Where to Go in Paris

eiffel-tower-paris-twilight

This is long list filled with great recommendations of where to go and beautiful photos of delicious pastries in Paris. I realize, though, that you might need a handy short list. Here’s a list of the places I personally recommend going in Paris:

Where I Stayed in Paris

Hotel Maxim Follies in the 9th Arrondissement

List of Where to Eat in Paris

Sweets in Paris

Pierre Herme

Angelina

Pain Pain

Real Meals in Paris

Aux Artistes

Jeanne B

Floquifil

List of What to See in Paris

Eiffel Tower

Louvre Museum

Tuileries Garden

Arch du Triumph

Champs Elysees

Sacre Couer

Now, on to the prettier and more entertaining list!

Before heading to Paris last fall I asked my friend Julia who has EXCELLENT taste in food and travel where I needed to go and she came THRU y’all! Here’s Julia’s list of recommendations along with my commentary and my recommendations in italics:

Where to Eat in Paris

Dessert in Paris – Patisseries, Chocolatiers, Macarons, etc.

LA PATISSERIE DES REVES

Super fancy pastry shop. We made the mistake of getting a brioche and pan au chocolate from them (brioche was alright, pan au chocolate super tasty, so not truly a mistake ;-p).

Paris Tip: The mistake is that we were ordering bakery/boulangerie items – at a patisserie. We should have gone for fancy pastries instead which are their specialty. Only boulangerie’s by name have to make their dough on site, so those are the places you want to target for your baked goods.

MAISON DU CHOCOLATE

Super delicious and rich chocolates. Highly recommend! I kept thinking I would go here because they were all over the place, but never ended up going.

LADUREE

Highly regarded macarons, we only liked the chocolate one. I passed by this one on the Champs-Élysées and it looked pretty, but since Julia wasn’t feeling it I knew I didn’t need to waste my time!

PIERRE HERMÉ

pierre-hermes-macarons-4pack
The 4 pack of macarons I got at Pierre Hermes in Paris were TO DIE FOR.

More highly regarded macarons, only we thought these tasted way better! Haha Yas yas 100 times YAZZZ!!! I loved the area this place was in it reminds me of Beverly Hills. Pierre Hermes has some really fancy pants chocolates and macarons and they were TASTY.

pierre-hermes-macarons
Macaron selection at Pierre Hermes in Paris, France
pierre-hermes-desserts-paris
The other desserts and pastries at Pierre Hermes in Paris

ANGELINA

Angelina has ridiculously good hot chocolate that is actually melted chocolate haha.

angelina-paris-hot-chocolate
Negresco and the famous hot chocolate at Angelina which comes with a shot glass of whipped cream.

She wasn’t lying! This hot chocolate is super famous and this place is so wonderful and fancy and indulgent LOVED it. A heads up: we did have to wait about 20-30 minutes for a table here and it is $$$. Angelina is VERY close to The Louvre.

saint-honore-angelina-paris
Saint Honore at Angelina in Paris.
angelinas-paris-desserts
More desserts at Angelina’s in Paris
angelinas-desserts2
The desserts in Paris are a work of art themselves

Pain Pain

On our way to Sacre Couer we stopped at delicious Pain Pain for fuel.

pain-pain-paris-patisserie-bakery
Dessert assortment at Pain Pain in Paris

We shopped all the way up the hill to Sacre Couer and hit lots of cute little boutiques in the area.

pain-pain-desserts-paris
Desserts and pastries at Pain Pain in Paris
pain-pain-paris-eclairs
Delicious looking eclairs at Pain Pain in Paris
pain-pain-paris-blushing-in-hollywood
Me, one of my cutest fun buns, my dessert, and my espresso at Pain Pain in Paris. What more could a girl want!?
eclair-pain-pain
The inside of an eclair at Pain Pain in Paris

Lunch and Dinner in Paris

COLOROVA

Our first lunch in Paris, which consisted of 3 courses all delicious and artfully presented (we were super impressed!) for appetizer, it was a poached egg atop greens beens sautéed in a butter sauce, the plat du jour – which was herb stuffed chicken breast crispy roasted and served on mashed potatoes, for the last – and best!!! – course, we had a house made pastry which was being made on site, delicate, beautiful and delicious. The prominent flavours were caramel and agrume (citrus). 3 courses for €20.

The courses menus were super popular in Paris and depending on the time you might not have the option to order a la carte. If you happen to be in the 6th arrondissement – which you should because it’s awesome for patisseries, bakeries, etc and contains the world’s first department store (Le Bon Marche) which is now super chic and Harrod’s esque – I would definitely recommend to stop in to Colorova for a pastry at the very least.

Cafe Mabillion

rose-paris
Rose and popcorn at Cafe Mabillion in Paris

After picking up our macarons we found which had an outdoor patio to drink rose and people watch at in the same area. 

me-molly-cafe-mabillion-selfie
Me and my friend Molly enjoying a bottle of Rose at Cafe Mabillion in Paris

After drinking a bottle or 2 of rose Molly and I wandered around Saint-Germain and saw some interesting shops.

cat-souvinier-shop-paris
A cat themed shop in Paris
goldfish-graffiti-paris
Graffiti in Paris

AUX ARTISTES ***

Our favourite dinner spot where you can try all sorts of delicious French specialties and get a bottle of tasty Merlot for €10. Aux Artistes is amazing!

aux-artistes-decor
American decor at Aux Artistes in Paris
aux-artistes-paris-beef-tartare-escargot
First course at Aux Artistes- Beef Tartare and Escargot OMG SO GOOD.
aux-artistes-escargot
I felt like I had to have escargot since I was in Paris, but once I tasted these I was so happy I did OMG amazing.

***Our favorite too!! OMG SO GOOD! Such great prices, so much amazing wine LOVEEE this one Julia found a damn hidden gem here.

aux-artistes-steak-frites-duck
Main course- Steak and fries and duck. HEAVEN.
aux-artistes-creme-brulee-sherbert

Jeanne B

While wandering around Montmartre we saw the sign… the Michelin sign and found our own hidden gem, Jeanne B.

jeanne-b-paris
Jeanne B in Paris
jeanneb-paris-roasted-chicken
Roasted chicken and Rose at Jeanne B in Paris
jeanneb-montmarte-lunch
Molly with her soup and my artichoke at Jeanne B in Paris
jeanneb-restaurant-paris
Inside Jeanne B in Paris

FLOQUIFIL Restaurant

floquifil-paris
Floquifil restaurant in Paris

Trip Advisor came THRU when we were trying to think of where to go for a late night bite and glass of wine around the corner from our Hotel Maxim Follies. This charcuterie platter was everything.

floquifil-charcuterie
Rose and charcuterie at Floquifil in Paris
molly-floquifil
Molly looking aloof and French AF at Floquifil.
floquifil-charcuterie-2
A different angle of the same charcuterie because it’s still bringing me joy 7 months later just looking at it.
floquifil-paris-charcuterie
Charcuterie and wine at Floquifil in Paris – this is the stuff dreams are made of.

Le Valentin

le-valentin-restaurant
Le Valentin in Paris

Another place close to our hotel that was in a random alleyway and had beautiful desserts in the window where we had a very late breakfast at one day was Le Valentin.

le-valentin-pastries-paris
Pastries at Le Valentin.
le-valentin-quiche-macaron
Quiche, pastries, and macarons at Le Valentin.
me-le-valentin-brunch-paris
Having brunch at Le Valentin.
quiche-le-valentin
Eating quiche per Julia’s recommendation.

Crêperie des Arts 

creperie-des-arts-paris
Creperie des Artes in Paris

After a bottle or 2 of rose in Saint Germain we found ourselves at this little walk-up spot creperie. It was heavenly.

me-molly-crepes-selfie
Crepe heaven.

Paris Tip: All in all, stop at Boulengeries as much as you possibly can, pack warm clothes, be mindful of the pickpockets, and you’ll have a blast!!! Eat quiche, creme brûlée, lots of croissants, pastries, Nutella treats, and whatever else you can that comes your way! Haha You will love it! Oh, and eat Comte cheese and cheese with truffles! We had a Gouda cheese with truffles that was unreal! A cheese shop is never a bad stop.

My greatest culinary regret in Paris was not trying the Mojito I saw on a sign at a KFC:

kfc-mojito-paris
How could I just take a picture and walk away from this curious concoction!?

Where to Go in Paris

Paris Landmarks

EIFFEL TOWER

The Eiffel Tower is annoyingly touristy as you could imagine. the good part about that is, say you want to go souvenir/alcohol/selfie stick shopping from the comfort of your picnic, many vendors will be offering them to you non-stop. Something to look forward to 😜 a must though obviously.

eiffel-tower-paris-twilight
The Eiffel Tower at Twilight – PERFECTION

We didn’t go up it (we already went up Sacre Coeur, which had a nice view of the Eiffel Tower).

Paris Tip: I suggest choosing one vantage point and avoiding the cost/line time of the others.

We didn’t go up the Eiffel Tower, but it was so awesome seeing it as the sun set then watching the light show. Check out more pics on this Paris post.

Another could vantage point would be Tower Montparnasse, which I only learned about after Sacre Coeur, but would give you a closer view of the Eiffel Tower and is super high!

LOUVRE MUSEUM

The Louvre museum is pretty overwhelming if you don’t have a game plan going in (which we didn’t of course ;-p) Luckily a friend pointed us towards Napoleon’s apartments, and those were really cool. We also did the obligatory selfie and wandered a bit, but then headed along realizing we could be in the Louvre all day without “finishing” all there is to see.

The Louvre in Paris
The Louvre in Paris

Check out my Louvre post here. I went on a free museum day and had to hurry before they closed so I don’t think I made it to Napoleon’s apartments. I didn’t make it to Tour Montparnasse, but it looks awesome

Related Post: Traveling to Paris and The Louvre Museum

molly-me-venus-de-milo-louvre-paris
Molly & I selfie-ing it up with the Venus de Milo at the Louvre Museum.
molly-me-mona-lisa-louvre-museum-paris
Molly and I chillin’ with the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. The mob scene in here made my hair look like that.

HOTEL INVALIDES

One of the most impressive buildings we saw walking around, and is very close proximity to the Seine and Grand Palis/Champs de Elyse area, worth crossing the bridge to see. So for some reason I thought this literally was a Hotel… at least there was a cute French guard there to inform me there was no hotel and it was closed… it’s an army museum FYI. AWKWARD.

Arch du Triumph

The Arch du Triumph is Impressive and a tourist must. Another place you can go up if you want, we didn’t, but it could have good views too.

arch-du-triumph-paris
The Arc Du Triumph at night in Paris

We didn’t go up it, just took pictures in the median with the rest of the tourists, but it was great you can read more about it in this post.

Related Post: Traveling in Paris – Tuileries Garden, the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, and The Arc Du Triumph

SACRE COUER

sacre-couer-paris
Sacre Couer in Paris

Very beautiful and funky little tourist area. Great for photos, buying artsy souvenirs/having your picture drawn/eating crepes. Watch your stuff and don’t talk to the people trying to get you to sign petitions – they’re robbing gypsies. All of Paris forces you to be cautious with your things and not walk alone. Money belt and you’re good!

carousel-sacre-couer
Carousel at Sacre Couer
sacre-couer-view
View from the Sacre Couer in Paris
paris-view-sacre-couer-panoramic

Sacre Couer was awesome! I used a Longchamp Le Pliage backpack while traveling and had no issues with pick pockets. 

me-molly-sacre-couer-selfie
Me and my friend Molly in front of the Sacre Couer in Paris
sacre-couer-paris-outside
The outside of the Sacre Couer in Paris
sacre-couer-paris-inside
The beautiful interior in the Sacre Couer in Paris
sacre-couer-jesus-paris
Stunning art inside the Sacre Couer in Paris
sacre-couer-angels
Beautiful architecture in the Sacre Couer in Paris
sacre-couer-altar
The altar and stained glass windows in the Sacre Couer in Paris
sacre-couer-organ
The organ inside the Sacre Couer in Paris

Montmarte Village

Montmartre Village just outside of Sacre Couer has some little shops too.

montmartre-village-paris
Montmarte Village near the Sacre Couer in Paris

I found my favorite souvenir at Starbucks- my Paris coffee mug.

starbucks-montmarte-paris
Starbucks in Montmarte in Paris

I love all the art everywhere in Paris.

man-in-wall-paris
Statue of a man coming out of a wall in Montmarte Paris
rue-lepic-18-arr-street-art-creature
Cute lil monster graffiti near Rue Lepic in the 18th Arr.
rue-dorchampt-street-art
Graffiti near the Rue D;Orchampt in the 18th Arr. in Paris
ballerina-sidewalk-chalk-paris
A cute little ballerina in sidewalk chalk in Paris

Just like in Spain the cemeteries are something else.

Related Post: Wandering Around the Beautiful Seaside Town of Sitges, Spain

paris-cemetery
Cemetery in Paris

LUXEMBOURG GARDENS

LUXEMBOURG GARDENS – Great park!!! Loved watching the kids sail sailboats in the centre fountain/the park in general. Well maintained and beautiful. We went to Tuileries instead.

Tuileries Garden in Paris
Tuileries Garden in Paris

Related Post: Visiting Tuileries Garden in Paris, France in the Fall

Versailles

Versailles – Pretty cool if you have the time, especially on a sunny day to walk by the large fountains. Not a must in my opinion if you are already doing the Louvre and pressed for time. Didn’t have time on this trip 🙁

Where to Go in Paris Map

More Paris Blog Posts:

Or take a trip to Spain via these Blog Posts:

Traveling from the Barcelona Airport to Sitges Spain

Trip to Sitges Spain Day One

Author: Lindsay

Lindsay is the creator of Blushing in Hollywood a beauty, dating, travel and lifestyle blog based in Los Angeles, California.