One of my favorite games to play when I have a minute to kill — standing in line at the store, washing my hair in the shower, walking down the street, you know … those kinds of moments — is to say, “Ok, if I was landing in Paris right now and had 12 hours before my flight out, what would I do?” Now, if you’ve never been to Paris before, your list would probably look way different than mine – and it definitely should. Go see the Eiffel Tower! Go take in the Louvre pyramids. Drive around the Arc de Triomphe. Because the truth is, you can’t get to everything. A few favorites though? Most definitely. So this fall when my travel mate and I split up for our last full day in Paris, I got to play the game, for real. Here’s how I spent (and recommend you spend) 12 hours in Paris:
First, before we split up, my friend and I had breakfast at the Shakespeare & Co. Cafe. We were staying on Ile St. Louis, so it was a short walk across the river through garden behind Notre Dame to get there. The cafe opened a few years ago next door to the famous English bookstore and luckily wasn’t crowded when we popped in. Our favorite part was the list of Proust-esque questions they serve with every dish. We both kept our list and brought it home for future discussions. If you’re looking for a coffee or a snack when you are close to Notre Dame Cathedral, this is a great spot to try!
Next, we said goodbye and I headed on my way, across the river to the right bank!
When I lived in Paris, one of my absolute favorite things was just walking around the city and listening to music. It makes you feel like you’re in the middle of a movie. I definitely could have done a little more with my day if I had taken cabs or Ubers, but to me, part of the magic of Paris is walking its streets. That’s where you notice and experience all the tiny details that make it unique. So, I slipped in my earbuds and started my 20-ish minute route to a favorite shop.
On the way, I stopped in at a grocery store to buy a bag of my favorite candy. For a short period of time, I was truly obsessed with these sour gummies. However this day, I maintained self-control (somewhat) and only bought one bag. And then, it was back en route to Merci.
Long-loved for its ever-rotating displays, Merci is a concept store famous for a few particular things: an adorable vintage Fiat that’s always parked outside, trendy fashion and home goods and a vibey home library coffee shop. Unfortunately when I went, the Fiat was adorned with plastic bags full of clothes … not exactly the Instagram glam you usually hope to capture … but that was definitely the low point (which ain’t bad!). The store was relatively uncrowded which made it perfect for browsing the two floors. Afterward, I stopped in at the coffee shop for a cafe creme. I’ve always wanted to do that!
Next, I headed back down Boulevard Beaumarchais to one of my absolute, hands-down favorite parts of the city: the tiny, windy streets of the Marais that surround Place des Vosges.
Paris has a lot of fantastic parks – some sprawl for blocks and blocks like the Jardin de Luxembourg and the Tuileries, but Place des Vosges, tucked just behind the hectic Bastille, is a true square full of locals. Lined on all four sides by a double line of perfectly spaced trees, a bench under the canopy of leaves is the perfect place to watch the city’s residents young and old meet with friends, eat a quiet lunch or read the day’s paper.
You know those fall days when the sun is the perfect shade of warm? When the sky is super blue, the birds are singing and the day feels like it couldn’t possible get any better? This was that day! And I could have easily spent all day sitting there, watching the city walk by. And I was super tempted to do so, but after an hour or so, I tore myself away and started down what is truly one of top favorite (have you noticed that I’m using that work A LOT?) streets in all of Paris: Rue des Francs Bourgeois.
It’s not famous and it doesn’t have a beloved monument in its path, but Francs des Bourgeois is a narrow street that’s lined with shops and cafes. It’s the kind of street on which you can easily jump off the sidewalk and walk on the edge of the street (as long as your’e careful to listen for the motorbikes coming up behind you). It’s wonderfully Paris in every way and as I walked down, I stopped to look in the windows of Repetto and next door, a fantastic gift shop with good from all over France.
Continuing on, I knew I was getting hungry and remembered a crepe stand that sits in the shadow of the Centre Pompidou. Because it was a special day, I ordered a Nutella crepe for lunch and boy, was it de-lish-ous. I saw watching the crowds filter through the museum’s entrance and soaked in the sun once again, thinking about how special this city is to me.
Now is time for some real talk. On days like this when you are walking a lot and not necessarily going into museums, you have to be creative in finding bathrooms. There simply aren’t a lot of options … which is why I’m so thankful for the multiple Starbucks stores that dot the city. In case you ever need to know, there’s one just behind the Centre Pompdiou.
Now that I was recharged, I planned to walk over to one of the last (and beloved) market streets of the city: rue Montorgueil. On the way, I popped into a few stores, including Monoprix, which is basically the French equivalent of Target. If I had had the space in my suitcase, I defnitely would have picked up some of their home goods – pillows, blankets, dishes – it was all so good! I did however buy a dress because I had not packed for the unseasonably warm weather and was melting in my sweaters and jeans.
At the foot of Montorgueil is the Eglise St. Eustache. It’s one of my secret spots in the city – a gorgeous cathedral that hardly anyone wanders into. It’s a fantastic place to sit and rest your feet for a bit, get respite from the heat (or cold), or even just think. This day, the sun shining through the windows was beautiful and warm against the wood seats that filled the room. Definitely step in there for a moment of quiet if you’re ever close by!
After resting a bit, I started down Montorgeuil. It’s full of shops – cheese, fish, meat, pastries … the whole old tradition – plus cafes that are full of regulars. There’s a spot famous for its eclairs – it’s seriously hundreds of years old and the Queen Elizabeth has even been there! I was tempted to stop at a cafe for a coffee, but I was running late on time. After stopping in at a few more shops, I kept on my way to Sezane!
I wasn’t super familiar with the neighborhood that the store is in, but I had seen so much buzz and adoration declared for the brand that I had to see it for my own eyes. And boy, were they all right. It’s a beautiful space that I seriously would have lived in. Buzzing with activity and full of gorgeous garments, shoes and other goods, Sezane secured a favorite spot in my heart. I stayed long enough to snap a photo over the well-grammed “Paris Mon Amour” tiles and then headed out … it was getting late and I was heading to meet my friend again!
Just as a sidenote, this street was around the corner from Sezane. Can we all agree that Rue de Croissant is the perfect street name we didn’t know exists?
My fantastic tour de favorites continued with a ride on the metro to the Tuileries Garden. I was meeting my friend at the Orsay and knew that this would be my last chance to soak up some time here. When I lived in Paris, my apartment was just a block away and the Tuileries became my beloved backyard. The sun was starting to set when I stepped up to the street from the metro and I had to grab a chair just to watch it all for a minute.
Again tearing myself away, I walked through the garden and across Pont Royal, straight to my friend who was waiting on the steps of the Orsay. A group of musicians were playing on the street and it was a perfect capsule moment of why I loved living on this street. We headed into the museum (it’s open late on Thursday nights!) and though exhausted from our adventures, wandered through the rooms of Monet, Manet, Degas, Lautrec, Gaugin and more. These Impressionist guys are my dudes so glad I got to say hello to them before I left.
Since we were leaving Paris in the morning, we knew we needed to make our last dinner a good one. So, for one last time we jumped on the metro to St. Paul, walked to Rue des Rosiers and grabbed falafels at L’As Du Falfael. It was already our second time to visit on this trip, but sitting on a stoop nearby, we knew it was the way to go out. As we ate and watched the city come alive for the night, we talked about our favorite moments in the city. This, I said, was one of them. We followed that up with ice cream from Berthillon on Ile St. Louis and sat on a nearby pedestrian bridge to eat it in the glow of nearby Notre Dame. Not a bad way to say goodbye to Paris if I say so myself.
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And there we have it! If I had had more time, I wanted to visit the Luxembourg Garden … or grab a slow breakfast at Cafe Mericourt or maybe I would have stayed at Place des Vosges for another hour. I could have grabbed a hot chocolate at Angelina’s or a coffee from Cafe Kitsune in nearby Palais Royale. That’s the thing about Paris – there’s a world of choices in a single city. A world of beauty all around you, which is why I’m already looking forward to the next day I can play “12 Hours in Paris.”
