If you have the time to visit Paris either before or after our wedding, we have a some general advice about place to see and where to stay! First and foremost, Paris is a walking city. So whenever you can, walk walk walk.
Paris is divided in Arrondissements. Generally, we prefer the 5th Arrondissement, which is also called the “Latin Quarter”. This has some older streets that weren’t redesigned (Rue Mouffetard, for example). The map I’ve attached focuses mostly on the 5th and 6th, which are both on the left bank, but has general advice for all over the city.
General information:
Grocery Shops (not on maps):
A lot of grocery stores in Paris are closed on Sunday, so plan ahead for food and drinks.
- Monoprix: groceries plus sundry items, think small Target
- Franprix: groceries
- Carrefour: groceries, these are the best for food/wine
- Casino (or Petit Casino): groceries and a few other things
- Nicolas: These are wine stores around the city.
Metro:
The metro system is very easy to use. It closes around 12:30 am. You can buy a packet of ten tickets (a carnet) from a machine, valid for one ride (with internal transfers). You usually have to save your ticket to get off the train in some places—so, make sure you save them as you go.
Uber/Taxis:
There is Uber, which works fine, and you won’t have to speak French. 90% of the Taxis drivers understand English. All taxis are supposed to take credit cards, but they often refuse, so ask before you get in or make sure you have cash on you.
The Map:
These are my personal recommendations for around Paris. These are not exhaustive, and don’t usually include standard tourist sites, those are included below.
Mostly the 5th and 6th Arrondissement:
De Vinis Illustribus
This is the place you HAVE to do a wine tasting. Contact Lionel or Dominque to plan your tasting. You’re going to want a lunch time tasting most likely. It is a bit costly, but well worth it.
Place de la Contrescarpe
Good for a glass of wine or café. Here I am referring to the actual square itself, not to any particular restaurants.
Drinks along the River:
After you put the kids to bed, you can sit anywhere along the Seine and drink wine. Just walk down to any old place, put your feet over the edge and drink some wine. I like to go where you can see the Notre-Dame. But anywhere with a view is good.
Fromagerie Laurent Dubois
One of the best cheese shops in Paris. Be sure to get raw milk camembert when you are in Paris. Don’t refrigerate it. It is supposed to be eat at room temp, so you can spread it on bread.
Le Petit Café –6 Rue Descartes, Paris
On Sundays they have a good brunch special. The café is in Place Larue, a tiny square near the start of Rue Mouffetard. The cafés and restaurants here are frequented by students and locals.
Le Jardin du Luxembourg:
This is a good place to take the kids. They let you rent wooden sailboats for the fountain. It is also just a very nice place to walk around.
Église Saint-Sulpice
A 17th century church with some cool lion fountains. There are several restaurants just north (toward the river) of the church that you can try.
If you do end up by Saint-Suplice, there is a good little Italian/Pizza place called Santa Lucia. You can take kids here too.
Around Paris:
Sacré-Cœur
You’ll get a good view of the city around sunset from up here. Super touristy though, so watch out for pickpockets.
Bois de Boulogne
This is a good place for a hike or a run.
Clos Montmartre
The only vineyards in Paris! No wine though, sorry!
Flea Market: Les Puces de Saint-Ouen
This is a nice little flea market area where you can walk around. It’s called Les Marche aux Puces in French.
When you first get off the Metro you’ll be in the sort of modern area. Use Google maps to walk to: 99 Rue des Rosiers 75018 Paris, France. This will be the entrance to the actual little shop area (across the street from a sort of antique’s mall).
Walks:
Notre-Dame to Eiffel Tower:
Walking from Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower along the Seine is a very pretty and nice way to spend the day. The walk is long though, but there are plenty of Metro stops along the way so you can stop whenever.
Louvre to Arc de Triomphe:
It is best to walk from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe and not the other way around. You’ll start in the gardens of the Louvre and end up in the shopping district of the Champs-Elysées.
Rue Mouffetard:
A lot of my locations on the map are near to the Rue Mouffetard. It’s one of the old surviving streets. About the Mouffetard: “The origins of this thoroughfare are ancient, dating back to Neolithic times. As with today’s rue Galande, rue Lagrange, rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève and rue Descartes, it was a Roman road running from the Roman Rive Gauche city south to Italy. The area remained relatively unchanged because of its location on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, which protected it from Baron Haussmann’s redevelopment during the reign of Napoleon III.”
Around Paris (standard tourist stuff, not on map):
There are a million places to see, this is a very very short list of some of the top visited places with my notes.
Eiffel Tower:
If you want to go up, buy skip the line tickets ahead of time (you’ll still end up standing in line). And take the elevator; it’s a lot faster than the stairs.
Les Catacombes de Paris
I highly recommend the catacombs, especially if it is raining. You can take kids, but this is basically a giant maze of bones and skulls, so you know, don’t take them unless they like gross stuff.
Panthéon:
This was originally a church, it now functions as a secular museum/mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens. It’s a pretty cool big building, and only takes about 30 mins to explore.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris:
Besides near a place for getting drinks along the Seine (see notes above), it’s also a church! Definitely, go inside (minor charge). The line can get long, so the day you want to go in, go on a weekday and go early. Notre-Dame sites on the Île de la Cité, which was essentially the island where Paris was founded. There are other things to see on the island including, Sainte-Chapelle, a church with amazing stained glass windows.
Musée d’Orsay
I prefer the D’Orsay museum to the Louvre. It has a lot more impressionists and post-impressionist work. It is also was once a train station, so it is very pretty inside as well. Got early in the morning, and head straight to the back and top floor. From there you can get a great view of the city through the old train station clocks.
Louvre:
The biggest museum in the city, and the second biggest in the world. You can see the Mona Lisa here, but it also has a very cool egyption wing. You can visit the glass pyramids and walk around outside for no charge.
Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysées:
The Champs-Elysées is essentially the original 5th Avenue. It has luxury shopping, cafes, and restaurants. Like I said in my walk advice, it is best to walk toward the Arc, and not away from it, when checking out the Champs-Elysées (French for Elysium Fields, or the final resting place of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous in Greek mythology). I wouldn’t really pay to go on top the Arc, unless there is a super short line or something (you have to go under the road to get to the entrance).
The Army Museum (Musée de l’Armée) and Napoleon’s tomb:
This is cool if you are interested in military history, and armor. It also include Les Invalides, a working french military hospital.