The Insiders Guide to Paris: Bites + Sites
As basic as it might sound, Paris might actually be our all time favorite travel destination. There’s just an energy there that feels magical. After my 4th trip there, I still haven’t tired of it. We have our popular First Timer's Guide to Paris + now we’re back with our Insiders’ Guide - sharing our favorite bites + sites around the City of Lights. We’ll admit - there are still a few touristy stops on here - but ones that you may not have had time to hit on your first trip to Paris. We guarantee you’ll find something you love on this list, even if you’ve been to Paris a time or two before!!
bites:
Camille
Neighborhood: Le Marais
Tucked into Le Marais, Camille is a classic French cafe that feels like it’s for locals, even though it’s just off the hustle + bustle of many of the shops + tourist area of Le Marais. Go here to feel like a local, for quality steak, + excellent wine recommendations! We’d suggest making a reservation - although we were able to walk in after apprx. a 30 minute wait on a Saturday night.
Cafe du Trocadero
Neighborhood: Trocadero
With views of the Eiffel Tower, you’re choosing this spot for the glittering lights, not for unforgettable food (but the view is definitely unforgettable)! Go here for a late night drink or dinner to watch the Eiffel Tower glitter on the hour from sundown until 1am.
Buvette
Neighborhood: Montmartre
Intimate + dimly lit, Buvette has made a name for itself globally (with locations in New York, Tokyo, and Mexico City). Just a short walk from Moulin Rouge + a plethora of sex shops, Buvette feels a little more sophisticated. Go here for a romantic dinner or with a small group of girlfriends before visiting Moulin Rouge.
Pink Mamma
Neighborhood: Montmartre
As a restaurant that feels like it was made for Instagram, it’s surprising to also find the food enjoyable! Pink Mamma is part of the Big Mamma restaurant group that has locations all over Paris + the world. Pink Mamma serves up classic Italian food in a fun + lively setting (with 3+ floors!) all beautifully decorated. It’s an eclectic mix of classic Italian hand painted plates with suggestive or provocative hand painted plates in the same style. Go here for a boozy lunch with your girlfriends.
Cafe de Flore
Neighborhood: St. Germain
An iconic restaurant with prime people watching, the food left a little to be desired. It’s a charming exterior + a popular spot if you want to sit on the sidewalk (and trust me, you do). Go here for a quick snack or drink while in the neighborhood - if for nothing else other than a picture + to say you’ve drank in the same spot as Picasso. If the wait is long, pop into neighboring Les Deux Magots instead!
Popelini
Neighborhood: 4 Locations (Le Marais, Montmartre, + St Germain)
Perfectly crafted, these choux pastries filled with cream were so delectable I went back a second time + brought 12 home! Go here for a sweet treat when out exploring + don’t pick up just one!
Fromagerie Laurent Dubois
Neighborhood: 3 Locations (St. Germain, Latin Quarter, + Le Marais)
Of all the cheese shops in Paris, this is the one to visit! Run by an MOF (first master cheesemonger), your nose will be hit first with the rich smells + flavors, before your other senses are awakened with this incredible cheese. Try one of his handcrafted flavors before leaving.
Kaviari
Neighborhood: Le Marais
If you’re looking for caviar, this is the place to go (or so we’ve been told - can’t confirm as we couldn’t squeeze it in on this trip). It’s more of a market vs a sit down restaurant, with lots of grab + go options. Go here for when you’re craving caviar + want something easy.
Little Red Door
Neighborhood: Le Marais
Hidden down a side street, this place would be easy to miss if there wasn’t a line out the door. A speakeasy vibe (hint: you don’t access through the little red door), you’ll find a lively atmosphere inside with creative cocktails all handcrafted with a signature, locally sourced ingredient. Named one of the top 50 bars in the world, this is a can’t miss spot. Go here with a small group for seriously good cocktails (not the spot to drunkenly end the night).
Breizh Cafe
Neighborhood: Multiple Locations (Le Marais, St. Germain, Montmartre, + more)
Breizh Cafe is first + foremost gluten free friendly!! With attentive staff + a wide array of galettes + crepes, this makes for an affordable + delicious breakfast or lunch spot. The only note, when we think of galette, we typically think of something more pie like but with an open top. The galette here is essentially a crepe, but folded in on itself (so that it forms a square with an open top). Go here for a “cheap + cheerful” (as our dad would say) breakfast before a day of sightseeing.
La Chambre Aux Confitures
Neighborhood:
La Chambre Aux Confitures stores are small + lined with spreads of every flavor (they even have a kiwi spread)! Stop in here to taste some + try to decide between flavors (or at least sweet vs savory). Go here to help build your own board for a picnic spread on the River Seine.
Jacques Genin
Neighborhood:
Jacques Genin is the second MOF of the list (this time a MOF of chocolate + caramel - yum)! While sleek may not be a word you typically assign to a candy shop, this is truly the only way to describe this expansive + modern chocolate store. The little chocolate squares can add up quickly, but are truly beautiful + make the perfect gift to bring home. Go here for a souvenir/gift that’s a step up from your normal chocolate.
La Resistance
Neighborhood: Le Marais
La Resistance is a small cocktail bar we stumbled upon after dinner one night + then didn’t leave until 3am. Good cocktails (an espresso martini - which you know we love), friendly staff, + when it isn’t packed lends itself to making friends easily. We befriended a group of 3 twenty-something Americans + a restauranteur couple from Germany and stayed up way later than we should have enjoying bottles of champagne. Go here for a nightcap on your way home + see where the night takes you!
views
Seine River Cruise
In our opinion, a boat cruise in any city is the perfect tourist activity. You get to be on the water (+ therefore have different viewpoints), while also getting a little history and usually a cocktail or glass of wine along with it. In the summer, this is an activity we can’t recommend enough! The Seine will be lined with people in the evening playing music, drinking wine and experiencing that French joie de vivre. As a bonus, you’ll get a close up shot of the Eiffel Tower, as well as Notre Dame!
Arc de Triomphe
Our favorite view in Paris! Pre-book your tickets to skip the long line + climb allll the stairs to get up to see 12 avenues intersect into a roundabout below you, with the Eiffel Tower in the distance. You’ll also get a straight shot birds eye view of Champs Elysee!
Sacre Couer
Located high above Paris in Montmartre, Sacre Couer is a beautiful church that also provides expansive, sprawling views of Paris. You’ll earn the views by the number of steps you have to walk to get there, but on a clear day it is worth it. There’s also a viewing dome in the church (which costs ~$10), but we’ve never paid to go up as the views from the steps satisfy our need. Fun fact: We both went to a Sacred Heart school, so Sacre Couer holds a special place in our heart!
Galeries Lafayette
A free rooftop view? This was our best find on our first trip to Paris. First of all, you get to walk through the most stunning department store to ever exist + then you get rooftop access with views of the opera house + Eiffel Tower. Just make sure you’re at the right location! You want the one at Haussman - if you’re right by the Palais Garnier you’re in the right spot.
do:
Cooking Class
This is a great option if you’ve been to Paris a few times, are visiting for a longer length of time, or want to do something touristy while still feeling more local. We did a class with La Cuisine that was 4 hours, included a tour of Le Marais, shopping for our ingredients and then dinner with wine after our cooking lesson. Overall, it was a great way to spend the evening. It’s definitely a more expensive activity (we paid ~$200/person), but considering it also includes your dinner + wine, it makes it seem a little more reasonable for an activity.
Review: I loved that we also got to tour our neighborhood where we were staying + I did learn new things in the cooking class. It was relatively small (8 students) + while there was interaction between students, it would also be easy to keep to your group if you wanted to. At the same time, I think this would be a great activity if traveling solo! The food was okay overall, but the wine + cheese were very good. My only negative would be our instructor. Overall, he was nice + kind of gave the vibes of a stereotypical French chef where you’re nervous to step out of line (in a fun way). I found that he dominated the conversation at dinner + he was also very alarmist. Within the first few minutes of class, he told us never to take an Uber as there is a high rate of sexual assault + then went on a rant regarding the current Parisian political leaders. It wasn’t make or break, but also would have been nicer to not have that be part of the discussion.
Moulin Rouge
Collectively we’ve seen Moulin Rouge 3 times + it never disappoints. Moulin Rouge is an iconic burlesque show that really lives up to the hype. Get the tickets that include a half bottle of champagne + enjoy the delight of all the dancers!
Day Trip
From Paris, we’ve done two day trips that we felt were doable. The first was to Brussels (Bruges could also be a good option) + the second was to Reims (Champagne Region). If you have extended time in Paris + are looking to break up your trip, these are both easy day trips as they’re accessible via train + short trips (45 min - 2 hours). In Reims, visit a champagne house (we did G.H. Martel), stop by the most stunning church (Notre Dame Cathedral of Reims), + do a tasting at Tresors de Champagne. Alternatively, you could also visit Versailles! We haven’t been yet, but it’s on our list!
Parks
You’ll quickly notice that Paris doesn’t have much grass across the city, they do however, have a number of beautiful gardens that draw people to congregate whenever the weather is sunny. Our favorites include: Jardin Luxembourg + Jardin des Tuileries. In Le Marais, Square Louis XIII was small, but popular when the sun came out. If you’re looking to get outside with a view of the Eiffel Tower, you can’t beat finding a spot along the Seine in the summer to join the picnickers + musicians or the Fountain of Trocadero Gardens.
Museums
With over 100 museums in the city, it would take forever to visit them all. The Louvre is a popular one that comes to mind for most visitors. Our thoughts? It’s huge + packed - you’ll never be able to see it all in one visit (that’s not an exaggeration). There’s beautiful + famous artwork inside (like Mona Lisa) and the building itself is stunning - it is a former palace after all. It wouldn’t, however, be my first museum choice purely due to how overwhelming + crowded it can be. The Rodin Museum was much smaller, doable in a single trip and also has famous artwork within it, such as The Thinker or The Gates of Hell. On our next visit to Paris, we hope to visit Palais Galliera - a museum on the history of fashion. If you’re interested in fashion the Museum of Yves Saint Laurent would also be a good stop (I visited the one in Marrakech + loved it). Finally, Musee d’Orsay is also a popular Paris museum, but while we haven’t visited yet, feel that it could turn us off the same way the Louvre did.
transport
The subway system in Paris is clean, efficient, + extensive. If you’re looking to get around in Paris, the best way to do so is by subway. There are stops on almost every corner + it is easy to navigate, even if you don’t know the language. It’s less than $20 for 10 tickets which lasted us almost the whole week. Renting a car, in our opinion, isn’t worth it or necessary. Parking will be hard to find + you’ll have traffic to navigate. If you’re looking to go further out of the city, most trains will leave out of the central station Gare du Nord. We’d recommend booking any day trip tickets out of the city in advance.
We only used an Uber/taxi three times - to and from the airport, as well as to Moulin Rouge. The subway does take you to the airport, but out of exhaustion + flight times, it made sense to Uber (it cost 50Euro in Feb ‘22).
stay
This trip we opted to stay in Le Marais. We rented this Airbnb for the whole week. It was adorable, on a subway line, + exactly as pictured. We originally booked it for 2, but ended up having a 3rd friend join for the majority of the week. I would say this is a spot best for a solo traveler, couple, or 2 friends. We managed with 3, but I can’t imagine if we’d had a 4th.
In previous trips we’ve stayed in Champs Elysees + Bonne Nouvelle. Le Marais has definitely been my favorite - it’s easy to access the tourist spots, but feels much more local. The only place we wouldn’t recommend staying is close to the Eiffel Tower. It’s a common thought for first timers that is the “center” of Paris + where you want to be. In reality, it’s pretty removed + you’ll spend a lot of time getting to where you want to be.
a note on COVID
This trip was originally planned for June 2020, but of course the world had other plans! It made it all the more special for us to visit in February 2022 as I no longer work with or live in the same state as the friend I traveled with!
Days before our trip, France changed their travel policies, so that we did NOT need a negative COVID test to enter, but we did however need to be fully vaccinated (all 3 shots - booster included). Once there, France says that you need to visit a pharmacy to have your COVID vaccination card verified + they’ll give you a special pass. It costs about $50. We ended up not doing this + every place we visited accepted our American vaccine passes (I have the CA state pass on my Apple Health + my friend had her physical card). Normally, I would never encourage anyone to try to bypass COVID restrictions, however, we both genuinely are fully vaccinated + had anywhere turned us away we would have accepted it + politely left. Everywhere from the Louvre, to restaurants, to the train, to our cooking class accepted our vaccine passes.
Basically everywhere did want to see our vaccine card, + did actually check for all 3 dates. While they didn’t want to see our ID, it did seem a little more thorough than the cursory glance, I typically get in the US.
The day before we were set to fly back home we stopped into a pharmacy + paid $20 for a COVID antigen test. We had our results within 20 minutes + didn’t need to schedule any appointment.
