A list of my must dos
I originally thought about starting a blog for this purpose. I have had lots of people contact me asking for ideas on what to do, where to stay, where to get good coffee (definitely one of the most important questions!) etc...And each time I thought it would be so good if I could refer them to a blog, where I have EVERYTHING I could think of to share, to help others fall in love with Paris as much as we do. So here it is! This is a snapshot of my thoughts/ideas and advice on what to do/eat/drink in Paris! Enjoy!
To drink:
I love coffee! One of my biggest worries moving to Paris from NZ was whether I would be able to find good coffee - silly but real! There is definitely a general belief that you can't get good coffee in Paris, however this has definitely changed! Cafe culture is becoming more and more popular and with the influence of EXPATS, it's not difficult to now find great coffee! There are new cafes popping up every week, so I will endeavour to keep this list updated. Here is a few of my favourite coffee spots that all do a great flat white!
• Matamata Coffee Bar (2eme) - 58 rue d'Argout, 75002.
The rest of the cafe's aren't in any particular order apart from this one. Matamata will always be my fav! I love that it is named after a small town in NZ where my Grandparents lived, this will always be special! The cafe is owned by 2 couples from my church - friendly staff, great food and great coffee!
• Cafe Mericourt (11eme) – 22 Rue de la Folie Méricourt, 75011.
My old local. Great coffee and definitely amazing brunch place! This is connected to another café just around the corner, Café Oberkampf (3 Rue Neuve Popincourt).
• Hardware Societe (18eme) - 10 Rue Lamarck, 75018.
Tucked behind the beautiful Sacre Coeur, this cafe has great coffee AND great food! There is often a wait, however well worth it, and waiting is never tough when you can stare at the Sacre Coeur!
• KB caféshop (18eme) - 53 Avenue de Trudaine, 75018.
Great coffee, and in a picturesque area. Also pretty close to Sacre Coeur.
• Braun Notes (9eme) - 31-33 Rue de Mogador, 75009.
Close to Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. Grab a coffee and then head up to the terrace on the top of Galeries Lafayette for a beautiful (free) view over the city.
• 10 belles (10eme) - 10 Rue de la Grange aux Belles, 75010.
Walking distance to Republique square and Canal Saint-Martin. Note: no wifi. Also at the end of this rode a new cafe has opened called Caoua Coffee Stop (98 Quai de Jemmapes). This also does great coffee & food!
• Dose (5eme and 17eme) - 73 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 and 82 Place du Dr Félix Lobligeois, 75017.
We found this café originally on Bean Hunter (great app!) The cafe in the 5eme is on a very cute road, with a couple of great crepe stands.
• Le Peloton (4eme) - 17 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004.
Grab a coffee & a waffle (delish!) and follow that by a walk along the Seine, or to iconic Notre Dame. Note: Cash only.
• O Coffee Shop (15eme) - 23 Rue de Lourmel, 75015.
The only good coffee shop I know in the 15th, It's close to the Eiffel Tower, so a handy stop before getting your iconic selfie with Paris’ most infamous attraction. Two other great cafe's close to the Eiffel Tower areL Zia(7eme) - 22 Avenue de Tourville, 75007 and Terres de Cafe(7eme) - 67 Avenue de al Bourdonnais, 75007.
• Holy Belly (10eme) - 5 Rue Lucien Sampaix, 75010.
This is a super popular place to go for Brunch so get there earlier to avoid waiting in long line. Yummy food, and good coffee to go along.
A BIG shout out to my good friend, Michelle Hoareau who sent me through a list of cafe's when I first arrived in Paris! She is a fellow coffee lover, and she has definitely saved me from a lot of bad coffee! There are so many great cafes so here's a few more that are also very much worth trying!
In Le Marais - Strada cafe, Fondation, Fragments, Loustic & Neighbours (3eme), Coutume cafe (5eme), Honor Cafe (8eme) and Hexagone Cafe (14eme).
To eat...
While in Paris there are a couple of things you have to try! Below is a list of my favourite French delicacies that I definitely recommend trying. It is easy to find all of the below pretty much wherever you go, but here are a couple of options and ideas...
• Macarons – A great patisserie to try these is Laduree.
• Crepes – You can get these all over the city, a couple of roads which have lots of good crepe options are: Rue Mouffetard and Rue Xavier Privas.
• Pastries – The selection is endless and you will have no challenges at all finding a patisserie with these divine desserts!
• Baguette – I never truly appreciate bread until I moved to France! I still don’t understand how something so simple, can be so dang good! You definitely need to try baguette from a patisserie. Grab a baguette & some cheese and you're sorted for a picnic by the Seine or in a park - so French!
• Cheese – French know their cheese! You can either go to a fromagerie (if you want the real good stuff) or if you’re on a budget then any general supermarket is perfect. The selection is incredible, and you really can’t go wrong! If you’d like a cheap and delish camberbert then I’d recommend Coeur de Lion, and my favourite blue is Saint Agur. If it’s winter then I highly recommend going out to a restaurant for Fondu or Raclette – you will never regret it!
• Wine - French wine is not only amazing, but also so cheap! The selection in supermarkets is incredible. A great addition to your picnic!
• Escargot (snails) - While in France...any authentic bistro should have these, you just have to give them a try!
• Soupe a l’oignon (French Oignon soup) - One of my favourite French meals, so simple but so delicious!
There is SO many amazing restaurants in Paris, and I definitely don't feel equipped to recommend the best places to go, but here a couple of places I have been to which I have loved/have had amazing food!
• Polidor - 41 Rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006
This restaurant was founded in 1845. We went here for an anniversary dinner, it was really responably priced, and felt authentic, including only being able to pay with cash! We also had a lovely surprise when we saw it featured in the movie ‘Midnight in Paris’.
• Bouillon Pigalle - 22 Boulevard de Clichy, 75018
Authentic French food at a really affordable price! There is nearly always a line, but it moves fast!
• Pizzeria Popolare - 111 Rue Réaumur, 75002
If you feel like Italian dinner in Paris then this is the place. Very tasty, and they have a 5euro Margarita Pizza! It’s delish, however very popular so be prepared to wait in a line outside to get in.
• Le Chalet Savoyard- 58 Rue de Charonne, 75011
If you want to have a heavenly cheese coma then this is the place to go! So amazing, and very popular, so I recommend making a booking.
To Do:
While in Paris there are a couple of tourist attractions you have to go see. Because, while in Paris...
Attractions:
• Eiffel Tower - I love taking visitors for a picnic at the Eiffel Tower, we get off at Metro Trocodero and sit on that side of the bank with a picnic. The best idea is to get there in day light and stay till dark. When it is dark, every hour, on the hour for 5 minutes the Eiffel Tower sparkles. For me, this is a must see and so magical!
• Sacre Coeur - Up on a hill in Montmartre is one of my favourite tourist attractions. It has a lovely and a different view of the city of lights! It's also lovely to follow this by strolling the quaint roads of Montmartre. In Place du Tertre they often have art markets. This is the area where I feel like I am truly in France.
• Notre Dame - Another attraction to tick off the list. It has free entry to get inside. You can pay to go up the Notre Dam towers, which apparently has stunning view. The famous lovelock Bridge is close to this too, and the new bridge where padlocks now are.
• Sainte-Chapelle - A beautiful gothic-style church close to Notre Dam. Probably most famous for it's stain-glass windows.
• Arc de Triomphe - I've never seen a more crazier round a bout then around the Arc de Triomphe. Seeing that in itself is an experience. However going up it also has a very cool view. Recently I've noticed the ticket lines to be really long. So probably worth trying to buy online to avoid long queues.
• Versailles - If you are in Paris for over 3 days I would definitely recommend a day trip out to Versailles. In every season the gardens are beautiful.
Other ideas:
• Picnic on the Seine
In my opinion a picnic by the Seine or in one of the beautiful gardens around Paris is the best way to spend your early evening, particularly in summer!
• Hire a Velib
A great way to see the city is on the bikes. There are Veilib bike stations all around the city. The first 30 mins is free, so if you put in your details, you can use a bike for a whole day for free as long as you keep docking it in a station every 30 mins. I highly recommend getting a bike and riding along the seine or in one of the amazing parks.
• Walking tours
I have done a couple of walking tours in European countries and have really loved them! The company that I go with is called Sandemans. The great thing about Sandemans is that it works for all budgets, there is no set price, you tip at the end. So make sure to bring cash!
• Galeries LaFayette
A beautiful department mall. Nice to look around the shops, however I go there to see the beautiful dome ceiling in the middle (always does a special Christmas display too). There there is also a cool view of the city (for free) on the terrace (top floor).
Parks:
I have never truly appreciated parks until moving to the big city life.
• Luxembourg Gardens - If you're only in Paris for a couple of days then this would be the park I'd recommend. Beautiful gardens, and a great place to sit and people watch.
• Place de Vosges - A small park with beautiful fountains. This was close to our first place in Paris and was a go-to for summer picnics. Also Victor Hugo's house looks over the park. Another cheap tourist attraction and cool thing to see, particularly if you are love Les Meserables and the Hunchback of Notredam.
• Palais Royal - A very cool courtyard with a central fountain. A great way to relax on the weekend and feel like a true Parisian is to grab a coffee from Cafe Kitsune (51 Galerie de Montpensier, 75001) and sitting around the fountain.
• My favourite park in Paris is Buttes Chaumont. This is a great park to go for runs, or to escape the city. Although it is still very central, it feels like you are far out of Paris. It also isn't very touristy, which is nice.
• Champs de Mars - Obviously a very popular and touristy park, but a great place for a pic-nic. Who wouldn't want a pic-nice under the Eiffel Tower? So magical.
If you'd like ideas of places to see which are not so iconically popular, then take as look at my blogs.
To Say...
Whenever you travel to a country which speaks a different language it's always nice to learn a couple of helpful phrases. This helps you to experience the culture and life better, as well as you will most likely receive better service if you give things a go!
If you're not confident with languages, then the two must knows are :
Bonjour (Hello), and Merci (Thank you)! I always cringe when I hear someone ordering and saying "Hello" to start. You don't have to be able to say much, but at least starting with Bonjour, it's polite and respectful!
A few other helpful phrases to learn...
Je vais prende (I will take) ... etc, un flat white, un baguette, un pain au chocolat
On va prende (we will take)... et (and) ...
S'il vous plait (please)
Combien ca coute (How much does that cost?)
Bonne journee - Have a good day
Au revoir - Goodbye
To Buy...
Shopping in Paris is a must. Unfortunately my currently bank account doesn't allow for me to shop in some of the maybe more commonly known or popular Paris shopping spots. Therefore this list reflects more a "Paris on a budget" type of shops.
A couple of nice neighbourhoods for shopping are Le Marais and Bastille. I love wondering the streets in these neighbourhoods. This area in general is super beautiful, and if you like boutique areas then this would be my recommendation.
A couple of my favourite shops are:
Mango - clothing
Zara (of course) - clothing
& other stories - clothing
So we are - clothing
Fleux - homewares/boutique
Bobart- boutique
Merci - department store
BHV - department store
Twice a year there are massive sales in Paris called the SOLDES. These are in January/February and July. If you are travelling during these times, then I highly recommend checking out the soldes, it'll be busy, but you can get a great deal!