Paris Itinerary: 2nd Trip to the City of Lights. 4 Days Including Where to Eat, Personal Tips, and Map.

Each year, my friend and I take a trip and this year, it was Paris. I haven’t visited Paris in over 15 years and while I wanted to see the favorites like the Eiffel Tower (at night!), I was looking to dive into other favorites that make this city so special. 

Related Trip Report: France with Kids 

I arrived in the morning after my friend who stayed the night at the Marriot at Charles de Gaul. The hotel is directly connected to the airport and super convenient to travelers, (no buses or trains needed to access the hotel). 

The city is busy and a 65 euro cab took almost 90 minutes to reach our apartment rental. After dropping our bags we took the train to meet our guide for a 40 minute moto tour which I booked through Viator ($82 per person). What a fun way to start our trip! We zipped through the city on the back of a motorcycle and in the sidecar. Our driver pointed out key sites and we were able to squeeze through traffic and small side streets. Highly recommend. 

Dinner that evening was at the Instagram-worthy restaurant in the Le Marais neighborhood, Carboni’s. I read mixed reviews but the relaxed atmosphere and good-looking crowd along with good food. I highly recommend the Cacio e Pepe. 

Day 2: We did a bit of shopping in the morning (Samaritaine was nearby) and walked outside of the Musee du Louve, and through Tuileries Garden on our way to lunch at Nonos at the gorgeous Hotel Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel. The whole experience was superb. We were seated in the beautiful interior garden. Food was traditional but sophisticated and service was polished. While very expensive, it was a posh treat to our day. After lunch, we walked to Musee d’Orsey for our 3:30 reserved time. The museum was busy but with reserved tickets, we didn’t have to wait in lines. The museum is in a former rail station and the architecture itself is worth a visit. Most of the art is European from the 19th- & 20th century. While it’s a large building, we were able to see most of the collections within 2 ½ hours. 

That evening we went to the Moulin Rouge. We both had mixed reviews on the show. The costumes and the energy were fantastic. It’s about 90 minutes of nonstop dancing. The music and choreography feel a bit dated - while the women were topless for most of the show, the vibe and dancing aren’t particularly sexy. The crowd was in the age of 60+ and very enthusiastic and having fun. Careful jumping in a taxi outside the show - they said it was “Moulin Rouge rate of 55 euros”. We walked a few blocks away and took a cab with the regular meter running with no problem. 

Day 3: After our day at  Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte We opted for an early dinner at a Les Deux Magots which is a traditional cafe in the Saint Germain neighborhood. There was a mix of tourists and locals. Given the prime spot and classic French cafe, the menu was traditionally French and bit expensive but the food was very good (the burger was excellent!) and the service was efficient. After dinner, we had tickets for a classical concert at Sainte-Chappel which is a spectacular 13th century chapel. The gothic windows and stained glass are truly incredible and it was very atmospheric to listen to an hour-long performance of classic music (especially Vivaldi’s Four Seasons). 

Day 4: Friday morning we started our day with breakfast at Cafe Mericourt which is a bustling and charming, modern cafe. We then joined a tour group by Paris Walks for a 2 hour tour of the left bank focusing on the writers of the Left Bank, and more specifically Hemingway. It was fun to hear the stories of the 1920’s and how Paris works to protect small bookstores and publishers (no free shipping allowed on books in the Latin Quarter or price cutting in response to the rise of big e-commerce). After the tour, we walked through Jardin du Luxembourg and then stopped for crepes at Crêperie des Canettes. We shared a butter and sugar crepe and an Emmental cheese and ham buckwheat crepe.

For our last night’s dinner, we went to Brasserie Des Pres which is a located in a crowded and lively pedestrian street in Saint-Germain. The decor and vibe was pretty, and modern. The top floor had a very cool lounge. Service was stressed but in good spirits as the restaurant was very full. The food was excellent - definitely recommend it. 

Related Trip Report: A Trip to Bordeaux

I saw glimpses of the Eiffel Tower as we crossed over the Seine several times at night, but I wanted a closer look. After dinner, on a whim, we asked our taxi to take us to Musée du quai Branly which is just a block from the tower. At the end of the street we saw about 40 people gathering and there she was, a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. 

Once we were back in our neighborhood, Le Marais, we stumbled upon an outdoor pop concert with thousands enjoying a perfect May evening in Paris.  Joie de vivre!

Day 3: I’ve been to Versaille and loved it, and wanted to see another chateau. The Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte is a historical private estate which is just 1 hour from the city and is stunning. I  highly recommend a visit. There is public transportation and shuttle but we splurge on a car service. The Chateau and the formal sprawling gardens were the inspiration to Versaille. After a few hours inside (excellent audio guide) we spent 20 euros on a golf cart for 45 minutes to cruise around the grounds. It’s a huge estate (the garden is approximately 81 acres) and I’m glad we did this as we barely reached the corners of the grounds. We finished the afternoon with a light light and glass of wine in their cafe which was surprisingly good. One surprise is that there were very few flowers in the garden. It’s very much a formal garden with water pools and structured greenery.