In 2012 I was lucky enough to set foot in Paris twice. The longer visit was to stay with a friend over the Memorial Day Weekend – what a glorious time to visit! Since I first visited Paris in 2000, I wanted to experience the City of Lights as a well seasoned traveller – like someone that a newly arrived tourist would stop and ask for directions.
Recently one of my dear friends asked for my recommendations on destinations and experiences in Paris that they might want to visit during their short trip. Here’s a quick summary of what I shared:
Beautiful Sights
- Tuileries Garden: 113 Rue de Rivoli 75001 – it’s the Central Park of Paris. You can grab a crepe (savory or sweet) and sit in the garden for a lovely break in the middle of your day plus interesting people watching. This is also the park that is right next door to the Louvre
- Musee l’Orangerie: this is on the other side of the Tuleries and is a peaceful measuem filled with impressionist art
- Batobus: this is the hop on hop off ferry that runs on the Seine River. The Paris Metro is cool, but this is such a lovely way to get around Paris.
Delicious Food
- La Grande Epicerie: Prepared foods, plus groceries, like a gourmet Whole Foods Market, plus wines plus is linked to a department store with everything else you could possibly be looking for if you were a local Parisian. Lovely to browse as everything is more exotic in a different language!
Luxurious Souvenirs
- Anne Fontaine: 396 Rue Saint Honoré, Paris, France +33 1 42 61 18 50. This is my all time favorite women’s clothing store.
- Hermes L’Maison: 17 rue de Sèvres 75006 Paris France (Saint-Germain-Des-Prés) This is the store that used to be a swimming pool – so it’s super chic on the inside! There’s also a tea store and florist which are lovely, in an Hermes elegant way.
- On Blvd Saint Germain is the lovely original Diptyque candle store. Diptyque is at 34 Blvd Saint Germain 75005. Lots of interesting little stores in this area so it is worth taking the time to walk around and explore.
Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world. I will never tire of visiting The City Of Lights.
How about you: What destination calls to you? Where do you long to visit (or visit over and over again!)?