My love affair with Paris started in college. 

I went to Illinois Wesleyan University, a small liberal arts college in central Illinois. We had May Term, where we took one intensive course for the month, and this was a great opportunity for students to study abroad for a shorter period of time. I signed up for a course studying the Plantagenet family and gothic/romanesque architecture that took us to France, England, and Wales. The trip began in Paris…and so did a love affair. 

How could you not fall in love with Paris?! The architecture, the history, the pastries, the fashion…what’s not to love?! 

Flash forward to present day…Jenny (my friend that I do the podcast with) and I both share a lot of common interests…and that includes our love for Paris. We both follow Everyday Parisian and Katie Donnelly Photography on Instagram and have won photography giveaways that those ladies have had. Jenny scheduled her KDP photoshoot for the start of my 40th birthday trip to Scotland last year. She and her husband started their trip in Paris and then met the rest of us in Edinburgh for what was a memorable birthday trip. I then won their holiday giveaway, and managed to convince my husband to go to Paris for our wedding anniversary this past October. He and I recently agreed to no longer exchange gifts, but instead go on a trip just the two of us each year…this was our first trip since making that agreement. I’ll share more on our KDP photoshoot in a separate blog post, but here’s a sneak peek.

Paris was as beautiful as I remembered. Since Adam and I both have previously been, we agreed to not do the typical tourist attractions again (with a few exceptions). We didn’t really schedule too much, and it was nice to just be able to wander and take in the beautiful sights of the city and enjoy some delicious wine and food.

Speaking of wine and food, here are some of our food and drink highlights from our trip:

• Restaurants

• Brasserie Bellanger, 140 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière

• We met up with a friend that lives in Paris, and got a few shareables before our entrees. 

• Afendi, 84 Rue du Faubourg Sain-Denis

• The same friend we went to dinner with at Brasserie Bellanger recommended Afendi, and I’m so glad he did. This is THE BEST mediterranean food I have EVER had! You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. We asked our server for some recommendations, and they were all amazing…definitely get the hummus to start!

• Dalia, 93 Rue Montmartre

• Friends and family had recommended this place, and while we couldn’t get a dinner reservation, we did go for Sunday brunch.

• Les Deux Magots, 6 Place Saint-Germain des Prés

• I ordered steak with Dauphinoise potatoes…and the potatoes were outstanding! I’m going to start trialing recipes to try to recreate it at home.

• Poulette, 3 Rue Étienne Marcel

• This was a last minute reservation that we found, and it was definitely a good find!

• Coffee

• Café Nuances, 25 Rue Danielle Casanova

• Starbucks, 3 Boulevard des Capucines

• While I love my Starbucks drinks, I try to visit smaller local cafes when traveling. This one made the list due to the beautiful interior

• Motors Coffee, 7 Rue des Halles

• Do yourself a favor and get a cookie (or two) while you’re grabbing an afternoon espresso.

• BO&MIE, 18 Rue de Turbigo

• I’d be neglecting my readers if I didn’t tell you to go here and get a raspberry croissant! I’m honestly so disappointed that I didn’t find this until the end of our trip, but I definitely went two days in a row to get the raspberry croissant.

• Partisan Café Artisanal, 36 Rue de Turbigo

• We had a ton of other coffee shops on our list, but just didn’t get a chance to visit. If you’re interested in our full list, let me know!

• Drinks

• Le Syndicat, 51 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis

• This cocktail bar was tucked away, but the drinks were outstanding.

• The Moose, 16 Rue des Quatre Vents

• If you like American football, this is the place to watch it while in Paris. They had every NFL game on and have a typical American bar food menu. We met a lovely couple from Mexico that was living in Paris and shared a table with them.

• Again, we had several more on our list, but didn’t get a chance to visit…or we stopped at a bunch of random ones when we were walking, and I forgot to take note of where we were. 

I did a little shopping on this trip too. Sézane might be my new favorite clothing label (and by new, I mean I’ve been in love with it for the past couple of years). Since there isn’t a brick & mortar store in Chicago (but fingers crossed they’ll open one, or at least a pop up, soon?!), I wanted to check out one in Paris (I’d like to say that it was actually my husband’s idea). I picked up a few items (and secretly wish I had picked up a few more). Because they are constantly coming out with new collections, their inventory changes frequently, so items may no longer be available on their website. If you’re interested in getting a few pieces from Sézane, I highly recommend following them on Instagram or signing up for their updates on their website so you can stay up-to-date on their newest collections..and if you see something you like, snag it quickly! Chances are, if you leave it in your cart for too long, it won’t be there when you come back to it.

Here’s what I grabbed (and links if it’s still in stock):

• Amour Café Sweatshirt

• Louise Scarf (I had really wanted the coat they had in this print, but I didn’t follow my advice and snag it when I initially saw it…and then it sold out)

• Will Jacket (grabbed the camel suede for a friend, and in love with the tartan print for myself)

I also stopped at & Other Stories per a recommendation from a longtime friend who also loves to travel. It did not disappoint. I absolutely loved their Paris and Stockholm atelier labels! Adam was happy as a clam in the home fragrance section of the store (he could smell candles all day, every day) while I tried on some clothes. I ended up with a classic black sweater that I ended up wearing to dinner the next night–and have worn several times since.

While we were walking back from Sacre Coeur, my husband noticed my favorite parfumerie shop, Fragonard. My sister-in-law gifted everyone that attended her bachelorette party in the south of France a travel-sized Fragonard perfume (along with several other goodies).  I have to admit that I had long been a Victoria’s Secret Coconut Passion Body Mist addict, but finally upped my game with real French perfume lol. We stopped in the shop, and I stocked up on my favorite scent, Ile d’Amour, and got the largest bottle they had…which also meant I had to check my bag on the way home (and thus had more room in my luggage for all of my other purchases).

The one store I had wanted to go to but didn’t end up going into was Polène. It was actually just down the street from our hotel, and every time we left our hotel to go explore the city, we could see the massive line of eager shoppers standing outside the store. I don’t like waiting in lines or dealing with crowds, so I passed up the opportunity to go in and get one of my dream handbags (and am currently kicking myself in the rear for not pulling the trigger). This is the one I have my eye on:

Other than that, it was really great to not have a packed schedule of things to do and see. We were able to truly go where the wind took us, wander and take in the sights of the city. 

Have you been to Paris? What’s your favorite thing to do or see there?

À bientôt!