City Guide: Paris

and a dreamy one-night stay in Champagne

Bonjour!!

Paulina here. I’m getting this city guide going because Paris is the first European city I ever visited - a lifelong pipe dream fueled by Turner Classic Movies and an undergraduate degree in creative writing (cigarettes and berets, anyone?). It is the city where I learned I can be enchanted by a mailbox.

Audrey Hepburn arriving in Paris in Funny Face (1957)

Paris is huge, heavily graffitied, and as intimidating to traverse as the halls of the Louvre itself. Each neighborhood or arrondissement has a laundry list of cafés, bistros, restaurants, monuments, museums, wine bars, bakeries, and shops to fill your days. I’m going to cover as much ground as possible, knowing full well there will likely be a ‘Paris: Part Deux’ in our future. These recommendations are mostly experiences I have personally had, but I’m also throwing in a few suggestions from admirable sources - organized geographically. Chef James has a wealth of insight when it comes to France and his (snarky) contributions are in italics.

Chef James: My first trip to France was for the vendange (grape harvest) in the fall of 2009. My business partner and good friend Ed Mamou sent me to work on a vineyard, stage in kitchens, and experience rural French life in Auvergne. It was eye-opening - a culture shock and transformative experience. I was newly 25 and had only a couple weeks’ notice before I left for the 5-week stay. I would say I was willing to do all the work asked of me but unaware of how to tap in to a new country. I look back with a very thankful attitude but recall it being a difficult trip to acclimate to and my point of view was not primed for a new environment. It probably started my obsession with being smart about travel though. Which lead me to this Substack!

Chef James in Riom in 2009.

I have since returned to France many times. Mostly for the Champagne region but have managed to cover ground from Brittany to Marseille. I should warn you now that Paris is NOT one of my favorite cities in the world. In fact, I think it’s a product of being over-fetishized and glamorized. I like Paris. There’s plenty to like! But it’s not even my favorite city in France let alone Europe let alone the world! So by all means, go. Enjoy! But let it be what it is. Don’t overthink it and don’t let the idea of Hollywood/Instagram Paris distract you from discovering what it really is to you.

The best part about Paris, for me, is dining. Whether it’s a cappuccino or a multicourse meal or a bowl of ramen, the Parisians go hard on dining. If you’re doing a grand French trip hitting many cities, you may want to enjoy the international selections Paris has to offer, since many smaller cities don’t diversify nearly as much.

Dogs of France.

Traveling in France as an American

I think it’s safe to expect some stereotypical exchanges in France. Servers aren’t usually in a rush to wait on you. Even if someone understands English, they often prefer not to speak it. In Paris, toilets can be tiny, hard to find and certainly not handicap accessible. I often tease that the French don’t poop because of all of the cheese and they build bathrooms based on that. In general, be patient, stay cool, don’t wear shorts and you’ll be fine.

The subway in Paris is awesome and easy enough to navigate. There’s plenty of great neighborhoods to walk and a bucket list of food items to try. Moules et Frites, Steak au poivre, pate en croute, Jambon beurre on baguette, pastis, oysters, omelette, eclairs, escargot, crepes, soufflé, croissants! Make a checklist. Try them all. I think that’s the best part of Paris. NYT did a comprehensive piece last year and it’s a great collection.

Rotisserie chicken lunch at Brutos.

You can tell by now that I have some polarizing opinions about Paris. But if you avoid the crowds, run away from the Eiffel Tower, skip the Louvre and find all the jazz bars and cozy restaurants and drink a million cappuccinos and walk the old streets and smoke cigarettes (I don’t smoke, 99.999% of the time, but in Paris, sometimes…) and eat baguettes and ham and charcuterie and mussels and liver and poached fish and escargot and drink copious amounts of Lillet and vermouth and champagne you may find that it’s a pretty cool place!

The cocktail scene isn’t as strong as other cities of the world. Maybe it’s the culture, or the lack of respect for ice or maybe no one wants to come in and work for 12 hours juicing citrus and snipping herbs for drinks. But wine and aperitifs are more plentiful than full on cocktails. I recommend wine bars more than cocktail bars in general here. When in doubt, order a gin & tonic. My international libation of choice!

Recommendations by neighborhood

1st and 2nd arr.

Where to stay

• Hôtel Madame Rêve; Art Deco former post office and Eiffel Tower views.

• Cheval Blanc Paris; Riverfront hotel with spa amenities.

Where to eat & drink

• Sébastien Gaudard; gorgeous pastries. Or Telescope café to start the day.

• Ellsworth; cozy, romantic and hip - menu is seasonal and they feature a natural wine list.

• Le Grand Colbert; brasserie from 1910 with exuberant vibes and quintessential dishes like steak and oysters.

• Aux Lyonnais; a hat tip to bouchons in Lyon (from 1890!), now owned by Alain Ducasse.

• La Poule au Pot; my husband’s favorite restaurant ever? So charming.

• Juveniles; compact wine bar with bistro fare.

• Chez Georges; an institution.

• yam’Tcha; market-sourced menu of French-Chinese fusion with a rare tea menu (one Michelin star).

• Bar Hemingway; an ode to the writer inside the Ritz.

• Harry’s New York Bar; the boulevardier cocktail was invented here.

What to do

The obvious choice would be to visit the Louvre. But we have many other options if the prospect is much too much…

• Walk the grounds of the Jardin du Palais-Royal or Tuileries.

• Visit Monet’s water lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie.

• Shop for ceramics at Astier de Villatte, or home goods at Brigitte Tanaka.

• Visit the book store Librarie Galignani.