A bridge over the Seine in Paris can be seen in the foreground; limestone buildings can be seen in the background. — *A bridge over the Seine*

Paris: a city home to world-renowned museums, exquisite architecture, perfectly baked baguettes, and centuries of history. I visited Paris with my husband earlier this year, and what follows is an overview of our time in the city.

Day 1: Arrive in Paris and Begin Sightseeing

We traveled by train to Paris from Amsterdam (you can read about our time in Amsterdam here and our train ride to Paris here). Our train pulled into Paris Nord about half past noon, and after some initial confusion over where to go to board the subway, we located a set of escalators leading down to the metro station. Along the righthand side of this lower level, we found kiosks where we could purchase metro tickets, which we proceeded to do. A word to the wise: not all of the kiosks sell metro tickets (some only sell tickets for trains leaving Paris).

Another word to the wise for my American readers — the bathrooms, which are located across from the kiosks, are not free to use. This is fairly commonplace in Europe; to be allowed into a public restroom, you typically have to pay a small fee. If you are unwilling to pay this fee at Paris Nord, I would recommend using the bathroom on board your train before you disembark.

Interior of Paris Nord train station: passengers can be seen disembarking from train and moving toward exit. — *Arriving at Paris Nord*

Tickets in hand, we then consulted one of the subway maps on the wall in order to figure out which line we needed to use to reach our Airbnb. We then hopped onto that train, and about an hour later, we found ourselves standing in front of the door to our rented apartment in the 7th Arrondissement. I say at the door rather than inside, as we had no way of getting into the apartment. Our host had sent us a video showing us where to find the keys, but our phones lacked the data necessary to download it. So, there we were: locked out of our accommodation with not even enough data to message our host for help. After a bit of waffling over what to do, my husband came up with the rather sensible idea of walking to a nearby café with Wi-Fi, which we accordingly did. Once our phones were connected to Wi-Fi, they were able to download the video in short order, and at last, we were able to see where the keys to our apartment were hidden.

Once inside the apartment, we did not linger; we simply dropped off our luggage and then headed back out. Our destination was a nearby vegetarian café called Cuppa Café. Our snacks on the train had long since ceased to keep our hunger at bay, so we were chomping at the bit for some lunch. Fortunately for us, we had picked our lunch spot wisely; Cuppa Café had a small but impressive menu filled with enticing items. I settled on an open-faced sandwich, which was almost too pretty to eat.

Two open-faced sandwiches topped with a variety of colorful vegetables plated on a white dish. — *Lunch at Cuppa Café*

Refueled, we began our sightseeing in earnest. We headed toward the Seine, eventually descending a set of stairs to reach the pedestrian and cyclist path that runs parallel to the river. We walked along this path, taking in the Parisian cityscape, until we neared the Eiffel Tower, at which point, we ascended back to the street level to visit the iconic structure.

*Looking up at the Eiffel Tower from its base*

We were surprised to discover that we could not simply walk up to the tower but rather had to wait in line for a security check. Even if you do not plan on going up the tower, as was the case with us, you still have to wait in the queue (just be sure to go in the “no ticket” line if you only plan on walking around the grounds). The wait was fortunately not too bad, and before long, we found ourselves having the surreal experience of looking up at the Eiffel Tower from its base.

The author, a white woman with blonde hair, stands in front of the Eiffel Tower. — *Striking a pose in front of the Eiffel Tower*

Owing to its crowdedness and reputation for being a regular haunt of pick pocketers, we did not dilly-dally about the base of the tower for too long. We admired the view, took our photos, and then skedaddled.

After leaving the fenced-off area surrounding the tower, we walked through the adjacent park for several minutes before finding a bench to sit down on and relax for a spell. Our seat not only afforded us a rest but also free entertainment in the form of people watching.

Eventually, we pried ourselves off of the bench and began to walk back in the direction of the Seine. On our way out of the park, we made a pit stop at one of the public water fountains to refill our water bottles.

A green water fountain in a park in Paris — *Save money by bringing a reusable water bottle and refilling it at one of the public water fountains*

While planning our trip, we had come across numerous articles lauding Paris’ bicycle infrastructure. Keen to experience it for ourselves and to see if it lived up to all of the hype, we rented a couple of bikes from Vélib, a bike-share system with self-service stations throughout the city. Renting the bikes was fairly straightforward. One at a time, we each walked up to the kiosk, selected how long we wanted our bike, and then paid with our credit card. After paying, we were provided with an eight-digit access code and were also asked to create a four-digit PIN. To unlock our bikes, we each had to enter our respective code and PIN. Our access codes were also printed on our receipts; our PINs were not. So, if you plan on renting a Vélib bike, be sure to keep your receipt, and when setting up your PIN, pick a number that you will remember.

Two final things to note about Vélib’:

For an even easier experience, you can create a Vélib account and pay for your bike online.
When you rent a bike, a €300 hold is placed on your card. Much like a hold that is placed on your card when you rent a car, this hold is to prevent against theft or damage. Assuming you return the bike undamaged, the €300 charge should not go through.

The author, a white woman with blonde hair, sits on a green bicycle next to the Seine in Paris. — *Having a blast cycling around Paris*

Once we had unlocked our bikes and adjusted the seats, we hopped onto them and pedaled into the nearby bike lane. We worked our way back to the pathway alongside the Seine that we had walked down earlier that afternoon, and we rode on that for a while before ascending and merging back into the bike lane on the street. Unlike the bike lanes back home, this was actually separated from the car lanes via a divider, which made for a less harrowing, more enjoyable experience. In fact, our two-wheeled tour of Paris ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. Being on the bikes and riding alongside locals, sharing in their elation at back-to-back green lights and commiserating with them at particularly long red lights, made me feel for just a moment that I too was Parisian. I felt like I belonged.

When we reached our destination, Notre Dame, it was rather bittersweet; I was excited to see the famous cathedral but also sad to relinquish that sense of immersion and belonging. My sorrow was short-lived though, for no sooner had we returned our bikes than I saw a woman sporting a Shakespeare and Company tote bag pass by. Ever since seeing the bookstore in Before Sunset, I had wanted to visit it, so when I learned that it was only a block or two away, my spirits lifted.

Exterior of the bookstore Shakespeare and Company; people can be seen lined up and waiting in front of the store. — *A bibliophile’s dream — Shakespeare and Company*

We set off toward Shakespeare and Company, electing to see it before Notre Dame (my fellow bibliophiles out there will understand this decision). There was a decently long line to enter the bookshop, owing to COVID restrictions, but the wait ended up not being as bad as it had seemed at first blush. We were only in line for maybe 10 minutes before being allowed inside, and given what awaited us, it was 10 minutes well spent.

With its exposed wooden beams and bookshelves squeezed into every nook and cranny, Shakespeare and Company had a cozy, rustic feel about it. The reading rooms upstairs were even cozier, possessing an old-world charm from their bookshelf-lined walls stocked with antique hardcover books. Tucked away amongst these antiquarian delights was a piano, and we were fortunate enough to stop by while a woman was singing and accompanying herself on it. It was a stirring melody, and she had a beautiful voice. I could have stayed and listened for a while, but alas, we had places to go and see. So, we reluctantly left the reading rooms, returning downstairs to checkout and leave. I showed restraint and did not purchase any new books (much to the relief of my husband and overburdened bookshelves back home), but I did buy a Shakespeare and Company tote bag.

From Shakespeare and Company, we crossed the nearby bridge to Notre Dame. As the cathedral was (and still is) undergoing restoration, we were unable to go inside, but that did not put a damper on our visit. Sure, it would have been nice to have been able to walk down the nave and gaze up at its vaulted ceiling, but given that its very existence was on the line three years ago, we were simply happy to see it, even if only from the outside.

After several minutes’ admiration of the Gothic church, we began the long walk back to our apartment. We could have taken the metro, but we had hoped that we might serendipitously stumble upon a spot for dinner. Unfortunately, that did not happen; none of the restaurants that we came across had vegetarian options. So, ever-so-slightly downtrodden, we returned to our apartment just as hungry as we had been when we set off from Notre Dame. Caving to our exhaustion and laziness, we ended up ordering delivery from Naked Burger, a vegan burger joint. I had the “chicken” sandwich with fries, and my husband ordered the “fish” sandwich. Both were quite tasty, and we scoffed them down while watching some quality reality TV on Netflix (it was The Ultimatum, in case you were wondering).

Food from the restaurant Naked Burger: a vegan chicken sandwich in a wrapper on the left, crinkle-cut fried on the right — *Our dinner from Naked Burger*

Before calling it a night, we made one last venture from the apartment to a nearby grocery store to pick up breakfast supplies for the next few days. Once back at the apartment, we watched one more episode of The Ultimatum before heading to bed.

Day 2: Versailles

We started the day early, waking up at quarter to 9:00am, and after eating our standard vacation breakfast of oatmeal with fruit, we set off for Versailles. We spent about five and a half hours meandering through the palace, Estate of Trianon, and various gardens. (You can read all about our time at Versailles over at this post.)

An oxidized bronze statue of a man and cherub is in the foreground. Behind them, is a pool, beyond which can be seen Versailles Palace. — *Looking at the Palace of Versailles from the gardens*

After Versailles, we returned to our apartment for a spell before heading back out to grab dinner at Abattoir Végétal, a vegan bistro. I had a savory pancake dish with avocado, sweet potato, pomegranate, and scrambled tofu, and it was every bit as delicious as it looked. The restaurant itself had a relaxed, casual ambience, making it the perfect spot to unwind after our long day out and about. Just an FYI for any non-Francophones planning on eating here, the menu is only available in French, but you can easily overcome this language barrier by using the image translation feature in the Google Translate app.

A stack of pancakes with avocado spread in each layer; arugula, pomegranate, and tofu scramble top the stack. A knife and fork are to the right of the dish, as is a glass filled with water; in the background, an out-of-focus plate can be seen. — *My oh-so-tasty dinner from Abattoir Végétal*

Bellies full, we hopped onto the metro and made our way back to our apartment, where we watched an episode of The Ultimatum before turning in.

Day 3: Drive to a Castle in the Countryside

As with the previous day, we woke up early and began our morning with a bowl of instant oats and fruit. Once we had finished our breakfast and tidied up, we made our way to the nearby metro station. Our destination was Gare de Lyon, which is where we would be picking up our rental car.

The fact that we had not rented a car internationally in several years became apparent shortly upon our arrival to the rental agency. When the clerk asked for our passports, in addition to our licenses, our stomachs dropped, as we had completely spaced it and left our passports back at the apartment. Made greenhorn travelers once again by the pandemic, we had forgotten that when renting a car in another country, you need to present both your passport and license. When we explained our situation to the clerk, she was understanding and said that she would accept photos of our passports in lieu of the actual documents. As luck would have it, my husband had recently been required to take a photo of his passport for work, so we were able to use that to complete the paperwork for our car. I, unfortunately, did not have a copy of my passport, which meant that my husband would have the honor of being chauffeur for the day.

It took us a little over an hour and twenty minutes to drive out to Château de Pierrefonds, the 14th-century castle that had necessitated us renting a car. We hit heavy traffic on our way out of Paris, but the congestion started to ease up as we got further from the city. Eventually, we entered the French countryside, and the scenery changed from drab apartment buildings to picturesque fields of yellow flowers.

Fields of yellow flowers along a stretch of road — *Flowers for days*

Once we arrived at the village of Pierrefonds, we found parking near the castle and then walked into the village square to find something to eat (instant oats only last so long). We managed to find a vegetarian-friendly sandwich at a quaint bakery: a baguette with cheese and walnuts that was grilled before serving. There was only one sandwich left, but owing to my husband’s allergy to walnuts, we did not have to flip a coin for it. He ended up munching on a loaf of bread while I nibbled away on my sandwich, which between the fresh baguette and creamy cheese ended up being quite delectable.

Cheese sandwich on a baguette being held by author — *Grilled cheese and walnut sandwich on a freshly made baguette*

After lunch, we walked to the castle and spent the next hour wandering through its various rooms and corridors. There were not too many other people when we visited, which made for a more enjoyable experience (touring a place with several hundred of your closest friends is never a good time). The only downside to our visit was that the castle was undergoing renovations, which meant that our tour was accompanied by the cacophony of sounds produced by a mishmash of construction equipment. Nonetheless, I enjoyed our time there; both the castle and its view of the surrounding area were sites to behold.

Once we had seen all that there was to see, we left the castle and returned to our car to begin the drive back to Paris. Instead of driving straight to Gare de Lyon to return our car, we made a pit stop at the Champs-Élysées and drove down the iconic avenue. We, or rather my husband, even drove around the rotary encircling the Arc de Triomphe, which was an experience that neither of us will soon forget. There was seemingly no rhyme or reason to the traffic; you entered the roundabout, said a prayer, and hopefully, made it out without getting sideswiped. Thankfully, we made it out of the rotary without incident and returned the rental car unscathed.

Once back at our flat, we were feeling lazy and decided to order delivery from Naked Burger again, as we had enjoyed their food so much the first time around. I opted for their “fish” sandwich this time, desirous of trying something new, and it was quite tasty. We brewed ourselves some tea after dinner and had a cozy night in.

Day 4: Louvre, Baguette, and Fancy Dinner

After a quick breakfast of oatmeal and fresh, local strawberries, we made our way to the Louvre, where we passed the next five hours wandering from gallery to gallery, admiring the pieces of art that hitherto we had only seen in textbooks. (You can read about our time at the Louvre in my Day Trip to the Louvre post.)

The courtyard at the Louvre — *Looking down at the courtyard from inside the Louvre*

We left the museum a few minutes before 3:00pm, at which point we headed back to our apartment. Along the way, we made a pit stop for coffee at Cuppa Café, the same café we had eaten at during our first day in the city. I got a matcha latte to go, and it was quite good – velvety smooth with just the right amount of sweetness.

With our drinks in hand, we continued on to our apartment, where we relaxed for the next half hour. Hungry and looking for something to hold us over until our dinner reservation at 7:30pm, we walked to one of the many nearby bakeries and picked up a baguette, as well as a pain au chocolat. To accompany the baguette, we purchased some strawberries from an adjacent fruit stand, as well as a slab of brie from a grocery store across the street. Once back at our apartment, we assembled our snack: brie and strawberries on a baguette with a side of pain au chocolat. Everything, from the still-hot-out-of-the-oven baguette to the perfectly ripened strawberries, was perfection, and needless to say, we were feeling quite content after our mini feast.

Around 7:00pm, we hailed an Uber to take us to La Table de Colette, the restaurant at which we had our dinner reservation. We had been drawn to the restaurant after seeing that it was not only featured on the Michelin Guide but also offered a five-course vegetarian menu. It did not disappoint; the food was phenomenal, easily one of the best meals of my life. (For photos and descriptions of everything we ate, check out my Restaurant Review: La Table de Colette post.)

After nearly two hours in the restaurant, we left and caught an Uber back to our apartment. Once back, we started to wind down before calling it a night, contentedly tired from our day out and about.

Day 5: Catacombs and One Final Walk around Paris

As we had been waking up fairly early for the last few days, we decided to give ourselves a reprieve and sleep in a little bit. We woke up around 10:00am and began our day with – you guessed it – a bowl of oatmeal and fruit. Afterwards, we made our way to the Paris Catacombs for our 11:15am reservation (as with most things these days, entrance is by timed ticket only).

To get to the Catacombs, we had to first walk down a lot of stairs – and when I say a lot, I mean a lot. According to the Catacombs’ website, there are 131 steps leading down to the Catacombs. Moreover, the staircase is spiral, a design which I found to have a dizzying effect as I walked down and around it.

At the bottom of the staircase, there was a small exhibit about the history of the Catacombs, which we spent a few minutes viewing before heading down the seemingly never-ending passageway leading to the start of the ossuary.

Dimly lit stone passageway inside the Paris Catacombs — *The aforementioned never-ending passageway*

We knew we had reached the ossuary when we saw a lintel with the rather ominous message of “Arrête! C'est ici l'empire de la mort” (“Stop! This is the empire of the dead”) carved into it. Once we passed under it, we entered into the first of many bone-lined walkways. There were rows upon rows of deeply stacked bones; the number of bones was so great as to be nearly incomprehensible.

A white cross in front of a large stack of human bones — *Inside the Paris Catacombs*

These bone-encased passageways continued for the rest of the tour, and as we neared the end, we even encountered a column comprised of bones.

*Column made of human bones inside the Paris Catacombs*

To exit, we once again had to contend with the dizziness-inducing spiral staircase; only this time, we had to walk up 100+ steps.

A few words of warning and/or pieces of advice to anyone reading this who is planning on visiting the Catacombs:

Wear comfortable shoes. Between walking around the Catacombs and ascending/descending the stairs, there is a fair amount of walking involved.
Due to all of the stairs, the Catacombs is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible (more info on that here).
Consider bringing a sweater or sweatshirt. As noted on the Catacombs’ website, the average temperature is around 57°F.
I would not recommend doing this tour if you are claustrophobic or afraid of the dark. There are areas where the ceiling is somewhat low, and there are also some dimly lit sections.
Lastly, you exit the Catacombs at a different location than where you entered.

After the Catacombs, we walked to a nearby pharmacy to get a rapid antigen COVID test, because at that time, a negative COVID test result was still required to reenter the United States. Getting the test was quite straightforward: we scanned a QR code by the front door to the pharmacy, filled out the form that the QR code directed us to, received a QR code via email that we then presented to the pharmacist inside, got the COVID test administered to us, and in under 20 minutes, our test results were emailed to us. Easy-peasy. Both of us thankfully tested negative, so we were all set to return home the following day.

With the tests out of the way, we hopped onto the metro and made our way to La Recyclerie, a sustainable, eco-friendly restaurant located in a former train station. If you only go to one of the eateries that I have mentioned in this post, let it be this one.

Exterior of the restaurant La Recyclerie — *Exterior of La Recyclerie*

The restaurant had a funky, eclectic décor with a dining area that spilled into a fairly substantial outdoor space. Outside, there were gardens, beehives, and plenty of places to sit and enjoy the urban oasis.

Outside space of La Recyclerie: gardens and chairs along an abandoned railway track can be seen — *La Recyclerie’s amazing outdoor space*

As for the food, it was every bit as impressive as the space. We both had the vegetarian brunch, which came with a fixed assortment of foods, including squash, cheese, and a fruit-topped pudding for dessert. The brunch also included unlimited water, coffee, tea, and bread (including an extremely tasty chocolate bread that I definitely had seconds of).

Vegetarian brunch at La Recyclerie consisting of toast, squash, grains, vegetable sides, fruit-topped pudding, coffee, and water. — *One of the best brunches I have ever had*

After finishing our oh-so-yummy brunches, we headed back to our apartment to rest for a little while before going out for one final walk around the city. Echoing our first day in Paris, we walked along the Seine and viewed the Eiffel Tower once more, soaking in as much of the city as we could in our remaining time.

Once back at the apartment, we ordered delivery from Apollon, a nearby Greek restaurant. We got quite the spread of food, including feta, gigantes, dolmadakia, and vegetarian gyros. The food was pretty good – not the best Greek food I have ever had but decent nonetheless.

A gyro filled with French fries, vegetable balls, tomato, lettuce, and tzatziki sauce — *The last supper (of our vacation)*

Following dinner, we packed up our suitcases in preparation for our flight home the next morning.

Day 6: Travel back Home

We left Paris in the early afternoon and arrived back in Boston a little after 3:00pm. As seems to always be the case, coming home was bittersweet. We were glad to be back in our own house but also sad to have our vacation come to an end.

I loved our time in Paris and cannot wait to return to the city in the hopefully not-too-distant future. There is still so much of the city that I have yet to see and explore.

Summing it up: The 3 Wheres

Where We Went

Seine pedestrian and cyclist path
Eiffel Tower*
Shakespeare and Company
Notre Dame*
Versailles
Château de Pierrefonds
Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomphe*
Louvre
Catacombs of Paris

*Saw from the outside; did not go inside

Where We Stayed

We stayed at an Airbnb in the 7th Arrondissement.

Where We Ate

Breakfast

Oatmeal with fruit at our Airbnb

Lunch

Cuppa Café
Café at Versailles
Bakery in Pierrefonds
Angelina in the Louvre
La Recyclerie

Dinner

Naked Burger
Abattoir Végétal
La Table de Colette
Apollon

Dessert/Coffee

Cuppa Café
Assorted bakeries around the city

I hope that you found this itinerary useful, and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below!