Paris Travel Guide
For my 25th birthday, I wanted to go somewhere really special to celebrate not only this milestone age, but also all the blessings that have come my way this past year. So many things to celebrate and take in, and where better than PARIS?!? I took my mom, and she did all the research for this itinerary. We ate so many croissants, did some shopping, took a class, and basically walked the whole city. If you follow this itinerary at all, you will get 20k steps a day at least! It’s a great city to see on foot, and honestly, October is a great time to go. It’s less touristy, and it gives me an excuse to layer a little bit, which is always fun as someone who lives in the desert.
Stay
We stayed in a two-bedroom Airbnb, which was in the most ideal location for hopping on the metro, shopping, eating, and experiencing the city like a local.
There is something about having a fridge, washer, and dryer, and a walk-up (not ideal with all our bags LOL) that makes the international travel a little more like home.
I will say, I do not think it was any better than staying at a nice hotel. The apartment itself was nice enough, and again, great location.
Eats
Land & Monkeys - most visited place by far! All vegan cafe with coffee, pastry, handhelds, bowls, cake, and more. I tried new things every day and still didnt get to try everything on the menu.
Marcus Pizze Amore - Italian place with vegan options, but everything looked good! I recommend having a reservation if possible.
Folderol Wine and Ice Cream - a cute place to celebrate sweet treat o’clock
L’As du Fallafel - LIFE CHANGED FALAFEL !!! You must go if you like traditional Mediterranean food. The Special Sandwich (hand-held wrap) and the plate where you can taste a little bit of everything are naturally vegan, but the animal protein options looked phenomenal as well. They have a nice inside seating setup with more menu options. There will be a line, most likely, but it goes quickly, and they are pros at getting people in and out. But I will say ordering from the window and eating it on the street was so fun too! We did both, and the staff was so nice and genuinely kind to everyone. This is a MUST-visit.
VG Pâtisserie - all vegan pastry and OMG so good. So many options, I wish I had the room to try more. It is a bit out of the way and in an area that didn’t have many other stops near it, but it was worth a train ride for :)
Le Potager de Charlotte - a higher-end vegan restaurant run by two brothers, and they celebrated 10 years of being open when we were there. Drinks were delish, food was great, and get the chocolate mousse! You will not regret it. Also, definitely make a reservation!
Cloud Cakes - cute vegan coffee shop and brunch place. As a gluten-free girly, I was taking advantage of being able to enjoy the gluten in Paris and got to have French toast (which I can never eat in the States), and it was delish! Topped with coconut whipped cream, too! My mom had the grilled cheese, and that was amazing too. I will never get over being able to enjoy gluten pain-free.
Wild & The Moon - similar to Land & Monkeys, plant-based vibe with juice, wellness shots, small bites, smoothies, and protein bowls. “Jack’s Bowl” was soooo good!
Chapon - the famous chocolate mousse place! They do not have vegan mousse, but they do have dairy-free and so many pretty gifts like chocolate boxes, truffles, and the viral fruit desserts.
Patate - imagine a cafe that only makes French fries…well, this is that! A true potato loved dream! I would recommend this place more if it weren’t for getting a stomachache afterward. Both my mom and I were messed up after these fries, but if you are open to risking it, they are delicious fries! And make for a super cute photo opportunity.
Dalia - one of my favorite places for lunch or dinner! The vibes are so cute in there, and definitely check out the mirrored bathroom if you visit! Mediterranean food with good cocktails and mocktails. We got hummus, which was nothing compared to the famous falafel place, but still good. We also got a pumpkin spread that was delish (and SO pretty), and falafel. The falafel itself was really but whatever sauce they put on them is OUT OF THIS WORLD. There was a sauce drizzled on top, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
Le Potager du Marais - traditional French food made vegan!
B.Better - all vegan food
Sips (mostly coffee)
Sevenly Heart
RECTO VERSO
Cafe Pli
Landline
Buddy Buddy
Little Red Door
Ralph’s
Noir
Café Kitsuné
Le Flow - Barge Bar
Back in Black - great coffee
Activities
Studio Patisserie - This was probably the best thing I did the whole trip. It was so fun, and it was just my mom and me, so we really got special treatment. They can have up to 10 people in a class. We took the vegan croissant class just so we could eat the finished product, but the steps are the exact same with dairy butter. They also have French macaron classes and are expanding to a bigger space to accommodate more classes and people. Seriously can’t recommend this enough. It is expensive, but you get to eat all the croissants made and you get a copy of the recipe, so worth it in my opinion!
PHOTO BOOTH - 53 Rue des Trois Frères - such a cute memory, and it was very cheap, so I did it about 6 times, haha
Shopping
Merci - go to both locations!! And there is a Noir Coffee shop branded with Merci, and it is super cute and a great place to people watch
Shakespeare & Co - famous bookstore that is worth the hype. It has a good coffee shop right next door, too. Across the street from Notre Dame
Sonny Angel Store
Jellycat Patisserie at Galleries Lafayette - that mall was also super fun to walk around in. They had a very cute kids’ floor, and don’t forget to go up to the rooftop and get a 350 view of the city. You can see the Eiffel Tower! Search Galleries Lafayette Rooftop to find it.
H&M Home Store - fun store to see in person. They honestly have such cute stuff
Zara Home Store - similar to H&M Home, but the store is beautifully done and has lots to look at
Papier Tigre - Stationery store
Fleux (3 locations) - all the locations are on the same street, so you can hit them all in one trip. These were some of my favorite stores in the whole city, and someone randomly suggested them to us. We are so glad we went. They have so many unique gifts, Jellycats were STOCKED, fun table scape items, home decor, prints, etc. I got some of my favorite items at these stores.
Sabre Paris - Custom Silverware store open from 11 am-7 pm, and if you order anything, it takes a few hours to make it or could be overnight. If you are interested in getting anything from there, I would go earlier in the trip to make sure you can get what you want made in time! I got a 3 piece dinner set with vintage metal in a sage green color. I am obsessed with it and so excited to have it for years to come. I also got a cake cutter/server in hot pink, and cutie dessert spoons in all different bright colors.
Officine Universelle Buly 1803 - Personalized combs, lip balm, brushes, mirrors, etc. Very expensive and the line can get long, so I would try to get there early in the day or right when they open. We didn’t buy anything, but it was fun to look. Their perfumes and soaps smelled AMAZING. They do stop all personalization 30 minutes before closing, so keep that in mind.
Saint Ouen - famous historic flea market open 10am - 6pm. It is in a rough area of town because there are tons of vendors who sell fake goods like designer bags, Apple products, etc, so just be aware of your surroundings. There was a lot of vintage decor and niche items, which were cool to see.
La Grande Épicerie de Paris - the official Erewhon of Paris (according to me lol). They have so many great gifts and fancy food. You must check out every floor. There is a grocery floor, a home decor floor, and a kitchenware floor. It was basically my dream store.
Subdued - very similar store to Brandy Melville. Basic clothing, neutral colors, cute accessories.
Le Bon Marché - Luxury department store with some great finds! I didn’t buy anything, but it was really fun to walk around and see all the French brands.
Unbottled - plastic-free soaps, hair care, and skin care. Very cute store and would make for good gifts.
Les Nouveautes - cute bookstore!
Marché aux Fleurs de Paris - The cutest flower market with so many florals and live plants. It is all outside, and there is a lot to see
Kitchen Store Tour
All of these stores are in the same area except for the last one, so I suggest hitting them all at once. They are all neighbors to one anothe,r but open at different times, so make sure you plan it out to go to them when they are all open!
A Simon - opens at 9 am. I think this was my favorite kitchen store out of all of them. They had so many affordable plates, dishes, flatware, and cooking utensils
TOC Paris - opens at 10 am. Three story, mostly bakingware. They did have some chef coats and other chef equipment, which was cool!
MORA - opens at 9:45 am. This one was all for bakers, the ingredients they need, the molds, equipment, etc.
G detou - opens at 8:30 am. Also, mostly for bakers. Very unique equipment I didn’t know I needed, but now I do LOL
E.Dehillerin - opens at 9 am. This famous kitchen store was so unique and PACKED. I honestly did not do it justice in my content because there were so many people, but it was really cool to see.
Sightseeing
Jardin du Palais Royal / Palais Royale
Louvre Museum
Tuileries Garden
Place de la Concorde
Eiffel Tower
National Archives Museum
Hôtel de Soubise
Rue Saint-Dominique - cute street!!
Place des Vosges
Paroisse Saint-Paul Saint-Louis
Pont Alexandre III
Pharmacie Picks
The Pharmacies in Paris are so different than those in the States, and the formulations in France are different in products we have over here. Price point was cheaper as well, so stock up, bestie !!
Biafine Emulsion
Nuxe Shimmering Body Oil
Nuxe Melting Honey Body Oil Balm
A313 - Retinoid alternative
Caudalie Instant Detox Mask
Avene Smoothing Hydrating Mask
Embryolisse Lait Creme Sensitive - great under makeup
Caudalie Shower Gel
Avene Water in a Can - luxury
Marvis Toothpaste
Cavailles Lait Bain Douche - body wash
