Ciao! I’m in Paris this weekend. Come along with me to see where I stayed, what I ate, and MUST SEE sights. Lots of tips and advice for visiting Paris in this blog post. Check out my Paris highlights here.
Monday
On Monday I started off my day with my usual cappuccino e cornetto (croissant and cappuccino) from Todo Modo. Then I met up with some friends at Biblioteca Delle Oblate to plan our upcoming trips. Biblioteca Delle Oblate has a great view of the top of the Duomo and is a great place to study if you like quiet work areas.
Tuesday
On Tuesday I made Risotto ai carciofi (artichoke risotto with guanciale) in cooking class. Then I started to plan out my weekend in Paris after class.
Wednesday
On Wednesday I went shopping to pick up some items for Paris before class. Then after class, a group of friends and I went to the famous Gusta Pizza for dinner. I got the pizza margherita with burrata.
Thursday
On Thursday I started my morning at the Van Gogh interactive experience museum in Florence. I thought this was a cool activity, but I would only recommend it if you’re really into Van Gogh or interactive museums. After the museum my friends and I grabbed coffee at this cute little garden cafe called “Chiosco Degli Sportivi”. Then we grabbed lunch at our favorite I Fratellini for paninis.
Getting to Paris
Then I packed up my stuff and headed to the train station. We took the train to Pisa then the tram from the train station to the airport. Pisa is usually cheaper than Florence to fly out of and is relatively easy to get to. We flew EasyJet to Paris which I recommend. EasyJet also caters to nut allergies. I added on my booking reservation that I needed “special assistance” and then when I boarded the plane I was able to get my own nut-free row on the plane. I think this is because they sell hazelnut products on board. When flying into Charles de Gaulle airport in Florence I recommend sitting on the right side of the plane and maybe you’ll catch a view of the Eiffel Tower like I did. Since we flew at night we also got to see it light up and sparkle.
Also be sure to look into your options for how to get from the airport to your accommodation ahead of time, we took a taxi and it was very pricey.
Friday
Where to stay in Paris
We stayed at this Airbnb in Courbevoie. The host was very helpful and the place is very nice and has a view of the Eiffel Tower. It is about a 15 minute walk from the metro station and is located in a quiet neighborhood next to a small mall with a grocery store. We bought individual tickets for the metro but depending on how much you plan to use it, it might be worth it to look into a weekend pass.
Getting around Paris
We bought individual tickets for the metro, but depending on how much you plan to use it, it might be worth it to look into a weekend pass. The metro was the main form of transportation we took to get around Paris. In terms of how to get around Paris, I personally, really like to use apple maps. I know some people prefer google maps, but I am an apple maps girl through and through. On apple maps you can click on the train option and it will tell you which metro to take, which direction, how many stops, and what stop to get off at, as well as walking directions before and after the metro.
Breakfast
Friday morning we went to Carette for breakfast. I wasn’t a big fan of Carette as it is pretty expensive for what you get and they don’t have many nut-free options. They are known for their hot chocolate, but the staff was not very helpful in telling me if there were any allergens in it. Overall, you could probably find somewhere better for breakfast or would be better off buying groceries for breakfast.
Eiffel Tower and Louvre
Then we went for a walk to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower before going to the tower directly and seeing it up close. There was quite a bit of construction by the tower as Paris is getting ready to host the Olympics. Then we went to the Louvre. We did not have reservations and waited in the stand-by line for about an hour which wasn’t bad, but it would be smart to reserve a spot ahead of time.
BIG TIP: if you are an EU resident you get into many museums for FREE. As a study abroad student with a student visa we were able to get into the Lourvre for free.
We were at the Louvre for about 2 hours. There is definitely a lot to see so plan your time accordingly. We saw the Mona Lisa up close which was really cool. Be sure to wear good walking shoes; the Louvre is huge and you will do a lot of walking.
BEST dinner in Paris
Friday night we went and saw the Eiffel Tower at night and took some more photos. Then we headed to Bouillon Chartier and had the most amazing dinner. This place is a MUST TRY in Paris. They serve authentic French Cuisine. We ordered the snails (which I did not try), but everyone else loved them. I ordered the butcher’s cut steak and fries with a side of green beans for dinner and it was amazing and super cheap. . We also ordered a bottle of Merlot to share which was really good. This restaurant was super fun, gave off a very French vibe, and was very affordable.
Saturday
Versailles
On Saturday we woke up to amazing view before heading to Versailles.
BIG TIP: BE SURE TO BOOK THE RIGHT TRAIN TICKET TO VERSAILLES!!! I cannot stress this enough. You have to buy the correct train ticket, not metro ticket, train ticket and it has to say Versailles on it. We bought the wrong tickets because there was no one there to help us and got fined $40 each.
Eventually, we made it to Versailles. You have to book Versailles tickets and a time slot ahead of time, they do NOT do walk ins. We were at Versailles for about 2 hours, but you could definitely spend 3 or 4 hours here.
French onion soup, Eiffel Tower sparkling, Arc de Triomphe, and shopping
After Versailles we went to another photo spot to get more pictures with the Eiffel Tower. after we went to a nearby restaurant for lunch to get french onion soup. I definitely recommend trying it when in France. After lunch we walked to the river to walk the Eiffel Tower sparkle. The tower first sparkles at the first hour after sunset (which in our case was 07:00PM) for 5 minutes. Then we headed to the Arc de Triomphe. After seeing the arc we went shopping in the fashion district.
Saturday night we grabbed a quick dinner and went to Club Duplex.
Sunday
On Sunday we went to the Westfield by the metro station to grab a quick bite to eat before flying home.
This was a pretty short trip, but I don’t think you need more than 2-3 days in Paris.
Meghan in Paris 🙂
Looks great! Thanks for sharing!