After Oktoberfest we flew to Paris to experience the most romantic city in the world! We had heard mixed reviews about Paris but were decently surprised with how quickly we fell in love with the city! Although it was a quick trip there was plenty we squeezed in during our 3 days!
Day 1
We landed in Paris around 2 pm and once we exited the airport we found the taxi pick up area. Taxis are super regulated in the city of Paris and are a great way to get around. Our hotel was in the 16th district so it was approximately 60 euros from the airport which we split between us and another couple we were traveling with. We stayed at Hotel Aero which was a quaint boutique hotel right above a busy square, had a delicious market in the side street next to it, and was surrounded by delicious pâtisseries. After getting checked in and settled at the hotel we walked 10 minutes to the metro station (Gare D’Avenue du President Kennedy Maison de Radio France). We attempted to buy a one trip ticket at the kiosk that was €2,50 but for some reason it didn’t work so we had to go to the desk with an attendant where we purchased a Navigo + pass and added 10€ to it which lasted us almost the whole trip (we added another 5€ on the last day). We took the metro to the Denfert-Rochereau station and then walked to the catacombs entrance where we had a tour that we booked on viator and have shared the link below. It was a very informative self guided tour that we took at our own pace and enjoyed thoroughly. Afterwards we walked around and researched restaurants and found a delicious authentic Italian restaurant that had Neapolitan pizza and homemade pasta called Pizzamore. For a taste of Italy in Paris I highly recommend this restaurant! Afterwards we called it an early night and rode the train back to our hotel and crashed!
Day 2
Day 2 was full of walking and adventure! We woke up and decided we needed to walk to Trocadro square to get the best view of the Eiffel Tower! It took us about 15 minutes to walk to the square and it was already bustling at 9 am but we had a beautiful view of the Eiffel tower! We continued our self guided google maps tour and stopped at a less busy cafe nearby and grabbed an expresso, pain au chocolats and croissants before continuing on our way to see the Arc de Triomphe and the very popular luxury shops on Champs-Elysées. We even saw the new Louis Vuitton hotel being built! We continued on our walk to find our meeting spot for our delicious walking food tour that we also booked on viator. This tour was a great tour that took us to 5 or 6 different locations and had us greatly satisfied by the end (no one left hungry). It was a mixture of sweet and savory traditional Parisian foods (think charcuterie, choux, galettes, baguettes, and gelato) and I will never get over how delicious the choux we sampled was! After more aimless wandering around the city we went back to our hotel for a rest before our big Michelin star dinner.
When we were in Italy we had the chance to try a Michelin star restaurant called Il Buco in Sorrento and it was the most amazing meal we had ever encountered (we will tell you more about this restaurant in our southern Italy blog post!) Due to this amazing experience at our first Michelin star restaurant we decided to give it another try in the great city of Paris where they are known for incredible food and top rated chefs. The restaurant we went to in Paris was called ACCENTS table bourse. We had a 7 course tasting menu for 100€ and we added the wine pairing on for an additional 85€. The meal start with homemade bread with strawberry sourdough and smoked cherrywood butter. Following was the amuse-bouches which were incredible to say the least. We received a palate cleanser that was “like a bloody mary” that consisted of tomato infused water with a celery leaf ice cubes that left your mind intrigued and confused based on how a clear water could taste just like a bloody mary! Our other amuse-bouches included herring egg, white beer, and sunchokes with chocolate, chili, and a worcestershire meringue, as well as a black pudding… I’ll spare the details on the black pudding. Our starter was a fun play on risotto with herring, pineapple, and whiskey followed by a cuttlefish and lamb ensemble with a horseradish cream! We also got to enjoy a delicious arctic char and barbecued eel as well as a delectable roasted pigeon dish. My all time favorite dish was the sugar plum ball that you had to crack open and was paired with a spiced sparkling water! The meal was incredible and left us so full and pleased. The wines that were paired with the meal were amazing as well and did not disappoint.
Day 3
Day 3 we finally made it to the Louvre. We purchased our tickets on the Louvre website a couple weeks before our trip to have a smoother entry process. We of course saw the Mona Lisa and other largely named art pieces such as the Venus statue. I was shocked at how crowded the Mona Lisa was at our 9 am arrival time and how relentless everyone was pushing towards the front to see this wonderful(ly small) piece of art behind glass! After hours of wandering around aimlessly looking at the beautiful art we decided to walk to the Eiffel tower and stopped at a grocery store along the way to grab cheese, meat, and baguettes for a little picnic at the base! Afterwards we walked back towards are hotel for a daily nap before our sunset dinner cruise and stopped for a sushi snack at a cute little sushi-go-round called Matsuri. After lots of walking and a nap we walked to get pre dinner drinks and stopped at the Le Bar Botaniste in the Shangri-La hotel. It was very high class and we enjoyed delicious cocktails before moving on to our sunset dinner cruise. On this river cruise we boarded the boat and were sat at a lovely table on the left side of the boat right next to the live music. The price includes the 4 course meal, a bottle of wine shared between 2, and champagne. It was an amazing experience to be wined and dined while being serenaded by piano and violin while cruising past the sparkling Eiffel tour at night! We highly recommend this experience while in Paris.
The following morning we took our taxi that the hotel booked for us to the airport and said “Au revoir, Paris!” until next time!
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