Paris, France - Travel Guide
Top Restaurants -
La Crème de Paris, known for its amazing crepes and waffles, this is one of my favorite spots. Located in the Latin Quarter, by the Seine and Notre Dame, it makes for a wonderful atmosphere and beautiful view. There are two locations, but the address for my favorite is - 1 Quai St-Michel 75005 Paris
L’Occitane & Pierre Hermé on the Champs Elysées has amazing macaroons, pasteries, and far more. It is a beautiful store and a wonderful experience. The address is 86 Avenue des Champs-Elysées 75008 Paris
Brasserie Vaudeville is the best brasserie I have been to in Paris and one my boss actually introduced me to! I ordered the ravioli, and they quickly became my new favorite food! For dessert, try the profiteroles! Their address is 29 Rue Vivienne 75002 Paris!
La Guinguette is a little French restaurant placed right outside of Versailles. It actually is my favorite restaurant in Paris, I’m not sure if it is because of the good company or the beauty of Versailles, but I love this restaurant. My favorite dish is the chicken curry! Their address is 11 Rue Colbert 78000 Versailles
Veganissim Paris is a 100% vegan restaurant with the best goodies and comfort food. I got a cheeseburger of sort with a charcoal bun it was beautiful and the best vegan burger I’ve had! There address is 108 Rue de Miromesnil, 75008 Paris
Cantine de Lotus creates wonderful vegan and vegetarian South Asian meals! I usually would grab a meal to-go for my work lunch! There address is 7 Rue de la Michodière, 75002 Paris
Pierre Sang Express creates wonderful French Korean dishes. My boss introduced me to it and it is one of my favorite meals! The food is filled with so much flavor and bright, vivid colors, their address is 55 Rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris. Keep in mind, if you do not go to the express Pierre Sang, you will be sat at a restaurant with a pre-set menu; you can order a vegetarian option! There is a 2 course, 3 course, or 4 course option, (I believe)!
Wild & The Moon has many locations throughout Paris. My favorite bowl is their acai bowl. The blue magic bowl is also amazing, as well as the matcha bowl. They make vegan burgers, Bahn mi, fresh pressed juices, protein smoothies, and more, all with the freshest ingredients. It’s a very welcoming atmosphere and super yummy!
Mao Dumpling Bar is absolutely amazing. I got dumplings one day because I was craving them and it quickly turned into one of my favorite places. Super yummy perfect for a quick night out and they deliver as well if you want to stay in :) Their address is 28 Rue de Saintonge 75003 Paris
Mamma Primi is part of the Big Mamma group, and there are many other locations of their restaurants within Paris, but this one was cozy, cute, and not filled with tourists! It’s located at
18 Rue Boursault, 75017 Paris
Their famous location is Pink Mamma, located at
20bis Rue de Douai, 75009 Paris
Some Places I wanted to try -
Septime - Ranked number 24 out of the top 50 restaurants in the world, this place looks beyond amazing. They have different wine tastings and dinner pairings for lunch and dinner! Their address is 80 rue de Charonne Paris 11
Ralph Lauren Restaurant - I went to the restaurant when I was in Chicago, and it was some of the best food I had ever had. Although it is very American, it would have been a great experience that I hope to check out! If you’re interested, make reservations early! Their address is 173 Bd Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris
Must-see destinations -
Notre Dame
My favorite time to visit Notre Dame is around sunset. I love to explore the area and sit down by the Seine and watch the boats pass!
Eiffel Tower
I love seeing the Eiffel Tower twinkle at night! She starts twinkling around 11 pm for ten minutes each hour! When I visited during the day, I got a ticket to take the elevator to the second floor!
Jardin du Luxembourg
I went every weekend I lived here pretty much. I packed a picnic, brought my book, took naps in the garden, and walked around. It is such a peaceful little area. There are always kids on ponies, families playing tennis, kids playing basketball, music being played, etc. Feel free to pack a picnic and bring it over.
Champs Elyées + Arc du Triumph
An iconic shopping district + area where major events are held! The Arc is a beautiful spot to see the city from! It is also one of my favorite pieces in all of Paris!
Sacré Cœur
Sacré Cœur is a famous Roman Catholic church that is still used today but loves to welcome guests! A beautiful spot to view the city from as well!
Chateau de Versailles
This is probably my favorite thing I got to see. I went to a firework show in July, and it was nothing short of magical. Walking through the gardens and seeing the hall of mirrors is incredible.
Favorite Book Store -
Shakespeare + Company is honestly my favorite book store. It is filled with beautiful books from all over, mostly all in English and they have French books translated to English as well! Their address is 37 Rue de la Bûcherie, 75005 Paris
Favorite Shopping Spots -
Galeries Lafayette - 40 Bd Haussmann, 75009 Paris
Galeries Lafayette
Samaritaine - 9 R. de la Monnaie, 75001 Paris
Samaritaine
Understanding the Metro/RER/Bus -
Public transportation in Paris may seem confusing, but it really is very simple and so convenient. The first step is to get the RATP app, it tells you which stops to get off, which metros are air-conditioned, how busy each line is, and more!
Metro - If you are only coming for a few days, I recommend just getting a pack of 10 tickets. There are little kiosks at each metro station where you can put the setting on English, purchase a pack of 10, and proceed through. If you use the little tickets, there will be a little hole where you place it in and it will automatically pop out the otherside, grab it and push through! Keep ahold of your ticket though, because sometimes the RATP workers etc. check to make sure you have a ticket! Each ticket can only be used once, so they are just one-ways! If you are staying for longer, you can do the Navigo pass for a week! The weeks I believe start on Monday or Sunday, so if you get to Paris on a Thursday, buying a week-long Navigo won’t do you much good because it will end in a few days, so keep that in mind.
RER - So this bad boy was actually really confusing for me. I went in the wrong direction far more than I would like to admit. So, when you look up the directions for the RER, it will give you a direction to go towards, so follow the signs for that specific RER towards that direction, and then there will be a specific train you will get on. You don’t just hop on any RER B Sud and hope for the best. Sometimes, if the stop is only a few stops away, any RER is fine, but double-check the map if you decide that. Also, even if you took a metro to the RER, you need to use your same ticket from the metro to both enter and exit the RER.
Bus - The bus is actually quite simple, I just prefer the metro! but for those who can’t do lots of stairs, have kids, etc the bus may be easier. You get in (scan your ticket or Navigo when you walk on the bus) and then when it is your stop, click the button by your seat!