Paris Itinerary
This isn’t so much an itinerary by any means but I wanted to share a blog post with all the places we visited this time while in Paris for a week, along with all the places we bookmarked that we didn’t get to go to.
WHERE WE STAYED
This is the hotel we stayed at last year (2022). It’s a beautiful boutique hotel in Saint Germain. It’s lovely, the rooms are beautiful, a little small but that’s just Paris. Saint Germain feels more neighborhood-y. Where the hotel is situated feels more quiet and quaint. I highly recommend!
If you want something a bit more new and contemporary, we stayed at this beautiful hotel this year and absolutely loved it. It’s brand new, with French interior flair which I liked. It’s close to a lot of high-end shops so you can walk out of the hotel and immediately feel surrounded.
RESTAURANTS
*To note- people eat later in Paris, we booked our reservations for dinner between 7-8pm and it felt early. I think next time, we will book 8pm dinners all throughout.
Loulou
LOVE this for lunch on the terrace! You can get a really cute pic here at the table with Eiffel Tower behind you. It’s scene-y and the food/vibes are great.
Kodowari
Probably one of the best ramen we’ve ever had. You must go early and scan the QR code out front to get your name on the waitlist. Once you do, go grab a glass of wine next door or walk around the corner to La Grande Cremerie.
Amagat
If you are a foodie and down to try unique flavors/food, you must go to Amagat and ask to sit at the chefs counter. The restaurant itself is tucked allllll the way in the back of an alley. We almost couldn’t find it. It was all locals. The wine was good, mezcal Negronis too. It’s such a cool restaurant and the chefs were fun to watch.
L’avenue
One of our faves to grab lunch and shop in the area. Sit outside if you can! The crowd is scene-y and fun to people watch. Go to the big Dior store afterwards and all the designer shops nearby.
Breizh Cafe (in Le Marais)
Not for lunch and more for an afternoon snack. I loved their crepes. Get 1 crepe per person because it’s thin and you’re going to want your own. We ordered 1 to share and ended up ordering a second because it was not enough! I got the crepe with butter, sugar, whipped cream and strawberries. Order a cider to go with it. This area is really cute so plan to go to lunch, then walk in Le Marais for all the little shops, stop in here for a drink and snack.
Hotel Costes
Another scene-y place and the food is good! It’s a fun place to people watch. We loved going here for a night cap drink too.
Girafe Restaurant
If it’s your first time in Paris, you must go! It’s such an iconic place with amazing view of the Eiffel tower. I will say, I will not care to go there again since I find the food to be ok and price to be really expensive. The ambiance is beautiful but it’s more quiet.
Blueberry Maki Bar
We randomly decided to go here for lunch one day because we were tired of rich French food. It was amazing. The tempura appetizer was one of the best tempuras i’ve ever had and the shrimp tempura roll was soooo good. The COS store is nearby where I got a bunch of shoes and clothes from.
Le Deux Magots
For a glass of wine and people watching! I randomly was craving a club sandwich and ordered it from there, it was actually really good!
Restaurants we didn’t get to try:
Le Petit Lutetia looks like a cool kids spot, more casual and I hear the food is really good
Ferdi is the restaurant Kim K flys in for the cheeseburger and I hear the Mac n cheese is really good too
Pho Opera 14 I hear has amazing pho but it was closed when we were there
Chez Janou
Maison Revka
Les Jardins du Presbourg
Monsieur Bleu
Club Marigny
La Maison Rose
Le bar de Pres
Atlas
La Jacobine
Laperouse
Chez l’Ami Louis
Fabula
DRINKS
Hotel Crillon
Great spot for a nightcap. It’s dark, sophisticated and the drinks are really good
Hotel Costes
Love this for a nightcap or late dinner. It’s very scene-y and the food is pretty good too!
Bar Hemmingway
Located at the Ritz Paris, it’s a hidden cocktail bar with really good cocktails. It gets busy on the weekends so be sure to go early or go during the weekday if you can. In my opinion, it’s a bit sleepy and the crowd is older. Good to go for the experience!
Rooftop Bar at Cheval Blanc
One of our favorite fancy places to grab a cocktail. The space is airy and bright with a big outdoor terrace with seating. We love sitting at the bar, order a glass of wine before a dinner reservation.
La Grande Cremerie
Super cute wine bar close to Kodowari. We got a glass of wine and snacks here before ramen and it was perfect! I recommend getting on the wait list at Kodowari first and then walk over the La Grande Cremerie for a glass of wine while you wait.
Cafe Charlot
We didn’t eat here but we did have a glass of wine here. It was lovely! Fun spot to people watch. I want to have lunch here next time.
La Cave Wine Bar
A MUST go! It super small and cozy. If you’re lucky you’ll get a seat. If not, grab a glass of wine and stand outside around the window sill. It’s so cute and was one of our favorites spots we went to the entire trip. They have this amazing goat cheese snack you have to get.
Drinks we didn’t get to try:
Crazy Horse is a burlesque show known to have the most classy and beautiful girls in the show. Hear it’s a must go but we didn’t get a chance to when we were there!
Django for natural wine and bites
Au Petit Fer a Cheval for a glass of wine during the day
Le Clown Bar
Fodlerol for wine and ice cream
Frequence
L Flore en I’lle I hear is good people watching spot
SHOPPING
Le Marais
this area is super cute and probably one of our favorite areas to walk around. The streets are super cute and small. Lots of shops to walk into. Stop at Breizh Cafe for a midday snack of crepes and cider in between shipping!
Avenue Montaigne
lots of high-end shops here. Stop at L’Avenue for chic lunch outside. Good food and people watching
Rue Saint Honore
lots of high-end shops and brand name shopping here
Le Bon Marche
I think it’s the most beautiful and pleasant department store out of all department stores in Paris
La grande Epicerie
across from Le Bon Marche. If you love food, you must browse here! It’s a great spot to bring home food souvenirs for friends, family or yourself
Dior 30 Montaigne
the most beautiful Dior store with a cafe and restaurant inside. If you purchase something, kindly ask the SA if they can get you into the Dior gallery next door. There’s usually a long line and you have to purchase tickets to it.
Destree
Small boutique store with fun accessories and clothes
Officine Generale
Mens clothing store similar vibe to Todd Snyder
COS
women’s clothing store where I bought a bunch of great staples and comfy shoes
Merci
really cool concept store worth checking out. The kitchenware is to-die for. I wish I could have bought everything.
E. Dehillerin
If you like to cook, must go in here! When we went, there were real chefs that walked in to look at knives. I bought a beautiful carving set, some knives and a white wine copper chiller.
Of course there are so many high-end shops you must go to if you’re interested: Chanel, Celine, Saint Laurent, Hermes etc. Make sure you bring your passport with you when shopping so you can get the VAT form.
HOT TIPS:
Walking is the best way to explore the city! We walked 16,000 steps everyday. Bring walkable shoes.
Before your trip, make a Google Maps list for Restaurants, Drinks, Snacks, Shopping. When you arrive, you can pull up your map and see all the places you bookmarked. I have a tutorial HERE.
If you know you want to purchase something, make sure to bring your passport with you. If you don’t, you won’t be able to get the VAT forms to get tax refund at the airport.
For VAT refund, gather all your receipts and VAT forms BEFORE you get to the airport. Pack all your designer purchases in a carry-on or a suitcase that you can easily pull the items out from as they may ask to see it at the VAT kiosk. The tax refund kiosk is located in the CHECK-IN area. Make sure you allot enough time for it since you should take care of the tax refunds BEFORE you check-in for your flight as you will likely have to pull out all your purchases to show to the officer.
Make reservations for all your lunch and dinner spots. People tend to eat later in Paris so we found 8pm was perfect. Not too late and not too early. Leave a few lunches/dinners open so you can play-it-by-ear and not feel like your schedule is too packed. Towards the end of the trip we were so sick of French food so it was nice to find random places to eat lunch and dinner.