Day 1:
Upon checking in at our hotel, we decided to quickly wander for our first Parisian meal…which ironically ended up being a Japanese infusion restaurant where we ordered buckwheat crepes with ham/egg and prosciutto. With some energy back in us and a quick wardrobe change out of our plane clothes, we began our wander to Notre Dam. Along the way was no shortage of people watching and interesting fashion. Notre Dam, as expected, was packed with people but the greatest secret is that the long line is fast moving and FREE! The chapel is just as beautiful on the inside as the outside and we meandered our way around. Up next on our “to-see” list was the Louvre which was actually a fun walk as we saw giant bubbles being made for kids to pop and lots of amazing architecture on the route.
Walking up to the Louvre, music of local musicians filled the courtyard and made our first encounter with the iconic spot an enjoyable one! We not only enjoyed taking some creative pics but also watching the other tourists attempt very interesting photo poses. If I am being honest, Matt and I are not big art people so we enjoyed the outside and kept moving down the Sienne River which led us to a pit stop for drinks and an amazing charcuterie board (or “caricature board” in Matt’s lingo) where we sat under heaters, planned our evening, and took in the locals. By this time it was getting late so we hopped in a taxi off to dinner in one of the northern districts.
Day 2:
With our time in Paris quickly dwindling, I was determined to get to the Eiffel Tower at sunrise (which didn’t happen, but it was a good goal). After never finding the bus stop that we were on a mission to find, we decided to hop into a taxi who drove us to Trocadero and was sweet enough to teach us a bit about the city on the way. People aren’t kidding when they say there’s nothing like seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time–its height, its presence, its everything is mind blowing. Because my travel buddy is determined to eat about every 30 min when we travel, we head to a cute little cafe just around the corner. I was AMAZED at the amount of pastries they had for sale. Little did I know, we’d be walking out with some free macaroons when Matt found a sizable bug in his cup of coffee. Little did we know in that moment, those would be the best macaroons of our trip! With some newly found energy, we walked back to Trocadero, down the grand steps, and across the bridge to get nice and close to the tower. After a little meandering on the river, we quickly got back on track heading toward the Arc de Triomphe where we quickly made our ascent to the top for 360 degree views of the city including the Eiffel Tower. Unbeknownst to us, there was a celebration happening under the Arc by the time we got down so we were able to enjoy some French military music. Though we had been told not to get our hopes up for it, we wandered down Champs de Elyse (and maybe into Louis Vuitton, too). After about a 2 mile walk, we sadly found our lunch spot closed and hanger was setting in so we jumped into a taxi to take us near the area of Montrematre…but Matt didn’t realize that saying this name (or “Mount Verde” as he called it) actually took us to the highest point on hill, only for us to walk back down again to find lunch on the verge of a child-like breakdown. Some quick cokes, fries, and burgers rejuvenated us for one of my bucket list items: La Maison Rose. Now, if you’ve not heard of this little iconic coffee shop, chances are you’ve seen it somewhere. We were lucky enough to grab the little table at the window (only 3 tables fit in the downstairs) and befriended an older American couple who was reliving their Euro trip from 30 years prior.
After plenty of time for me to take pictures and enjoy a latte, we wandered the neighborhoods working our way toward the infamous macaroon spot, Laudreee. Now, if you are an indecisive person, this store will be extremely overwhelming to you–there’s got to be at least 50 different flavors, colors, glitters, boxes, etc. to choose from. We grabbed a few more (snacks for the road, right?!), wandered to Saint Chapele only to find it closed (I was super bummed about this) and then back to the hotel to change before our romantic dinner at the Eiffel Tower. I’ll make this part short….unless you really like traditional French (and expensive) food, there’s no need to splurge here like we did. We spent half the time chugging the wine/champaign, eating the bread, and laughing at each other’s faces trying half-cooked fois gras. Luckily, we scored a table next to the window so we at least had a cool view to look out and enjoy (which we did more than the food). With only a few minutes left until the clock struck 11pm, we raced our way down the elevator, across the street, and to a walk way with benches where we watched the tower sparkle in all her glory–a sight I wouldn’t recommend missing. With another flight in the morning, we made our way back to the hotel for some much needed R&R.
Trip take-aways:
- Get to the Eiffel Tower early for pictures without 500 people around you (just look around for police before you try to sit on any ledges or you’ll be friends with them in no time, like me…ooops).
- Then return again to see it sparkle at night (every hour on the hour)–a must.
- Find a cafe with tons of desserts/pastries and get your macaroons there—not the “famous” locations.
- Buy your Arc de Triomphe tickets ahead of time to avoid the lines (no need to go up in the Eiffel Tower if you do this, in my opinion).
- Research your restaurants ahead of time, especially if French food isn’t your favorite.
- Stay somewhere just north of the River if you can find a place you like.