We rolled into Paris on the morning train from Cannes with three nights and one clear priority: eat well. Paris is one of those cities where you could spend a week and still miss the good stuff, so here’s everything we ate and drank — the dinners, the lunches, the hot chocolate, the wine bars — plus what we did between meals.
Dinner
L’ami Louis — Best roasted chicken and escargot of the trip, maybe ever. Really big portions, and the service was very French (i.e., veryyyyyyy French — big personalities). But the meal food-wise was great, and that’s what you’re there for.
L’ami Jean — Do the tasting menu and come HUNGRY. It was delicious and we enjoyed every bite. Parmesan soup to start (who knew that was a thing?), then fish, sweetbreads, and a rice pudding dessert that was amazing.
Frenchie’s wine bar — another good spot for dinner, and we loved walking around this area at night.
Lunch
Bistro Richelieu — near our hotel, with great French onion soup, steak au poivre, and profiteroles. Not a must-do if you’re across town, but if you’re nearby it was great.
L’As du Fallafel — I am not a falafel connoisseur, but this place is well known for a reason, and it was great. The area around it is fun to walk around too — this is your excuse to spend an afternoon in the Marais.
Kodawari Ramen — we ended up here on our last night because I really wanted soup, and it was delicious and quite the experience. The whole place is themed after the Tokyo fish market, which I did not expect in Paris but fully embraced.
Coffee and hot chocolate
Angelina — unreal hot chocolate. They have locations all over the place now, so just go to whichever one is most convenient. Tip: you can skip the line if you get it to go at the main location.
Café de Flore — very overpriced but a classic Left Bank café. Sometimes you’re paying for the history and the people-watching, and that’s fine.
Drinks
Hôtel Plaza Athénée — go for fancy drinks, then go see the Eiffel Tower at night. Peak Paris.
Willi’s wine bar — a great wine bar stop in the middle of everything.
And a general rule: everyone in Paris starts drinking at 6pm. Just get some wine and join the party.
Between meals
You can’t (and shouldn’t) eat all day, so here’s how we did the sights — most of this fits neatly between meals.
Buy a museum pass. You can buy the actual pass at the first museum you go to, but make reservations for the museums ahead of time. Our picks:
- L’Orangerie — really the only thing to see here is Monet’s Water Lilies, but it’s def worth the visit and it’s right in the Tuileries Gardens.
- The Louvre — Rick Steves for the audio tour, always.
- Musée d’Orsay — very cool museum where you recognize a ton of the artists even if you aren’t an art person at all. Rick Steves again.
- Versailles — gorgeous, and worth the day trip. Download Rick Steves’ Audio Europe app for the audio tours — seriously, pro tip, must follow.
- Notre Dame — it was closed from the fire damage when we visited, but it’s still pretty to walk by.
- The Eiffel Tower — obviously.
- The Seine boat tour looked cool, but we just walked along the river all the time instead, which was free and lovely.
Neighborhoods worth exploring: Le Marais, St-Germain-des-Prés, the Champs-Élysées (it’s like Fifth Avenue in NYC), the Tuileries Gardens, and the Luxembourg Gardens.
Where I stayed
Hôtel Louvre Unbound — awesome location, right next to the metro and walking distance to so many great areas. Solid hotel, no complaints.
(If you’re visiting at Christmas — that’s a whole other post.)
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