4 Days in Paris

Quick Note! – This is a longer post than most – 4 days in Paris, when you really pack it in like we did, makes for a lot of content to share. So consider this a “super-size” version of our regular posts…thanks for joining us! 🙂

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A long weekend in Paris is something Angela and I dreamed about when we decided to move to France earlier this year. Moving to Montpellier meant we would only be a three and a half hour train ride from one of our favourite cities, and proximity to places like Paris, Barcelona, and the rest of southern France was a big reason why we made the move in the first place. So when we boarded the high-speed train at Montpellier’s Saint Roch station for our first extended weekend trip to the City of Light, we were elated – this was our first trip outside the region of Occitanie since moving, and our first time back in Paris in almost three years.

Day 1

The train left the station on a Friday morning, around 10 am. Our coach was packed, but it was comfortable enough and the worst train in France is probably still more comfortable than flying economy on most airlines.

The ride was uneventful – only two stops, one each in Nimes and Lyon. There was some nice scenery off in the distance when we were west of Grenoble but otherwise there wasn’t much to look at. We pulled in to Gare de Lyon in Paris roughly three and a half hours after leaving Montpellier.

We grabbed our backpacks and zipped over to the metro, where we bought two Île-de-France Navigo cards and loaded them with ten trips each. The total cost for two of us was €33.80, including the one-time fee for each of us to buy our Navigo cards (which can be reloaded). So, not bad for all of our transportation costs within the city for the week.

This would allow us to use the metro in and around Paris (but not for anything outside the city), which is all we needed for this trip. We then walked over to the line that would take us to our hotel in the 3rd arrondissement. Twenty minutes later we were happily checking in at the Little Palace Hotel, on Rue Salomon de Caus. We were greeted warmly and checked in. The hotel is nice enough and the room size was bigger than average for Paris, a place where shoebox hotel rooms are a dime a dozen. We were impressed – this place was indeed a little palace.

After quickly unpacking and getting organized we turned around and made our way out to the Musée d’Orsay. It’s our favourite museum in Paris and we were eager to start our trip there. Before going in, though, we couldn’t resist taking a prolonged look at the Seine, with the Louvre in the background. There are some scenes that just feel familiar, like coming home. This was it for us.

There was a vendor selling roasted chestnuts nearby, which smelled amazing. Neither of us had ever had chestnuts as a snack – and that record still stands – but they definitely helped to create an atmosphere as we looked out at the Seine.

Turning in the other direction you have the Grand Palais in the background. The bridges in Paris create amazing vantage points for taking pics and seeing some of the highlights of the city.

Scenery enjoyed, we walked around the side of the Orsay where there’s a nice little restaurant that serves crepes out a side window for hungry museum goers (and anyone else with euros, I suspect). We ordered up two gallettes – mine with ham and cheese, Angela’s with just ham.

We enjoyed the gallettes in the sun and then made our way inside the Orsay. By this time it was already after 4:30 and the museum was closing at 6:00, so we really only wanted to accomplish a few things – our prime goal was to buy our Carte Blanche (museum membership); we also wanted to check out a few of our favourite paintings, knowing that we would return later in the weekend to take some time and really enjoy it.

As we had already bought a Louvre membership (called “Amis du Louvre”) earlier in the month online, we were given a discount: 65€ for a duo membership, as opposed to the regular price of 79€. With that membership we would earn access for two all year to the Orsay and the Orangerie, as well as discounts at other museums. One other major benefit is that we would have access to the museum 30 minutes before the general public, so we were planning to get our serious Orsay-ing in once we could return to a near-empty museum.

It turned out to be a good tactic. Being a Friday afternoon near closing time the place was packed. Not quite mid-summer packed, but packed enough. So we had a quick visit with our favourite Van Goghs, Moreaus, Monets, and a few others with a promise to return.

The sun was setting as we walked out of the building and onto the banks of the Seine. Few cities have better sunsets than Paris…pure magic.

We enjoyed wandering along Pont Alexandre III, one of our favourite spots in the city. Angela spent a bit of time with a statue she refers to as “my girl”. We’ve visited her on every trip to Paris, so it’s nice to see she’s still there looking over the city for us. She’s also the focus of one of my photos taken from that bridge that remains to this day one of our most loved Paris pics.

With fading light and cold setting in, we decided to wander over to Angelina on Rue de Rivoli for a hot chocolate. Angelina is a Parisian icon, known for their delicious baked goods and insane chocolate. Angela had wanted to visit on our last trip (I think she likes the place because of the name) but we ran out of time, so it worked out well that we were nearby and could partake this time around.

It’s a really cute little cafe, with the feel of a high end tea room. There was a small line outside, but it wasn’t a long wait until we were ushered inside – less than ten minutes.

The dining room was full, and in Paris that means you’re led to a table for two crammed in between other miniscule tables for two. Once seated it would have been no problem at all to reach to my right and steal a macaron off the plate of my leather-panted neighbour. But having said that, visiting Angelina is a very nice experience and there’s no shortage of activity going on while delicious pastries and delectable hot chocolate swirl around.

We each ordered pain au chocolat as well as one large hot chocolate to share. They were out of full-sized pain au chocolat so the waitress apologized and offered us tiny (but equally delicious) pain au chocolats. We agreed, and in a few minutes we were enjoying some of the most ridiculously good sweet treats this side of the Atlantic.

The hot chocolate was the thickest, richest hot chocolate I have ever seen. It was so rich and full that I can still taste it now, a few days later. It’s what the word “decadent” was created for.

We enjoyed the experience and were politely booted out at 7:30 as that’s when they closed for the night. We walked, enjoying the evening, and stopped in about an hour later for dinner at a fun little Thai place in the 2nd. Well fed, and thrilled to be back in the city we both adore, we returned to the Little Palace and called it a night, our hearts (and stomachs) full.

Day Two

We had never been to the Musée Marmottan Monet, a museum with (obviously) a large Monet collection; as a bonus they are currently hosting a Julie Manet exhibition, so we were expecting this place to make quite an impression on us (pun intended). The Marmottan was first on our agenda for Saturday morning, as we had ten o’clock tickets booked.

We took the metro from the 3rd out to the 16th, a very nice neighbourhood with expensive apartments, nicely manicured parks, and cars that cost more than our house. The Marmottan is on a pretty little side street, contained in what used to be a private residence, which is mind-blowing when you wander through the opulent rooms with high ceilings and all the trimmings and realize that someone used to live there.

We enjoyed the Julie Manet exhibition, but what we really came for was the Monets. We’ll share a full post on the Marmottan soon, so I won’t hit you with all the details on this museum, but I will comment that if you’re a Monet fan and want to spend some time alone with his work, this is the place for you. As we were there early we had the place to ourselves and it was fantastic.

Honestly it was amazing. Fighting the crowds at the Louvre, Orsay, etc can be tiresome. To just hang out with Monet’s work in peace was brilliant.

After having our Zen-like moments in the Marmottan we made our way out into the sunshine. It was a gorgeous winter day, not a cloud in the sky, unseasonably warm at about 11 degrees. We wandered through the Passy neighbourhood, loving the walking streets, markets, and vibrancy of the area.

Food in this city is elevated to a level rarely seen anywhere else in the world. You can fill an entire day just drooling over the window displays in Passy. We’re pretty sure we each gained four pounds just walking down the street – totally worth it.

We were within striking distance of the area around Bir Hakim, Trocadero, and the Eiffel Tower, so we hiked over that way. I should note that we walk a lot, so not everyone will want to trek around the city on two feet like we do, but if you don’t mind walking Paris is an extremely walkable city and there’s always something to look at.

We hit one of our favourite spots for Eiffel Tower viewing, Avenue de Camoëns. There were a heap of photo shoots going on, everything from wedding pics and tourists to the ever-present beret-clad Emily fans and budding insta-famous. Can’t blame them – the view from here, which used to be a bit of a secret until Instagram “outted” it, is fantastic.

We made our way over to Trocadero Plaza, a spot where many people view the tower for the first time as there’s a metro stop there and the elevated vantage point on the tower is spectacular. Unfortunatley they were doing heaps of construction, so it was kind of chaotic and the cranes everywhere didn’t help the view. Still, there’s always an energy there and we enjoyed watching it all unfold.

We were hungry at this point, so we decided to jump on the metro and head back to the 3rd arrondissement near our hotel. A few years ago we were visiting friends in Paris and they told us about “the best burger in the world” at a place called Burger Fermier at a market in the Marais called Marché des Enfants Rouges. I’m not sure if it was the best in the world, but damn – it was pretty good.

We decided to return, our mouths watering as we neared the Burger Fermier stall. It was busy – a nice Saturday in the Marais means the markets always are – but It wasn’t a terribly long wait until we nabbed a seat. Within thirty minutes we were eating tasty burgers (made with all local ingredients) on homemade buns with fresh cut fries. We chatted with the owner for a few minutes as we were leaving, a very nice guy who obviously takes pride in his restaurant.

We had a quick kickback in the hotel for a couple of hours and then headed out for the night, deciding that sunset at Sacré Coeur in Montmartre would be the place to be. We took the metro out to the Château Rouge station and walked up the back side of the hill. If you are planning to do the same prepare yourself for stairs – they are aplenty. Maybe stretch first.

The views once you get up there, though, are phenomenal. Not just of the cathedral, either. Sacré Coeur is the highest point in the city, so you can see the entire city from there. This was our sunset:

It was fun exploring the neighbourhood, a part of the city we’ve always loved. I bought some vintage art cards at a tourist print shop and Angela bought some postcards to send home. We walked down the hill to one of the most photographed restaurants in Montmartre – La Maison Rose, beloved by instagrammers everywhere. It was a nice night, and you can’t see it in the pic but we were surrounded by at least fifty other tourists and photographers. Cute it was, serene it wasn’t.

The sheer volume of people was pretty staggering. Yes, it was a nice Saturday evening, but it was also early February – not exactly high season. Paris is just a very busy city, especially in the tourist centres, so it’s always a good idea if you prepare yourself for that when you visit.

We made our way back up towards the cathedral, passing Le Consulat, a corner I’ve always loved…

…and up to the cathedral itself, awash in light, basking in the admiration of tourists from around the world. It’s a fun atmosphere, and a place everyone who comes to Paris should visit at least once.

The area around Sacré Coeur can give many different looks, depending on the time of day, the clouds in the sky, the number of people around, and so on. Tackling the hill from the front during the day, for example, gives a totally different look than from the back at night, as we did on this trip. Here’s a pic from the front from one of our earlier trips:

Our night almost done, we headed back to the 3rd and found a local Italian place for supper. We enjoyed some thin crust pizza, walked back to the Little Palace and called it a night.

Day 3

Musée d’Orsay day! Buying our Carte Blanche passes on Friday meant we were members, and as members we are given the opportunity to enter the museum half an hour earlier than the general public. We were dying to do it, because one of the only downsides to the Orsay is that it can get really busy, making it tricky to really enjoy the experience.

We arrived a few minutes before nine o’clock, joining a line with about twenty people in it. Once nine hit the doors were opened and we were ushered in. There was no one around. It was so quiet it was almost eerie. We made our way up to the Van Gogh room, happy to get there ahead of the crowds. Aside from one other couple who left after a minute, we had the entire room to ourselves. We took some time just to enjoy the room, and especially Starry Night (also known as Starry Night Over the Rhone).

After Starry Night we slowly spent time with some of Van Gogh’s other work, making a special effort to find the monster in L’église d’Auvers-sur-Oise (Doctor Who fans will get the reference, and if you’re not a Doctor Who fan but love Van Gogh, check out the episode “Vincent and the Doctor” – it’s easily one of the best hours you can spend watching TV).

We left Van Gogh and checked out some of our other favourties – it took a couple of hours, and the museum itself is something of an attraction. Housed in an old train station, the Musée d’Orsay is one of the most unique museums we’ve ever spent time in.

Orsay-ed to the max, we headed back out into the city. We hadn’t been over to the Île de la Cité, Notre Dame, or the Latin Quarter yet, so off we went. The weather was spoiling us, and it was a weekend, so people were in a good mood and it was an easy walk along the Seine.

Once on the Île de la Cité we found a little park neither of us had ever visited before – the Place Dauphine. It’s a pretty park, commissioned by Henry IV in the early 1600’s and a filming location for the movie Midnight in Paris. Paris has so many little corners and quiet spots to take a break from the mayhem, sometimes it’s easy to forget you’re in the middle of a massive metropolis.

Notre Dame is just a short walk from Place Dauphine, so we found ourselves looking up at the iconic cathedral not long afterwards. The crowds suggested that fire or not, it’s still a popular attraction. While it’s being rebuilt the local government has put up large panels explaining the restoration process. A large crane looms in the background, and there is massive scaffolding around the sides, but the front is still fairly stunning.

We meandered by the Shakespeare & Co book shop, followed by the Latin Quarter. Lunch was well-past due, so we grabbed gyros and a cornet of frites. Then we just walked (and walked, and walked!). It was a perfect day, the city was full of life, and there was plenty to see.

Angela mentioned we were near Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore in the St Germain des Pres part of town. For the uninitiated, Les Deux Magots is one of the city’s most famous eateries, known for it’s quaint location, sidewalk dining, and famous clientele. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Sartre, Picasso – even Julia Child – were all regulars, and through the years it’s become an iconic spot to hang out and people watch. Whatever “quaintness” that might have existed wasn’t evident on our visit, though – it’s highly controlled, roped off, jammed with tourists, and there’s an outdoor overflow tent to the side of the restaurant. While we were there a never-ending stream of tourists ran up, snapped a pic, and zipped off.

The Café de Flore is little less regulated, but it has a very similar feel. Maybe it was just us, and I am sure both restaurants provide a brilliant experience to anyone taking part, but neither really appealed to us. Even so, we were happy to get to a part of town we hadn’t visited before.

The metro line 4 was right across the street from the cafes, so we decided to take it back to the Little Palace and find some dinner. A local noodle place called Wokatine came recommended by the highly discerning masses online, so we checked it out. Wokatine met all expectations, providing surprisingly tasty noodle dishes and a perfect end to the day.

Day 4

Louvre Day! Museums were definitely a big part of our focus this trip. We were excited to use our shiny new membership cards and enter through the Richelieu entrance, avoiding the lines at the main pyramid gate.

We hit the entrance right at 9:00 and there was virtually no wait. We rolled inside, walking under the big pyramid and into the vast entrance hall. While the Musée d’Orsay is my favourite museum, there is no denying the Louvre is epic, awesome, and inspiring. The sheer scale of it is a lot to take in. Divided up into three massive wings – Denon, Sully, and Richelieu – we decided to focus on Denon, the wing that houses French and Italian painters and sculptures.

It was a good time to be there. Very few people were in ahead of us, so we enjoyed a few free minutes with the Winged Victory of Samothrace before moving on to the Mona Lisa. When we visited Mona a few years ago it was pure chaos – their method of crowd control was lacking and people were jamming themselves up against the front rope, jockeying for position. This time they had a good roping system that funnelled us in to one of two lines. Each line snaked its way up to the front creating two viewing spaces in front of the iconic painting. It worked well. There weren’t many people there so we didn’t have to wait, enjoying a few minutes with the da Vinci masterwork before moving on.

The Mona Lisa is neither of our favourite paintings at the Louvre, but there’s no doubt that standing in front of something so globally recognized is kind of surreal, and an experience everyone should have at least once if they visit the Louvre.

Finished with Mona, we moved through to the section focusing on French painters. There’s a little gift shop there with a few windows, great vantage points for seeing the architecture that makes up the Louvre. This was shot out of one of those windows:

We really enjoyed wandering through the French wing, taking in the massive works on the Louvre’s gigantic walls. I first visited the Louvre when I was 18 (so, let’s say a while ago!) and I can still remember the impression that seeing many of these paintings had on me. The way these artists used light in such dynamic ways influenced my own art and still has me chasing some of those looks in my photography now.

We won’t bore you with all of the paintings we hunted down and spent time in front of – everyone’s Louvre experience is different, and it’s impossible to cover it all in half a day. So we focused on French and Italian painters, a few sculptures on the first floor, and that was it for us. The Louvre is a place that requires a number of visits and I know it won’t be too long until we return.

Hungry after extensive museum-going, we grabbed a jambon beurre at a nearby boulangerie and then made our way to the Palais Royale. Despite having walked by there a number of times through the years we’d actually never been there, and it was high on Angela’s list for this trip, so we ducked in. It’s an easy sojourn from the Louvre as it’s only a few minutes away.

There were countless photo shoots going on in the courtyard and kids were having a great time playing leapfrog over the black and white pillars. It’s a fun place to people watch and the palace grounds are cool. The buildings were originally buit in the mid-1600s for Cardinal Richelieu and it served as a royal palace for many years. Now it houses government offices and a shopping arcade, but the courtyard including a large park with neatly trimmed hedges and trees is open to the public.

Pillars jumped, we walked out to the area near Opera / Palais Garnier, stopping at the Mielle store for some outrageously delicious mustard. It definitely wasn’t cheap, but it was tasty, and I’ll be returning to Montpellier with enough Mielle to keep me in quality mustard for some time.

The Palais Garnier is ridiculously photogenic, a spot beloved by camera-wielding tourists and wedding parties alike. We joined the line of people snapping away and took one of our own.

Once you’re at the Palais Garnier it just makes sense to venture into Galeries Lafayette, so that’s what we did. Galeries Lafayette is a truly amazing department store, housing all of the hottest (and most expensive) fashion brands out there. It also boasts a ridiculously gorgeous central courtyard display leading up to an opulent, eye-catching ceiling.

It’s kind of funny to watch people rush into Galeries Lafayette, march right past the Rolexes and €1000 hand bags to look up and start shooting and/or filming. I have no doubt the shopkeepers love playing second fiddle to a roof. To be fair, it’s a pretty nice roof.

One other fantastic benefit to Galeries Lafayette is the rooftop terrace where you can take in some of the best views in Paris. You can see the whole city from up there, easily viewing the Eiffel Tower when looking out one direction and all the way up to Sacré Coeur when facing the other. In February it’s a nice place to be as it’s not overcrowded and you can just stand up there and take it all in.

It was getting late in the day so we jumped on the metro and headed back to the Little Palace. We went out to a nice restaurant not far from the hotel and then called it a day. The next morning our train was leaving from Gare de Lyon at 6 am, so this would cap off our time in Paris. Four packed days in our favourite city – we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Have you been to Paris? If so, what were some of your favourite things to do? If not, what do you hope to see when you do visit? Comment below – we’d love to hear from you!