On Sunday, June 9, we made our way from the Champagne region to Paris in the late afternoon. We got settled at our hotel – the Hilton Paris Opera, located in the 8th arrondissement – where we had an attractive, updated room with lovely amenities; it was tiny but cozy feeling and very quiet. This was overall perhaps my favorite hotel where we stayed on the trip, with gorgeous architecture, proximity to attractions and a convenient metro station, and an easy buffet breakfast each morning.
After doing some laundry in the sink, we ventured out to the nearby Galeries Lafayette department store where we wandered up to the terrace just before it closed at 7:30 pm and were delighted by the view, a perfect first experience in Paris.
We then walked to Triadou Haussmann for a quick, simple, and delicious first Parisian dinner on a sidewalk table for two.
We started out the following day with a bike tour. Biking in Paris was more enjoyable than I would have expected; it probably helped that we happened to be out on a quieter Monday morning. Our first stop was at the elegant Galerie Vivienne, a historic covered mall with shops and restaurants, truly a gem.
We stopped next at the exquisite Palais Royal and gardens and had a peaceful stroll.
We rode by the Louvre, for which we had tickets later in the week.
We snapped photos at the end of Rue de l’Université for this stunning view of the Eiffel Tower.
After riding by Les Invalides, we made our way down through Le Marais and ended our tour at Place des Vosges, such a charming square.
After grabbing a quick lunch, we had a timed entry ticket at the Palais Garnier, the famous opera house near our hotel that calls to mind The Phantom of the Opera.
That evening, we enjoyed a delicious, leisurely meal with excellent service at Café de la Paix. The experience ended with a complimentary refreshing mint macaron.
Our second full day in Paris began with a visit to the wonderful Musée d’Orsay – the most crowded museum experience we had, but well worth it. I loved the temporary impressionist exhibit (see it through July 14th).
We then walked to Noglu, an all gluten-free café and bakery. It was a delight to find a baguette sandwich that I could eat, and I even got a croissant, pain au chocolat, and banana bread to go, and munched on them the following mornings – all were simply scrumptious!
Walking to the Rodin Museum marks the moment when we started to fall in love with Paris. Everywhere we turned was a gorgeous street or building or door.
Entering the museum and garden was so dreamy.
The Thinker was having some work done to it, but we were able to see it, along with Rodin’s other famous works in the gardens and inside the museum.
From there, we headed toward Luxembourg Gardens, and on the way a restaurant and coffee shop called Judy caught my eye, which turned out to be 100% gluten-free as well! Since I’d already gotten goodies from Noglu, I simply grabbed a delicious matcha latte and we continued toward the park; I definitely need to go back and eat there someday.
Luxembourg Gardens is a beautiful and spacious park to relax, stroll, people watch, play, sail little boats, and just soak up the day. We sat and munched on some of the banana bread, and then meandered through, loving the views.
We walked back toward the Seine – of course stopping and seeing charming places along the way.
It was a delight to see Place Dauphine, a very pretty square at one end of Île de la Cité.
We continued our walk and saw Notre-Dame, which is still under construction with surrounding panels that explain the entire process.
That evening, we felt tired from a big but wonderful walking day and had dinner at a restaurant located in our hotel called Quai 108; it was cute, casual, and delicious.
The next morning was so fun and one of our favorite experiences. We took a macaron-making class with Le Cordon Bleu at Hôtel de la Marine. Chef Jérôme Samuel led the class and demonstrated everything for us. His instructions were given in French, followed by an English translator. We made raspberry and lime as well as blackcurrant macarons step-by-step with his guidance; he circulated and helped us as needed. He was a funny and wonderful instructor. We were able to keep all of our macarons and even our aprons as well. I highly recommend this special class.
After the class, we dropped our items at the hotel and started walking toward Musée de la Vie Romantique; on our way, the sweetest little library with a garden captured our attention – the Bibliothèque Louise Walser-Gaillard. I love discovering hidden gems like this spot.
Musée de la Vie Romantique is in a darling old house and featured the works of different artists, writers, and musicians – although the information was all in French with no English translation, so I had to work to read what I could (I speak some French)! Regardless, it was interesting to see, with a beautiful garden as well as the Rose Bakery where we sat down for a snack and some tea. It’s a lovely place to relax for a sightseeing break.
We then wandered up into Montmartre, seeing the Moulin Rouge, the Wall of Love, Le Consultat, and the charming hilly streets. It was pretty crowded in this area, and we walked up to Sacré-Coeur, probably the busiest touristy sight we saw. Upon finding another gluten-free bakery, La Manufacture du Sans Gluten, I couldn’t resist buying a baguette (it was divine), and we decided to simply grab other groceries and enjoy a picnic dinner in our hotel room.
Our last day in Paris, like most of our stay there already, was a dream. I couldn’t get enough of walking through the magical city. We started the day with a timed entry ticket (we purchased all of our museum tickets/activities in advance) to the Louvre and entered through the Carrousel du Louvre (the easier entrance!). We guided ourselves on the Louvre’s website with their Masterpieces tour which was excellent and easy to follow, and also viewed some other pieces we found interesting.
We had a quick and easy patio lunch nearby at Le Nemours, and then walked to a cute walk-up gluten-free and vegan spot called La Guinguette d’Angèle where I got a soft, fluffy, chocolatey cookie and fresh peach iced tea. You can even order a lunchbox to-go.
We next strolled through the Tuileries…
…until we came to Musée de l’Orangerie where we had the joy of seeing Monet’s waterlilies, which was especially incredible after visiting the place that inspired these paintings and seeing the waterlilies in person.
After, we wandered the nearby streets and stumbled upon Angelina Paris, known for their famous hot chocolate. (We had actually eaten lunch at the Angelina in Versailles the previous week!) They had a little takeaway cart outside the restaurant and were serving the hot chocolate (as well as gelato), so of course, I had to try it! It was spectacularly rich and decadent.
For our last night in Paris, we first grabbed a drink at Bar Hemingway, a dim and cozy Hemingway-inspired spot in the same location where Hemingway himself used to frequent. They serve complimentary snacks, and my drink, the Daisy, was so delightful and even came with a bright red rose; the whole experience was quite a treat.
From there, we walked to Laurent for a celebratory final dinner, enjoying the gorgeous interior and stepping out to see the patio as well. They even had live music begin at 9 p.m. It was the perfect final Parisian experience. I just adored Paris, and as with the Champagne region, was sad to leave the next morning – but excited, too, to take a train to Amsterdam.
P.S. The London recap, the Versailles & Giverny recap, and the Champagne region recap. Amsterdam recap to come.
