We had the best trip to Paris together with our husbands – the most magical, romantic, beautiful city we have ever visited! We were so not ready to leave, and we can’t wait to go back. We’ve been getting a lot of questions about what where we stayed, ate, and played so we’re including all of that in today’s post! We stayed at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, and would highly recommend it! The location was great, and the rooms were very nice (but small, which is to be expected).
Palace of Versailles – This was the most stunning place we have ever seen in real life! Every room was more exquisite than the next, and the gardens/grounds were breathtaking. Downside – it was extremely crowded, but we are happy we went! Definitely get the fast pass!
Eiffel Tower – We bought tickets to go to the top, and honestly could have done without this. We’re happy we got to see it, but we didn’t feel like going to the top was necessary – the first level the elevators stop at was a prettier view in our opinion!
Arc de Triomphe – So beautiful in person! You can go to the top (we’ve heard the view is amazing), but we didn’t do that since we went up in the Eiffel Tower. Although a lot of people told us (after! lol) that the view is better than the Eiffel Tower!
River Limousine (company name) Boat Cruise along the Seine River – This was hands-down one of our favorite parts of the trip because it was just the four of us, a driver, and a guide and we got to learn so much about Paris at the same time – the history, current day, etc. Before we boarded the boat, we went to a local market and picked up amazing wine, cheese, and meat for the cruise. We aren’t super touristy people, we would rather travel and explore “like a local,” so this was the perfect combination of both! We weren’t waiting in 3-hour lines and around thousands of people, but we learned so much and got to see so much of Paris by boat!
Sainte-Chapelle – This royal chapel is beyond stunning. Honestly, breathtaking! I’m so happy we got to see this right before we had to leave for the airport to head home. It has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections anywhere in the world. Construction began in 1238 which is incredible to think about! We loved learning about the history in Paris!
Tuileries Garden – So beautiful! We grabbed a coffee and pastries one morning and walked around a bit. I’m sure it’s amazing in the summer but it was so pretty to see all the leaves changing colors!
We did not have nearly enough time to explore Paris, so we had to choose our top wishlist/site-seeing places. So many people said to skip the Lourve because it is under construction, and lines are around 3 hours long. We did walk around the exterior and saw the famous Lourve Pyramid, and visited Palais-Royal which was beautiful (shocker lol!). Prettiest city we have ever seen. Next time we are in Paris, Musée d’Orsay is #1 on the list! Wish we would have gone there instead of up in the Eiffel Tower, but you live and you learn ;). But like we said, we got to see a lot on the boat cruise (like Notre Dame) so that was a win!
We honestly didn’t do a ton of shopping while we were there but there are stores everywhere! If there’s one thing you can certainly do in Pairs without trying too hard, it’s shop!
Valois Vintage Paris – A local told us this is the best vintage store and we regret not going!
Champs-Elysées Avenue – This is where you’ll find a lot of stores. It’s pretty touristy but it’s home to the Louis Vuitton (we didn’t go but when we saw it the line was out the door!) flagship store, as well as many more!
We did most of our shopping on/around Rue Cambon – Chanel flagship store ;), and Rue Saint-Honoré.
Lunch/Drinks:
Pink Mama – We came here for lunch and highly recommend it. Not only is the interior gorgeous but the food and drinks we’re excellent (get the truffle pasta!)!
L’Avenue – We stopped here for apps after doing a little shopping in the neighborhood. We recommend sitting outside on the patio. Fun people watching! Everything we ordered was good!
Cafe de Flore – This was highly recommended, definitely try to snag an outdoor table if you can! In the prettiest neighborhood (Saint-Germain).
Hotel Costes – This was close to our hotel so we stopped here a couple times for drinks and appetizers. This was one of the most recommended spots by everyone we talked to (and you guys!). It’s definitely a scene, and super fun at night!
Bar Hemingway – This is located in the Ritz and it was definitely one of our favorites (we went twice)! It opens at 6 and is very small so you need to get in line around 5:45 if you want a spot. The cocktail menu is very unique (and printed on a newspaper), and every drink we got was amazing – the ladies’ drinks are delivered with a rose in them! The only food items are mini hot dogs and mini burgers and they are BEYOND! We had so much fun here the first night, we decided to try again on our last night and we got in! A place we will always remember.
The Hoxton – The Hoxton was really fun, and there are three bars to choose from. We went upstairs to the speakeasy which was really cute. We also had a drink on their patio. The crowd here is young and fun!
Monsieur Blue – This was highly recommended for dinner, but we came her for after dinner drinks with a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower.
We stopped at so many cafés, and we didn’t have a bad experience at any of them. It’s so fun to sit outside, order some french fries & champagne, and people watch!
Dinner:
Ferdi – This is Kim and Kayne’s favorite spot so we obviously had to go there ;). It’s very small and homey feeling and there are trinkets everywhere! You must get the burger if you go! They only take reservations via text, so be sure to plan in advance.
Girafe – Girafe is a beautiful restaurant with the best view of the Eiffel Tower! Sadly it was raining the night we had a reservation, but the interior is beautiful as well.
Market – We ended up dining at Market on a night we didn’t have dinner plans and loved everything we ordered. This Jean-Georges is not a typical French restaurant, it felt almost like we were in New York. But the French-Asian food was excellent!
La Belle Époque – This spot was highly recommended by Sai, and we had such a fun dinner there. We had an 8:30pm reservation, and we were one of the first tables there. By 9:45 it was packed, and very fun! Everything we had here was really good.
Frenchie – This was our favorite dinner spot hands down. We visited Frenchie on our last night in Paris, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. They received a Michelin Star in 2019, and it was such an experience with delicious food! Every course was better than the last. Highly, highly recommend!
Pastries/Sweets:
Pierre Hermé – These were the best macaroons ever!
Ladurée – Obviously we had to visit Ladurée while we were in Paris!
We stopped in many other markets and bakeries, and they were all so good! We are still dreaming of the croissants!
We’re sure we forgot a few things, but if you have any other questions please leave them in the comments below and we will answer them! xx
M&B