A Simple Guide to Paris, Part 2

There are few places in the world to find a better meal than Paris. Waiters and retail workers have a reputation of being a little snooty to Americans, but I've found that if you try to be polite, in French first, they will likely switch to English as soon as possible and be very helpful. A simple "Bonjour" when entering a store or a restaurant will do wonders.

Now that you've got that down, here are some of my favorite places for eating, drinking and shopping. As I said in Part 1, I spent most of my time in the Saint Michel-Latin Quarter-Luxembourg area, so naturally, my favorite places are in that area. But every area has its own charming restaurants, shops and bars. Other favorite areas: Le Marais, Bastille, and Monmartre.

Food and Drink

Not counting the fancy, reservation-required restaurants, choosing a place to eat in Paris is done on more of a "stumble upon" basis. Unless you are unlucky, most cafes have amazing food and you won't go wrong sitting at any cafe along the streets of Paris. 

That being said, here are a few places that I loved:

Le Jardin d’en Face – In Monmartre. Tiny restaurant but delicious food. It’s one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Ever.

Brasserie Lipp and/or Les Deux Magots – Boulevard Saint Germain. These two restaurants are almost right across the street from each other. They were both famous Hemingway haunts. Because of that, they run on the slightly more expensive side. I’d recommend Deux Magots; the atmosphere is not quite as stuffy as Lipp.

Laduree – On the Champs Elysses. Famous for their macaroons and tea.

The Best Falafel in the World – in the Marais, Rue de Rosiers. That is literally the name of the place.

L'As Du Falafel is also on that street and is incredible. The lines for both of these are usually pretty long, so I'd suggest going early.

Restaurants on Rue de la Huchette – Saint Michel metro stop. Il Gigolo Italian is great for pizza/pasta. The gyro place to the right of it (they put the French fries in the sandwich) was my favorite.

Crepes – Street vendors are all over the place, especially in touristy areas like Saint Michel and Jardin de Tuileries.

Le Loir Dans La Theieri -- Brunch place in the Marais on Rue de Rosiers. It's an adorable little tea restaurant with incredible fried eggs, coffee and fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice.

The Pink Flamingo -- Near Canal St. Martin. You order your pizza, they hand you a pink balloon, then they will find you with your order out by the canal. It's a cool experience in a beautiful area of Paris where few tourists go. And the pizza is incredible. I recommend the Paella Pizza!

Good for big groups, too!

Shopping

Rue de Rivoli – From Rue Saint Jacques, walk north across the river and the Isle de la Cite until you get to Rue de Rivoli, which is where all the H&M-type places are located. You can follow it all the way down to the Louvre and Champs Elysses.

Boulvard St. Honore/Champs Elysses – Higher end places but fun to go to.

Shakespeare & Co. – The famous English bookstore and another Hemingway place. I would get lost downstairs among all the famous titles, and then take my journal upstairs to sit by the window facing Notre Dame and write. If you buy something, make sure you ask for the official Shakespeare & Co. stamp to mark your book!

Boulevard St. Germain -- Lots of fun shops on this street, some unknown, some well known like Zara and LOFT.

Rue Mouffetard – Cobblestone street with cute shops, and places to buy cheese and wine. Place de la Contrascarpe is a great plaza with restaurants flanking its fountain.

Nighttime Activities
Similar to the Food section, bars work on a “stumble-upon” basis. That’s the best way to do it, in my opinion. Nighttime is also the best time for picnics that I discussed in Part 1.

Wide Open Spaces -- on Rue St. Jacques, an English bar with great original cocktails and a fun atmosphere.

Piano Bar -- on Rue de la Huchette. Drinks are kind of expensive, but the live music always makes it worth it.

Requin Chagrin – Irish bar in the Place Contrascarpe off Rue Mouffetard. It has a great little outdoor area where I've spent hours people watching (a typical Parisian pastime).

Café Universel – Jazz Club on Rue Saint Jacques. The mojitos are fantastic, and they have jazz every few nights. They're also open for lunch and made a great cafe au lait.

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Paris has been written about so much, that often times it's difficult to find anything new to say. I would encourage anyone who is going to Paris for the first time to not get stressed out if you don't see every single tourist attraction on the list. If an American's pace is "go-go-go," a Parisian's is "enjoy-enjoy-enjoy." The Mona Lisa will always be there, but the kind waiter willing to help you with your French will not, nor will that gorgeous sunset sinking over the Seine on a summer night. So enjoy, and discover the Parisian in you.

A Simple Guide to Paris, Part 1

After attending the Paris Writing Workshop last summer, a friend was traveling to Europe to celebrate graduating law school and taking the bar. She asked if I would send her a list of things to do in Paris and London for her and her boyfriend. At first I thought I'd write a short email of places to see and food to eat, but it was virtually impossible to keep the list shorter than about two pages. As I typed, I felt like I was reliving my time there.

Since then, a few others have asked me to send them my list of things to do in Paris. I've made few changes after spending another month there this summer, and I offer it here as a way to, yet again, remember and relive my experiences.

There is enough in Paris to keep a traveler occupied for fifty years, but here are the few experiences I found to be most valuable and memorable, if you're only there for a week or so.

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I spent most of my time in the Notre Dame/Saint Michel area, and further south on the Left Bank, between Rue Saint Jacques/Mouffetard, and Luxembourg Garden areas. It’s a lovely little neighborhood, and one of the oldest in Paris. 

Activities

Some/No Cost:
Picnics – My favorite thing to do in Paris is buy a baguette, some cheese, and a bottle of wine, and picnic somewhere beautiful with a group of friends. The best places are the Champs de Mars (the park by the Eiffel tower), the Quai Saint Bernard, and the quais by Notre Dame. When I look back, those times were more fun than a visit to any famous tourist site.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Luxembourg Garden – Luxembourg metro stop. This is where Hemingway used to walk through on his way to Gertrude Stein’s house. It has gorgeous fountains and lots of green space.

Walks along the Seine – I loved walking by the river with no particular destination:
There are street vendors all along the river near the Notre Dame. Some fun souvenirs for pretty cheap, and it’s fun to walk by and look at it all.
I recommend walking from Notre Dame along the Left bank (by the Saint Michel fountain) to the “Lovers’ bridge” or “Pont de Beaux Arts,” which was the first pedestrian-only bridge in Paris. It is famous because couples will buy a lock, write their names on it, lock it onto the bridge, and then throw the key into the river, sealing their love forever (until the city of Paris replaces the metal panels every few months...). After you cross Lovers’ bridge, walk around the Louvre pyramid and into the Jardins de Tuileries. After a nice long walk through the beautiful garden, you’ll come to the Place du Condorde, where Anne Hathaway threw her blackberry into one of the ornate fountains in Devil Wears Prada. If you keep walking, you’ll walk right up the Champs Elysses to the Arc de Triomphe. This is a long walk, but you'll go by plenty of cafes to rest and have a glass of wine.

Monmartre – Blanche or Pigalle metro stops. This is the artsy district of Paris. Sacre Coeur basilica is one of my favorite places in Paris and it lends incredible views of the city. The area is great for wandering: Moulin Rouge, Pigalle, and really fun restaurants and cafes. It's a hill-y area, so wear walking shoes!

Sacre Coeur Basilica

Le Marais – This is an area on the Right bank that used to be known as the Jewish quarter, but is becoming a really hip and popular section of the city. Known for their Sunday brunch here, it is divine. There are also some great falafel places around there, too. Place de Vosges is the lovely, shaded plaza where Victor Hugo lived.

Notre Dame – The line is usually long but the inside is absolutely beautiful. If you don't want to wait in line, though, walk around to the back, sit on a bench and admire the architecture.

Cost

Museums & Sites –

• The Louvre is pretty, but overwhelming. As a first timer, it's definitely something to see, but I don't feel the need to go again...
• Musee d’Orsay is worth the 9-euro entry fee. You’ll find Renoir, Degas, Monet, and other very moving impressionists works.
• L’Orangerie – “The Orange Grove,” Napoleon built this place because he wanted fresh-squeezed orange juice every morning. Monet’s Water Lillies are here, as well as other Impressionist artists like Picasso and Renoir. Very cool and not too expensive, 9 euro or around there.
• Rodin museum and gardens – “The Thinker” is here, and many other sculptures and works. On a pleasant day, the gardens are a wonderful place to have a picnic.
• Versailles – If you have an empty half- to full-day, I recommend going out to Versailles. The palace and gardens are overwhelmingly gorgeous, and the town itself is very charming. Tickets to see the palace run about 21 euros, plus the 45-minute train to get out there.

Inside Musee d'Orsay

Next up, Part 2: Food and Drink!