Paris - Jan 7-14 (8 days)

• Jan 7 - arrive late at night - top of Eiffel tower
• Jan 8 - work 3pm-11pm (contact lenses), transit for 20 mins, reservation at Brasserie Martin at 1:30pm, La Patisserie Cyril Lignac
• Jan 9 - work 3pm-11pm, perfume class 10-10:45am, reservation at Brutus at 12pm
• Jan 10 - work 3pm-11pm - louvre museum at 9am, eat nearby
• Jan 11 - work 3pm-11pm, croissants at La Maison d’Isabelle, saw Notre dame, shakespeare & company, boat tour along seine river
• Jan 12 - work 3pm-11pm - ate at Chez Janou, bought presents, had macaron, cookies
• Jan 13 - Versailles 10am, walked around Mont
• Jan 14 - hot tub, baked goods, fly out at 11:35am

Steph's recs

1. Boulangerie Moderne
2. Chez Janou (you can call for reservations, specials change daily)
3. Maison Isabel (croissants)
4. L'As du Falafel
5. Le Deux Magots (a bit touristy but fun for people watching and cute spot)
6. The French Bastards (croissants)
7. Berthillion (ice cream)

Theo & Yana’s recs

And here are some cultural recommendations (in Paris everything is beautiful and worth seeing of course, but those are some of our favourite picks):

https://goo.gl/maps/6tJsXxvxGx5jqPwE7

• Invalides : Tomb of Napoleon
• Institut du Monde Arabe no : rooftop, view of Notre Dame (it's not the most classical spot for looking over Paris, but is definitely my favourite one - even though after Notre Dame burned it became a bit sadder. Visiting just the rooftop used to be free, so make sure you ask if it still is before buying a regular ticket)
• Jardin du Luxembourg : beautiful garden next to the Senate-
• Palais de Tokyo : modern art museum and a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower
• Père Lachaise cemetery (this might be a bit spooky for some people but I personally love the beauty and the calm of it)

• foucault's pendulum - proves earth rotate
• Champignons (type of mushroom)
• Alexandre III Bridge
• Pompidou Center
• Triumphal Arch
• Parisian flea markets
• go to the security line at "carrousel du Louvres" instead of the main line on the garden (you can check availability here)
• Gus’ suggestion L'Equinoxe from Cyril Lignacs bakery - many locations
• Gauri - Montmartre is a fun neighborhood in Paris! Trocadéro Square has a great view of the Eiffel Tower! I really like Caudalie skincare products and the pharmacies there have it way cheaper than the US does
• Weyhan - Marché Dauphine (flea market, open Fri,Sat,Sun,Mon)! Croissants from Blé sucré! Wine & cheese/chacuterie at Barawine! 2 fav spots in Bastille
• Sainte-Chapelle - gothic chapel for glass windows
• Sine River Cruise - boat cruise along Seine river
• Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe - stroll along and reach arc de triomphe
• Montmatre and Sacre-Caeur Basillica - explore neighborhood of Montmartre and visit basillica
• Latin Quarter - known for historic street and Sorbonne university
• Perfume class

Didn’t do this time

• Notre Dame Cathedral inside - opening 2024
• Paris Sewer Museum - closed till Jan 23
• Moulin Rouge - £193 too expensive
• making a bust - £70 / person too expensive
• Paris Galleries Lafayette Department Store –fashion shows take place here weekly - next availability 2 months away
• make chanel bag - https://www.airbnb.co.uk/experiences/1013625 - $350ish too expensive
• Frog legs
• carton boulangerie
• Buy skincare

Food

• Brasserie martin

  • steak and fries
  • parsley butter

• duck

  • chez germaine

• Crepe

  • Brutus - savory crispy on edge
  • Ar Poul Gwen - egg and goat cheese (too far)

• L’escargot de montorgueil

  • frog leg

• croissants

  • carton boulangerie (elected best croissant)
  • mamiche
• bread + pastries

• L’as du Fallafel

  • swarma, lamb and turkey

• La machon d’ henri

  • ribeye steak with bone marrow, potato

Walking tour

• Hotel de Ville(Paris City Hall)
• Notre-Dame Cathedral
• Sainte Chapelle
• Conciergerie
• Pont Neuf
• Pont des Arts
• Louvre (history of the palace and museum)
• Carrousel Arch
• Tuileries gardens

Photos

Last stop of the honeymoon - Paris 🇫🇷

1. recreated “Daphne chased by Apollo”
2. Paris was too cold to have a long line at Mona Lisa
3. found Heartstopper’s filming location in the Louvre
4. ate at an illusion food restaurant (IS. IT. CAKE?)
5. followed safety procedure at a perfume-making class
6. froze my tongue at 0°C at the top of Eiffel tower
7. carriage museum at Versailles
8. Geoguessr brought me to Shakespeare and Company
9. Notre Dame is under construction so here's a chocolate one
10. everyone comes to the Louvre to play Nintendo

he same restaurant makes dessert look like main dish and vice versa ex. the Expresso is mushroom soup)

Words

• boulangerie - is a french bakery (not a pastry shop)

Recommendations

Activities

• Louvre museum - go 30 mins before it opens, beelined to Mona Lisa then Venus. The food option is limited so bring breakfast to eat while waiting outside. We went from 8:30-3:30pm
• Versailles - a day trip that can be reached by the train. They have more opened activities (ex. Fountain shows, firework) and restaurant opened in the summer and the garden is too cold to go in the winter. They have lots of great restaurants outside and we like Le Limousin.
• Boat tour along Seine river - recommended if you want to hit many major spots without having to take the transit. it's €18 and not great for taking close-up photos or listening to what they are.
• Eiffel tower - recommend going to the top floor + 2nd floor. People say go before the sunset so you can catch both daylight and night view. You can walk from 1F down to ground floor for funzies.
• Perfume class - short and very high-level explanation on Fragonard, a France only perfume company and a short museum tour. It's light on the DIY session, involving taking 3 bottles and mixing at a ratio you like. It's €29 per person so it's worth it if you're planning to buy a local perfume and wants some context. There's another store in Montmare that sells soap and cream on top of the perfume.
• French pharmacy has cheaper skincare than the US does but I recommend shortlisting the items and picking the pharmacy before you go

Food

https://goo.gl/maps/6tJsXxvxGx5jqPwE7 - map made by friends who lived in France so it's more accurate than my recs.

Recs by friends that I didn't go

• Croissants from Blé sucré
• Wine & cheese/chacuterie at Barawine
• Boulangerie Moderne
• L'As du Falafel
• Le Deux Magots (a bit touristy but fun for people watching and cute spot)
• The French Bastards (croissants)
• Berthillion (ice cream)

• Privé de dessert - Cafe gourmand (sample of 4 entrees), sponge (cake with passionfruit syrup). I couldn't stop eating their baguette.
• Chez Papa - duck confit, the bean dish. They're on Uber eats too
• Brutz - any crepe
• Pierre Hermé - passionfruit macarons, €12 for 4 macarons
• Le Limousin - outside of Versailles. The andouillette (intestine sausage) was delicious and Tiger liked the lamb as well. Their service was fast.
• La Maison d’Isabelle - great croissants though I didn't get to compare to others. Loved the salmon spinach quiche for its tart-like crust, galette with crumbly apple filling was good, the baguette was too had No seats. Walking distance to Notre Dame and Shakespeare and Company.
• Leonie Bakery - they have seats! Their Paris Brest was good and so was their pan au chocolate.

• If you have time

  • Bouillon République - so cheap. They have a separate line and smaller menu for take out but the onion soup and pork shoulder are for dine-in.
  • Chocolate store - in Montmare. Fun to see chocolate statue. You can use the scoop to get one if each fancy chocolate in a but totally optional.
  • Mamiche - not sure but leaving it here in case you're going - they're out of most baked goods by 6pm.

• Won't recommend

  • Brasserie martin - beautiful interior but food was mediocre
  • Positive cafe - their matcha latte and chai latte were watery and clumpy