PARIS

I’ve been to Paris a few times now, with the first visit in 2010 when Spencer was a summer student at CERN. Spencer had an opportunity to collaborate at Ecole Polytechnique (just outside Paris) for 2 months this last spring and I was thrilled about it. We got to hang out with friends who live there and visited, meet new friends, host family, visit sites, and EAT. April and May involved a lot of social time and I was so for it. I made a list of places to go for my brothers and their wives and figured I’d also start my travel posts with this already curated example. Shout out to Matt, Sally & Braydon who introduced us to a number of spots on the restaurant list! I’m sure I forgot spots. Reach out if you think I’m missing something!

Food & Coffee & Drinks:

  • Septime (google maps) fancy tasting menu tailored

  • Septime La Cave (google maps) wine bar sister of ^

  • Clamato (google maps) sister restaurant, focused on seafood. AMAZING FOOD and ambiance.

    • Pro tip: go when they open and put in your name, then go get beers at Les Cuves de Fauve while you wait to be called

  • Les Cuves de Fauve (google maps)

  • Le Servan (google maps)

    • AMAZING food. Low key. Get dessert. 

  • Brutos (google maps)

    • Roast chicken on Sundays

  • L’Avant Comptoir de la Terre (google maps)

    • Hands down best bread and butter. This is the spot that has the butter cake if you saw me post pictures of it. IT’S SO GOOD. 

    • It’s a wine bar with small plates

    • There are actually a bunch of veggie options, both with lots of cheese and general veg. The bartenders speak english and can help. The chalkboard in the back usually has the veggie specials. 

    • The menu is on cards on the ceiling, so a little tough, but adds to the ambiance

    • There are two sides to the restaurant: la terre and la mer - the land and the sea. You can guess themes of each. Both sides have veg options. 

    • I never choose my own wine, just ask for the rec of the bartender

  • Pierre Sang (google maps)

    • Surprise tasting menu (they ask about allergies/preferences first)

    • My sister Sera and I accidentally ate here. We thought it was a low key cafe and just walked in, lucking out that they had a table free, and we were *just* in time for their next timed tasting menu! Score! Super good and surprising combinations.

  • Farmers market at Bastille in the morning (walk through Marais)

    • Get stuff for a picnic and then go to LVF. Eat in the park before or after (if after, leave the food/bags in coat check!)

  • The French Bastards bakery (google maps)

    • Fave croissant in Paris

  • Marché des Enfants Rouges (google maps)

    • Market with amazing food. Get the crazy crepe! Worth the line!

  • IMA Cantine (google maps)

    • Awesome delicious veggie food. The neighborhood around here is fun, too. 

  • Du Pain et des Idées (google maps)

    • Get the snail! Multiple snails! So good!

  • Telescope (google maps)

    • Great coffee

    • Amazing scrambled eggs. I was surprised. There is “creme crue” on top… basically a dollop of butter. And So. Good.

  • Restaurant Massale (google maps)

Museums

  • Pompidou -- fun, modern. BIG! It’ll wear you out. And then you’ll be Pompi-done.

  • Orangerie -- small, focused on Monet’s lilies upstairs and a small gallery in the basement. You can combine this with another museum in the same day, maybe Musee d’Orsay.

  • d’Orsay -- great exhibits, first time I saw Van Gogh’s work up close. It was my fave Paris museum until…

  • Louis Vuitton Foundation -- building designed by Frank Gehry and situated in a big park next to a zoo. It’s not as central, but the building itself is reason to go. Bonus that the exhibits are so good! I loved bringing a picnic for after the museum, leaving the bags with food in the coat check. 

  • Louvre -- go when not crowded, else it’s too overwhelming.

What to see & do

  • Eiffel Tour, picnic underneath in the grass

  • Le Marais for window (or actual) shopping & picnic or just share a bottle of wine in Place de Vosges (so cute)

  • Museums (see separate section)

  • Drink coffee and enjoy the fountains in Jardin Palais Royale (coffee at Kitsune)

  • Play petanque by the canal

  • Oberkampf

Where to stay

  • 3-4 -- le Marais

  • 11 -- Bastille

  • Oberkampf

Shopping

  • Le Marais

  • Bastille

  • Near the canal

  • Get classic Breton striped shirts/sweaters at Saint James (like Alex, Kaman, Spencer and Kathleen! And Michael and Carina!)

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