During the past years, I’ve had so many questions regarding Paris and places to visit so I decided to write My Guide to Paris to you. The things you want to do in your vacation are personal, but I hope you find my guide helpful. Paris is magnificent place for big city lovers, and it doesn’t ever sleep.
The one thing I can’t help you with is a hotel. It has been years since I last time stayed in a hotel in Paris, and as you might know, they can be disappointing. Let me suggest instead : AirBnb. You might get a better deal with renting a flat from a nice neighborhood instead of staying in a sketchy hotel. My favorite neighborhoods are 1,2,3, and 6.
When you arrive to either Paris airport, take an Über or the RER. The RER saves a lot of time, and you will get into the heart of Paris without finding yourself stuck in traffic. If you don’t want to use public transportation, Über functions perfectly in Paris and is much nicer and less expensive that the taxi Parisienne.
If I can give you one advice, stay away from Champs Elysées. I know it is an iconic street, but if you want to do luxury shopping, go to Rue St. Honoré or Avenue Montaigne. The streets are much calmer and more extravagant. I admit that in the past 2 years I’ve been in Champs Elysées probably 10 times. It is just so touristic and if you get hungry, there are no good restaurants near you. On Sundays I would recommend the Marais. There is no other place like that. Eat the famous falafels in l’As du Fallafel or nibble a crêpe at BREIZH Café. Drink a flute de Champagne at Minimes or enjoy a cup of hot tea in La Perle. If you are looking for a nice little market with restaurants, go to Le Marché des Enfants Rouges. Wherever you go, you find nice spots to eat and shop. Marais is a charming neighborhood, and I would spend at least one day strolling the streets of this lovely old Jewish quarter.
My perfect day would sound something like this. I would eat my brunch at Claus (very hip place at the moment) or if I would be exceptionally hungry, I would go to Hotel Bachaumont. After brunch I would walk along the river in the right side (rive droite) and head towards left side (rive gauche) and continue to St. Germain des Prés. I would drink coffee in one of the iconic Parisian cafés, at Les Deux Magots. After coffee, I would continue towards Bon Marché and step into interesting boutiques on my way to the oldest department stores in Paris. On my way back to the right side, I would walk by Palais Royal and browse through the vintage shops especially. For dinner I would go to Kong or Hotel Costes. The places are not known necessarily for the food but their chic atmosphere. Although, a good Parisian bistro is always a good option! I would recommend Loup for example. After dinner I would go for a drink into some nice little hidden place. The best cocktail bar in Paris is actually in my neighborhood, and you don’t see it if you don’t know it exists. The Experimental Cocktail Club is hidden behind the black velvet curtains, and it is worth searching for. Another nice little place is called Le Prescription Cocktail Club, same owners as the Experimental. Paris is full of these little, fancy places, and I highly recommend you to enjoy your cocktail in these little bars.
What about the shopping then? I already mentioned that the St. Honoré probably has all the very chic shops what you can imagine, but when you want to shop normal scale clothes, I’d go to Marais for example. My favorite French brand is definitely Maje. Please visit their store <3
Like I mentioned, Paris is full of nice things to see. Although, when you are in a big city, you have to prioritize and pick where you want to go and what do you want to see. You can’t avoid tourists in Paris, so be prepared to queue into the museums and exhibitions. If you want to save time, use the metro, not the taxi.
I can’t write about everything into my blog, so please see my Paris picks in Instagram with a tag #avecsofieinparis or #avecsofieplaces. If you have questions, please ask those in my blog or Instagram, I don’t response into emails as quickly. Hope this was helpful and you got some new ideas and recommendations.
