The final leg of my trip last summer: a week in Paris. I skipped all the museums since it wasn’t my first time in Paris. Instead, I opted to roam the city, revisit a couple of favourite spots, and take some day trips. Check out what I did in a week in Paris.
Day 1
After a short flight from Munich and a slightly longer train ride, we finally made it to our Airbnb in the 11th arrondissement. Airbnb is definitely one of my favourite accommodations. I always prefer to be in a home rather than a hotel room. Since we had time before dinner, we took a short walk around our area to explore the vicinity. We found a little bakery, just next to our home for the week, which became our go-to breakfast spot.
With a recommendation from a friend, we headed to Au Bon Accueil for dinner. Situated right under the Eiffel Tour, we couldn’t have picked a better place to start our trip. Tucked away on a side street, the tourists were few. For 36-euros, you get a choice of starter, main, and dessert. There are not many places in the area where you can get a meal at this price. Not to mention, the food was delicious!
On our way back, we made a stop at a nearby grocery store to pick up fresh fruit, juice, and wine for our own DIY sangria to end the night.
Day 2
Starting the day early, we picked up some pastries at our go-to spot en route to to our cooking class. What better way to explore a city than with its food? We were fairly late in choosing a class so there weren’t many options remaining, but we loved every minute of the class anyways! The one we decided to go with was La Cuisine due to its great reviews and was also within our budget.
We chose the French Sauces class. The class was 3-hours, which is average compared to other cooking classes. The class size was fairly small and allowed a lot of interaction with the chef. We learned the basic french sauces, ways to enhance them, foods they pair well with, as well as some history. I have yet to make the sauces back at home, but I definitely will once I have some extra time to be fancy.
After our cooking class, we stopped by a nearby coffee shop, La Caféothèque de Paris. This was also a recommendation courtesy of a friend. The coffee shop was small but cozy. We decided to be adventurous and try their espresso taster; only to learn, we are not made to have espressos. However, if you are a coffee lover, we believe this is the place to be. Although, we probably should have stuck with our favourites.
Next stop on the list was Le Marais. If you haven’t been to Paris before, this is a must. It’s one of our favourite areas. Le Marais is an area full of culture where you can spend an entire afternoon exploring. In this labyrinth of cobblestone alleyways, you will find plenty of small boutiques, hotel chains, and art galleries. We loved the Uniqlo flagship store located in the area, not only because we love the brand but also because the design of the store itself is enjoyable. We also recommend L’As du Fallafel for their cheap and delicious falafels.
After a little shopping and lots of photo taking, we headed to O’Chateau for wine tasting. If you’re looking to learn a little more about wine, O’Chateau is a good place to go. They provide a digital guide which takes you through each room of the tour, explaining different aspects of wine, from the flavours to it’s packaging. At the end of the self-guided tour, you get a chance to taste a selection of wines. In our case we tasted 3 wines. You are allowed to choose between all red, all white, or both!
Day 3
Our day started off with brunch at Eggs & Co. We were both craving for some traditional brunch with eggs and bacon. Eggs & Co. is located near the Luxembourg Gardens and within walking distance of all the shopping located near Saint Germain. It was such a beautiful day, so we decided to do a little shopping in the area before heading to meet up with some friends. We made a short stop at La Pâtisserie des Rêves, nestled just between the 6th and 7th arrondissement. Once you enter the bakery, you’re instantly hit with the scent of buttery sweetness. Even if you don’t like desserts, it’s a great place to stop and enjoy the beauty of well-crafted desserts.
One thing we really wanted to do was picnic at one of the gardens with some bread and wine. So that is exactly what we did! We stopped by a grocery store to pick up some wine, cheese, deli meats and baguettes and headed towards the Luxembourg Gardens. Luckily the weather was beautiful so we were able to enjoy the view until the sun began to set.
We ended our night with the show “How to be Parisian in an Hour”. It was another recommendation that we were so happy about. We had such a good laugh at the show! I won’t spoil it for those we haven’t seen it but we highly recommend you pick up some tickets on your next visit!
Day 4
Early in the morning (because we wanted to avoid crowds), we headed to Montmartre to see the city from the top of the Hill. The area is small but you can spend a lot of time walking around the area just because the streets are so gorgeous. We saw multiple wedding shoots while we were there.
Since it was our final day in the city and we didn’t want to miss anything, we joined a walking tour. There are many that are offered within the city; however, we chose Sandeman since we both had great experiences with them in the past.
For dinner we decided to stop at Cafe du Commerce for dinner. It is your classic french bistro food. I still remember going to the restaurant years ago when I was a kid. It is the decor of the restaurant that left an impression on me most. Now, I also remember the food, and it was well worth the walk.
And that’s the end of a week in Paris. In addition to exploring the city I went on 3 day trips to Dijon, Reims and Rouen. Look out for our next post on these 3 locations!
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Stone & Fern is a travel and lifestyle blog started by friends who have a passion for exploring cities, capturing moments, and trying new food. This is part of our Checking In city guide series. To see more of Europe, click here.