Paris — Thoughts, Musings, & How-to's

My first view of the Eiffel Tower from what I believe to be the best view of Paris, the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

Over the years I would dream of visiting Paris, but it seemed so inaccessible. I assumed I would have to save up a fortune to properly see it. However, when I was able to “live in Paris” (for a week) last October and see, eat, and wine a LOT for about $1K … I figured I had to share some tips on how to enjoy all the fête & finery of Paris and have a very rich trip on a budget.

Being that it is NATIONAL CROISSANT DAY, I figured today would be the day to share this post. Now I’m not someone known to have impenetrable will power, but pre-Paris, offer me a croissant and I would have no problem refusing. If you asked me if I even liked croissants, I would have said they do nothing for me… that was until I had one in Paris, and then again every day during my trip, often paired with 1-2 Pain Au Chocolat. My cousin Priya gave me a pro tip (more like plea) before I left: PLEASE EAT THE CARBS. They are soo good, even the stuff you don’t normally like, you will like, and you’ll end up walking it off anyways. I initially set out to research out the best croissant in all of Paris, but apparently the French just go to a nearby bakery in their neighborhood. Lucky for us, we had a very solid bakery, Huré, around the block from our apartment on the Ile de la Cite. We had a pretty strict morning routine: get ready, head to Huré, order a “café américain avec crème à emporter” (big coffee with creme to go), order our Croissants & Pain Au Chocolats, sit outside and eat or eat them on the way to our first site for the day.

Our VBRO apartment (#8603086) was in an incredible location on the Île de la Cité, directly along the Seine River and facing the beautiful Hôtel de Ville, architecturally one of my favorite building exteriors that I had seen. We were a two minute walk from the Notre Dame Cathedral, which sadly we were only able to observe from the outside through heavy scaffolding due to the tragic fire. We were also about a 5 minute walk over the Pont d’Arcole to multiple subway lines. Ironically enough, one of my favorite things about the entire trip was the little about 1’ x 4’ balcony with French doors that was a part of my personal morning & nightly pre-bed routine. I just stood there and looked out along the Seine, bridge after bridge, and across to the Hôtel de Ville, beautifully illuminated. I felt like I was in a painting, and it was just so peaceful. Eventually I found a narrow chair in our apartment that fit perfectly and took my spot to the next level.

FASHION: Trends

Overall, the style in Paris is very minimalist, and very black, with bits of neutral colors like gray. Everyone seems to find a nice black leather jacket a worthwhile investment, and camel coats were often paired with all black everything else. I was happy to still see lots of sneakers being rocked everywhere (that means we have at least 3-5 more years that they are still cool here in the US!). Guys wore round eyeglasses, man bags, scarves, slung fanny packs, and kept their hair longer. Older women and grandmas were also rocking longer silver hair and I think I saw my future. There were lots of tights and booties, visible socks, shorter/cuffed pants with loafers on full display, and glitter/metallic socks, which I absolutely loved. Generally speaking, the girls wore less makeup, had medium/shorter hair, and there were lots of bangs. The children dressed simply but stylish. The advertisements seemed to be more racially inclusive, which was refreshing to see. We attended a fashion show at the beautiful Galeries Lafayette, which is a great way to have a luxurious but not overly pretentious Parisian fashion experience… inexpensively.

SHOPPING: Vintage & Antiques

One morning, we took a train to the outskirts of Paris to the largest antique/flea market in the world, Les Puces de Saint-Ouen (Les Puces). This. Place. Was. My. Dream. Over 17 acres of vendors and vintage and antiques and clothes and books and jewelry and treasures. Honestly I could have spent the entire day there (maybe even returned the next day) and that is one of the few things on our itinerary that I would do again on a return trip. My favorite purchase of the trip were some vintage gold clip on earrings that looked very Moschino-esque to me. If you are a vintage aficionado, please do make the hike and visit this place! It’s a little dodgy on the walk from the train to the market, so keep your valuables in sight, and make sure you bring cash, because many vendors don’t accept card.

THE SITES

Let’s get the obvious out of the way… the Eiffel Tower. You absolutely must have a picnic in Trocadéro Gardens. We stopped in a gourmet market and picked up pork belly, paté, baguettes, cheeses, (lots of) wine, macaroons from Ladurée, and because this wasn’t quite quintessentially French enough, we played the Amelie soundtrack on our bluetooth speaker. From here, if you cross over the Seine river and walk behind the Eiffel, the view is breathtaking.

A monument boat cruise on the Seine is another must and provides tremendous views of all the heavy hitter monuments and structures such as the Louvre and of course, the Eiffel Tower (the Eiffel Tower view was actually incredible). We wanted to be as cliche as possible and wore berets and drank wine while we floated along the Seine.

My favorite view of Paris was from the top of the Arc de Triompe, and provided me my first glimpse of the Eiffel. Since Paris is more or less pretty low profile, I don’t know that it would necessarily be an incredible view from the top of the Eiffel, and those in our group who had been said they also preferred the view from the Arc.

My favorite area was Montmarte (and not just because this is where Amelie was filmed), but it was just absolutely adorable! The cobblestone streets were so narrow, windy and sloped, and lined with shops and restaurants. There was something just so quaint about this area. When in Montmarte, you must visit the Sacré-Coeur and do the dome climb. After climbing many spiraling iron steps, you literally climb along the side of the dome to the very top and take in a gorgeous 360 degree view of Paris. I’ve heard the sunset from here is gorgeous, but it was unfortunately a very rainy and overcast day. We ate (an almost 3 hour long) dinner at a very tiny and pretty tasty restaurant called Le Potager du Père Thierry.

Be sure to stroll the Bouquinistes of Paris along the Seine, or the long lines of bookkeepers selling very reasonably priced used books and vintage art prints. I bought a Salvatore Dali coffee table book for 10 euros, but just strolling along is a very picturesque and serene experience. Taking the stairs down and strolling directly along side the Seine is also very relaxing and scenic, and avoids the crowds on the main streets above.

Now Versailles… I do have mixed reviews on visiting here. Full disclosure, I think it would be a very different experience in the spring/summer when all the flowers are in full bloom and the fountains are all running vs. when we went in the fall on an overcast & rainy day. To me, much of the splendor came in imagining what things were like during Napoleon’s reign, and less about what I was actually seeing. I did pick up a some interior color palettes that I really liked and will share below. Regardless, the larger part of me thinks it’s something you do need to see, but way more worth it in the warmer months, as the expansive gardens are quite incredible and take hours to explore on their own! Watch Marie Antoinette prior to have a better contextual grasp on what was happening where and the climate of that time.

Get off the beaten path! Explore some towns that are not overrun with tourists to really get a sense of how the locals live. We trained up to the historic Butte Aux Cailles, walked around town and found some interesting shops. We ate lunch at Chev Gladines and had the best escargot we had on the trip (trust me, we ordered escargot everywhere) doused in olive oil, parsley and parmesan. Do a little preparation about where to go because we took a wrong turn that lead us to a more commercialized and corporate side of town that didn’t exactly have that same historic charm as the rest of BAC.

THE ARTS

One of my absolute most favorite moments was a Vivaldi orchestra concert we went to at Saint Germain des Prés. Not only is the church optically stunning, it was an amazing experience that was pretty inexpensive (about 20 euros). I am a big orchestra/cello fan, but I think there was something for everyone in this… even small children were sitting still in their seats giving their full attention!

You must go to the museums. They are incredible. The Louvre, which was Napoleon’s original palace/fortress, is just beautiful. The Winged Victory of Samothrace was breathtaking in person, and was by far my favorite piece that I saw. Budget at least 3 hours here, but really, you won’t even put a dent in all that there is to see. The museums are divided by time period, so each one provides a unique experience.

THE FOOD

As a relatively low carb person, I can’t express enough how good the bread is. Even in their deli “convenience” type stores, the sandwiches are amazing. Eat the bread. Lots of it. Eat as much escargot that you can, especially when it’s soaked in parsley and garlic. And then dip your bread in the juice until both are gone. Yum. I’m also a very dense/rich brownie type girl, but the desserts were also just so good. I’ve never been tempted by crème brûlée but damn is it good over there. One of my favorite restaurants we ate at was called Poulette, but Jacobine and Au Bourguign du Marais was also very good. Generally speaking, we kept our breakfast and lunch light, both to help save time with our sightseeing, but also to help us really feel like we could let loose with dinner. The markets are also all so good, so grabbing an assortment of goods and having a picnic with a view, or even in your apartment, is an economical and often equally delicious alternative.

DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

The first thing I noticed was how light in color all the buildings are, often white with a gradient leading up to creamish off-white. From the top of the Arc, you’ll also notice that most of the roofing is gray. Something about this combo was very pleasing on the eye and calming to the senses. Maybe that’s why everyone seemed more calm there- even the moment I exited the subway, after my OMG I’M IN PARIS and THERE’S THE NOTRE DAME RIGHT THERE moment, the next thing I noticed was how calm and quiet it was. France has some of the most amazing gates and doors you will find, and just even the small details like the handle to open a window or a door has unique or delicate detailing. I also liked a repeated haphazard way of arranging flowers that I would see (second photo below), that added a wild and whimsical look to the decor.

ETIQUETTE

Everyone’s always talks about how the French are so rude, but we did not find that to be the case at all! However, I think that may be because we went very out of our way to be polite, considerate and courteous. Talking boisterously at the dinner table or loudly in the subway is considered very rude, and it took me about 4 days to remember to lower my voice while dining (almost to a whisper until the restaurant gets busier). You’ll notice immediately that people aren’t loudly cackling or being rambunctious, really anywhere… even the children. I think it also helps to memorize a few clutch phrases in French and always attempt to start off the conversation in French, even if it’s just a “Bonjour, parlez vous anglais?", or “Hello, do you speak English”. When you try to respect the culture and language, really in any culture, you are much more likely to be well received. You will also find that workers in the metro aren’t very eager to help with directional questions etc., but that’s only because the attitude is more communal there, and while they have limited resources, there are endless Parisian commuters about that you can ask your question to.

HELPFUL TIPS & SAFETY

If you arrive before your apartment is ready, renting a City-Locker is safe and easy. We dropped our bags off in one near our apartment until our room was ready, and leisurely explored and sat at cafes without being encumbered with baggage.

There are lots of pickpockets in Paris, so always be conscientious of your items, especially on the metro, and try not to get distracted by street performers or people selling things on the streets as these are often diversion techniques. Swiping cell phones on the metro is a common thing.

Guided tours you can download to your phone and listen to in headphones are a great and often free tool to utilize while walking around Paris, in the museums, or even in Versailles. Rick Steves has an expansive selection of guided audio tours providing a top level summary of things you will be seeing that is more detailed than what you will strictly be able to take in with your senses.

FOR NEXT TIME

Paris is really a place you should experience with all of your senses, not just your eyes. There’s so much to see, so it’s tempting to jam in as much as you can, but make sure you are really taking time to really take in everything, making observations, and getting an idea of the lifeblood of the city. An ex-pat friend said “the first time you come to Paris, you see everything. The second time, you enjoy everything.” When I return, I definitely want to spend more time in cafes sitting on the sidewalk, sitting not facing whoever you are with, rather facing out into the street (they even line up the chairs this way in the morning), and just people watch. We did a little bit of this as our morning routine, but it’s also a big thing to do at night. Make a day where you don’t have a plan, and just roam and “get lost”, one of the best ways to really explore Paris. You better believe I’m going back to the Saint Ouen flea market, and hopefully seeing Saint Chappelle, which was unfortunately closed during their regular hours both times we attempted to see it. Of course, I hope the Notre Dame is restored when I return as well. I would also have to take a walk to the very tip of Pont Neuf under a sprawling weeping willow tree to see if my SJ + DC love lock is still there.