PARIS CITY GUIDE

TO DO

Paris is the kind of city which you can visit many many times, but you still want to go back every chance you get. Or at least I think so.
So the question "what to do while in Paris?" is an easy one, as there is something to do for everyone. Whether you enjoy restaurant hopping, going crazy with your credit card while shopping or just walking around the city, you wont get bored in Paris.

My favorite area is Le Marais (3rd and 4th arrondissement), a cool part of the city, where you can find cute coffee shops, boutiques and cute little alleyways to get lost into. Yes, it's like a little maze, but getting lost in Marais doesn't seem that bad as you can always go crazy with your camera and style stalk all the cool French women.

While in Paris I like to mix it up a little between doing touristy things and trying my best to pass as a local - so rent an airbnb, buy un croissant from the bakery downstairs and then take the métro to the rooftop terrace of Galeries Lafayette to enjoy the lovely views over Paris (ps. it's free).

And remember to just wander. Paris is best experienced by actually being there ! So forget about your phone and your snapchat for a little while, sit in the park, stop to look at the street artists and listen to the loud conversations in French in the next table.

Magnifique !

+ If you're planning to use the metro, buy a carnet which is 10 metro tickets. It's cheaper and you can share the tickets with your travel companion if you don't need all 10 of them.

TO SHOP

Oh to shop in Paris with an unlimited budget. Yes please !

But if you're like me and you don't have an unlimited budget, enjoy the possibilities anyway. There is something nice about visiting nice stores and getting inspired, even if you can't buy everything. And if you are smart in advance and you save up a little, you should buy that bag you've wanted for a long time - way nicer than ordering it online. Just saying....

Here are some of my favorite shops to pop by when in Paris.

Chloé - 50 Avenue Montaigne, 253 Rue Saint-Honoré 

Céline - 53 Avenue Montaigne, 3 Avenue Victor Hugo

&Other Stories - 277 Rue Saint-Honoré, 35 Rue Montmartre

Acne Studios - 3 Rue Froissart, 124 Galerie Valois, 1 Quai Voltaire

Merci - 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais 

La Trésorerie - 11 Rue Château d'Eau

Centre Commercial - 2 Rue de Marseille

A.P.C. - 112 Rue Vielle du Temple, 3 Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, 5 Rue de Marseille

Colette - 213 Rue Saint-Honoré

Ofr. - 20 Rue Dupetit-Thourais

In addition to these, there are a bunch of lovely French brands like Sandro, Maje, Iro and Vanessa Bruno, to mention a few. And visiting the big department stores Printemps and Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann is an experience in itself and worth it, even though it's always quite crowded.

+ for your way back home, buy some magazines to read from those cute little magazine stands. Way more exciting than buying it from an airport kiosk. And well, French Vogue inspires even if you don't speak a word of French.

TO VISIT

Even though I lived in Paris for 4 months, I feel like there is so much still to explore. It's a never ending adventure, but start with these:

Palais Royal - 8 Rue de Montpensier 

Arc de Triomphe - Place Charles de Gaulle 

Galeries Lafayette & Printemps terraces - 40 & 64 Boulevard Haussmann

Musée d'Orsay - 1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur

Jardin des Plantes - 57 Rue Cuvier

Jardin du Luxembourg

Canal Saint-Martin area 

+ If you are an EU-citizen and under 25 years old, keep your id with you as many museums and sights offer a free entrance for you. 

TO EAT

If you're in search for a good dinner spot in Paris, head out from the touristy areas where the food is overpriced and just not that good. There are many cute restaurants and cafes to spot around the city, but if you head to Rue Montorgueil or to the Latin Quarters, you will most definitely find nice places to eat at. And don't forget to spot the nearest boulangerie, buying a fresh baguette and a croissant or two is a must while in Paris !

Ob-La-Di - 54 Rue de Saintogne

SEASON - 1 Rue Charles-Francois Dupuis

The Paperboy - 137 Rue Amelot

Pierre Hermé - 72 Rue Bonaparte, 18 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 39 Avenue de l'Opéra

Amorino - 16 Rue de la Huchette, 18 Rue Mouffetard, 1 Rue des Francs Bourgeois

Blackburn coffee - 52 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin 

Le compas - 62 Rue Montorgueil 

Cafe Kitsuné - 51 Galerie de Montpensier

+ Paris is a good city to have picnics at ! And you can save up some money by doing that - just grab something good from the nearest bakery and buy some good wine from the grocery store. Then head to the pretty parks of Paris and enjoy ! Picnic with a view of the Louvre or the Eiffel tower? Not too shabby.. 

xoxo Maria

Photos by me, Milla and Matilda.