Paris
le jour, Paris la nuit, sous soleil ou sous la
pluie, Paris sera toujours… Paris! Paris,
la ville Lumière...One of my favorite cities in the world...
As I have said from
Barcelona it is easy and economical to take a flight to many flash cities.
Paris is 1h40 min flight away.
From the Arc De Triomphe,
all the way down to the Champs Elysée is probably the most beautiful way to start
your walk. You will pass by many cafés, restaurants, The huge Louis Vuitton
store, the Famous Lido, the pretty macarons at La Durée , the atelier
Renault...
If you are into Haute Couture you can go down Ave. Montaigne, where you can
find designers such as Dior and Chanel.
As you keep going
further down the Champs-Elysées, you will arrive at "Place de la Concorde",
where you will see the Luxor obelisk, a gift from the viceroy of Egypt to King
Louis-Phillip. In " The Devil wears Prada", Andrea Sachs throws her phone into one of the Fontaine there.
From this point you have 2
good options. You can either go through Jardin des Tuileries all the way to the Louvre or follow the signs to Rue de Rivoli. Here you will find souvenir shops and cafés. You can of course visit The Louvre on your right hand side , which can take you part of your full day. And you could always stop at my favorite place Café Angelina. Coco Chanel used to have her Mont Blanc and Café there. The hot chocolate is the best in the world. As you sip it , you instantly feel positive vibes and a sense of "bien être". After that you can walk to Rue Saint Honoré filled with lovely stores and the fascinating Colette store. A bit of walking will lead you to Place Vendôme. It's home to the Ritz (good for celebrity spotting) and to the finest goldsmith's (Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Cartier...).
You can go back and walk along the Seine. One of the most charming shopping activities in Paris consists of walking along the rows of bookstalls perched against the parapet of the Seine River.
You can then go to St Germain des Prés, shop at Le bonMarche, have a glass of wine at " Les deux Magots" or at " Café de Flore". Les Deux Magots historical reputation derives from the patronnage of surrealist artists like Picasso, Simonne de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre rendez vous... Today, these famous cafés are still great places to do a little philosophizing as you watch the world go by. The small square in front is now called the Place Sartres-Beauvoir, in honor of the passionate couple. St Germain des Prés is a fun area at night to go with all their little wine bars and good restaurants, pizzeria, crèperies...
Then of course Notre dame De Paris , whenever I am there I always remember the hunch back and wonder if he is still upstairs. Paris is just so beautiful to look at, the picturesque church , the charming buildings, the Seine... I just love Paris ...You can go to Ile St Louis or Le Marais which have lots of restaurants, cafés... You could have a great falafel in the jewish area and walk towards the centre George Pompidou. It is a very particular building as the pipes are located outside the building. You could go up to the bar for a drink and have a nice view of Paris.
Another day you have to go to Montmartre, with their bohemian streets, cozy restaurants , artists on the road , and the breathtaking "Sacré Coeur". You can walk down to the Moulin Rouge. You can then take the metro to Haussman , to visit the Galerie Lafayette. The interior is beautiful . You can then walk till the Opera to admire it and have one of the best "mille feuille" in Café de La Paix ( Rafa Nadal's favorite place).
Other tips :
-While near the Eiffel Tower ( Metro : Trocadero) by night you can go to Cafe de L'Homme, in the " Musée de L'homme" . You can sit in the terrace even in cold winter, have some french fries with dijon mustard , a glass of wine and the view of the resplendent Eiffel Tower ( from 8pm lights flickers every 10 min till midnight) . It is magical!
- Visit the Musée d'Orsay. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay. The idea was to build a Museum that would bridge the gap between Le Louvres to the National Museum of Art at the Georges Pompidou center.
-A day trip to Versailles, will show you the eccentricity of Louis XIV , Le Roi Soleil.
-Another day trip to Dysneland Paris will make the whole trip worth for the kids!
-A glass of " Thé à la menthe" at La Grande Mosquée can take you back to my days in Maghreb, Casablanca :)
-Fun night aux "Trois mailletz"