Paris, je t'aime: My Don't-Miss List

Yesterday, I arrived back in Atlanta after spending most of the summer in Paris, France! Obviously, it was an incredible, life-changing experience. I fell in love with a city and a culture, as well as the lovely group of people on the trip with me. There will probably be many, many more posts about my summer in Paris but I just wanted to touch on it while the memories are still fresh.

The Eiffel Tower on our last night.

Things I Learned

• French designer brands are cheaper in Paris. American designer brands are more expensive in Paris, so get those back home and splurge on a Longchamp or Louis.
• In fact, everything is expensive in Paris. Be prepared to wince when you get your credit card statement.
• Getting drunk in Paris is either going to cost you $5 or $50. A great bottle of wine at Carrefour or Franprix is as cheap as water, but going to bar is going to run you about $10/drink, even for beer.
• Get out of the tourist areas (Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, etc.) and experience real Paris. I fell in love with la Ville Lumière when strolling through Saint-Germain-des-Pres, reading at the Jardin du Luxembourg and picnicking by Pont Neuf, far away from the pickpockets and Americans in running shorts.
• Who said French people were rude? I met some incredibly wonderful, helpful French people and were able to learn so much from them.
• The Metro is great. It's cheap, convenient  fast and relatively clean (until a drunk college students vomits on the platform). I'm really going to miss it. That being said, the RER (the train that takes you to the 'burbs) is awful. Avoid it if at all possible, and if you really want to see Versailles go early!
• Instead of paying to eat at a brasserie, go to one of the outdoor markets (I recommend the Bastille) or one of the huge grocery stories at the Galeries Lafayette or Bon Marche and pick up food to cook or eat outside.
• Don't spend all of your time at museums - they're tourist traps. Sure, make sure you hit up Rodin and the Musee d'Orsay, but you'll experience Paris better if you pick other spots. I love the parks, cemeteries and boulevards of Paris much more than any hall of paintings full of obnoxious tour groups.
• Traveling around Europe is so easy! If you have time, book a Megabus or Ryanair for a weekend trip to the UK or somewhere else in western or central Europe. Very cheap and low stress.
• If you want to see the churches like Notre Dame and Sacre-Coeur, go during worship. It's a much more authentic experience, especially on Sundays with everywhere else in Paris is closed.
• Seriously, Paris shuts down on Sundays. Go to a church (even if you aren't Catholic, it's something to see and they're used to visitors), then spend your afternoon in one of the jardins or le Marais (the Jewish quarter is wide open on Sunday).
• Most importantly, don't worry about seeing and doing everything. Just experience the city the way you end up experiencing the city. If you get lost and miss something, so what? Relax, buy a street crepe and stroll around. You're guaranteed to find something great.

My Don't-Miss List

• The Latin Quarter. It's full of universities and bookstores, but go to one of the pedestrian streets and buy a crepe, panini or gyro before you explore! The street food there is great.
• Saint-Germain-des-Pres is a great place to shop without worrying about pickpockets. Visit famous Cafe de Flore or Les Deux Magots to dine like Satre, Picasso and Hemingway.
• Montmartre is as gimmicky as it gets, but the sunset views of the city are worth it. Walk up from the Moulin Rouge to really experience the quartier, and try to go in the Sacre-Coeur during mass.
• The Jardin du Luxembourg is my favorite place to go in Paris. Get a book and a picnic (or a to-go meal from the neighboring McDo) and spend an afternoon there.
• Le Marais - the gay, jewish quarter - is full of interesting stores both cheap and designer, and has a lovely park (Place des Vosges) in the middle. It's also a great place to people-watch or spend a Sunday après-midi. 
• Walk the Champs-Elysees. If you have on your walking shoes, start at the Louvre, go through the Tuileries, Place de la Concorde and all the way to the Arc du Triomphe to see it all. If you're less mobile, start at the Grand Palais. It's a gorgeously glamorous street - but expensive!
• Get a bottle of cheap wine and watch the sunset by the Seine. The best, most Parisian spots to do this are the park below Pont Neuf on the Ile-de-la-Cite or the Jardin Tino Rossi. But beware - no bathrooms.
• Obviously go the Eiffel Tower sparkle. My favorite way to do this is on the Champ de Mars with - no surprise here - a bottle of vin.
• Go to a French bar and meet French people. Rue de Cannettes and Rue Princesse were our regular spot, but any neighborhood will have a nightlife area.
• Do some museums, but don't occupy yourselves too much with it. My favorites are the Musee Rodin, the Musee d'Orsay, les Invalides, l'Orangerie, and obviously the Louvre. Just watch for pickpockets and overzealous tourists with cameras.
• Get off the Metro at the Opera station, and walk past the famous Opera Garnier to the Galeries Lafayette. Check out the Tiffany glass dome, then take the escalators up to the gorgeous terrace. Drink a peach smoothie and take in the views.
• Got to Notre Dame, and then progress to the center of the island to the flower market.

There will be much more about the city I love so much in the future, but you can always email me if you have questions!