I went to Paris for the first time for my birthday in February! The city exceeded my expectations and I fell in love with it even more in person. For being winter it wasn’t too cold. The temperature was around 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit.
I went with my boyfriend and we walked around everywhere. We stayed in a friends apartment right on the river Seine in the 6th arrondissement. It was the perfect location, so central! We were right on the river in front of the Notre Dame, and near the Latin Quarter. Okay, let me start from the beginning!
We left the night before my birthday on a Thursday night. We bought $280 round trip tickets using Fly Glitch so we had basic economy and weren’t sitting next to each other. Before boarding my boyfriend told the flight attendant/receptionist it was my birthday at midnight and lucky enough she hooked us up by upgrading us to Economy Plus and seating us next to each other! Thank you United! We had unlimited drinks and chana masala on the plane for dinner, which was perfect because I’m pescatarian and my boyfriend is vegetarian.
Day 1, Friday- My Birthday!
We finally arrived, put our things in the apartment and took a quick nap. When we woke up we walked around Paris for the first time, and all the streets, cafes and shops were just the cutest! We couldn’t stop admiring everything around us even the street art by the river.
One of our favorite streets was Rue de Buci. On our first encounter walking down this street we were immediately greeted by a man who owned a local cheese shop on the corner. He offered us fresh cheese samples right then and there! We loved it so much we went back a few days later to buy cheese because we couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Next we went to Cafe de Flore, a super cute Parisian Cafe, and sat outside facing the streets. There we people watched and had our first cafe “espresso”. This is also where we had the best quiche of our lives. It came out hot and had the perfect consistency and the crust was the perfect width! Who knew I was such a quiche snob!
After we strolled through Luxembourg Garden. It was a clear and sunny day and perfect for a walk in the park. We were impressed by the palace, fountains, and sculptures all around. The park was so clean and perfectly manicured.
We picked up a bottle of French wine and went home and got ready for my big night at the Moulin Rouge! We bought the standard dinner and show tickets through the official website- Check it out here! We ordered our tickets online in advance and selected our meals. I picked Toulouse, and my boyfriend picked the Vegetarian option. It’s a prix fixe menu, but you have options for each course. Doors open at 6:45pm, but we arrived at 7:15ish a little late, but it was no problem. The official performance started at 9pm.
I wore a black long evening gown by Jill Stuart, sparkly heels and dangle earrings. It was my big birthday night! I wanted to dress up! Normally we would walk everywhere, but we were running late and I was wearing heels so we easily ordered an Uber from our apartment where we had Wifi. Uber is super easy to use in Paris, just like in the U.S.
At the Moulin Rouge the food was mediocre, but because it was my birthday i.e. a special occasion it was totally worth it. We got to spend more time enjoying the ambiance in the romantic setting sharing a bottle of champagne which you can’t go wrong with. The venue is spectacular and the show was as well. If it’s not a special occasion then I would opt for just the show, but if you’re on a romantic date or celebrating something special with another person then the dinner helps make the night complete. You can prepare for the elegant night and dress for the occasion.
The performance lasted for about two hours. It felt like a mix of Cirque du Soleil, Rockettes, and a Broadway Show. Of course there’s nudity, which makes it that much more entertaining and no phones allowed! The costumes are FABULOUS!
It’s a little traditional in the sense that it was really only women who were revealing. There should have been more of a balance of gender in one way or another. Regardless it was a dream come true. Moulin Rouge is my favorite movie, that I’ve seen more than a dozen times and I’ve always wanted to experience the original Moulin Rouge!
Day 2, Saturday- Museum Pass
Day two, we picked up our “Museum Pass”, which lets you skip the line and gives you access to over 60 top museums and monuments in Paris. It’s an easy pick-up. We booked through Get Your Guide. We opted for the two day pass, and you have 48 hrs of use from when your pass is first scanned. It was about $65 for one person. We thought a great deal if you put it to use!
For breakfast we went to Creperie St Eustache– 1 Rue Sauval, near the Louvre for nothing other than Crepes! They were SOO delish. Really cute spot, with the dankest crepes.
After, I stumbled upon a really cool vintage shop called Vieumachin Vintage Shop- 31 Rue du Louvre. They had really cute women’s clothing and accessories. Not like your typical vintage shop that smells like old lady. It’s really fresh and smells good inside with trendy pre-loved/vintage items. Lot’s of fun Parisian scarves!
It was about mid-day when we finally made it to the Louvre. We had picked a slot time to visit via the website. This way we could skip the line with the Museum Pass, otherwise you have to wait in the line. I highly recommend booking your visit time slot in advance. It’s super easy on the website click here!
We saw the famous Mona Lisa and it was about a 15 min wait to get up close to admire, or take a picture/“selfie” with her, but the time flew by because we had the audio headsets, and were listening to the guided tour of other pieces of art in the room while waiting. It’s definitely worth the wait. What’s 15 min. to see the most famous painting in the world up close. She is the only painting on the entire wall, but the painting is pretty small itself. I was prepared for her size, so don’t be alarmed by her small size if and when you see her. We saw other famous paintings like Le Badeau de la Meduse by Gericault and more.
In general the Louvre was a great experience, it didn’t feel too crowded other than the room with the Mona Lisa there were plenty of restrooms or as they say “toilettes”. It was clean, and the audio guides were advanced, at least the best ones out of all the other museums we had been to.
After strolling around the Louvre for about 2 hrs we left and had the richest hot chocolate at Angelina. It’s like a dessert! So rich and delicious. We sipped our hot chocolate as we walked through the Tuileries Garden. Later we had dinner at Pizza e Mozza and of course we had pizza, so good!
Day 3, Sunday- Dream Come True
My dreams came true yet again. I met up with Ekaterina, a professional photographer in Paris to take photos at the Eiffel Tower! Seeing the Eiffel Tower was a dream come true and being able to capture the moment made it even better. Paris has always been my dream travel city. I’ve had it on my mood board since I graduated college. When I was in first grade I chose the Eiffel Tower as my monument of choice to study and I built a model out of popsicle sticks and hot glue! It stuck with me ever since!
We met at Place du Trocadero. Took photos for about an hour! She was on time, professional, & very friendly. If you are looking to book a professional photographer while in Paris I highly recommend Ekaterina! To check out her work click here!
Then we walked up the Eiffel Tower! Before, we only stood in line for a little. It was really windy that day so we couldn’t go all the way up to the top, but we walked up to the second floor which had an amazing view of the entire city. Hopefully, if you go you can make it to the top and I highly recommend walking up! Although, beware because the next day your calves will kill you! I had to roll mine out with a dough roller we found in the kitchen!
After we went to Cafe de l’hommes for lunch located in the Palais de Chaillot. We sat and ate lunch with views of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. A bit pricey, white table cloth kind of place but delicious. I ate a king crab salad and it was really refreshing.
We walked to the Musee de l’Orangerie where we saw Monet’s water lilies murals. We had the Museum Pass so we entered with ease. Super small museum, about 5 pieces. Granted they were very large paintings, murals to be exact, but I enjoyed it.
Next, we walked across the bridge filled with locks of love called Passerrelle Leopold-Sedar-Senghor. Funny story at night we were trying to find it, and thought we did. We ended up putting our locks on the wrong bridge! There are just so many bridges so pay attention! In all honestly though the bridge of love is completely filled with locks you can’t miss it. I suggest bringing your own lock from home otherwise you have about 2 generic options to choose from at the touristy stores, and then you won’t be able to find it when you go back to look for it (this maybe happened to us, lol).
Later we went to Musee d’Orsay. The line was really long but we skipped it with our Museum Pass. You don’t need to reserve a time in advance for this museum. It was really, really crowded inside. The coolest part was that the museum itself is an old train station, but other than that I liked the Louvre better. Still a must see museum especially if you’re a fan of the impressionist like Van Gogh and Manet. Afterwards we enjoyed hot chocolate at the cafe on the second floor which was gorgeous!
That night we went out to dinner in the 5th arrandamont at a place called Le Coupe-Chou which was one of my favorite dinners! I ordered escargot, cooked snails, and was proud to have enjoyed a traditional Parisian dish.
Day 4, Monday- French Fries in France
Be aware that on Monday or Tuesday a lot of museums are closed so plan accordingly! We decided to find the best croissant in town and went to Boulangerie Patisserie Regis Colin in the 2nd arrondissement based on a recommendation. You can’t sit down, it’s a grab and go kind of place but you walk in and you can see several medals on the shelves on the walls. The croissant was delish, but I’m no expert!
Then we went to have a proper american breakfast because we were still hungry at Le Cafe. We had fresh squeezed orange juice, omelettes and French Fries in France!
We then stumbled upon one of the COOLEST Thrift Shops I’ve ever seen called Kiliwatch. After we strolled into a boutique Belgium Chocolate store called Elisabeth Chocolatier, which was perfect timing because it started to hail! Had samples of the best chocolate, one was filled with Brandy! I ended up buying some chocolates as a gift. We went to Thomas Sabo to check out the Men’s Jewelry. They didn’t have a specific size so we ended up ordering online, express shipping and picked it up the next day at a UPS drop off location! So easy!
Finally we went to Sainte Chapelle which has all the amazing stained glass. We used our Museum Pass for entry. It was truly breathtaking, and I highly recommend!
Day 5, Tuesday- Day Trip To Versailles
On Tuesday we did a Palace of Versailles day trip. Remember the Palace of Versailles is closed on Mondays so plan accordingly. We booked our tickets in advance on the official website and used mobile tickets. Book here! We booked the “Passport” ticket which is about 20 euros.
We left in the morning and took the train also called RBR. Took us about 45 mintues. The trains are comfortable and really easy to take. Total it was about a 6 hr day trip with transportation included. So we spent about 4 hrs walking through the gardens and palace.
We bought Angelina’s hot chocolate and snuck it in our jackets outside so we could drink it as we walked the gardens! Technically you’re not allowed to bring food past the cafe area! Whoops! We actually brought with us croissants in our backpacks. I would suggest bringing some sort of snack for the day whether that be an apple or energy bar.
It was a perfect sunny day, but a little chilly so bundle up! When we got back to Paris we stopped at a random cafe, sat outside under heat lamps and ate french onion soup with a glass of wine.
That night we took a boat cruise down the Seine river at around 7:40pm. Boat Cruise-Vedettes Du Pont Neuf leaves right off the island in the middle of the bridge Pont Neuf. They depart every 40 minutes or so. I would skip the dinner cruise and just do the commentary boat cruise. It’s the perfect way to see the city, and relax. They didn’t serve any drinks on board so TG we brought water bottles filled with champagne lol.
Paris at night is so gorgeous! You can sit inside, which is heated, or stand/sit on the top (outside) of the boat. We stood at the top one way and just bundled up. In the evenings the Eiffel Tower sparkles at the top of every hour for about 5 minutes. It’s the most beautiful sight!
After we went to sushi then to Experimental Cocktail Club to experience Parisian cocktail culture! It was a really cool place!
Day 6, Wednesday- Last Day
On our last day we had breakfast at home. We went to the grocery store the day before to prepare, and made scrambled eggs with cut up tomatoes and orange slices with orange juice and coffee.
We walked around the city and went to Pierre Herme for the best Macaroons. Then walked to the Arc De Triomphe and on our way stopped at several cafes and bars for drinks and food. We had ourselves a mini bar crawl and had ourselves a nice little day buzz!
Arc De Triomphe is so much bigger than you think! It’s huge! Supposedly it took 30 years to build, a very impressive monument and structure. On our way we got drinks at Unisex and browsed the huge Louis Vuitton Store on the same street. We didn’t end up going up the Arc but the view from below was just as impressive. If we had more time we would have walked up.
We took the metro home, which was pretty easy too! I picked up my passport and we went to the oldest Chanel store, the first one to ever open- 31 Rue Cambon. Don’t confuse it with 19 Rue Cambon which is the newest Chanel store around the corner. It was like a museum to me, and I ended up spontaneously buying a classic card holder in black which was my first ever personal luxury shopping experience!
As a foreigner you get to shop tax free with your passport which is pretty cool. I would google the specifics, I think you have to spend $175 for this to apply. Also, Chanel items are a lot cheaper in Paris then they are in New York! I ended up saving $100! I sipped champagne and picked between all the different styles. It was top notch service that I will never forget!
We got home then went to a nice Italian restaurant in our neighborhood which was delicious called L’isolotto. We split gnocchi and seafood spaghetti YUM! Once we finished dinner we went home, packed up our things and got ready for our early flight.
Getting to and from the airport was convenient. We just took the train which was really easy and affordable! It was about a 40-45 min ride to the airport and it’s a direct train for about 12 euros.
I hope you enjoyed my Paris experience and travel guide! I’ve listed a few more attractions/bars/restaurants and more below for easy reference. Places that have been recommended to me and places that I’ve researched. I haven’t been to all of them, but if you end up going please let me know how your experience was!
Top Attractions in Paris
· The Eiffel Tower
· Musée du Louvre
· Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
· Avenue des Champs-Élysées
· Musée d’Orsay
· Arc de Triomphe
· Luxembourg Gardens
· Sacré-Coeur and Quartier Montmartre
· Place Vendôme
· Centre Pompidou ( National Museum Of Modern Art)
· Fondation Louis Vuitton
· Les Catacombes
· Moulin Rouge
· Le Marais
· Galeries Lafayette
· Musée d’ L’orangerie
· Le Crazy Horse
· Marche d’ Aligre
· Palais D Tokyo
· Musee Picasso
· Rue Dénoyez in Belleville ( for street art + graff)
· Palais Garnier opera
Coolest Bars/ Nightclubs in Paris
· Le Perchoir Du Marais ( great view of the city) https://leperchoir.tv/
· Lavomatic- speakeasy enter through a washing machine https://www.lavomatic.paris/
· La Lucha Libre- (go during happy hour and check out their downstairs for some entertaining wrestling) https://www.laluchalibre-ringbar.fr/
· Experimental Cocktail Club https://www.experimentalgroup.com/venue/experimental-cocktail-club/
· Little Red Door- http://www.lrdparis.com/
· Vip Room (Club) https://www.viproom.com/?cs_preview=true
· Le Hobo (Club) http://www.lehoboclub.com/
· Twenty One Sound Bar http://www.lehoboclub.com/
List of Restaurants
· Cesar Restaurant http://cesar-restaurant.com/en/cesar-home/
· Hugo & Co https://www.tomygousset.com/hugo-and-co/
· Coya https://www.coyarestaurant.com/
· Le Petit Keller https://www.facebook.com/PetitKeller/
· Rooster https://www.rooster-restaurant.com/
· Piero TT https://www.pierregagnaire.com/restaurants/piero-paris
· Kintaro (Ramen) https://kintaro.business.site/
· Holybelly (Breakfast) https://holybellycafe.com/
· L”avenue http://www.avenue-restaurant.com/
· Breizh Café (creperie) https://breizhcafe.com/en/
· Candelaria (Tacos) https://www.quixotic-projects.com/candelaria
· Café Chilango (Mexican) https://www.cafechilangoparis.com/
· Chez Lucie – https://www.restaurant-chez-lucie.fr/
· Cubana Café (caribean) – https://www.cubanacafe.com/
· Pierre Herme – best macaroons
· Angelina – Richest Hot Chocolate
· Chez la Vieille
· Pain Vin fromages
· Jaja
· CARBON Paris
· Le Mary Celeste
· Le Clown Bar
· Pierre Sang in Oberkampf
· Patisserie Yann Couvreur– Pastry shop
· La Cave à Michel– Wine bar
· Le Baratin
· BRUTOS
· Le Servan
· N A N A 11ème
· Septime
· Le Baron Rouge– Wine bar
· Clamato– Great little seafood spot
· Odette Paris– Pastry shop
· Maison Mulot – Saint Germain des Prés– Pastry shop
· Chez L’Ami Jean
· Racines
Traveler Tips
- Download Maps.me- mobile offline map
- Give yourself a day to explore Versaille, because there’s so much to see! It’s really easy to get there via train. You can buy tickets at the metro station day of
- Get the Paris Museum Pass if you’re going to attend a lot of museums and public attractions
- Parisias eat dinner late, most restaurants open for dinner starting around 7pm- 7:30pm
- Uber is convenient in Paris and getting around
- “Favorite” or “Heart” all the places you are interested in on Google Maps in advance!
Check out my friend Chelsea’s post about Paris if you want more info! I actually read her post before going and it was super helpful. Some of my recs are originally from her list of recommendations!
Photos by Ekaterina
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