was totally magical and beautiful I would definitely go back some day! I’ve been getting a lot of questions about where we stayed, what we packed, where we ate/drank and what we saw so I’m covering all the details in today’s post!
Where to Stay
After hours and hours of research we decided to stay in the 6th arrondissement (area) which is known as Saint Germain. Paris is divided into a total of 20 arrondissements starting from the center and going outward. The things we liked about the 6th were a combination of the numerous cafés, restaurants, bars (we were literally a minute walking distance from the famous Cafe de Flore and Laduree) and shopping. Think old world glamour and history. Other popular arrondissements to stay are the 1st (The Louvre), 4th (Le Marais), 7th (Eiffel Tower) and 8th (Champs-Elysees). Hotels in the smaller numbered arrondissements will be on the pricer side but you can’t beat the location! We were honestly walking distance to everything and if not, we were in between two metro stations which was so easy to use!
As discussed a little bit above, we stayed in the 6th arrondissement. We stayed at the cutest boutique hotel called Hotel Madison. The rooms are on the smaller size but that’s pretty standard for Paris. The room was soo cozy and had these pretty lights on the ceiling like little stars and our room had two bathrooms which made getting ready so much easier. The hotel was also close to two metro stops and we actually walked a lot – I loved walking around the city there are so many charming places to explore and things to see!
Additionally, getting around Paris was pretty easy. From the airport to the hotel we took a taxi (there are also Uber’s available). The taxi has a fixed rate of $50-$55 euros depending on if you are staying at the Left or Right bank. Also, we did use the Metro a couple of times especially when we went from our hotel to the Eiffel tower. Of course there are taxis and Uber’s if you feel more comfortable with that. And lastly, if you’re up for the challenge, the city also has scooters!
Sweater: H&M / Leggings: Zella
OTK Boots: Sam Edelman / Earrings: ASOS
What to Pack
The weather when we went (towards the end of October and into the first weekend of November) was chilly so I wore a jacket each day. The weather overall was pretty cloudy and rainy so if you are going in the later months of the year make sure to bundle up! The best thing to do (and what I did) was to wear layers! I mostly wore a jacket and under it warm sweaters with jeans and boots. Paris does get a reasonable amount of rain throughout the year so make sure to pack an umbrella as well and shoes that will stay dry!
Sweater: H&M (Similar) / Jeans: Frame
OTK Boots: Sam Edelman / Purse: Saint Laurent
What to See and Do
Eiffel Tower
Seine River Cruise
Louvre
Notre Dame
Sainte-Chapelle
Versailles
Arc de Triomphe
Tuileries Garden
Hop On/Off Bus Tours
One piece of valuable advice I have for any of these places that you need a ticket to get into (i.e. Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc.) book your ticket ahead of time! I can’t even begin to tell you how long the lines were for people waiting without a ticket. When you’re on vacation you don’t want to have to worry about that and wasting time waiting hours in line! It’s hard to cram in everything, personally for us we bought tickets to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset and also tickets for the Louvre. Next time we go we both said we would love to check out the Musee D’Orsay There’s honestly not enough time to see everything!
Another good tip if you are thinking of doing the Hop On/Off Bus Tours, Eiffel Tower then it may be worth getting the Paris Pass. It’s basically a tourist pass that gets you into more than 50 museums and attractions throughout Paris (in some cases, you get to skip the long ticket lines). It also gives you unlimited rides on the Paris public transportation network. I would price out all the options and see if getting this is worth it.
Sweater: Club Monaco / Skirt: Zara (Similar)
Boots: Sam Edelman / Purse: Saint Laurent
Top Places to Eat
Balagan
Cafe de Flore
Cafe de l’Homme
Ferdi
Girafe
Hotel Costes
L’Avenue
La Fontaine De Mars
Le Cinq (at the Four Seasons)
L’Arpege (Vegetarian - one of the World’s Best Restaurants)
Pink Mamma
Thierry Marx (at the Mandarin Hotel)
Laduree (for Macaroons)
Pierre Hermes (Bakery)
Any of the cafes were wonderful! For breakfast we kept things super simple with a croissant and cappuccino’s (I’m still dreaming about those wonderful, buttery croissant’s… yummm…)
Where to Get Cocktails
Bar Hemingway - (at the Ritz) Pricey but worth it! Cocktails are $30 euros each
Bisou
Harry’s New York Bar
Hotel Costes
L’Avenue
Le Bristol
Little Red Door
Prescription
Septime La Cave
The Hoxton
Shopping
The best shopping for luxury items is in the Champs-Elysées Avenue. Literally any high end store you can think of is there! My number one tip for getting into Chanel, LV, Dior, Hermes, etc is to get there EARLY since a lot of the designers have their flagship stores in Paris. If you go when the store opens you have a better chance of finding what you want and taking your time looking! I’ve walked by these stores and around 4-5PM there are literally lines wrapping down the block just to get in.
Another important thing, if you do purchase any luxury items, is to get your receipt stamped. You need to notify the sales person that you would like to collect the VAT tax. They will then take a copy of your passport and give you a receipt (sometimes the sales person will just do all the paperwork which is what happened at the Chanel store in Barcelona). Once you get to the airport you need to locate customs and once you come back to the US you need to declare all goods.
I tried to cover everything but as always if I missed anything feel free to comment below or send me an email!
