I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Paris several times – it’s an amazing city filled with beautiful views, deep history, delicious food and wine, and just the right amount of Parisian snootiness. Many people dream of visiting, and with so many guides online it can be hard to know what’s truly worth your time. Here’s my take on what to hit, and what to skip.
What to see
Eiffel Tower: An obvious one.
You can spot it from all over the city, but nothing compares to standing right beneath it.
I don’t think anyone is skipping this landmark, but it’s worth mentioning that you should see it both during the day and at night.
Also, pro trip: have a picnic near the tower. It feels très chic.
Montmartre: Montmartre is often touted as a must-see. On an earlier trip, I found it overcrowded and filled with tacky gift shops, which took away from the charm I had read so much about.
While it is still crowded in the main area, there are definitely charming aspects — I especially loved seeing all the artists set up in the square.
But when I returned in the summer of 2025, I had a completely different experience. The highlight was lunch at Hotel Particulier, an adorable, tucked-away spot just outside the bustling center of Montmartre.
The garden setting was calm and quaint, and the two pet chickens wandering around made it feel even more whimsical. I can’t recommend it enough – it turned the area of Montmartre into one of my favorite Paris memories.
Palace of Versailles: it’s a day trip from Paris, sure (about 45 minutes by train) but it’s so beautiful, classic, and historic. I firmly feel any traveler should slot at least half a day in to experience (longer if you want to spend time exploring the gardens). I’ve been here twice – I believe it is an essential experience for those traveling to Paris to see how the Parisian royalty lived, and it’s beautiful.
You can organize a Versailles day trip on your own, or get in on a group tour. I personally prefer the group tour because the whole point of touring a historical palace is to hear the history, right?
However, let me add one caveat – Versailles is crowded. Especially when you are touring inside the palace, everyone is breathing down everyone else’s neck and it’s close to impossible to get a photo with no one in it. This shouldn’t stop you from experiencing the history however, but be warned!
Where to eat
Paris is all about the café culture!
Everyone and every blog will tell you to eat at Le Deux Magots or Cafe de Flore, which are two extremely famous Parisian cafes. The wait to actually eat at one of these revered spots can be lengthy however (there are often hordes of people waiting for a table just a few steps away from the cafe’s poetic awnings).
That said, we did stop at Le Deux Magots for a mid-afternoon coffee break, and I have to admit the experience felt special. Sitting with an espresso, people-watching, and soaking in the history of the place was a classic Paris moment, even if it’s more about the atmosphere than the food.
At another highly recommended café in St. Germain-de-Pres, La Maison Sauvage, I was able to snag a table and enjoy a croissant by myself for a bit. But overall, I felt that the vibes at all of these famous cafes were not authentically Paris – they were just catering to tourists, and lacked the feeling of real French café culture.
Instead, I recommend wandering around any Parisian neighborhood until you find an unassuming outdoor café without a famous name, that does not have 10 people snapping photos of the exterior….and that’s where you sit down and order yourself a drink!
Moving on to dinner spots: the Big Mamma group is famous in Paris. The group owns several restaurants in Paris, all with different vibes (all with the word Mamma in the name – Ober Mamma, East Mamma, Pink Mamma, et cetera), but all extremely popular – the lines to get a table for dinner can wrap around the corner.
I was lucky enough to get a reservation at Pink Mamma (when I say lucky, I mean I set multiple alarms for 30 days in advance at 9am when reservation time slots are released). Pink Mamma is an Italian trattoria with incredibly Instagrammable interior design. Sometimes the food at “Instagram restaurants” fails to measure up to the décor, but luckily, Pink Mamma delivered on all fronts. Conclusion: this spot is an absolute must.
Another restaurant we loved was Loulou, located right in the Tuileries Gardens. The location is stunning, the atmosphere chic, and the food fantastic — it felt quintessentially Parisian to linger over lunch here with the gardens in view.
For after-dinner drinks, head to Celeste, a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the background. It’s a magical spot, especially at night with a glass of champagne in hand.
And if you need a snack, make sure to get yourself some crepes – this is Paris! Luckily there is a creperie around every corner. My crepe experiences spanned the gamut, from subpar to absolutely delicious. I had a vacation vision of eating crepes in front of the Eiffel Tower, but when it came time to put the plan into action, I couldn’t find a creperie within a half mile radius. We ended up grabbing plain Nutella crepes from the lone food cart that is parked on the Champ-de-Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower…suffice to say, these were far from gourmet.
The best crêperie I tried was in Le Marais, when we stopped for a pick-me-up sugar rush after a long afternoon of shopping (more about this below).
Where to shop
I love a designer bag as much as the next girl (or quite possibly more than…see my latest post on the Dior Saddle Bag here). But when I tried shopping along the Champs-Élysées as so many sources recommend, I was overwhelmed by the throngs of tourists. Every designer store had a line out the door – when every minute counts, perhaps it’s not the right move to waste 4 hours in a line at Louis Vuitton. Paris is waiting, people!
Instead, when making your way to the Champs-Élysées, I would recommend stopping at Ladurée. This spot is crowded too, but the line moves quickly, so you are in and out in a flash (with macarons!). There is nothing as purely French as colorful, mouthwatering macarons in a souvenir-worthy box.
For more shopping, I suggest skipping the Champs-Élysées and heading to the neighborhood of Le Marais for some adorable and unique shopping experiences. I was enchanted by this area and couldn’t get enough of the dainty jewelry and eclectic home goods stores.
My favorite store in Le Marais was Fleux – a quirky home goods store with the perfect unique souvenir for any person on your list. The candle section was massive and I spent way too long smelling each one.
Another gem worth visiting is Marin Montagut, which feels like stepping into a whimsical Parisian dream. The shop is filled with beautifully illustrated, Paris-inspired home decor, glassware, and art prints. Everything has a playful but elegant charm, making it the perfect place to pick up something special that feels distinctly “Paris.”
I also found an adorable bijoux (jewelry shop) in Le Marais called Nilai (the store also has two other locations in Paris, near Saint Germain and St Honoré). I bought two pairs of drop huggie earrings here, but could have been persuaded to buy another 5 pairs easily. The next time I’m in Paris I will definitely be visiting this store to see what new jewelry they have (and it’s reasonably priced!)
Some of the other unique stores I liked in Paris generally included Zag Bijoux, L’Atelier d’Amaya, and L’Avant Gardiste.
Don’t skip the local vendor markets along the Seine either. The iconic green stalls sell everything from vintage books and prints to postcards, artwork, and quirky antiques. Even if you don’t buy anything, browsing these open-air stalls feels like stepping into a piece of classic Parisian culture.
Activities to hit
We spent one evening at a wine and cheese pairing class in the cellar of an artisan cheese shop – I cannot recommend this enough, especially if you are as into fromage as yours truly. The class was held by Paroles de Fromagers, lasted about 2 hours, and spanned 9 different cheeses and 6 different wines. The experience was remarkable, based on both the knowledge gained, and the wine/cheese pairings tasted. You end up eating a ton of cheese and bread, so maybe don’t make dinner reservations for after! This was hands down one of my favorite things I did in Paris – if you’re into wine and cheese, this is a must-do activity.
And the most important activity recommendation of all – just wander. Some of my favorite memories from Paris weren’t from the “must-do” list, but from simply exploring and stumbling upon unexpected corners of the city.
The Tuileries Gardens, for example, are the perfect place to take a leisurely stroll between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. The manicured lawns, fountains, and rows of trees create a beautiful backdrop for people-watching, relaxing with a book, or just soaking in the Parisian atmosphere.
Another highlight was meandering along the Seine. Beyond the beautiful bridges and riverside views, there are always little surprises: musicians playing, couples picnicking, and the iconic vendor stalls lining the water selling books, prints, and quirky souvenirs. These slow, unplanned moments are when Paris really comes alive.
Beyond the gardens, wandering also led me to hidden side streets with independent bookshops, little bakeries that smelled like butter and sugar, and quiet squares where locals lingered over coffee.
These discoveries made Paris feel less like a checklist and more like a living, breathing city. I don’t know where I took half of my photos, but I know the experience of finding my own version of Paris was bewitching – and I’ll be back for more.
Paris is one of those cities that never feels “done.” Each trip reveals new corners to explore, new meals to savor, and new moments that stay with you long after you’ve left. From the iconic must-sees like the Eiffel Tower and Versailles, to the bustling streets of Montmartre, to hidden gems like rooftop dinners at Celeste or coffee breaks at cafés you stumble upon by chance, the city is endlessly layered.
What I love most is how Paris blends grandeur with charm. One minute you’re marveling at the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, the next you’re sipping wine in a quiet garden while chickens wander nearby, or browsing whimsical home décor at Marin Montagut. The magic is found in both the big-name sights and the small, serendipitous discoveries—the unassuming cafés, the artist-filled squares, the market stalls by the Seine, and the way the city seems to invite you to linger.
Paris is not a place you check off your travel list; it’s a place you return to, again and again, each time peeling back another layer. And with every visit, the city feels more like a living story—one that’s meant to be wandered, savored, and experienced in your own unique way.
