Parisian for a Week

Hello Everyone,

I arrived back in the States on Sunday after spending a week in the beautiful city of Paris and 4 weeks in Nice. I promised you guys a post last week, but with the limited time frame in Paris I could not waste anytime on my laptop. So today I bring you a guide to being Parisian for a week. I did not hit all the normal Paris tourist stops, so if you are looking for a different view of the city check out this post. It’s a mix of tourist & local Parisian. Feel free to share your favorite spots in Paris in the comments below.

Monday:

Everyday I attended classes at a French language school called France Langue, which is an amazing school with great professors who are willing to help you reach your goals with French. So, my day started here with orientation to the Paris program and meeting my new professor for the week. The rest of the week I had class from 8:30-12.

My morning commute was a 40 minute metro ride from Maison Blanche to Trocadero. If you are staying on the outskirts of Paris you may want to check out the metro to get around. It can look intimidating at first, but it’s a pretty simple system once you understand it.

Figure out your metro stops here.

After class my friends and I went to lunch at a cute little bistro cafe close to our school called Le Pain Quotidien. I had this delicious vegetable soup with quinoa in it, the other girls dishes were equally as delicious. The food here was fresh and filled with taste, like all the food here in France.

Then, we tried to check out the Catacombs of Paris but they ended up being closed on Monday’s, so that was a no-go. Tip: Be sure to check when museums are open, for example the Louvre is closed on Tuesday’s, other museums are closed on Monday’s. Check for strikes as well. 

Due to the road block, the group decided to grab some Nutella Crepes and walk in the park close the Eiffel Tower. Tip: Eat Crepes, lots of them. Then it started down pouring and we had to hid out under the Eiffel Tower. We called it a day after the rain and headed back to our houses to eat dinner with our host family’s.

Tuesday:

After our class we had lunch with the group from our university, we ate at a cute little restaurant by the Oden metro stop. I apologize for the lack of knowledge on the name, but I ordered a steak with fries. How American, I know!? Tip: A point, is like medium well.

Catacombs of Paris: We hopped in line right after lunch. The Catacombs were seriously amazing and creepy all in one. The walls were close and the ceilings were low, not a great place to visit if you are claustrophobic. At a certain point the walls became lined with human bones and skulls, my stomach started to feel a little funny at this point. The Catacombs hold a lot of history and they are a must see if you are interested in the history of Paris.

Tip: The line for the Catacombs is very long, come early or be prepared to wait a couple of hours. 

Wednesday: 

Louvre: Today we visited some of the Louvre, I say some because to see all of the Louvre it would take you 3-4 days. It’s huge and the art inside is extensive. My group went in with a mission to see certain things and that is what we did. We stopped at the Mona Lisa, of course, then the Venus sculpture and some of the other famous Italian & French Paintings. We also checked out Napoleons Apartments, which was unreal to think people lived like that. Along the way we made a few detours to check out some of the other works, but we were able to see most of what we wanted in a couple of hours.

Jardin des Tuileries: For lunch, my little group ate in a cute cafe in the Tuileries Garden, which is right across from the Louvre. This is one of my favorite spots in Paris because you get a view of everything. You can see the Eiffel Tower peeping out of the trees, the Arc de Triumph in the distance, the Louvre behind you and the Seine flowingg behind the extensive buildings. I love it here, it’s the perfect spot for a picnic too.

Next, I checked out a museum close to the Louvre called Les Arts Decoratifs where they had a Barbie exhibition going on. This was actually so cool to see, it was like a walk through my childhood. They also had a Fashion Forward exhibit that was a run down of fashion through the years. I was unable to reach this section on my first visit, but keep reading to see this stop.

After grabbing some ice cream, I peeped into an amazing bookstore called Galignani Bookstore.  This bookstore was unbelievable, they had a huge selection of Fashion books in French & English. They also had cute little nooks to read in, along with a industrial staircase to more books. I was in love!

Tip: If you are student in France, bring your student card and proof of residency and you will get in for free. 

Thursday:

Thursday I decided to take a Fashion Tour of the city, put on by yours truly…me. I researched all the places I had to hit and here are a few of what I found.

Palais Galliera, Museum of Fashion: This museum was by far one of my favorite stops in Paris. It displayed garments from the 1700’s up until recent high fashion runway pieces. There was Chanel, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Paul Poiret and other big designers. Audrey Hepburn’s hat collection was on display, along with other famous fashion icons most loved fashion pieces.

Chanel Boutique: This Chanel is one of the most popular ones because it is located under Coco Chanel’s apartment. I did some window shopping in the store, being careful not to break anything because it felt like a museum to me. The Chanel Boutique was amazing, I was unable to visit the apartment because I did not make a reservation in time.

Tip: Make a reservation or call ahead to be sure tickets are available. 

Galeries Lafayette Paris: This is the must-go shopping spot in Paris, especially during Soldes. The sales (Soldes) are amazing and the store is 7 stories tall. It includes big name brands like Chanel, Kate Spade and Miu Miu, along with more affordable brands like Top Shop & Anthropologie. I almost bought a Kate Spade purse while I was here because it was so cheap for Kate, but I could not do it.

Vintage shopping: Next stop was vintage shopping, two shops I found to be the best were Kilo Shop & Free ‘P’ Star. I found an awesome vintage leather purse at the Free ‘P’ Star, along with some cute scarfs. At the Kilo Shop, they sold Levi’s and other cool denim jackets. I ended up purchasing a vintage black wallet from here and one scarf. These shops were so cool to look through, I think purchasing vintage in Paris is so much better because I know some Parisian woman carried it before me. Therefore, I feel like I am carrying a piece of history. I would have probably purchased some clothes too, but due to the suitcase requirements I could not stuff my luggage anymore.

Tip: Buy vintage purses, they’re better.

 

Friday:

After class the girls and I grabbed lunch at a cafe near the Notre Dame, once again I do not recall the name but there are lots of cafe options close to Notre Dame, so it is a good stop for a tourist. I also got proposed to here by a waiter, so that was interesting.

Then we hit up some souvenir shops to finish buying gifts. I suggest that you do some of your souvenir shopping close to Notre Dame as well because they have a street filled with shops. I think it is a good idea to mix up your gifts too, buy some souvenirs and some meaningful gifts too. For example, buying a specialty gift from the city you are visiting, in Nice this was soap or perfume. Souvenirs can be fun sometimes, but buying unique gifts are nice too.

Tip: Do not over spoil people at home, buy close friends and family something small but do not break your bank to buy them expensive gifts. Most of the time they will not value the trip like you do and they may not cherish something you buy, that’s not a bad thing but something to remember. Choose something small and meaningful, but not overly expensive. 

Musee Rodin:  This museum is home to The Thinker statue. The Thinker sits in this beautiful garden that surrounds the museum. I visited the garden section of this museum but the girls and I got talking and then we got kicked out because the garden had closed. It was still a great stop.

Fashion Foward, 3 siecles de mode: I was finally able to return to the Decorative Arts museum to see the Fashion Forward exhibit. Next to the Palais Galliera, this was the coolest exhibit I have ever seen. I really do love art, but fashion moves me in a different way, I can connect with it. The Louvre is great, but this stop was more my cup of tea. I was on the brink of tears when I walked into the grand room filled with Dior, Chanel & Yves Saint Laurent dresses. If you are in Paris now, or going to be, this is a must see for fashion lovers.

Dinner @ Le Champ de Mars: For a last night out, the girls and I grabbed a nice dinner at Champ de Mars. We sipped on some white wine, ate chocolate mousse and laughed until our cheeks hurt. It must have entertained the waiter because he brought us each a free glass of wine.

After dinner we made our way to see the Eiffel Tower lit up, we found a spot in the park next to the tower and we gazed up at it in shock of its beauty. We asked some people behind us to take our picture and we ended up befriending them. They were from Australia and Canada. I find it so amazing how easy it is to make friends here from around the world. We sat with them until 11 pm to see the Tower sparkle, we yelled at some people selling Champagne and we said our good-byes to our new friends and the Eiffel Tower.

Tip: Sometimes it’s okay to mingle with strangers, you may learn something new.

Saturday:

I tagged along with a small group to go visit the Palace of Versailles. The trip out there took a little while, but once we were in the Palace it was unbelievable. The walls were works of art, the furniture was extensive and the palace itself was huge. The gardens surrounding the Palace were also amazing. It’s insane to think back into history and realize people lived like this. The kings and queens of France built this palace to reside in. It is truly amazing to look at the details they put into the structure, but also sickening to know they used the people of Frances money to build this extensive palace. I am so happy I visited the Palace of Versailles, I was unable to walk through all of the gardens but I was happy to see most of them.

Tip: Take the hike from the city to see Versailles, it is worth it.

Sunday was departure day and I headed back to the States, but my heart was stuck in Paris for sure. I am already thinking of ways to get back, I loved France so much. I will be constructing a summary post to give you an insight on lessons I learned and give a reflection of my amazing trip. I will also be constructing a guide to Paris street style because let me tell you it’s perfect. I am taking a little more time on this post because it deserves it!

I hope you liked this little insight on my week in Paris, I know I did not cover all the hot spots, but I definitely found some hidden gems and visiting the fashion museums were most meaningful to me. A last tip from me is to visit things that actually mean something to you because yes it is great to visit some of the historical sights but you will remember visiting places you liked more than forcing yourself to see something you do not care for. Visit was you want and get the most out of your time, do not be afraid to leave the group to look at something else.

If you have any specific questions regarding these places check the links I shared or feel free to comment below, I would be happy to offer help. I loved both Paris and Nice, I am looking forwarding to returning to both places in the future.

For now it’s time to get ready for the fall and start working on new series for my beautiful readers, my inspiration is flowing now so stay tuned for amazing new posts and a possible change to Vogue & Van Gogh… I am looking forward to what the future holds and I hope you all continue to follow me on this journey. Until next time…

Stay positive & confident.

xo, Lyss