Paris Bucket List
Look, Paris is annoying because everyone's always like, "Oh, Paris is just the best, you'll love it." And you get there and... yeah. That's true. There's something going on in each of those areas. The Left Bank is full of intellectual types and bookstores. Montmartre is a village that somehow managed to get itself inside a city. But seriously? There's nothing quite like a perfect croissant at 7 a.m. on a cold bench that's going to get you more than the Eiffel Tower ever could.
Why Paris belongs on your bucket list
I was a bit of a Paris skeptic before I went. Everyone's always talking about it and how life-changing it is and whatever. And I get there and I stand on this bridge over the Seine and watch the sun set and think, "Oh. Oh no. They were right." The Impressionists painted this light for a reason. There's something weird about it. Haussmann basically destroyed half of Paris in the 1800s to make those wide boulevards and that worked out just fine. But that's not even the best part. The best part is an espresso at a zinc bar where the bartender has been disdainfully serving tourists for 30 years. The part where you find a courtyard from 1300 AD behind a random door in the Marais and have no idea where you are or why you're here. That's the Paris that'll get you.
When to go
April, June. That's when you should go. Cherry blossoms, long days, and you can actually walk around without dying of heat stroke. September and October are actually better, if you ask me. Fewer tourists, same great light, and wine harvest is in full swing just outside of Paris. July is just hot. August? The Parisians basically flee. Like, have you ever been somewhere and just everyone has left? That's Paris in August. Winter's a bad word in Paris, but I kind of love it. Grey skies and all that, but you get a bistro to yourself and a cup of wine is just a little more pleasant when it's cold out.
Must-visit places in Paris
Eiffel Tower
Don't waste your time going to the summit. I mean it. The views are better on the second floor, and the lines will be half as long. At night, the whole place sparkles for five minutes on the hour. Bring a bottle of wine, sit down on the Champ de Mars grass, and watch it sparkle. That's the experience. Buy your tickets online two weeks in advance or you'll be waiting in the regular lines forever.
Louvre Museum
The Louvre is huge. Like, you-won't-even-begin-to-scratch-the-surface huge. Don't waste your time going in through the pyramid. Go in through the underground mall called the Carrousel du Louvre. There's no line at all. Go immediately to the Winged Victory of Samothrace on the landing. She's a showstopper. Then go backwards from there. On Wednesday and Friday nights, the museum is open late, and it's half empty. Go to one wing. Just one. Don't be a hero.
Musee d'Orsay
It's a converted train station. A beautiful one. And then there's the museum inside it. The very best collection of Impressionist works in the entire world. Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh... the originals of the posters that decorate the walls of college dorm rooms everywhere. They're better in real life than in prints. The cafe on the top floor looks out behind the big clock face and has a view of the Seine through the glass. Nobody expects that. It's the best surprise in the place.
Sacre-Coeur & Montmartre
The walk up is steep. Your legs will appreciate that. But then you get those steps and look out over all of Paris and realize that this is free. Stroll the streets where Picasso went broke but remained brilliant. Place du Tertre has artists selling portraits, and that's just a little too touristy, but in a nice way. Grab a coffee in some out-of-the-way café in the back streets of Montmartre, and you'll feel as if you have stepped back in time.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
They rebuilt it. Okay, so that fire in 2019 could have destroyed everything, but they rebuilt Notre Dame, and actually, it's even more moving now than it was before. The rose windows cast this medieval light over the stone that your phone cannot even begin to replicate. Don't even try. Just stand there and look. Go in early in the morning when no one is there yet, 8 a.m. or something, and you'll have the entire nave to yourself.
Sainte-Chapelle
Most people walk right by this. It's inside the Palais de Justice, and you might miss it. That's a shame, however, because in the top chapel, they have 1,113 stained glass panels and on a sunny day, the entire room is a kaleidoscope of color. It's almost aggressive in its beauty. Go in about noon when the sun is shining full force. Get a ticket that includes the Conciergerie, and that's just next door.
Le Marais
This is where old Paris and new Paris intersect. Medieval mansions housing galleries featuring things you will not find anywhere else. Falafel stands on Rue des Rosiers during an actual war to see who has the best sandwich (L'As du Fallafel, probably, but the line is insane). Quirky stores featuring French designers you've never heard of. Come on Sundays when cars are not allowed and everyone just strolls around the area.
Luxembourg Gardens
This is Parisians' living room. People reading books on the benches, runners running their laps around the park, kids sailing toy boats on the octagonal pond with sticks. Find the Medici Fountain hidden away in the northeast section of the park. It's ridiculously romantic and no one's there. Find one of the green metal chairs and drag it over to sit down and watch the world go by for an hour. Free admission. Perfect break between museums.
Arc de Triomphe & Champs-Elysees
284 steps to the top. No elevator for you. But the payoff is worth it: 360-degree views of the city along twelve avenues that all radiate out like the spokes of a wheel. Under the arch, the eternal flame for France's unknown soldier is relit every evening at 6:30 pm. Come back for this if you can time it right. The Champs-Elysees. Overrated for shopping. Good for people-watching. Come by and walk it out to say you did it.
Bouillon Pigalle
Escargot, duck confit, creme brulee - all of it - in a beautiful dining room - for under 20 Euros. This has to be some kind of mistake. Bouillon Pigalle has revived the old 19th-century French food stand idea - proper French food served fast and served well and served in a beautiful dining room and served for prices that do not make you want to cry. Long line but it moves fast. No reservations. Just show up and dine like a king for backpacker prices.
Canal Saint-Martin
This is where real Parisians hang out, not tourists. On warm evenings, they drink wine and cheese they picked up at the fromageries around the corner and sit along the canal. Iron footbridges, old locks, cafes. The Paris you see in French movies, and then think doesn't really exist. Except it does. Head north from Republique, and you'll find independent bookstores, vintage shops, and some of the best specialty coffee around.
Pere Lachaise Cemetery
A cemetery is not usually this interesting. Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Chopin. Mossy tombstones under old trees, winding paths through the cobblestones, and the sense of walking through something that's both a park and a museum. Get a map at the entrance, though, because you'll get lost. The place is huge. Go in the morning when the fog is still clinging to the trees. Peacefully haunting.
Paris insider tips
- Metro: Get a Navigo Easy card or buy a carnet of 10 tickets. The Metro is faster than Uber during rush hour and includes everything.
- Museum pass: The Paris Museum Pass is worth it. It's 2 or 4 days and includes skip-the-line tickets to 50+ places. You only need it if you're going to the Louvre and Orsay.
- Dining: Eat dinner at lunch. Most restaurants offer a prix fixe menu at lunch that's half the price of dinner. Same food, same chef. Also: Make a reservation at any restaurant, including casual ones. Paris doesn't accommodate walk-ins well.
- Tipping: Service is already included in the bill. It says service compris. A euro or two if the service was great is nice but not necessary.
- Walking: The city center is 20 minutes in any direction. Walk it. The best stuff in the city is in the areas in between the famous landmarks, not at the landmarks.
- Language: Say Bonjour when you enter any store or restaurant. That's it. That one word changes everything. The famous Parisian attitude of being rude disappears if you say that one word.
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