Last month, we had the opportunity to visit Paris and it was nothing short of remarkable. We lived in Spain when studying abroad and somehow haven’t made a return trip to Europe together yet, so this was long overdue for us, particularly since we will be celebrating our ten year wedding anniversary later this year. Seemed like a good excuse to go, right?? We didn’t have a ton of time in Paris but with the right amount of prioritizing and planning, and a lot of great advice from friends and family who have visited, it was just enough for us to feel like we really got to enjoy the gorgeous city. I want to share some of the many images from of our trip with you, as well as a few tips and suggestions about getting the most out of a (short) Paris vacation based on our experience. As you can imagine, there is a lot to share, so I have broken everything up into three posts. Today: my general packing list, and day one itinerary.
We had been planning everything out a little beforehand and knew what we wanted to bring and do in general, but the weather in Paris this year has been quite odd (they had snow well in to March!) so we waited until about a week before we left to finalize our itinerary and officially pack for the trip. Side note: we always try to pack as light as possible when flying/traveling! Troy was there a few days before I was, so luckily he brought the one checked bag we needed, which included my coat, two pairs of shoes, and a handful of clothes, then I was able to pack all the rest of my items in a single carry-on and a tote. I am happy to report that I wore everything I brought, and felt like I had everything I needed. If you’re anything like us, you will walk a TON when exploring Paris, so comfortable clothes and shoes are essential. I challenged the rule on day two and tried to wear a new pair of booties on our second day there but quickly regretted it, donning some horrible blisters in the days following. So bring comfortable shoes, friends!
It was pretty chilly during our trip, so I planned for lots of layering, packing the following:
- Day 1: jeans, sweater, black leather Nikes, wool coat // Skirt, top, black heels, wool coat for dinner
- Day 2: leather leggings, black top, lightweight blazer/sweater, blanket scarf, boots (bad idea, later changed to Nikes!)
- Day 3: black jeans, striped tee, trench coat, flat booties // jumpsuit with mules and coat for dinner
Other items & essentials: my DSLR and mirrorless camera with extra CF cards, umbrella, comfortable travel clothes for airplane to/from, felt hat, Yosi Samra foldable flats, jammies, basic base layers, oversized sweater, cross-body bags (one large, one small), foldable/reusable shopping bags (2), adapter for charging electronics, toiletries, outfit for our photoshoot — more on that later!
Day 1 Itenerary: Champs Élysées, Jardin Tuileries, Louvre, Palais Royal (mostly 1st Arr. & 8th Arr.)
Our first day in Paris, it was very rainy and dreary so we decided to take an uber from our hotel (near the Eiffel Tower), past Arc de Triumph, to Champs Élysées so we could casually stroll down Champs Élysées toward our lunch spot at the iconic Ladurée (on Rue Royale). That one was a major “must” on my list, because hello, macarons! We made a reservation ahead of time and got a lovely little table by an open window. The food was impeccable and the macarons even better (we brought a few boxes home!). After lunch, we strolled Rue Honore toward the Louvre, passing flagship stores of all of the luxurious fashion designers, like Chloé, LV, Tom Ford, Chanel.
To say that the Louvre is massive is quite an understatement. It’s the largest museum in the world and according to this site, if you spent one minute seeing each Louvre artwork, it would take you 64 days to see everything in the entire museum. So to get the most out of your day at Louvre YOU NEED A PLAN. We took their advice and mapped out our “must see” pieces to get the most out of our time there and to ensure we saw what we were most interested in. Of course the Mona Lisa is a bucket list item, and the crowd around her was surprisingly manageable that day. We sought out our favorite Spanish artists, The Winged Victory of Samothrace statue, the Regent diamond, and as much as we could take in in between.
Be sure to check out the World in Paris site for lots of great Louvre tips, including info on “skip the line Louvre e-tickets” that you can buy in advance from the comfort of home or hotel. We purchased ours same day and went straight to the special “skip the line” area to enter, walking right in with no wait. Note: Skip the Line Louvre e-tickets are only valid on the exact date and time slot you choose, so if you arrive at the pyramid late, you will have to stand in the same line to enter as those who didn’t have tickets.
Next, we stopped by Palais Royal and es Deux Plateaux, more commonly known as the Colonnes de Buren, for a quick photo op before heading over to Angelina for their famous hot cocoa and signature dessert: mont-blanc (a meringue, whipped cream, chestnut cream vermicelli). We waited in line for quite a while since this is a very popular spot to grab afternoon tea, but to be honest, we didn’t enjoy the hot cocoa at all. It was very sweet and so incredibly thick that it wasn’t easy to drink. The mont-blanc looked beautiful but was just okay – unique flavor but way too sweet. The elegant decor and design of the tea room were by far my favorite part of Angelina.
We finished the day taking in the architecture on our walk back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. We had late reservations (recommended) at Le Grand Colbert, a warmly lit, elegant spot made famous by Something’s Gotta Give. Troy had mushroom soup and I tried the scallops which were delicious, thus spurring my now insane obsession with fleur de sel. More on that later as well!
It was a casual, perfect rainy first day in Paris and I am excited to share about the rest of our trip. It only gets better and better! I hope you will check back for the next post, where I will share about our visit to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, St Germaine, the best ice cream we’ve ever had, and one of our absolute favorite parts of the trip!
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