Four Summer Days in Paris

June was approaching and I was ready to jet off – right in time for my birthday! This year’s birthday was going to be four summer days in Paris, followed by five days in the south of France.

Why now? I decided that I had avoided France for too long: I was ready to finally face the “mean” people, the “dirty” streets, and the “overplayed” cities. And I was going to do it right & squeeze both Paris and the South of France into one trip in 9 days. And if I committed – well, I was ready to see everything I possibly could.

As much as I resisted this city, this country… I really get it now. At some point in my life, I absolutely have to live in Paris. And I don’t say that lightly.

Quips in France

• The movies/shows you see about France not having much air conditioning in the summer are NOT inaccurate – even the highest end retail stores, malls, long journey train rides have the air turned up minimally, but it can still be brutally hot.
• The metro/subway system in Paris is amazing. I highly recommend getting a 10 pass as a minimum as soon as you get there and sharing with whoever you’re traveling with – there’s always a metro station nearby. It seemed to be a better alternative to the traffic with cars. BUT — rush hour in the summer is far worse than NY, and that’s saying something (see above bullet point).
• You really should make dinner reservations on as many days as possible, particularly in Nice/South of France. You will find options, though availability will be scarce — but it will genuinely be hard.
• Yes, we’ve rented manual cars before in Europe. But renting an automatic car is easier in the south with all the hills you’re driving through.
• People are far nicer (maybe it’s because we’re from NYC) than I expected. We did not encounter a soul who was downright rude. Yes, the French seem to be a prouder nation and culture, but I think they deserve this bragging right. The laid-back atmosphere on a Tuesday night at midnight all along the Seine said it all.
• And again because I’m from NYC, I have no idea why people describe Paris as dirty.
• There are places you must book 1-2 months in advance at least – this includes the Eiffel Tower & Catacombs. It would also behoove you to buy museum tickets to secure a particular timeframe well in advance, particularly to the Louvre, Orsay and Centre Pompidou. I checked for tickets several weeks in advance on the four days we were set to be there & both the Eiffel Tower & Catacombs were entirely sold out (day & night) – lesson learned. Whoops, guess I have to come back 😉
• Get your year’s supply of skincare at a French pharmacy. The variety, the prices, the quality & the help they offer is unparalleled to the U.S. And get yourself a friend/coworker as good as mine (shoutout Kaysey) who educates you on every product to get.
• Paris is looking to become Europe’s greenest city by 2030! Yay parks + green initiatives.

Four summer days in Paris – An Itinerary

My one recommendation when navigating Paris is to pick activities by arrondissements. After mapping all of these & doing them myself – this grouping of activities by day made the most sense to me (the order of the days is completely up to you). If there’s an asterisk – it means I didn’t make it there in time during this trip – so I’m saving it for next time.

Day 1: South of the River (5^th and 6^th Arrondissements – blue markers on the map)

• Saint Chapelle* – get tickets in advance for a booked slot otherwise it’s a decent line in the summer
• Notre Dame – this was still under construction when we went – “should” be ready by Dec 2024!
• Stroll through the Latin Quarter & St. Germain
• Luxemborg Gardens (this can be leisurely circled in 30-45 mins but if you want to sit and enjoy, devote a little more time) and extra: Jardin de Plantes*
• Do some shopping at Le Bon Marche* & stop by their food market
• Musee d’Orsay – Monet, Manet, Degas, and Van Gogh galore. Boy did I feel like an ant in an avalanche here though – maybe go at opening? Even with prebooked tickets, it was a little too busy.
• Montparnasse Tower* – a great viewpoint of Paris/Eiffel Tower instead of being in the Eiffel Tower itself – how about a sunset timeslot booking?

Day 2: North of the River (the 2^nd, 3^rd and 8th Arrondissements – orange markers on the map)

This was a 35,000 steps day for us, so not for all. We didn’t cover all the below but did a majority – I threw these all in here to remember for next time. Pick & choose your poison & if you get tired, you can always hop on the subway between some of these!

• Centre Pompidou (modern art museum & super cool architecture exhibit when we were there – check for rotating exhibits) & check out La Marais (trendy hip neighborhood)
• 59 Rivoli*
• Saint-Eustache Church (we walked around for no more than 5-10 outside, and 5-10 minutes inside). We’ve seen enough churches in our life, but this was still a pretty darn nice one!
• Stohrer (oldest boulangerie in Paris) on a cute street called Rue Montogueil
• Jardin du Palais Royal* – a lot of Emily in Paris scenes were filmed here 😊
• Musee du Louvre* – this is a whole day if you’re a big museum person – or most of a week. We skipped this museum but just walked around and by it – def will be back
• Tuileries Garden (really picturesque garden hills & a nice place to picnic) with a view of the Ferris Wheel (also a carnival park for kids)
• Musee de l’Orangerie*
• Galerie Dior*
• Walk Avenue des Champs Elysees – Paris’s high end shopping street with perfectly manicured lined trees
• Arc de Triomphe (also great for sunset and/or when the tower lights up) – yes it’s worth it to go up – it’s larger than you think with a great 360 degree view of the city
  

Day 3: Montmartre & the 9^th Arrondissements (purple markers on the map)

• Walk around Montmartre (it’s very hilly – take your time – wear sneakers – mind your knees)
• Sacred Heart of the Basilica & see the various surrounding steps/take the furnicular (find the John Wick 4 steps!)
• Dali Museum* (we didn’t go because I read it’s mostly sculptures, but great reviews for those who enjoy that)
• Take the subway to Palais Garnier – Opera House – the most stunning architectural gem I saw on this first visit to Paris. Get a guided tour. If you’re lucky and there are no rehearsals that day, you’ll be able to get inside the theater. If not, it’s worth coming back to see it another time. But don’t fret, the staircase and Gold Room alone are worth it.
• Shop at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann and/or Printemps – this is so huge that you can also spend a day doing this of course – to each their own 😊at the least, you can walk in and see it!
• Extra: Musee du Parfum*

Day 4: Monet’s Gardens & Day of the Eiffel Tower (red markers sans Monet Gardens)

• Monet’s Gardens
  • Roughly a one hour train ride & 15 min bus after – it’s not difficult to navigate, especially for a New Yorker
  • A few blogs I read indicated that walking from Vernon to Giverny is a great time. If you have time to spare, definitely go for it – we wanted to get back to Paris sooner & I don’t regret it. That being said, if I had more time, of course I’d do the walk!
  • The gardens, the water lilies if you come at the right time of the year, the bridge – all take time, especially with a lot of tourists. But this place is extremely zen and beautifully full of flowers if you allow yourself to feel it. We did Monet’s House first, which takes another 30 minutes. Just know that to walk out of the gardens you have to walk through the gift shop, so save that for last.

• Then come back from Monet’s Gardens to see the Eiffel Tower from various angles:
  • From the Trocadero fountains* – sadly they were shut down for Bastille Day when we were there
  • Avenue de Camoens – a nice Paris street with a view of the tower in the background
  • Walking the boardwalk along Voie Georges Pomidou
  • Champ de Mars – get sandwiches, a bottle of wine – day or night & especially when the tower is about to light up
  • A Seine River Cruise
• Napoleon’s Tomb & Musee de l’Armee
• Musee Rodin (sculptures and gardens)*

Extra

I know it’s a city so well known for its food and I made no mention of restaurants here. I’ll be the first to admit defeat here – we didn’t plan this well and vegetarian options weren’t the easiest to find on-the-go (for the curious soul, I’m the carnivore here, Evan’s the veggie). Plus, this was a super densely activity planned four summer days in Paris so this time, food was not our main priority. Next time.

Just a few mentions I’ll throw out:

• The Hardware Societe in Montmartre for brunch (full of Americans but delicious)
• Le Ju’ in La Marais for breakfast & people watching
• L’Empire for a snack & drink after strolling on Rue Montogueil & seeing Stohrer bakery
• La Crepe Rit du Clown – you guessed right, for delicious crepes (both savory & sweet)
• Chez Denise – both Anthony Bourdain & a food blogger friend recommended it – yes, it was good.
• BAPBAP – a brewery Evan went to while I explored other areas that he thought had great variety

In all seriousness, this is the first European country I have ever been to where I could actually see myself moving to before retirement if the stars align. Please feel free to tell me what else you recommend on a first trip, or a second, or a third! Hoping to make another stop there next year 🙂

This entry was posted in Europe, France