Have you ever dreamed about having a picnic beneath the Eiffel Tower - sipping rosé and nibbling on macarons while sitting atop scarves bought from local street vendors? The golden sunlight sparkles on you from behind the magnificent structure, basking you in the soft Parisian light. I dreamed about it and made that dream a reality!
My piligrimage to France this past summer was my first trip abroad that I fully planned from start-to-finish. Joined by my adventurous and trusty friend Katrina, we began planning the trip 7 months prior. We knew that we wanted to go to Europe, but we actually discussed several different locations - including Italy, Spain, and Greece, before settling on France. It can be hard to narrow a spot down and you absolutely cannot see everything on one trip.
For this post, I will focus on our Parisian adventure and the wonderful restaurants, museums, and attractions that I would highly recommend, as well as some trusty travel tips that I learned along the way!
Upon arrival at Charles de Gaulles airport, we took a taxi (expect this to come out to roughly €40-50 from CDG to the city center) to our Airbnb, which was located in the Mouffetard neighborhood, described by our host as "very little known to the occasional tourist... a little corner where you can live the true Parisian life!" We freshened up in our new space and the moment we stepped back outside, we really felt that relaxed energy... the streets immediately outside our door were flocked by locals. A couple blocks from the Airbnb was a Metro station where which allowed us to quickly zip under the River Seine and enjoy an evening stroll in the trendy district of Le Marais.
Le Marais was absolutely bustling with 20-somethings, straights and gays, all in chic outfits, some cradling cigarettes and/or baguettes (as you do). There is a part of this area that is the Parisian equivalent to West Hollywood, known for its vibrant nightlife. Cocktail bars and cafes line the cobblestone streets, beckoning us to come in and stay awhile. I was nostalgic for the first and only other time that I had visited the city, a while ago with family, and found that the cocktail bar I had remembered from my first visit was still thriving - the L'etincelle. For nostalgia's sake, we grabbed a seat and drinks: a mint mojito & the European classic, an Aperol Spritz. As we were affected with jetleg, we spent the evening free to explore with no commitments before returning back to our new little home.
The next morning, we made our way by Metro (as we will travel by for everything in the next few days) to the famous Musée d'Orsay. During our walk from the metro station to the museum, we stopped by a particular restaurant I had heard about in the lawn plaza outside the Louvre - Loulou. I inquired about getting lunch there, as we had no reservation. The restaurant was not open yet (seating is out on this beautiful patio on the lawn and the servers and busboys were already mingling getting everything ready for the day) but the hostesses assured me that if we came back just before noon they could fit us in.
Katrina and I happily walked over to the Musée d'Orsay and then enjoyed several hours amongst the old train station's immense grandeur and timeless art. We had purchased tickets ahead of time, which I'd highly recommend as there was only about a 5 minute wait for ticketholders, including the security check. The iconic window clockfaces allow for epic photos (see above)!
After perusing the museum, we rushed back over to Loulou to secure our spot for lunch. I proceeded to eat one of the most delicious truffle pastas I ever had! Ahhh, French food. Even the bread is to die for.
Paris can get pretty hot in the summer, but umbrellas created shade over the white linen-laden tables, which provided relief in the hottest hours of the day. In such a central area but just away from the crowds on the sprawling lawn, Loulou really makes you feel like you're taking part in that luxurious Parisian experience.
That night... the magic truly happened. We prepared for our picnic at the Eiffel Tower. This involved a scavenger hunt of sorts: it was impossible to find a picnic blanket so we opted to purchase scarves, we found a wine shop to buy a bottle of rose (they gave us free little plastic glasses that were perfect for our picnic!), and a nabbed a box of macarons from a local cafe. I had romantacized about this moment forever. When I had done some initial research on visiting the iconic monument, these words just kind of stuck with me:
“Every night, every hour on the hour, the tower is covered in golden lights and sparkles for five whole minutes while the Eiffel Tower's beam lights up the city. The best place to see the light show is from Place du Trocadero.” - Carin Olsson for Conde Naste Traveler
There was something really special about all these people from all these different places, kind of huddled together on the grass as the sun set and the air grew colder. In one group, a guy played his guitar to a circle of friends. I especially loved that you could drink freely in these public areas in France and everyone was just so happy and kind. We shared our macarons with some girls who were sitting next to us. And when the light show finally started, it truly was an unforgettable minute of light and wonder.
The next day, we had two main attractions planned: Atelier des Lumieres & The Moulin Rouge.
Atelier des Lumieres (meaning "Museum of Lights") is a stunning digital art exhibit located in a large blackbox. Projections of Vincent Van Gogh's most famous artworks dance on the walls to classical music. As you walk through the giant space, emotions wash through you like the waves in one of the show's most dramatic sequences. This is truly a unique and spectacular museum experience that gives you a taste of Parisians' flair for modern art styles beyond the traditional walls of the Louvre or Musée d'Orsay.
The Moulin Rouge is an extravagant burlesque show, widely considered the most famous in the world. The long-running show "Feerie" takes place in the evenings in a large, Broadway-style theater in Montmartre. While tickets are expensive, the experience is once-in-a-lifetime and completely exceeded all of my expectations. We opted for tickets that included a half-bottle of champagne!
Some of the best moments while traveling happen when you just wander. For example, the pasta pictured below was from a completely random restaurant we stopped at for lunch after walking for a long period of time and realizing just how hungry we were. Another place that we stumbled across was the beautiful Le Jardin du Luxembourg. This expansive green oasis in the middle of the city housed playgrounds, picnic tables, pony rides, a central lake, and a beautiful manmade pond where we watched little ducklings play.
One of my biggest recommendations for getting around the city (besides utilizing the Metro, of course!) is downloading the travel app CityMaps2Go. This trusty application allows you to pre-download entire city maps of wherever you're planning to go, which you can then utilize when you're offline. They work very accurately and are comparable to Google Maps, even when you cannot use data and don't have wifi access! This app was an absolute lifesaver for us in navigating an unfamiliar city.
Thank you for taking the time to explore a little bit of Paris with me. I hope this inspired some excitement for your next trip, whether you are going to Paris, another European city, or elsewhere. If you have any further questions about any of the attractions I mentioned here, feel free to comment below and I will do my best to answer.
Have a wonderful week!
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