Paris is truly one of the most beautiful city in Europe and they really turned it up this year for the Olympics. It is a very walkable city but their Metro system is also super easy to use too. However make sure you have good shoes as I was doing almost 20,000 steps daily.
Accommodation
Hotels in Paris are notoriously expensive so I opted for an Airbnb on 189 Rue St Denis (District 2). It is right between the Lourve Museum and the nighlife district La Marais so location was perfect. However this was a 5th floor walk up so not ideal if you have big suitcases.
Restaurants
My restaurants experience in Paris had been pleasant. However, whilst there were are lot of decent options, I really didn't find anything that's worth writting home about. Here is a list of places I tried.
Brasserie Flottes (8/10)
A solid option right next to the Tuileries Garden and Hôtel de la Marine. Nice al fresco seating as well for people watching
Glou (6/10)
One of the more popular restaurants in the Paris La Marais culinery scene recently. Mostly visitors here and honestly I didn't think it was any special.
Le Relais de l'Entrecôte (7/10)
One of the most popular Entrecote places in the city with a few locations. Expect a long queue so go early so you can be seated in the first seating. No menu required.
Copains
I didn't get anything but everything looks so amazing here.
Brasserie Thaï (7/10)
We got bored of western food so we went here for Thai. Food was ok. The curries were definitely better than the fried noodle dishes. This is near the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre.
Le Cavalier Bleu (6/10)
Cute breakfast spot right next to The Centre Pompidou
Le Train Bleu (9/10)
Iconic restaurant inside a train station. The food here was pretty good considering it was a very touristy place. Booking is strongly recommended as it is very popular amongst visitors and travellers from the station. We had their signature leg of lamb. It does get very busy and loud here so if you want somwhere more private you should requests seats further at the back away from the main entrance hall.
The French Bastards - Saint-Denis
Great sandwich bar near our Airbnb. The bread was so soft.
Com Restaurant (7/10)
Respectable vietnamese reetsuarnat for your asian fix.
Bistrot Richelieu (7/10)
Frog legs are not as easy to come by as one would think in Paris, even the locals don't eat them often nowadays. This is one of the places google recommended and it was decent. Remeber to check out their daily menu as well.
Fishmonger @ Marché des Enfants Rouges (9/10)
There is literally only one fishmonger in the Marché des Enfants Rouges (market).
Les enfants du marché (10/10)
Considered one of the best place to eat in the area. Speicalised in seafood I would strongly recommend the Squid Ink Tempura Sardines and their Mussels.
Mugung (7/10)
Decent korean restaurant for your asian fix.
Breizh Café Montorgueil | La Crêpe Autrement (8/10)
A boutique chain specialed in crepes and galettes. Perfect for a light lunch or an afternoon snack. Multiple locations available.
Girafe Restaurant (4/10)
Biggest tourist trap. Avoid at all cost. They boast an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower but honestly the square next to it has the exact if not better view. Food is average.
Chocolats Rochoux (8/10)
High-end chocolatier selling a range of handmade creations as well as sweet spreads.
Attractions
There is soooooo much to see in Paris and I think the best way to attack this is to differentiate attractions by area and which ones you will go in, or simply walk pass it. Thats because everything you go in thats 1-1.5hr at least gone. I feel most of the landmarks are famous for their outside only such as the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. The below are places that I actually went in.
*Note most attractions require bookings in advance with designated timeslots. Sometimes days or weeks in advance.
La Galerie Dior (1-1.5hrs)
La Galerie Dior – a museum that opened in the Spring of 2022. It presents the history of the storied house of Dior and is adjacent to the Dior flagship store located at 30 rue de la Montaigne. The museum was designed by the American architect Peter Marino – fashion’s go-to architect.
Musée d'Orsay (1.5-2hrs)
Major 19th- & 20th-century European art collections housed in a monumental, former railway station. It is the second most visitor museum after the Lourve.
Hôtel de la Marine (1.5hr)
My favourite museum in Paris. Elaborately detailed office of the French Naval Staff that epitomizes the city's visual aesthetic. This was recently opened in 2023 and their audio guide leads you as one of the guests back in the period setting. It's not super popular but it was so beautiful inside.
Louvre Museum (2hrs)
The Lourve is huge. Even if you spent 4s on each work in the museum it would have still taken you 4.5 days, so you really need to know what you want to do inside beforehand. The staff in there weren't exactly helpful either as, understandably, they have had enough of dealing with tourists. If you are lost and not sure how to attack this I can recommend the official Beyonce & Jay-Z Lourve Highlight Tour. You can just follow the instruction on the Lourve website and it will take you through the best bits.
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre & Surrounding (2hrs)
Iconic, domed white church, completed in 1914, with interior mosaics, stained-glass windows & crypt. It sits on top of Montmartre and is surrounded by a cute hilltop village. A great view of Paris at the top too.
Moulin Rouge (3hrs)
The most famous topless cabaret show in Paris but honestly I thought it was too camp, cheap and too long. Aesthetic it is very Thailand Lady Boy show vibe and it was cringe for a lot of it. A very iconic show but it really wasn't for me.
Crazy Horse Paris (2hrs)
This is by far a much better show than Moulin Rouge for me. Innovative visual effects and a much more intimate and high class performance.
Maison de Victor Hugo (0.5hr)
Victor Hugo's evocative apartment, decorated with original furniture, plus artifacts and sketches. Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. His most famous works are the novels The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables.
La Samaritaine Department Store
The original Sanaritaine store was opened by business magnate Ernest Cognacq in 1870, and designed by architects Frantz Jourdain and Henri Sauvage.
Many of the building’s iconic Art Nouveau and Art-Deco style elements– from the elaborate painted lettering, floral motifs and glass elements gracing the facade to the airy glass atrium held together with metal beams– only appeared during early-20th century expansions and redesigns.
Galeries Lafayette Haussmann
Grand, century-old department store with a steel-frame art nouveau glass dome ringed by loggias. One of the most iconic department stores in the world and offer on-site tax-return. The complex comprises of 3 builings housing women's, men's wear and home respectively. The famoous dome is house in the main women's building. You will need to bring your passport and physical card for on-site tax-return of around 12%.
Palais Garnier
Italian-style opera house with ceiling painted by Chagall & library museum in 19th-century building. This is one of the most beautiful theatre I have ever visited.
Musée de l'Orangerie (1.5hr)
Museum with 20th-century European art collection, showcasing 8 of Monet's water lilies murals. It is a relatively small but concise museum.
Merci
A hipster department store selling fashion and home goods.
Le Bon Marché
Upmarket 19th-century mall for designer apparel, housewares, beauty products & gourmet groceries. Iconic interiors for design lovers.
Other Iconic Landmarks and Paris Olympics 2024
One of the best way to see the city is to go on a River Seine Cruise. There is a 45 mins one departing from Vedettes du Pont Neuf regularly and it show you some of the best views of the iconic landmarks. I was also lucky to catch the end of the Olympic seasons so was amazing to see on the Olympics related sites as well.
Trocadero gardens
Palais de Tokyo
Av. Montaigne
Av. des Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomphe
Tuileries Garden
Eiffel Tower
Jardin du Luxembourg
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
The Centre Pompidou
Gal Vivienne
La Marais
Palace of Versailles (0.5 - 1 Day)
Versailles is actually pretty easy to do by yourself since it is only 40-60mins by train/metro depending on where you are staying. There are essentially 3 parts of the palace and you will need to decide what you want to see as they all need seperate tickets (The Palace, Garden, Outer Palace). I would recommend you to book a tour that starts in Versaille which includes a fast track ticket. I booked the palace only tour since I dont wanna be restricted by the tour paris city transport schedule, so I can take my time and leave whenever I want. I then visited the Garden also.
For lunch I went to the only hotel (Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle) thats located in the Palace. Booking is definitely required in advance and their yellow dining room is the ONLY original flooring that exisit in the entire palace. They room goes for about 1200USD a night but the amazing perks is that once the palaced is closed to the public, you are actually allow to visit the place and have the palace all to yourself.
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