Hi everyone! As you may have guessed, I have indeed just spent the last weekend in Paris and thought I may as well write about my time there. This particular trip marks my sixth time in Paris and my love for the City of Lights is still as great as ever. When anyone asks me where my favourite place to visit or travel to is, I always say ‘Paris’, almost instinctively. When people ask me why, I never really know where to start. Paris just has that indescribable appeal, a je ne sais quoi factor, that always stands out in my mind when I think about past holidays and where I’d like to go to next.

However, I do think it’s incredibly easy to idealise and romanticise Paris, and many people I know have felt let down or misled by the glamourisation of the city on Instagram & Tumblr, versus the reality of the city they visit. For example, you’re not supposed to leave love locks on the Pont des Arts/Neuf bridges anymore because they weighed down the bridge, causing the French government to remove almost all of them. Returning, I found this very bittersweet as I left one there in 2016 which is now long gone; however, I didn’t dwell on this too long, as I left a new one on a lamp post attached to Pont des Arts.

For me, the quirks and ‘faults’ of Paris humanises its glossy veneer and prestige created by pop culture. Whilst Parisians are notorious for being their own breed of rude** (and much of the non-touristy sides of the city are run-down and ugly), it’s the energy, ambience, breathtaking views and traditional architecture of Paris that gives it a real sense of identity and cultural value. Travelling in January, I was keen to make the most of smaller queues and crowds at the main attractions and enjoy seeing them without feeling rushed. Without further ado, here are some of my favourite spots I visited this time & why I think they’re worth seeing!

**(Obviously, not all Parisians are rude, I’ve met some truly interesting people over the years, but I think you find this mentality in any tourist-magnet city, e.g. London and New York.)

1. The Sacré-Cœur & upper Montmartre

I’m a little obsessed with Montmartre, especially the Sacré-Cœur! It’s right by Gare du Nord, which has international, national and metropolitan services, meaning it’s relatively easy to get to and from almost anywhere in Paris (and much of Western Europe). I love the Sacré-Cœur because it’s a beautiful example of 19th century architecture and it also sits atop the highest natural point in Paris. My hotel room faced the basilica (which was super cool) and with it being a 5 minute walk,  I ended up visiting pretty much everyday. The view from the top is one of my favourites in all of Paris, you can see pretty much everything of significance  except the Eiffel Tower. There’s also been an explosion in love locks left on the railings there since the last time I visited, which I always enjoy looking through and reading all the dedications. It was also my first time going inside the basilica itself and it was honestly beautiful. I’m not super religious by any means, but I definitely felt a sense of peace and spiritual energy when I was lit some candles and explored inside.

• Key Highlights: Amazing views, a mini carousel, close proximity to the metro (the closest stop is Anvers), a beautiful monument and really good food venues nearby!
• Things to Note: If you ever visit, definitely be prepared for many, many steps at a steep incline and tourist-scammers who will approach you with a ‘wishing thread’ bracelet before trying to demand money from you.

2. The Hardware Societe Café

This brunch-themed café is right down the street from the Sacré-Cœur, Montmarte, and is perfectly in-sync with the bohemian vibe of the neighbourhood. It’s run by an Australian team who were really friendly and efficient with their service and it was so good we went twice! I tried two different dishes: The Continental and the Vegetarian Baked Eggs and both were amazing. They also have artisan lemonades in flavours from passionfruit to cherry and I also had the cutest matcha latte. It was super busy when we went each time despite us arriving fairly early, but we never waited more than 15 minutes for food. If you like big portions, fancy flavours, brunch and Aussie hospitality then I deffo recommend!

• Key Highlights: Lots of choice and interesting flavour combinations, with multiple vegetarian/vegan options. The staff also speak both English and French and the overall aesthetic of the café is both cozy and hipster.
• Things to Note: It’s really small inside and you often have to share tables with people, so turn up early – especially because they don’t do reservations!

3. The Montparnasse Tower, Observation Deck

The Montparnasse Tower is the only true skyscraper in Paris, with 56 floors and multiple restaurants and bars. From its website description, it sounded like the equivalent of the Shard, so I decided (on a whim) to book tickets for €15 each. When we got there, we went through airport-style security measures before being guided to a lift that was so fast it made our ears pop! When we got to the viewing deck floor, I was slightly underwhelmed by the very uninspired gift shop and standard museum cafe. However, once we got onto the roof, I really understood why Paris is known as the City of Lights. It’s a total 360 experience, you can see everything from the Eiffel Tower to the Palais Royal and it was truly breathtaking. Literally, because it was absolutely freezing, so we only managed half an hour up there. I would love to go back in the summer months to watch the sunset, as the photos I’ve seen of it are beautiful and hopefully it would be less windy.

• Key Highlights: It’s a really unique view of Paris and you can eat/drink on multiple floor of the tower, whilst looking out over the city. There’s also a photo booth on top of the viewing deck and you can get your photos printed for €2, which is cute.
• Things to Note: Like the Louvre, Eiffel Tower and many other Parisian attractions, you have to wait to go through security, i.e. baggage scanner and metal detector, so be prepared to wait around. The bars & eateries are also fairly expensive so be prepared to spend some money.

4. Wild & the Moon

Going into this trip, this undoubtedly the most exciting new place on my list to visit! Wild & the Moon is a chain of vegetarian/vegan cafés in Paris and they served everything from juices to rose matcha lattes to açai bowls (my favourite!!). In terms of its aesthetic and decor,  if you imagine a combination of The Ordinary (Skincare)/Urban Outfitters/Floristry’s, you’ll get a pretty good idea. In the best way possible, it’s so Instagram/Tumblr/Pinterest it almost hurts! Aside from the major indie vibes, the food was really colourful and really good. I paid €10 for an açai bowl, which when converted to pounds matches up with London pricing, and it was both really big and really tasty! Louis had an açai cheesecake, which was surprisingly creamy. Like the Hardware Societe, it was really busy and pretty small inside but alongside the winter rain pouring against our window-seat view, that only added to its charm!

• Key Highlights: SO many veggie/vegan options! I could’ve eaten way more but sadly we didn’t have time. Everything is freshly prepared and easily labelled in both English and French which made ingredient checking easy.
• Things to Note: Unlike many açai places in England, you can’t choose your own toppings for smoothie bowls which was semi-annoying. It’s also on the pricier side, 500ml smoothies came to around €10, but there were also smaller sizes available in every flavour.

In Conclusion…

Thank you so much for reading! I could’ve written way more, but maybe I’ll save that for another time. I also just wanted to give a quick shout out to Beth, who hooked me up with this app called Culture Trip, which is basically a cultural guide to cities and helped me plan and modify our itinerary. Also, (this is pretty obvious but) I do really recommend using Trip Advisor: it really helped me filter the many restaurants and cafés and attractions by price/vegetarian options/location/etc. and I always enjoy seeing other people’s experiences and own photos versus an eateries’ own Instagram account or website. If you wanted a final summary of my thoughts on what I visited in Paris, I’ve put together a little checklist of my favourite spots (and links to their websites/social media) which you can find directly below! Until next time💖

Hol xo

MY PARISIAN MUST-SEEs

• The Montparnasse Tower observation deck (at night or sunset especially)
• The Sacré-Cœur & upper Montmartre
• Disneyland Paris
• Pont des Arts Bridge
• The Arc de Triomphe
• The Hardware Societe Café
• Wild & the Moon Café
• The Eiffel Tower
• Sephora, Champs-Élysées