If I had a day in Paris, just one… what would I do? That’s a question I have wanted to answer for months (or even years) but I actually never did it, because I couldn’t bring myself to choose between all the options opened to someone wanting to spend a perfect day in Paris. It took all the pugnacity of a slightly idle Parisian who wanted to build the best program ever for his friends from Amsterdam (yes, Pierre, I’m talking about you) to put an end to the matter…at last!
French version here
A PERFECT DAY IN PARIS…
I would start this perfect day with breakfast at Claus, unrivaled in this area, around 9:00, 9:30. Except if this is the weekend: in spite of having reservations, the place is way too packed to have a comfortable, relaxing experience. OK, I’ll give you that…that’s the problem pretty much everywhere in Paris. If you can’t make it at Claus, try the Hotel Le Roch, one of my favorite hotel in Paris where you can have a good breakfast as well.
Then I would head for the Palais Royal, where I would have a matcha latte to Café Kitsuné before treating myself with some perfume or at least visiting Serge Lutens‘ incredible shop.
Around 11:30, I would cross the Tuileries gardens on foot to the Grande Roue de Paris: it would be hard to find more of a cliche, but nothing moves me more than a view over all of Paris…!
Around noon, I would head for the metro and go to the Palais de Tokyo, my favorite Parisian museum: in addition to seeing the often fascinating exhibitions, I would grab the chance to have my photo taken in the vintage photo booth (being unable to pick up any treasures in the Palais bookshop … it closed last December). Without forgetting, of course, to take THE photo of the Eiffel Tower on the right as you come out of the museum.
Around 1:30 pm, it’s on to Daroco for lunch, to enjoy a huuuuuge pizza. I’m crazy about the atmosphere: the former Jean-Paul Gaultier studios offer breathtakingly high ceilings and architecture! The dish may not be that memorable, but it’s perfectly honest. If you’re short on time / lazy and don’t want to loose time coming back to the 2nd area, head directly to the next step and have a lunch at Grazie or Maison Plisson..
In the afternoon, I would take the metro to the Canal Saint Martin for a walk while my meal digests, starting a little lower at Boulevard Beaumarchais, stopping at Merci, and maybe even popping into one or two other nice shops on the street, on the way up the boulevard towards the Place de la République.
I would grab a snack on the canal bank at Liberté, or I would take a break in La Chambre aux Oiseaux if I were too tired (yes, or if it’s raining, given that you’re a kill-joy!).
Reinvigorated, I would walk a little further to have a drink at l’Ours Bar or the Grand Amour Hôtel, which is just next door, before heading off to dinner at L’Office or Le Richer.
If I still have some reserves, I would go for one more drink at the Carmen or the Dirty Dick. And I would return by taxi to watch Paris rush by before my eyes, with my head full of stars (and pins and needles in my feet).
REVERSE SCHEDULING FOR A PERFECT DAY IN PARIS
(Because we’re not there to mess around!)
- 9h > 10h Claus (remember to book!) ou the Hôtel le Roch
- 10h30 > 11h Palais-Royal Gardens
- 11h > 11h30 Grande Roue de Paris
- 12h > 13h15 Palais de Tokyo
- 13h30 Lunch at Daroco (again, book before you go) or Grazie, or Maison Plisson.
- 15h/15h30 > 18h boulevard Beaumarchais, République, Canal Saint Martin
- 18h30 > l’Ours Bar or the Grand Amour Hotel
- 20h30 > l’Office or the Richer (again, always book before you go)
- 22h30/23h > Carmen ou Dirty Dick
Hope you’ll enjoy your Parisian day ! If you need more addresses, you can download Mapstr and check my best addresses @deedeeparis 🙂
