Paris, France Recommendations

I have a weakness for Paris. I don't know whether it's the buildings, the food, the cafes, or the buzz of the city, but I always want to go.  Even when I've just returned. 

For a first timer, there are so many sights that it can be completely overwhelming. My husband and I bought as many skip the line passes as we could on our honeymoon and tried to cram the major sights into a couple of days, so we could spend the rest of the time wandering through neighborhoods and soaking up the food & wine.  This isn't the best approach for everyone, but it worked for us and enabled us to check off: going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, seeing the major pieces at the Louvre, checking out the Musee D'Orsay, Notre Dame, the Pantheon, Jardin du Luxembourg, Tuleries, and Sacre Couer. Google any of those and you can figure out how to buy tickets and opening times.  

Now, for the good stuff. 

Lodging: I usually go whenever I can use points, as hotels can be pricey.  As long as there's a metro stop (and bonus points if it's on a line where you don't have a ton of transfers to the areas you want to see), you are fine.  You'll never only stay in the neighborhood of your hotel, so a little commuting is inherent. Since I use points, I do stay in chains - what I give up in French culture in the hotel, I feel as though I gain being out and about.

• One trip to Paris was over NYE and, boy, were the hotels pricey! For this trip, we rented an apartment in the 8th arrondissement in a traditional Haussmanian style building. We saved $ and were able to truly live like a local, shopping at the market and bringing food back to our flat

Restaurants: Where to begin?  Picking out and making reservations for Paris is a daunting task. There are so many restaurants and you want to be sure you experience the real deal and not the tourist trap bistros on the Champs Elysees. I typically use a combination of TripAdvisor and other random sites (Conde Nast Travelor, Thrillist, etc.) to get a balance of authentic bistros and traditional fancy, French dining. Here are some of my faves (in no particular order), even though this is just a drop in the bucket of what this city has to offer: 

• La Fontaine de Mars - picturesque bistro not far from the Eiffel Tower. Beef tartare, eggs with mayonnaise, all your traditional French favorites in a festive, open air setting

• Cafe Atlas - this is on the bustling Rue de Buci in St. Germain. I suggest posting up at a table, digging deep into their extensive spritzer list (the St. Germain spritz being my favorite, obviously), and doing some intense people watching. When you've have too many spritzers, the chicken fricassee will help to right your wrongs

• Boutary - lovely, fine dining in a less stuffy setting. If you've never really had high end caviar, which we hadn't, this is the spot to try it

• Les Ombres - this is where you get your money shot of the Eiffel Tower. It has a huge outdoor dining room with an unobstructed view - amazing when the tower sparkles at the top of the hour. The food is good - not the best you can get in Paris, but solid and you won't be disappointed. This is a good special occasion spot

• Le Hide - locals only, casual spot that does chicken that we still talk about

• MIchelin Star Fine Dining: It's definitely fun to try out the formal French dining scene at least once. The problem with this is many times, you don't want to drop a grand on dinner. My solution has been to try them a lunch time - there's usually a (relatively) reasonably priced prix fixe midday menu

  • Bistro Benoit - this is as old school French bistro as it gets. Part of renowned chef Alain Ducasse's empire, we had a rich lunch here with a side of rose

  • Taillevant - a Paris institution in a gorgeous townhome - we've done lunch here twice and this place has some of the most impeccable service I've ever seen. The second time, they put a bottle of sherry on our table at the end and said go for it. Enough said

  • Guy Savoy - The dessert cart here is ridiculous and there are surprises throughout every course

  • Le Cinq at the Four Seasons George V - the dining room her is beautiful, as was our lunch. Great way to get Michelin Star fine dining, while also seeing an exquisite French hotel

• A couple wonderful rooftop bars: 1) The bar on top of the department store Printemps. After taking a look around the luxe department store, head up to the roof for quite the scene. We enjoyed a bottle of rose with the Eiffel Tower in the distance while listening to beats from the DJ 2) the bar/restaurant on top of the Centre Pompidou has sweeping views of the city and has a glam feel to it

• The bar/patio at the famed Ritz Paris - super decadent and super expensive, this is surely a treat, as the atmosphere is top notch and the drinks are a-mazing

Other tips:

• Just wander! Pick some neighborhoods that interest you and cafe hop and stroll the streets taking in the atmosphere, stopping at corner cafes for a glass of vin. My favorite areas to stroll are St. Germain, Monmartre, and Le Marais. This is also when I usually stumble upon the best, random little shops

• If you like rose from Provence, it's on most menus, so take advantage and order it copiously!

• Make sure to say Bonjour and Au Revoir/Bon soir or another form of greeting/acknowledgement when entering/leaving shops

• O'Chateau is a great option for a wine tasting in a cave near the Louvre. We've done this twice and thoroughly enjoyed it

• A day trip to Champagne from Paris is a quick and easy way to experience a French wine region that's relatively close. O'Chateau has a day trip that friends of mine did and had a positive experience. My husband and I decided to do the trip on our own: we made individual reservations via email with the champagne houses we wanted to visit and took the train from Paris into Reims. It makes for a nice day, albeit a long one