Our trip (of a lifetime!) is right around the corner. Now that the logistics are secured – lodging, transportation, travel insurance, and the like – I’m focusing on what we actually want to see and do on our trip. Of our five destinations, I am most restless about Paris – our first stop. The city is enormous. We are only there for 4 nights, so naturally, we mustn’t be over-ambitious with our bucket list…
Paris Bucket List
Picnic at the Eiffel Tower, including a baguette from Le Grenier a Pain
- No desire to wait in the long line to go to the top
Boat Cruise on the Seine River
Explore + picnic in the Luxembourg Gardens
Visit the Palace of Versailles
Climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe
Eat authentic French macaroons from Laduree
Stroll the Champs-Élysées
Tour one art museum – not sure which
Admire the Notre Dame Cathedral
See the original Love Locks, if they are still there
Espresso, croissants, crepes — repeat!
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I would love to go back to Paris one day. I was only there for 2 nights in 2007. I remember thinking it was kind of dirty though… Like there were people smoking in the restaurants (blech!)/dogs inside/leaves, etc. I don’t know…maybe it’s changed. Whenever I see peoples’ blog posts, it looks so perfect. Everything you described sounds amazing.
I taste tested macaroons from Laduree and Pierre Herme, the the Pierre Herme ones put Laduree to shame. I highly recommend trying those.
I have been to Paris a few times and it is awesome! If you climb up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower the wait isn’t nearly as bad.
Some of my favourite food places: Eric Kaiser for croissants and coffee; Rose Bakery in the Marais district; breakfast Eggs & Co. (Coco and Co Cafe); ice cream at Berthillon.
Enjoy!
Thank you for the foodie recommendations!
I am really excited for you! You are going to have a great time on your trip. I meant to send you an email with some recommendations a few months ago, but I’ll try to outline them here :) If this is a repeat of information I already shared with you, I apologize!
Breakfast: Holybelly
Museum: Musée d’Orsay
Quick lunch: L’As du Fallafel
A recommendation in general is that the restaurants that didn’t have their menus translated into English were much better than the ones that did. It’s super easy to fall into tourist traps in Paris and unfortunately, the food was awful at those places. Also, I would recommend making reservations at the restaurants you really want to eat at. Restaurants have fewer tables than the places in the US and people stay for 2+ hours at a time, so you’ll want to make sure you have a table before the night begins!
Have so much fun!
Thanks, Lauren — good tips!
I lived in Paris for the past year actually and just returned back to Canada!
A must do is a boat ride along the Seine as the sun goes down. Experience happy hour in Bastille! Don’t forget to have multiple picnics on the banks of the Seine or, better yet, Canal Saint Martin!
Ahh, talking about it makes me want to go back!
That’s quite the list! I’ve never been to Paris but have always wanted to go. It’s probably one of my top Europe destinations on my list at the moment.
I’ve been to Paris a few times and can highly recommend checking out Pere Lachaise Cemetery – it sounds weird and morbid and boring to tell you to visit a cemetery, but it is BEAUTIFUL and a whole load of famous people are buried there. I make sure to go there every time I’m in Paris. The Paris Catacombs are also amazing, and if you’re a book lover, you have to go to the famous Shakespeare & Co. book shop!
As far as museums… I loved the Musee d’Orsay over the Louvre. But you should check out the Mona Lisa at the Louvre if you can. Have a great trip!
Agh I’m so excited for you! I know you don’t want to, but I highly recommend climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower during an “off time” or at night. It’s a breathtaking view and a once in a lifetime experience. The lights are gorgeous!
The river boat along the Seine was one of my favorite things as well since you get a view of the whole city.
The Shakespeare Bookstore is also very cute and full of famous authors throughout history.
There are also some fun farmer’s markets where you can get a variety of cheese, baguettes, and some mixed nuts/dried fruit. That’s the perfect picnic to take to Luxembourg Gardens.
You HAVE to try the hot chocolate, too. It’s extremely decadent, but delicious.
Have SO much fun and take lots of pictures!
Thanks for the suggestions, Kellen.
Did you do the river cruise during the day or at night?
Do you have a particular farmer’s market to recommend?
We did the river cruise at sunset which was beautiful since we could still see most of the sights with some daylight and then get to see Paris all lit up at night.
The farmer’s market we went to was near Luxembourg Gardens since that’s where we were living for six weeks, however, you can’t go wrong with any to be honest. Everything is so fresh!
So exciting! I can’t wait to hear all about your trip. Crepes and croissants are definitely on my Paris bucket list, too. I’ve never been to France and would love to visit French wine country!
I love this! I went to Paris a while ago – my only recommendation would be to eat as much of the gorgeous bakes you can :P
My favorite museum is Rodin! His sculptures are incredible!
It sounds like you’ve got everything else covered. Champagne river cruise and climbing to the top of the Arc are both musts!
Hillary!! I studied abroad in Paris and am dying to go back. I wrote a (very emotional) guide to Paris when I left, and I’ll e-mail it your way. This is a great time of year to be in Paris! So excited to see your recap!
I look forward to your email – thanks!
How exciting! You are going to have such an amazing time. I feel like anything you do will be fabulous and unforgettable.