If you missed my previous posts (start here), we just got back from a family vacation in Paris with our 10 month old. After living in Paris for two years, it had been way too long since we’d seen our favorite city! Even better than living there, we discovered, is exploring the city exactly according to our whims each day.

If you’d like to see more photos from our trip, check out the photo diaries (parts I and II), but here I am compiling all of the addresses, as the French would say, for where we went, what we did, where we ate, and where we shopped. To reference as you’re planning a trip of your own, of course. (I love a good recommendation for where to vacay!)

Also – if you find yourself planning a trip to Paris (real or just dreaming!), check out The Great Paris Bucket List on my etsy shop! I’ve compiled allll my favorite spots that I’ve been or want to go to. The touristy, the low key local, and the barely-heard-of. It’s organized with descriptions and cross-listings so you can geek out over the planning or just browse. Check it out!

WHAT WE DID

We enjoyed everything and would recommend any of the following things we did, saw, or ate! If you’re planning a trip and using this as a guide, I will give the caveat that a lot of these places were nostalgic to us, and because of that we didn’t hit a lot of the main sights that visitors love.

PARKS

• Place des Vosges
• Parc de Belleville
• Jardin de l’Hôtel-Salé-Léonor-Fini (park behind Picasso museum)
• Jardin Nelson Mandela (next to the Forum des Halles mall and in front of St Eustache church)
• Square de la Tour Saint-Jacques
• Jardin des Tuileries
• Arènes de Lutèce (ancient Roman amphitheater)

WALKS

• From Bastille down to the Seine and back up by the Canal St Martin
• Across the right bank of the Seine via Pont Sully through Île Saint-Louis, taking Pont de l’Archevêché south of the river
• Along the bank of the Seine from Pont Neuf over to the Tuileries garden during sunset
• Across Place de la Concorde via the Pont de la Concorde from Musee D’Orsay, winding to the Tuileries gardens
• From the Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower to Trocadero on the other side at nightfall

SITES / ACTIVITIES

• Coulée Verte René-Dumont
• Église Saint-Ambroise (and Jardin Truillot) north of Bastille
• Bastille market (Thursday mornings)
• Midnight in Paris steps
• Panthéon
• Rue Montorgueil
• Jazz at Peniche Le Marcounet boat along the Seine
• Musee D’Orsay
• Rue Montmartre market (Sunday mornings)
• Church at Église Connexion
• Louvre museum
• Jazz at Vino e Cucina (Monday nights)

PICNICS

• Picnic by the Seine near Pont Neuf
• Picnic dinner in Tuileries in the Jardin du Carrousel (near the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel)
• Picnic at Jardin Nelson Mandela in front of St Eustache church
• Picnic at Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower

WHERE WE ATE

• Boca Mexa – fast casual Mexican food
• Breizh – sit-down galettes and crepes
• Chez Gladine’s – sit-down Basque food (hearty, affordable French food)
• Kitchen – gluten-free and vegan fresh food
• Café de l’Industrie
• Yummy & Guiltfree – gluten-free savory and sweet waffles
• Brasserie Dubillot – sit-down French food done right
• Monoprix – grocery store pre-prepared salads, sandwiches, sushi
• Turbigo – gyros and kebabs to go
• Bastille market – crepes and other food to go
• Exki – sandwiches and salads to go

WHERE WE SNACKED

• Chambelland – gluten-free bakery (I got eclairs!!!)
• Glace Bachir – Lebanese ice cream
• Boneshaker – hearty gourmet donuts
• Maison Landemaine Beaumarchais – pastries (viennoisseries)
• Aux Délices de Beaubourg – pastries (viennoisseries)
• Aux Délices de Franck et Mavilde – pastries (viennoisseries)
• The French Bastards – pastries (viennoisseries)
• Stohrer – pastries
• Matamata – craft coffee
• La Chaumière cafe (on the corner of Île Saint-Louis) – cup of coffee
• Café des Anges – cup of coffee/tea
• Le Préau – beer
• Méert – tea and chocolates (sometimes they have candles in stock but not this time)
• Jadis et Gourmande – chocolates
• Ladurée – macarons
• Pierre Hermé – macarons
• Lenôtre – macarons

WHERE WE SHOPPED

• Alain Ducasse – craft coffee (they also have a chocolate shop)
• Comptoir Richards – tea
• Bonobo – men’s and women’s clothing
• Monoprix – men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing
• Celio – men’s clothing
• Yi Ness – women’s clothing
• San Marina – men’s and women’s shoes
• Moulin Roty – children’s toy store
• Fleux Kids – children’s storefront of home good store with toys, books, and all kinds of baby items
• Le Petit Souk – children’s store with clothing, toys, baby items
• Marché des Enfants Rouges (little stall directly across from Comme un Roman) – jewelry, gifts
• Shakespeare & Co – English bookstore
• Comme un Roman – French bookstore

If you have any questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out!