Magnificent art, delicious baguettes and impressive architecture...
In September 2018 we were invited to a friend’s wedding just outside Paris. Instead of just going for the weekend, we decided to make a longer trip of it, and visit this wonderful city for a week. We were incredibly lucky with the weather as well, it was very warm and sunny, and almost felt like it was still the summer. Perfect for walking around and exploring the city, having al fresco drinks and people watching.
Paris is a great city to walk around- there are so many parks and gardens to explore, with stunning fountains- ranging from Le Jardin du Luxembourg in the 6th arrondissement, the Jardin des Tuilleries near le Musée du Louvre, and the Montmarte– with the Square Louise Michel and its stunning views over the city. Be sure to check out the various shops and boutiques dotted around the city- our favourite are the Shakespeare and Company bookshop and Paniers de Sens en Provence. And of course, take time to have some good coffee and a baguette or two!
We have broken this post into two – the sections below mention the various gardens and tourist attractions we visited and would recommend, whilst museums and art galleries have been listed separately- see this page for more details. We really enjoy visiting museums and finding out more about the culture and identify of a place through them- and as expected, Parisian galleries and museums are simply outstanding, and you will certainly be spoilt for choice!
And a few quick words about food. French cuisine is incredible, and just one trip wouldn’t be enough to try the amazing gastronomy on offer. We’ve included below a few resutarants that we’ve visited that we would recommend, and have also included a few delicious French recipes you put together from the comfort of your home!
Le Jardin du Luxembourg
Created in the early 17th century, the gardens took inspiration from Boboli Gardens in Florence. The gardens consist of French and English gardens, split by some trees and a pool. Visitors can also find tennis courts, basketball courts, a rose garden, many statues dotted through, as well as concerts in the bandstand. There is lots to see and enjoy in the park- for all ages. There are also a couple of impressive fountains in the park- including the Medici Fountain, built in 1630 by Marie de Medici (wife of Henri IV of France) and designed by a Florentine fountain maker Tommaso Francini- and the Fontaine de l’Observatoire (Fontaine des Quatre Parties du Monde) at the Southern side of the gardens. The Luxembourg Palace, built as the new residence for Marie de Medici, is also stunning and worth checking out. It was a princely residence until the French revolution, a National Palace and the Senate of the Third republic. More details about the history of the Palace throughout the period and a virtual tour can be viewed here.
It is certainly worth working around the gardens and soaking in the atmosphere- there are many people- tourists and locals- meeting friends, walking, running, kids playing with remote control boats-there is something for everyone! See here for more details- including on how to get to the garden and upcoming exhibitions in the gardens.
Also- worth noting that you can find the Musée du Luxembourg here as well. Established in 1750, it was originally part of the Luxembourg Palace, and became the first museum of contemporary art in 1818. The museum now hosts various exhibitions- we attended one on Mucha- which was incredibly interesting. Be sure to check out here for the current and upcoming exhibitions.
Fontaine de l’Observatoire
Palais du Luxembourg
Le jardin des Tuileries
Statues at Le jardin des Tuileries
Place de la Concorde
Le Jardin des Tuilleries
Located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, just north of the Seine, the Jardin des Tuilleries was created in 1564 and opened to the public just over a century later. The name comes from a tile factory that previously stood in the same location where the Palais des Tuileries was built.
The gardens were divided into sections consisting of lawns, flowers, kitchen gardens and vineyards and was used for various festivities and occasions. You can also find the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel here- built in the early 19th century in commemoration Napoleon’s military victories. Interestingly, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel was designed in the same year as the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (at the end of the famous shopping street- Champs Élysées) but was finished much earlier and is also much smaller.
These days, both tourists and Parisians meet, walk and relax in the gardens, admire the Maillol, Rodin and Giacometti statues. There are also a number of restaurants and cafés that can be visited, and the Musée de l’Orangerie is also worth visiting for Monet fans- more on that here.
We also spent some time walking around the area surrounding the Louvre. The area is well known for having most, if not all of the high-end, designer and flagship stores, and it is worth walking around and doing some window shopping and admiring the displays. Rue Saint-Honoré is particularly worth walking down- for both the architecture and the notable landmarks- including the Palais-Royal and the Oratoire du Louvre. This area is great for grabbing a coffee and just people watching.
Worth noting that at the western end of the gardens you will also find the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris, with the well recognised Egyptian Obelisk in the centre (Luxor Obelisk), which was given to the French by the Egyptians in the 19th centiry. Originally part of a pair, these obelisks were made to stand on either side of the Luxor Temple entrance (the second obelisk remains in Egypt in Luxor, see here for more information on the history).
The square was first designed in 1755 and was named to honour the king at that time- Louis XV. However, shortly after, during the French Revolution, the area was renamed Place de la Revolution, statues to Louis XV were torn down and instead a guillotine was set up in the square- with King Louis XVI being executed here, as well as many others, including Marie Antoinette. The square was then renamed Place de la Concorde towards the end of the revolution.
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
Montmatre
For our first few nights in Paris, we stayed in Caulaincourt Square Hotel in Montmatre, a very well located and priced hotel. We got a double room with private bathroom, with some very impressive views of Paris from the bedroom window. The hotel was stylishly decorated- and we’d certainly stay again and recommend it to others. The location was great with only a ten minute walk to the Sacré-Cœur itself, through some rather lovely little streets and cafes.
We would definitely recommend spending some time in this area- and you can also find one of our recommended restaurants- Au pied du Sacré-Cœur- here- read more on that below. There are also many tourist shops around, bakeries and the famous Place du Tertre– a small cobbled square surrounded by restaurants and full of artists and buskers.
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
Montmatre is well known for the instantly recognsable, white-domed Sacré-Cœur Basilica, a Roman Catholic church which was completed in 1914 after almost four decades of construction. Even prior to this though, the area was already a religious place- and there were various temples, churches here throughout the centuries. More information about the history can be found here.
The design and grandeur of the church is incredibly impressive. It is worth nothing that the style of the church is Romano-Byzantine, and overall seven architects worked on the construction during the construction period.
Although it is busy, we would recommend visiting the inside of the Sacré-Cœur- the stained glass windows and mosaics are simply incredible. You can also go up to the Dome itself- whilst entrance to the Sacré-Cœur itself is free, for the Dome there is an admission charge to pay, and worth noting there is no lift but around 300 or so steps to climb! More details about visiting are here.
There is of course another reason why Sacré-Cœur attracts such crowds, and that is the view, as you can see from our photo. If approaching the church from the south (for example Anvers station), you would first come across the Square Louise Michel- a garden with winding steps making its way to the church. There are many benches from which you can enjoy the stunning views of the city, watch the various entertainers and just sit back and watch the world go by.
Musician in Montmartre
Sacré-Cœur
Views from the Sacré-Cœur
Other things we would recommend…
Le Louvre
We didn’t visit the Louvre on this trip as we had been previously, and wanted to visit a number of other museums on this trip instead. If you haven’t visited the Louvre, we would highly recommend it. If you are only going to visit one museum in France, this should be it! More information about the Louvre- such as opening hours, exhibitions and events are available here.
It is worth noting that under 18s, European Economic Area residents aged 16-25, teachers working in France and some others are able to visit the Louvre for free. Additionally, on Friday evenings there is free admission to all visitors under 26, and on Bastille Day (14th July) there is free admission for all- but do expect more people! More details on the free admissions can be found here.
Otherwise the tickets are around 17 euros if purchased online here (includes quick entry within 30 minutes), otherwise you can pay 15 euros at the museum itself but that would mean typically standing in a long queue.
Also- another tip from us- the Louvre is big. Very big. And there is a lot to see. So we’d recommend looking up in advance what there is to see and planning your visit accordingly. Floor plans are available here, alongside other helpful visitor tips. The Mona Lisa painting (found in the Italian rooms) for example always has a crowd around it- and is also much smaller than you would expect! The Winged Victory of Samothrace (found in the Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities) is also popular- and also likely to have crowds around it. So doing some research of what you want to see would be helpful and may help you avoid at least some of the crowds!
Louvre
Le Tour Eiffel
One of Paris’ most famous attractions, the Eiffel Tour, was completed in 1889- after just 2 years, 2 months and several days after digging first begun. The tower as you see it now was selected from over 100 projects that were submitted as part of the preparations for the World’s Fair of 1889, and was designed by Gustave Eiffel. Standing at over 300 meters tall, the tower has been designed with wind resistance in mind, hence its very distinct design and structure.
There are various restaurants/bars in the tower, and visitors can visit various levels of the tower- either the second floor at 116m or the very top at 276m, obviously offering incredible views of the whole city. See here for more details on buying tickets and history of the tower. Apparently this is the most visited monument in the world- and it’s clear to see why! We would recommend this if you have a spare afternoon or evening and don’t have a fear of heights, otherwise- head to the Sacré-Cœur to get a decent view of the city!
Eiffel Tower… Not that a caption is needed!
And last but not least…Paris’ museums and art galleries. Click here to find out more!
Our Favourite Food in Paris
Le Poulbot
Located in Montmarte, le Poulbot serves classic French dishes such as onion soup, snails and fois gras. The presentation is simple, but the dishes are delicious. Would certainly recommend this place to any visitor or local!
Pho 18
Located a little way away from the city center, in the 13th Arrondissement, Pho 18 is an outstanding Vietnamese Restaurant, with a good selection of Phos, salads, rice dishes etc. We had a pho each and some fried spring rolls-which were amazing!
Au pied de Sacré-Cœur
Located literally at the foot of the Sacré-Cœur (as per the name), this restaurant is something of a little gem, serving a variety of French and European dishes- including frogs legs and snails. From having a quick look on recent reviews, it seems there may have been a change of management- however when we visited (seems to have been prior to the change in management) the food was outstanding!
Le Perron
Unfortunately now closed, we found Le Perron to be one of the best Italian restaurants in Paris. The restaurant had been here for quite a while and throughout this period had serviced consistently delicious, traditional Italian food. We had three courses during our visit and each was outstanding. We’ve added it in just in case it reopens!
Le Zakouski
We ate at this restaurant one evening when we were meeting some Russian family- and as the name suggests, this is a Russian restaurant, one of a few in Paris, located in the 14th Arrondissement. The food was very good- simple, yet authentic and delicious, and the decor rather unique with many photos and paintings hung all over the walls. Very highly recommended- for the food, service and the vodka!
Suggested itineraries for Paris
Weekend trip
If you’re visiting Paris just for a weekend, we would suggest walking around the Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre, visiting the Louvre and Rue Saint-Honoré for some window shopping. For lunch or dinner, le Poulbot is a must visit.
Week-long trip
If you’re visiting Paris for a bit longer- perhaps a week-long trip, in addition to the things we suggest for a weekend trip, you would also have time to visit some of Paris’ gardens and visit Musée D’Orsay and l’Orangerie. And if you get a chance, do go up the Eiffel Tour one evening to admire Paris by night and take in the stunning views! Finally- do stop by the Musée Jacquemart-André to escape into another world (and for some tea and cake!)
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