Paris, France

The city of love.

Paris definitely felt that way. Everything was so easy to romanticize. We got caught in the rain one evening and although I normally detest the rain, I somehow felt like we were in an old movie, running on cobblestone streets, stopping under random awnings and laughing to ourselves. Paris is one of those places that feels unreal once you’re there because of how iconic it is. I can see why people move to Paris and we will definitely be going back to spend more time in this beautiful city and country.

Stay

We stayed at the Eiffel Turenne Hotel, just a 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower.  Our hotel was extremely cute and quaint and while I’m normally an Airbnb girl myself, I would recommend staying at this hotel. The rooms were small but plenty of space if you are just there to get a good night sleep and rest.  We had a great view from our window and everything was so accessible from this location.  We did occasionally take an uber/taxi but we did do most of our walking right from our hotel each day.  We were only in Paris for 2.5 days and it was simply not enough time.  We did not want to leave at the end of our stay and wished we had more time in the sparkling city.

We were here in August, a month that I hear Paris is mostly overrun with tourists and the weather is stifling. While there were ALOT of tourists around, the weather was pretty comfortable and the city was still stunning.

Food

La Terrasse. We arrived in Paris at 10pm so we already knew this place was open late and was a 2 min. walk from our hotel.  We loved it so much we went 3 times! My husband who is not the biggest wine drinker fell in love with a wine we had here and since it was our first night in Paris, we decided to order the escargot.  I loved the snails here so much that we got them each night in Paris.  Our first time here we also ordered the duck breast and it was amazing.  We did not expect this place to be so spectacular but it ended up being one of our favorite places to eat in Paris.

Saint Pearl. A super cute brunch place that offers great coffee and juice choices, egg dishes such as eggs benedict and avocado toast (with or without salmon) and pancake dishes with edible flowers (I didn’t get to try this but I saw someone else order this and it looked not only cute but also delicious).

Pink Mamma. An Italian restaurant in Paris that is on everyone’s list to go to if you can get a reservation. I believe they open their books 15 days in advance so keep checking to see if you get in but if not, it’s worth a try stopping by because they do save some tables for walk-ins. This was one of our favorite meals in Paris but we may be biased because we are suckers for good Italian food. The decorations are beyond stunning and don’t be surprised if there is a line of people trying to take photos on their iconic staircase. Portions were perfect and prices were beyond reasonable. Go go go!

Terrass Rooftop Bar. Come for amazing cocktails with a view of the city. Located in the Terrass hotel, we came here on our way to Montmartre and were not disappointed. We tried a handful of their cocktails and loved them all.

Loulou. A great brunch spot that has multiple locations around the city.

Candelaria. We heard great things about this place from multiple people but did not get a chance to check it out ourselves. A Mexican restaurant with an underground speakeasy…what more could you want? Check this place out for their cocktails and vibes so we can live vicariously through you.

To Do

Picnic at the Eiffel tower at night. Once the sun goes down, the Eiffel tower sparkles for the first 5 mins. of every hour until (I believe) 1 am. Grab a blanket and a bottle of wine and enjoy the show.

Wander the streets. Paris is filled with so much history and art. Start walking and keep your eyes open to what you will see. And when you get tired, stop at a restaurant or cafe to try their delicious pastries or drink the wines (we usually ordered one of the cheaper wines on the menu and it was always so amazing).

Go to the L’ourve. Be prepared for it to be crowded and possibly hot because there is no air conditioning inside. Give yourself a few hours to be here but do not expect to see everything. Secret tip: the obvious line to get in by the pyramid is always insanely long. There’s a MUCH shorter line to get in if you enter at The Carousel shopping center. Make sure to reserve your tickets ahead of time!

What we wished we did but didn’t:

Go up the Eiffel tower. Yes, this is super touristy but we wanted to do it and ran out of time. 

We also wish we had more time to explore Montmartre, an area where many artists, such as Van Gogh, used to frequent. We were there for a few hours before a thunderstorm came and we had to book it to our dinner reservations.

We did go see the Moulin Rouge area but in my opinion was very underwhelming so if you are pressed for time, skip it.