Last year I traveled with my two best girl friends to the most beautiful, romantic city in Europe – Paris. Our goal? To see Paris in the springtime while eating copious amounts of cheese, and drinking the most delicious wines from Bordeaux – we sprinkled the trip with a little sightseeing here and there of course. Traveling to Paris can seem majorly intimidating – a macaroon from Laduree is nearly $5 after all. I say, “when in Paris, eat macaroons.” I’m going to share some of the ways we figured out to save a buck here, to splurge there. And for you impatient people out there, like us, I have some tips for you too to avoid those pesky lines!
1) Great Places to Eat/Drink –
Street food in Paris can sometimes be better than what you find in a restaurant – and it’s not scary. I mean street food in NYC I’d never touch with a 10 foot pole – In Paris, I sleep in it. Everywhere you go there are fresh baguettes, cheeses, crepes – oh the crepes. In the Latin Quarter we found this perfect little patisserie that served waffles that were drowning in Nutella – I mean….I highly recommend it. Ok here are few more recommendations….
Mamie Tevennec (Voted one of the best creperies) – Now Paris does crepes, however this place does it the “American” way if you will. We enjoyed our crepes with a pound of Nutella, a whole can of whipped cream and a 1,000 sliced bananas. Ok, that might be an exaggeration, but it’s not far off. After that meal, we were set for a day sightseeing! Oh and it was really cheap – the way to go for a quick brekkie!
Chez Fernand – This is a darling little place in the Latin Quarter. It came recommended to me by a family friend – we were looking for something authentic and our call was answered. For the truest of true Parisian experiences, you must eat here and you must only eat one thing – the Beef Bourguignon. The restaurant is tiny, and when I say tiny I mean you could eat off the next persons plate. We started with cheese and of course some wine from the Cotes du Rhone region. We were later greeted by the Chef to which we repeatedly complimented his food. The best part, it’s a place where the Parisians go, not the tourists – so you know its legit. The best part – the price. Be sure to make a reservation so you aren’t kicking yourself in the derriere for not getting table!
Le Train Bleu – It’s a restaurant located in the Gare de Lyon station – it’s kind of like eating in Union Station, but not really. It’s a landmark dating back to the Universal Exhibition in 1900. The inside is incredibly ornate – you feel like you are dining in a palace. Note – it’s pricey and the menu is set. Second note – DO NOT order wine. Your meal comes with half a bottle!! Let’s just say we went home with some doggy bags, or bottles! This is a tourist trap for sure, but it’s just one of those things in Paris you need to do and see. I mean, you wouldn’t come to Chicago without having a drink on the 95th floor of the Hancock building now would you?
Le Baron Rouge – This is a little wine pub that was around the corner from our Parisian apartment – it’s a darling neighborhood joint. It’s a great place to start the night as it’s only open until 10pm. It’s a tiny little place, but their tables pour out on to the street giving you that true European vibe. We walked in and were in heaven – think of a craft beer bar that served over 1000 beers, but wine. You feel me? We were all craving rose at that time (being that it was May), and we might have cleaned them out.
Kong – Now this place was all show. I did some research on Trip Advisor for a cool place to have a drink and this place came up. Later that day I was watching episodes of Sex and the City from the final season, the Paris stories, to find Carrie eating lunch at Kong!!! Well we went to Kong to see what it was all about. It’s cool. It’s trendy. It’s touristy and its FREAKING expensive.
2) Sightseeing –
Paris is all about sightseeing – you can stay in Paris for a month and not see what it all has to offer. We were there for six days and had to edit the things we wanted to do. Normandy (D Day) was on our list, but it’s a full day excursion – next trip. We limited our sightseeing to things that we could walk to, that were free, and of course, Paris staples.
Eifle Tower – we pre-booked our tickets, which I highly recommend you do. We booked two months out and dates were already sold out. Once you book your trip, this should be the second thing you book. We booked through a travel agent, or you can use someone like
Viator, to book your tickets. Buy before you leave to also avoid any international charges. Our ticket included a short little walking tour with the cutest little Parisian who taught us the history of Eifle. I’m not one for a history lesson, but it was very interesting. OOOOH and you also want the tickets that skip the line – well worth the extra cash.
AND – go back at night once the sun has set to see it sparkle. It lights up every hour on the hour until midnight! Don’t miss it!
Notre Dame & Love Lock Bridge – Both free and both near each other. I recommend buying a map if you don’t have an international phone plan. We had a great little book for translations, sightseeing and a map of all the sites – we had a phone on back-up juuuuuust in case we needed it. Start with Notre Dame – ok, so the line will be CRAZY, I mean CRAZY. But, it moves really fast and its worth going into the church and walking around. Side note, going in to the church does not get you access to the roof – where you can take some amazing shots! The entrance to the roof is just around the corner where you will be welcomed by another long line. Now this one is long, and takes a long time, but it’s worth the wait to get that beautiful shot of Paris from atop (see photo at the top of this post). Trust me, you are going to want to leave the line and never look back, I was that person – stick with it
Post Notre Dame, walk over to the Love Lock Bridge to see all the beautiful love stories written on locks. We bought a lock on our last day and clipped it on the bridge before we left – we wanted to leave a little bit ourselves behind in Paris.
Versailles – Plan a WHOLE day for this, like eight hours worth. You take a train ride from Paris, about an hour – make sure it’s one of these trains. We bought our tickets at the station with no wait – off to Versailles to see Kimye and Marie Antoinette we went. PS – wear comfortable shoes with support. I know I sound like your mother, but once you get off that train, the only means of transportation are your legs.We had repurchased our tickets on the inter webs – see here. Let me tell you – that doesn’t mean shit and neither does getting there at 9am. I have never seen lines like this in my life – I mean it was like people were boarding spaceships to Mars. We waited for three minutes, thinking we could do it, and finally cracked. Lines and patience aren’t really our thing. My friend Becca went over to the ticket office to see if there was a loophole to getting out of that line – I mean in our 20’s we were experts in skipping lines! Sure enough, the ticket counter chap advised us to walk through the gardens first and come back at 1:00pm We trusted his guidance and went off to the gardens laughing at the all the fools waiting in line. There are hundreds upon hundreds of acres of Gardens and sooooooo many things to see. Here is what I recommend –
– Walk through the gardens to the stables
– Eat lunch at the restaurant in the stables – have a glass of wine with lunch because you can
– Visit the Grand Trianon – no cost and no line
– Walk through the farm to Marie Antionette’s hamlet (we took a detour and stumbled across some other homes and gardens, but we finally found it)
– Around 1pm head back to the main entrance to enter the Palace – with NO line
The Palace was everything we dreamed of – the hall of mirrors was impressive. We elbowed a few people to get to and from rooms, but no one was hurt (or were they Carly???). About 6 hours later and 11 miles on the ole pedometer, we boarded the train back to Paris. Peace out Versailles!
The Louvre and Gardens (Luxembourg and Tuileries) – The Louvre is just one of those things in Paris you need to see, even if you don’t want to. I’m not much of an art person, but it was still pretty cool to be in the presence of all of those pieces. My only goal that day was to see the Mona Lisa – again, elbows went flying but we got a front row seat for our Instagram – holler! If you really want to see the Louvre, earmark four to six hours of your day – there is a lot stuff!
Grab a coffee, eat a crepe, snack on some cheese all while taking in some of the most beautiful gardens – it truly makes you feel like a Parisian. The Tuileries are just outside the Louvre – easy peasy. Luxembourg is actually closer to Notre Dame and could be tacked on after your visit there.
River Tour – It’s a great way to take in the sites without having to walk! It’s a quick little tour, but gives you a completely different vantage point of Paris. Try the tour that gives you champers when you board the boat – be fancy, you’re in Paris!
3) Some honorable mentions –
Champs Elysees – strip of shopping, but all shopping that you have the US.
Laduree – Located on the Champs Elysees near the Arc de Triomphe. Dine in or wait in line for their WORLD famous macaroons! Try the Marie Antionette flavor – it’s amazing!!
Arc de Triomphe – This is one of those nice to do’s because you are in Paris. I suggest walking over there with your macaroons and taking it all in that way. You have to pay to get to the top – to be honest, the views are better at Notre Dame and the Eifle Tower. Save your money for another glass of wine on the trip!
Rue de Cambon – This is the house that Coco built and the one that Karl maintains. Visit the store and offices of Chanel! Who knows, you may see Karl wandering about – I would die!
4) Best Apps for your trip –
Trip Advisor – this site is like my travel bible. It hasn’t failed me to date on a trip when it comes to food and places to stay.
Convert – Great when trying to figure out how badly the dollar stinks to other currencies.
Guide Metro Paris – A great app when trying to figure how to get to and from via the Metro!
Rove – A great way to track what you saw and did that day. It even builds a cute little image for you that you can upload to social media.
Uber – USE IT EVERYWHERE. We used UberX to take us out at night and pick us up! It was SUPER cheap, we were toted around in Mercedes and weren’t charged any international fees as it was all done through the app! What would we do without Uber??
5) Where to stay –
Hotels in Paris are scary – they are scary in price and they are NYC dirty scary. We really wanted to treat ourselves, but 500 euros night at the Ritz wasn’t an option. Our solution – Airbnb.com. We found the most amazing little Parisian apartment in a safe neighborhood (Bastille) and building, just walks away from the market, cafes and the metro. We spent $160 a night – in Paris that wouldn’t even get a you a one night stay at the airport hotel. Sure staying in someone else’s home is strange, but only book with someone who has good reviews and in a safe area – just be smart about your booking and you’ll be fine!!
I know that was long – thanks for sticking with me! Hopefully you enjoyed it and found some insight! Au revoir!
One day I win get to Paris.. until then…
http://www.GlamKaren.com
Fingers crossed! Its a beautiful place!
Omg after reading this it makes me even more excited to plan my trip to Europe with my boyfriend! He surprised me with a trip and told me to plan the whole thing which is a lot harder than I thought!
Thats amazing!! Where are you headed?