3 DAY PARIS ITINERARY
So you get cheap(ish) flights to Paris for a long weekend with your Best friend... now what. Instagram is overwhelming with where to eat and where to be seen but if you want fine dining mixed with good coffee sitting on a kerb gossiping then try what we did below -
Arrive on a flight from Manchester. We stayed at Hotel Monterosa. A short 3 minute walk to the Moulin Rouge & the tube stop, and the lovely shops & bars of Montmatre. The room had a small balcony, was clean and the staff could not have done more for us. The great thing about this hotel chain is they have other properties around Paris & you can use the amenities in any of them including gyms and grabbing snacks and drinks. It was a really good price and we felt very safe and looked after there. Better still we walked to most things we wanted to see
Activities -
-Wander around Montmatre - a beautiful part of Paris with cobbled streets, shops and so many cafes you do not know where to look. Stop wherever takes your fancy and people watch. This feels like true Paris so a great first stop
- checkout Moulin De La Galette & Place de Tetre for cute street recommendations
- head to Sacre Coeur for views over Paris
- find the Rue Des Trois Freres photobooth for cute pics
- Moulin Rouge - we went without researching much as we wanted the surprise and surprise it is ... it is a like one big feather boa'd fever dream. Use it as an excuse to dress up and have some fun
- The Eiffel Tower .. obvs... We went at night to get some nice photos and watch the light show that happens every hour. Very touristy but has to be done ! For those key tower pics head to 4 avenue de camoens, Ave de New York, Pont De Bir Hakeim and Rue de l'Universte.
-Dior Galerie - you can book or queue for this one ! We queued for around 20 mins around 2pm and the galerie was quite quiet so you have plenty of time to read, take photograph's and enjoy the galerie without swarms of people
- Explore and shop on Rue Saint-Honorè - here you will find all the big names such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Celine etc
- Galerie Lafatte - a stunning department store selling all designers from International to smaller up and coming. It is worth going just to wander around this incredible shop
- Wander down Rue Montorgueil - cute street with lots of small shops and cafes on
- Stop at Officine Universella Buly and make a personalised perfume, lip balm, comb or pick up some amazing scented matches. The shop feels like an old apothecary and you enter knowing that you want to buy anything that reminds you of that place
Food & Drinks -
- grab food or drinks at La Mison Rose - traditional French food in a cute pink maisonette
- Pink Mama is a very Instagram loving restaurant - but you must book first - queues are loooong
- Bar à Bulles - a rooftop bar next to Moulin Rouge worth checking out before you head home
- Carette - the Instagram place you will have seen that serves the most OTT hot chocolate and insane pastries
- La Suite Giraffe - I can not recommend enough - we booked a table and told them it was our special occasion & got sat at an amazing table with the Eiffel Tower right behind us. The food was stunning and we took our time and at no point felt rushed... even when it started to close around us. Service was slow but we found that everywhere - maybe us Brits are used to go-go-go service
- another rooftop Eiffel tower view option is Cafe de Homme - both of these you must book ahead for to avoid being dissappointed
-Coco - stunning dining inside and out
- Cafe Kitsune - very cute Instagram worthy coffee please, perfect for grabbing a coffee to go or sitting and people watching. It is a chain so there are a few of these dotted around Paris
- Cafe Marly - the terrace of this cafe overlooks the Lourve so it is truely a stunning place to get a drink or food - the view and people watching alone is perfect
- The French Bastards - amazing coffee and pastries - actually the best we had. We got it to go and sat by a fountain and watch the world go by. Was actually one of the best moments of the trip - the simple things
- Prescription Cocktail Club - Boujee dimly lit cocktail bar - perfect for the evening
- Maison Sauvage - a really pretty terrace for brunch and small plates
- Bisou Bar - custom made cocktails to your liking in a light and airy bar
- Cafe Maxime Frédéric Louis Vuitton - branding on coffees, plates, cakes... even pasta - this is a Instagram lovers heaven. But it actually tastes incredible to back it up ! You can reserve a table for lunch but not just for coffee and cakes - however do not overlook the lunch options.. and you can always get one to share ( sneaky ) .
