Paris

Turning 30 earlier this month was actually much more exciting than scary. It felt like I’ve started a new chapter of my life and I couldn’t imagine a better way than to begin this with a trip to Paris. My boyfriend surprised me with the trip and had organized the best birthday week which I will never forget and still makes me so happy. We both haven’t been to Paris before (can you believe it!?) and so the idea was to get to know the city by eating and drinking our way through it, explore the back streets and get lost rather than queuing up for museums or going up Eiffel Tower. We both fell in love with Paris and want to be back soon! So many of you lovely people gave me tips on Instagram, I included some of them here too as I’m sure they are amazing and I want to give them a try next time too!

 

Hotel

We stayed at the C.O.Q. Hotel Paris which is lovely boutique hotels with stylish rooms, an amazing breakfast and a great view over Paris. It’s close to the Place d’Italie which is well connected and you can walk to the Notre Dame.

Pics by C.O.Q. Hotel

Places to eat and markets

L’As du Falafel – 34 Rue des Rosiers

We went here late on our first evening, the little restaurant is located in Le Marais, doesn’t look like anything special from the outside but has seriously good Falafels. We shared a huge falafel plate and I wished we would have ordered two.

Chez Julien – 1, rue du Pont Louis-Philippe 

This french restaurant in Le Marais is a very Parisian place with a beautiful interior. We came here for dessert and wine and it was a great end to our first day.

Marche Bastille – metro stop Bastille

The market in Bastille is one of the biggest in Paris and we loved it so much! All the fresh fruits and vegetables, endless stalls of croissants – I was in a dream land! Make sure you stop by the Bar du Marché (16 Boulevard Richard Lenoir) which is a little corner cafe and a great stop for an Espresso. You’ll find many locals and market people who are enjoying a morning wine with baguette.

Monsieur Bleu – 20 Avenue de New York

One of my favorite places! It’s an amazing fancy restaurant and I would recommend to go there if you have something to celebrate or just want to enjoy outstanding food. We spoilt ourselves with Bellinis, Wine and three courses and I could have stayed there forever and never stop eating. Being a vegetarian is super easy there and you’ll find a few vegan dishes on the menu too. I’m getting hungry just writing about that place!

Ladureé – 75 Av. des Champs-Élysées

Can’t visit Paris without having macarons and eclairs! This was probably the most touristy place we went to, but it was so worth it. We sat down in their cafe and had a coffee and eclairs (great!) and croissants (not their strength) and then queued up for their famous macarons. They are expensive and probably totally overpriced, still didn’t regret to get a box of them!

Marche Anvers – Montmartre, Place d’Anvers

Montmartre was our favorite part of Paris! We loved all the bars and cafes and bumped into the cutest little market at the Place d’Anvers. There are not many stalls but all their food looks incredible! It’s quite close to the Sacré-Cœur and when you are there on a Friday, make sure you check out this market!

Le Botak – 1 Rue Paul Albert

When walking down Sacré-Cœur we found this cute little place and loved it! They only have their menu written on a chalk board and we had some great fresh food and lots of wine. There were no tourists at all and we felt like Parisians on a Friday evening.

Hope Cafe – 64 Rue Lamarck

Another beautiful cafe in Montmartre with the best evening sun. It’s an organic cafe and although we only had a few drinks there, I can imagine their food is great too.

Les 110 de Taillevent – 195 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré

This fancy restaurant serves 110 wines by the glass and offers for every dish a matching wine. It’s a great and unusual experience and we had delicious food and a very good service. And another birthday ‘cake’ 🙂

And here are the tips from my lovely ladies:

Anika (@morning_moringa)

Jaja in Le Marais, Nanashi for Parisian Bento, Wild and the Moon, a vegetarian café and deli and the cosy looking organic Cafe Pinson

Tanya (@whiskawish)

Du Pain et des Idees which looks like the best bakery ever, Hank Restaurant for best vegan food, L’Eclair de Genie for something sweet and Tien Hiang for vegetarian and vegan asian food

Anouk (@ookiedough)

Check out her Paris by Taste guide!

 

Love, Sarah xxx