Bonjour mes amis!! I bet you didn’t know I took French until my freshman year in college? It’s really not that impressive, but it definetly comes out after a glass or two of Sancerre. Anyway, pardon my French, but I’m so freakin excited to share part of our 10 Year anniversary trip with you today. The first stop was actually in Santorini, but that post is going to take a while since we were there for 5 days. So I thought it would be great to get out the 36 Hours in Paris post first.
Before we begin, I just want to set up this Paris visit. Jeff and I have visited Paris before, just not with each other. We choose this as a great way to break up the flights home and also really wanted to experience the city together. If this is your first time and you’re for must haves like hitting all the museums, seeing all the sites, and walking around with a beret and a baguette, I would recommend a more in depth post. For us, we wanted to walk around, eat amazing food, and drink lots and lots of wine. So this is great if you have a layover in Paris or its the first stop of a multi-stop European vacation. We made every moment count!
Cami / Leopard Skirt / Booties / Red Lipstick, Girls Night Out
DAY 1
We landed around 5 PM at CDG and took a taxi to our hotel, Prince de Galles, which on George V was in a nice neighborhood not far off the Champs Elysee. The hotel is gorgeous! We settled in, showered, and were off. {Reminder: we were in Greece that morning with only an hour time difference, so no jet lag issues}. First stop, we took an Uber to the Ritz! While we were keeping this leg of the trip pretty casual, we wanted to make it a little special and decided on a drink on the outdoor patio. It was absolutely lovely – gorgeous weather, a piano playing, beautiful surroundings, just perfection. I ordered a Sancerre and Jeff got a dirty Martini. My wine was so refreshing and delightful, we both ordered another before heading off to dinner.
Jeff secured reservations two weeks prior at KONG. This spot is on the top floor of a building close to Pont Neuf with spectacular views. We debated this restaurant because it is Asian inspired and Jeff wanted more French. But the food was very good, included some French classics and we really enjoyed our meal. The atmosphere really makes it. If you can, try to get a seat close to the window. We mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary in the reservation notes.
After dinner we walked along the river back to the hotel. It was almost a 2 mile walk but we love city walking, especially at night. Plus, we were able to get gorgeous night views of the Eiffel Tower lit up. We felt safe and there were people along the route.
DAY 2
Jeff went for a jog along the path we walked the night before and I watched the sunrise from the hotel room. Although we weren’t doing many touristy things, we felt compelled to visit the Eiffel Tour together. We walked over in the morning, which was great because it wasn’t too overcrowded. After snapping a few pictures, we took an Uber to grab a quick bite to eat at Cafe de Flore. Here, we felt like Parisiennes ordering coffee, croissants and an omelette, which was one of the best we ever had.
Before heading to the Marais district, we walked around a little, went past Notre Dame, which I refused to take many pictures of since I want her restored to her old glory, and explored a few neighborhoods. Our lunch destination was Les Philosophes, where we heard had great French Onion Soup. We ordered a bottle of Sancerre, steak tartare and the soup {which was good, not mind blowing}. Sitting there was amazing, just watching the people go by!
Next, we headed to a restaurant on top of the George Pompidou. From there, you can see all of the city. We ordered some rose, took it all in, and caught up with with our old roommate from NYC, Bo, who currently lives in London.
For dinner, we headed to Le Coq Rico in the Montmartre neighborhood. We heard the chicken there was spectacular and again, we wanted casual and good food. We loved it! You are also really close to places like La Maison Rose bar and other great places to sit and drink. {Just remember, many places and restaurants are closed or have limited hours in August!}
After an another great day, it was back to the hotel for one last sleep.
It was the trip of a lifetime!
Have you been to Paris? What are some of your favorite places and things to do?
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