The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Paris | Wildjoy

Paris is on most people's buckets list. The City of Love. The Eiffel Tower. The charming French streets. The Art. It's just magical.

We had the the opportunity to travel to France this past April to explore two iconic cities, Paris and Lyon. In this blog, we are going to take you through the ultimate guide to exploring Paris in 5 days. Paris is endless so this is just the tip of the ice berg for people looking to dip their toes into the Parisian lifestyle. We're going to take you from secret places to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night to delicious French bistros with food that will make you drool.

Note: Please research Paris' conditions before you travel as major events like the Olympics will greatly impact your experience. We recommend traveling during a non-event period.

Day One: Saint-Germain-des-Prés

We flew from Arizona to Paris with all the dreams of France ahead. We highly recommend flying in around 10am. Arriving, we found the Charles de Gaulle airport easy to navigate with free wifi. Highly recommend getting your data for your phone activated before you leave the airport. We used Airalo and highly recommend.

Don't fall for one of the scam artists in the lobby! Go to the taxi line and make sure it is an official taxi. Surprisingly, the taxi ride was about a hour and a half. We thought the airport was much closer but this city wasn't designed for car use. The public transit is amazing and much quicker.

Our taxi ride cost us about 65 euros as we ended up at our Hotel, Hotel Left Bank. This hotel is elegant with nice elevators, friendly staff and is in a great location. We dropped our bags off, cleaned up and set off for our first Parisian meal....

We were highly excited learning that the famous Kodawari Ramen was 2 minutes down the street from our hotel. Our hotel was perfectly located in an area perfect for foodies like us. Kodawari is famous for their immersive Japanese bistro enviroment with dark walls, themed music and fun decotrations.

Get on the waitlist EARLY! This place fills up like crazy! We highly recommend the black broth ramen! It's garlicky and packed with tons of flavor. It was not the cheapest ramen, but it was very high quality and delicious - highly recommend!

Note: There are 2 Kodawaris in Paris we went to the “Yokochō” on the Left Bank in Saint Germain des Prés

With our stomachs full, we went off to explore more of the wonderful things the Saint Germain area had to offer us.

The Saint Germain area is full of incredible architecture and public spaces so our first stop was the Jardin de Luxembourg. The gardens were quite easy to find since they are a part of the extravagant Palais du Luxembourg. The garden covers a massive area so we spent over an hour just walking around and soaking up the grand and luxurious ambiance of the garden.

Our favorite part of the gardens were the massive trees that lined the whole perimeter. They were perfectly manicured and was such a welcome departure from what we usually experience at home in Arizona. The garden is full of games to play, beautiful areas to walk, amazing photo opportunities and plenty of space to just sit and enjoy time with your friends.

After walking around the gardens we wanted to keep exploring that area so we headed north to find a super cute bookstore called "Le neuvième pays" which means "The Ninth Country". Just up ahead we found the absolutely gorgeous Église Saint-Sulpice which is a gorgeous church. It is definitely worth going inside to see the immaculate architecture, artwork and massive church organ which is one of the largest in the world!

We got very hungry so it was time for us to find some dinner. We went into multiple restaurants to find availability and soon found out it is VERY IMPORTANT that you book reservations in advance. You are very lucky if you’re to walk into restaurant on a given evening and they’ll take you in.

The Parisian reality check had us needing a much needed pick me up. After walking around more of the Saint Germain des Prés area we ended up finding the most wonderful jazz duo playing at the Café Laurent in the incredible 5 star Hôtel d'Aubusson. We spent the next hour enjoying the beautiful music, drinking some delightful cocktails and planning our next move. I ordered an espresso martini while my husband ordered their "La Vida Loca" cocktail which came with mezcal, nectar cranberry, creme peche, lime, and eau petillante (carbonated water).

After our jazz and cocktail break we headed back towards our hotel, Hotel Left Bank, and headed south deeper into the city to try and find a place for dinner. No more than 5 minutes later we happened across one of our BEST restaurant finds in Paris, "Avant Comptoir de la Terre". You can find it southwest of the Odeon metro stop.

Avant Comptoir de la Terre is a tapas style wine bar that has no seating so you eat standing at the bar or at the sill that is set up across the bar on the wall. We began our experience with delicious bread and butter which is served in these very cute little sea shell plates.

For our dinner we ordered:

• Foie gras (duck liver served with cherries)
• Beef carpaccio
• 2 orders of porc caramelise (we needed 2 becuase it was that good!)
• Croque queue de boeuf
• Quenelle chocolate mousse for dessert
• 5 glasses of wine throughout the meal

All that amazing, fresh and flavorful food came out to only 99.50 euro! That was definitely the best way to end our first evening in Paris!

Day 2) 4/5/24

• Waking up to our first morning in Paris, we knew we needed to find some amazing pastries and fuel up on coffee to get our day moving. No more than an easy 4 minute walk away we found Pâtisserie Liberté where we found our FAVORITE chocolate croissants! Their offering of pastries is far more diverse than just chocolate croissants. Pâtisserie Liberté has a wide selection of sandwiches, baguettes, and salads but are most well known for their chocolate or almond babka, fresh apple turnovers or their incredible chocolate pavé.

Good coffee is an absolute MUST for us on any trip so after our morning chocolate croissant indulgence we walked north across the Seine, past Sainte-Chapelle to find the amazing Motors Coffee. The coffee shop is quaint with a very slick modern feel and is very welcoming with plenty of outdoor seating. You can tell it is a great community spot since multiple mornings during our time in Paris we happened upon a large running club meet up at Motors.

I'm simple and love a classic vanilla latte but Motors knows how to make my simple morning beverage seem like a supreme delicacy! For me the craziest part is how quickly, efficiently and consistently the baristas are able to produce such amazing coffee. Every time we went there was barely any wait for our drinks, not to mention their pastries are just as delicious. We got one of their cookies and needless to say it was also delicious!

Our big ticket activity for the day was going to the Palace of Versailles. The best way to get there or for most places in Paris was using their metro system. At first, it was a bit confusing but after downloading the Citymapper app on our phone navigating the city became so much easier.

To get to Versailles we walked from our hotel to the Saint-Michel Notre Dame transit station, got our train ticket one of the ticket terminals rode the train for about a 30 minute the Versailles Château stop. Once we arrived it was a brief walk to get to the Grille d'Honneur (Honuor gate) the entrance to Versailles.

There are 2 main areas when you get into Versailles; the palace itself and the amazing gardens that surround the property. The tickets we got with our museum pass had a specific time for us to experience the interior of the palace so we started with exploring the gardens. We had no clue what we were in store for!

The gardens cover over 800 hectacres which averages out to over 3 miles of garden space! It is truly difficult to articulate how expansive and grand the gardens are, you could truly spend multiple days just in the gardens and not have seen all that it has to offer. We HIGHLY recommend spending the extra money to rent a golf cart for an hour. Trying to traverse the gardens by foot to see all that it has to offer would be a challenge to say the least. The cost of the golf cart was 42 € per hour but with all we were able to experience in that short amount of time it was worth it without question! Plus its just fun to drive around exploring in a golf cart especially in a place like Versailles!

My favorite parts of the gardens were the the Apollo Fountain, Grand Canal and the Grove of Apollos Baths. There is quite a bit of Apollo featured in the Gardens of Versailles since King Louis XIV chose the sun as his personal emblem and highly resonated with the ancient Greek god of the sun. Even though we got to have a whole hour to scoot around in the golf cart around the amazing gardens I feel like we only scratched the surface. When we go again we would spend way more time exploring the gardens. The opulence and grandness of the flowers, trees and water features make it feel like its out of a fantasy novel.

After our excursion through the garden it was time for us to go into the palace of Versailles! Even with a time slot you need to wait in the royal courtyard and there will definitely be a line. We waited about 45 minutes to an hour for us to get inside where we had to go thru security, show our ticket and get going. The interior, as you would expect, was over the top magnificent with gorgeous statues, art and detail in every space your eyes could stray. Though it is an absolute marvel of a place, with the amount of people that visit it did feel very claustrophobic and chaotic at times trying to navigate people on tours and taking photos.

Versailles is incredible, grand and beautiful but I would recommend that you use your time and any extra money to explore the garden and spend more time there compared to the interior of the palace. We did visit on a Friday afternoon so it was probably busier than usual and since the gardens are so large we felt like we were by ourselves multiple times.

Versailles took alot of energy out of us so we chose to have a very low key evening filled with delicious Parisian food. We are massive fans of charcuterie and were recommended 'Le 17.45' so we had to give it a go! From our hotel, Hotel Left Bank, it was about a 30 min journey north using the metro.

Le 17.45 lets you customize your own board so we created our dream charcuterie! from their menu we ordered:

• Truffle Brie
• Chorizo
• Salami
• Fig jam
• Cherry jam
• Bottle of Pinot Noir

Everything was beyond delicious! I don't think we ordered a single item we got that I would replace. I even enjoyed the side of complementary cornichons (small pickles) they added a very refreshing sharp flavor compared to the richness of the meats and creaminess of the cheeses we ordered.

Any good dinner needs to be paired with an even better desert so after our dinner at Le 17.45 we walked down the street to Le Mary Celeste to satisfy our sweet tooth. We ordered their citrus cheesecake chocolate mousse with kumquots and were so delicious. The chocolate mousse was so rich and powerful and the citrus cheesecake was surprisingly light and refreshing which made a great pairing. I would highly recommend this cute neighborhood spot!

Day 3) 4/6/24

• Musée d’Orsay
  • Describe history of museum
  • What kind of art is featured in the museum
    • Famous pieces?
    • Favorite art pieces?

My favorite art museum we got to experience to was easily The Musée de l'Orangerie. Claude Monet is probably my favorite artist and The Musée de l'Orangerie features many of his amazing impressionist work including his incredible 'Les Nymphéas' (Monet's water lillies). The museum feels like it was specifically built for the paintings featuring these huge oval shaped rooms where the water lily paintings curve out encompassing and immersing the entire room. It was so peaceful just sitting and connecting with the beautiful works of art.

This was our 3rd day in Paris and we still had not had any Onion Soup so we were determined for that to change. Not even a 1 minute walk from our hotel we found Café Procope which happens to be not only one of the oldest cafés in Paris but oldest cafés in the whole world! As you could imagine with accolades like that Café Procope was very busy, we lucked out and were able to find the last little bit of outside seating.

For our lunch you know we of course got the onion soup (we found out its not French onion soup when you're in France), a side of bread with butter and their Label Rouge Dauphiné Ravioli. The pricing of our food was a bit expensive but the plating, service and quality of food made it worth the experience. We could have easily eaten 4 more of those onion soups and still would want more they were so delicious!

PARIS FOOD TOUR

Stop #1) Maison le Roux

We started this food tour off with a BANG! Maison le Roux has some of the best chocolate and candy I have ever tasted, period. Everything there is made in France and is of the highest quality! We sampled their jellied candies made from real fruit and real salted caramels. They tasted like something out of a dream, they were absolutely delicious, I was in awe. This spot was such a highlight!

Stop #2) Arnaud Larher

For stop number 2 our tour took us to Arnaud Larher where we literally got 'the best' macarons that you can get in France. Outside of the Shop it has the 'Meilleur' rating which translates to best or better. Marie taught us that Meilleur is a title that is earned so we were in for a very special treat.

Stop #3 ) Maison Mulot

Maison Mulot is a one stop shop for everything delicious! Inside you can find a bakery, pastry shop, caterer and confectionary! We were there mainly for the amazing bread! Our tour guide Marie taught the group that the best time to get a baguette is a few hours before the meal you plan on using it. Also the best part of the baguette is the ends so thats why you will see many parisians with their baguette tips eaten off.

Stop #4) Poilâne

For our next stop we got to go to the historic bakery Poilâne which was opended back in 1932. The unique part about Poilâne is that they bake all of their bread in a wood fire oven. Because of this, the aromas of the bread are much more potent than conventional ovens. Our group got to sample their brown sugar cookies that were unbelievable.

Stop #5) Osaba

For our final stop of the tour we got to go to the upstairs of Osaba which is an amazing tapas style restaurant. When we sat down we were greeted with a delicious plate of foie gras and a side of Axoa Minced veal stew with potatoes. For our dinner we enjoyed a wonderful bottle of Mignaberry Red wine and Piquillos stuffed with mash potatoes and cod fish.

We were having such a blast over dinner with Marie and the other tour members we had gone over our allotted time. Overall we felt so lucky to be able to experience Paris' food culture in such a way. This tour made me so excited to try more of all the amazing culinary marvels France has to offer!

Day 4) 4/7/24

For our 4th day in Paris we wanted to explore the amazing shopping areas that the city offers. We took metro to Saint-Lazare and walked to this massive shopping building and journeyed to the top floor which had had a bookstore and wonderful crepe bar to eat at called Bar Perché. It was an amazing spot to eat delicious crepes and get a stellar view of the Eiffel Tower!

The main attraction for anything shopping in Paris is the Galeries Lafayette. It is this absolutely massive shopping center with all the fashion and with the most beautiful architecture. On the 3rd floor you can do a glass walk which extends out 9 meters and is over 16 meters high. We unfortunately did not get a chance to experience it since the line was so long but next time I would reserve a time slot online for which is free for up to 6 people.

All of that shopping had us famished so we were on the hunt for some food! We walked south from Galeries Lafayette down Av. de l'Opera and found an amazing chocolatier 'Bostani'. We were so hungry we had to get a few chocolates just to curb our hunger. We noticed we were in an area with a ton of Asian food options so we went with our gut and chose Higuma since there was a very minimal line to get a seat. Higuma's specialty is ramen which was perfect for the rainy day, we also ordered a small plate of gyoza to start. The food here is very affordable and tasty! We really enjoyed our experience here!

Ever since we saw the Eiffel Tower earlier during our breakfast, we were dying to be right there to see it up close! We took the metro and walked towards the Eiffel tower and saw that nearby there are river cruises to tour the Siene. We were feeling spontaneous and jumped to the opportunity! conveniently there are small terminals near where the tour departs. The tickets are 17 euro a person and only 8 euro for kids! The tour was such a delight, it was a great way for us to rest our feet and just soak up the amazing views of Paris!

For this evenings dinner we really wanted to treat ourselves and dive deep into France's culinary world, so we tried and were lucky enough to get seats at the amazing restaurant Chez Fernand. Now this spot is truly special! Chez Fernand looks unassuming on the outside but inside boasts a ton of room and just full of flavor! The best way I could describe the whole experience here was a pure "Ratatouille moment"

For our dinner we ordered:

• Bottle of red wine: Rive Droite 2019 Côtes du Rhone - absolutely fantastic! Smooth and bold in flavor. The perfect pairing to all the rich and savory foods we had over the course of our meal.
• As our starter we each got an onion soup - this was hands down the best onion soup we had on our entire time here in Paris. Just perfect!
• For our main course we split their amazing beef bourguignon - Its a beef stew with red wine, beef stock, onions, carrots and potatoes. Super hearty and rich and beyond delicious! Chez Fernands’ specialty and for good reason. (This was Ian’s favorite meal of the whole trip)

Day 5) 4/8/24

Our 5th day in Paris we wanted to mix it up so we didnt start with the classic chocolate croissant from Liberté and coffee from Motors. Instead we went right for the good stuff and found a great charcuterie shop called Viandas de Salamanca. We were able to get very tasty salami, chorizo and cheese in a bag and snack on it while we walked around the area, it was so delicious!

While walking around we realized we were in the same area as the beginning of the food tour we did the other day so we stopped into Maison Le Roux to get some amazing candies to take back home to Arizona. We got 15 of their salted caramels and 15 of their blackcurrant fruit jellies. It was a struggle to restrain ourselves from eating them and have them make the trip home but we made it happen.

We soon found ourselves hungry again and were craving sushi. We looked on our phones and both found 'Ta Sushi' which was a quick metro trip away from us. When we arrived we were lucky to find it had some great front patio seating available for us.

For lunch we ordered:

• 9 salmon nigiri
• Edamame
• Each of us got a bowl of ramen. Ian got beef, I got pork.
• We were somehow still hungry so we ordered 6 more salmon nigiri

We were able to get SO MUCH food for the price point and everything tasted great! Im not sure I would get the ramen again just for the reason I could eat more of their sushi!

One of the amazing landmarks that we had passed the whole week was Sainte Chapelle. The museum pass we got had allowed us a time slot to visit so after lunch we made our way back towards our hotel and made the stop to the incredible and historic Gothic Cathedral! When I tell you that the stained glass here is breathtaking know that is a gross understatement. I have never seen anything like it, the color and atmosphere is emanates is just majestic! Our entire time was less than 1 hour but seeing a creation of this magnitude in person is an absolute MUST!

For dinner this evening we decided to really mix it up! Since most every kind of food we enjoyed in Paris was standout, how would Italian food fare out here in Paris? Turns out it is also delicious! We were recommended Latin Quartier by a friend and we were so happy we went! The food, wine, pizza, everything was just amazing!

For our dinner we had a wonderful bottle of Sangiovese after eloping in Italy last year it has become one of our favorite kinds of wine. For our food we each got one of their perfectly cooked pizzas, Ian got the Diavolo Pizza and I got the classic Margherita. Of course an Italian dinner would not be complete without a dessert where we ordered a torta cioccolato e nocciola, and Tiramisu.

Day 8) 4/11/24

Once we got off the train from Lyon our main goal was to get to our hotel, CitizenM Hôtel. This is one of the most unique hotels I have ever been in! The room has the bed in the very back of the room with the toilet and shower encased in this frosted glass wall. Everything in the room was controlled via ipad; light color, air conditioning, tv, alarm etc. It was really interesting. The bed was king size was super comfortable so I was able to soak up as much comfort as possible before embarking on our 10+ hour flight the next day

After we got our luggage settled at the hotel we had just enough time to have one more excursion in Paris. I really wanted to see the Eiffel Tower up close one last time so we walked to the train station right next to the hotel and hired a taxi to take us to the Eiffel Tower. Traffic is usually pretty crazy so the taxi ride took around 45 mins to get from the hotel to the Eiffel Tower

We found the PERFECT SPOT for pictures off of ‘Avenue Rapp’ and ‘Rue de Monttessuy’ We timed it perfectly to get pictures of when the Eiffel Tower lights up and sparkles. Every hour on the hour starting at dusk until 11:45 pm is when this happens.

After we took photos we found the closest metro to the Saint Michel stop and did a brief walk to experience our favorite meal we had in Paris at Chez Fernand!

IMPORTANT NOTE: On weekdays the Metro runs from 5:30am - 12:30am so make sure to plan your trips according to that timeframe if you plan on navigating Paris by metro.

We hope you enjoyed following along on our wonderful trip to Paris, France! Stay tuned for blogs about our other adventures traveling through Europe!

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Xx,
The Wildjoy Team