Paris
Who doesn’t love Paris? The City of Lights, The City of Love and Paname, Paris is a quintessential stop for any trip to Europe.
We only had a few days in Paris after spending time in Champagne, so we wanted to maximize our time in Paris with a few days of bespoke experiences. And no, they weren’t shopping experiences - though Dave was a very good sport at YSL! Given that we had both been to Paris and that Dave spent a few days in Paris with the kids on this trip, we wanted our time in Paris to be a different experience.
For starters, Dave and I wanted to pick a hotel that offered a more authentic Paris vibe. Yes, it’s easy and convenient to stay around Tuileries or on the Champs-Elysees but we had both done that before (on this trip at the Westin Vendome)! So instead we opted for the Espirt St. Germain, a small 28-room five-star hotel deep in St. Germain du Pres on the left bank - not far from the Luxemburg Gardens.
The hotel was set on a small side street surrounded by neighborhood shops away from the hustle and bustle of thousands of tourists. We visited in August so unfortunately many of the small neighborhood shops were closed for summer break. The neighborhood vibe and experience would have been way better when it’s not summer vacation for local Parisians! But we loved the quiet, authentic vibe and it was still convenient for sightseeing! The Seine was about a 10-minute walk and D’Orsay was probably a 20-minute walk from the hotel.
As for Espirt St. Germain, the hotel accommodations were great – we booked a one-bedroom suite so we had plenty of room for all the luggage we were traveling with! Our suite was on the third floor, it was very quiet and we had a nice view of the streets below out the windows in both the sitting area and bedroom of the suite. The hotel was very nice, there were lots of small siting areas around the hotel, drinks and a small lobby bar were self-serve and there was a spa onsite. It was clean and spacious (for Paris), had lots of natural light and check-in was a breeze – you know I love a welcome glass of champagne! Plus, we had some fun surprises in our room (it was a mini honeymoon after all) and breakfast was included so we started each day fueled for exploring. The hotel clearly caters to Americans. At the end of each day, guests from various U.S. cities were in the bar telling stories about their day of Paris adventures. My only complaint was that the suite layout was a little odd. Our suite had a bedroom, sitting room, 2 bathrooms with just a sink and tub/shower and then 1 separate water closet…. Yeah, that one was a real headscratcher.
Private Tour with Cedric’s of Paris
For our arrival night, we had a 2-hour private nighttime tour with Cedric’s of Paris which was a great way to see all of Paris and the city lights at night. Pick up was at 9:30pm at our hotel – so we had plenty of time for a causal dinner before the tour. Our guide JJ was great, and he managed to pull up to the Eiffel Tower at the stroke of 11pm as the twinkling lights went off! Add our bright blue 2CV car “Vega,” some champagne, and you have a great first night of sightseeing in Paris!
Meeting Vega outside our hotel!
Private Seine River Cruise with Green River Cruises
This is a must do activity! Neither Dave nor I had been on a Seine River Cruise (the Seine was flooded the last time I was in Paris), so the private cruise with Green River Cruises was a unique experience for both of us. This was also one of those experiences that I booked as soon as we had dates locked in for Paris!
Add a sunset, champagne, and some charcuterie and this was a great way to spend a couple of hours sightseeing in Paris without all the craziness or crowds of other Seine cruises. Boarding up was across from the Île Saint-Louis, we cruised up the Seine past the Eiffel Tower, and then back around Notre Dame (still under construction), before returning to the dock. A memorable night for sure!
Visit to Sainte Chapelle
This is one of the sights that I remember from my last visit to Paris, so it was worth visiting again. Plus, it was new for Dave. While we opted for a tour of Sainte Chapelle with the masses (tickets required), but the line moved pretty quickly, and we got to spend sometime exploring this beautiful tiny church.
Dinner at Le Jules Verne
Enjoying a dinner at Le Jules Verne, a two-Michelin Star restaurant, is one of those splurges you should do in Paris at least once. The restaurant is located on the second level of the Eiffel Tower so it’s a great way to kill two birds with one stone – visit the Eiffel Tower and have dinner. Plus, the restaurant has its own entrance and elevator so it’s a five-star Eiffel Tower experience all around. While the restaurant is also open for lunch (3 courses), we opted for dinner which consisted of either a 5 or 7 course dinner (decision made onsite). No surprise, we picked the 7 courses and enjoyed our 4+ hour dinner while watching the people and lights of Paris from 410 feet above.
Bookings for Jules Verne open 90 days in advance and this is one of those dinners that you mark on your calendar so you can get a reservation as soon as your desired date opens. The restaurant is quite small – it’s in the Eiffel Tower (duh) and reservations for dinner sell out. As I sit here writing, dinner every date in the next 3 months is on a waitlist. And I can’t imagine that many folks make it off the waitlist given that this is a partially pre-paid experience (deposit of €260 for dinner/ €180 for lunch per person). And if someone has made if off the waitlist for dinner, I’d love to hear from you! I mean, there’s a 48-hour cancellation policy so its possible but it may be a last-minute opening once you’re already in Paris! And while I don’t love “jacket required” places for men, this is one of those restaurants and I am guessing most men don’t travel with a jacket for vacation!
In additional to the above experiences which were all fantastic, we walked about 100 miles, hit all the usual Paris suspects, the Louvre, D’Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, the Dome (tomb of Napoleon), and lots of others! Plus, there may have been some fancy shopping! Paris, we love you. Can’t wait to visit again soon.
Tickets for the Arc and Dome were the only tickets that were purchased onsite - everything else was purchased far in advance and requires selecting a time-slot for entry.
No portion of this trip was gifted.
