I love Paris. You find the city quite hotly debated in the blogosphere with people either saying it is one of the best cities that they’ve ever visited, or people saying it was a huge disappointment. A marmite city. Paris was the first ever European city I visited (sorry London), and all in all, I’ve probably spent a good three and a half weeks there (divided up amongst several trips).
I’ve done a good portion of the tourist activities, and some of them I’d do again on a return visit. For example, I can never get enough of strolling in the Jardin du Luxembourg or an afternoon at the Louvre. I nearly always try to find accommodation in Montmartre as it’s my favourite part of the city.
But I’ve not scratched the surface of what Paris has to offer and a return trip is definitely necessary. Maybe for my 30th?
Here’s what I still have to do in Paris:
1. Visit Père Lachaise Cemetery.
It might seem odd that a cemetery is on my list, but I love historic cemeteries. That’s why I visited the “Magnificent 7” in London and still claim that a tour of Highgate in North London is one of the most interesting London things I’ve ever done!
It’s the largest cemetery in Paris and an insane number of famous people are buried there (Honoré de Balzac, Molière, Marcel Proust, Eugène Delacroix, Édith Piaf, Georges Bizet, Jean de la Fontaine, Maria Callas, Oscar Wilde, Frédéric Chopin, Jim Morrison, just to name a few!)
2. Explore the Catacombs
This was actually on the list for the last time that Sam and I were in Paris, but since we were there visiting some of my French family, we weren’t able to squeeze it in to our itinerary. Nicknamed “the gateway to hell” it probably isn’t the first thing that pops into people’s heads when they think about the City of Love, but it’s probably been on my French to-do list the longest.
I blame Anne Rice for that.
The catacombs are a series of underground ossuaries where more than 6 million people are buried. They arose out of desperate need, when the cemeteries in Paris were overflowing and the dead had nowhere to be buried. (Apparently conditions in Les Innocents were the worst).
Anyone planning a trip to Paris starting next month can utilise the new tour operator The Paris Guy (a French spinoff of the popular The Roman Guy) They offer skip the line tours of the catacombs and even take you into viewing areas that are usually restricted from the public. (I also appreciate that they keep their catacombs tours to a small size!)
The Paris Guy is a company made up of passionate travellers, who put their tour emphasis on story-telling, history and just a general love for France.
And having visited the Louvre multiple times, I actually think that their “Skip the Line Magnificient Louvre Tour in Paris” is well-worth the money. One time in Paris, I queued for over 3 hours to get in. So when you’re on a weekend break and visiting the Louvre is a priority for you, it would be a great way to maximise your time.
Take a peek at their website if you’d like to see what other tours they offer: https://theparisguy.com/tours/France/
3. Shop at the Galeries Lafayette
This might be slightly shocking, but I’ve never gone shopping in Paris. Probably because I’m always there on a quite strict budget. But I’d love to let my wallet loose in the city one day and I’d start in the Galeries Lafayette, with it’s famous stained-glass dome and Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau design.
And this is such a cheesy and tourist suggestion, but I really do want to have the shopping trip of my dreams in Paris one day. I basically want to spend all my money in the Sezane flagship store.
4. Visit Vegan places in Paris
When I travel, I try to discover as many vegan options as I can. I ate vegan in Bratislava, and I’ve put together a whole vegan guide to Berlin. I’d love to do the same for Paris.
On my list to visit are Cafe Ginger, Saveurs Végét’Halles, Le Potager du Marais , Voy Alimento, Macéo and Le Grenier de Notre Dame among many, many others.
5. Visit the most instagrammable streets.
I don’t travel for the ‘gram, but I definitely keep it in mind when I’m in a new place, so there is a list of streets that I want to photograph from their best angle.
On my list of places to visit are: Rue des Rosiers. Rue des Barres. Rue Chanoinesse. Rue Cremieux. Square de Montsouris. Rue de l’Aubreuvoir. Rue Nicolas Flamel. Quai de la Tournelle. Rue Cremieux looks similar to London’s Notting Hill (but the French take on it) and Rue Chanoinesse has been paved with re-purposed gravestones. The rest are either just gorgeous or truly look like you are stepping back in French history.
What have you not seen or done in Paris yet that you’d really like to?
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in:
Vlogging from Paris
Paris at Night
Wearing Tulle in Paris
Paris on the Cheap
Visiting Montmartre
Paris Opera House
Sam’s First time in Paris
Rhyme & Ribbons in Paris
***This post was written in collaboration with The Paris Guy but all opinions are forever my own.***
