Throwback Paris

As Audrey Hepburn would say: Paris is always a good idea! Our first time together in this wonderful city was about 3 years ago and we both fell in love with it. There are a lot of things to see and to do for any kind of traveller. In this post we would like to tell you about our most recent experience, in December, for our fourth anniversary.

You can reach Paris easily from Milan and you have various travelling options, although in terms of price/quality we would definitely choose the plane as more convenient, especially considering the presence of so many low cost airlines. We flew with Easyjet which, unlike Ryanair, lands in Charles De Gaulle airport that is 23 km far from the center of Paris compared to the 90km of Beauvais. By booking slightly in advance (about 2-3 weeks in low season ),  you will spend an average of 50 euros round trip per person.


Sleeping

The most stressful part of going to Paris is finding an adequate accomodation with a right balance between price, position and beauty of the hotel. Getting an accomodation too far from the city centre when you are there just for one weekend is way too complicated. We  stayed at the New Hotel Roblin, located at Place de la Madeleine, great position for visiting the city or for those who want to go shopping, but not worth the price that we paid. You may find great accomodations on Airbnb with more reasonable prices.


Eating

You can find some good and inexpensive brasserie and fast food in the Saint Michel area, while you are having a walk around the city. An excellent place where you can go to eat something in a cute ambience is Le Fumoir, exactly behind the Louvre: the dishes are fantastic and the environment is reminescent of the tipical cafe where the great poets used to meet (you will spend an average of 30 euros for a full meal).

To be absolutely avoided: Restaurant Les George, located on the top floor of the Centre Pompidou.

The ambience is nice, a bit futuristic, and the view is fantastic: what a pity that the kitchen hasn't the same value as the location!





The dishes are a strange mix of sweet and salty, Eastern and Western, Japanese and French, with an awful final result. The only "tasty" thing was the bill: about 80 euros per person.




Another bad aspect is the service: overly hasty, perhaps due to the large size of the restaurant.

If you have a special occasion to celebrate and want to make a romantic dinner in style, a fabulous idea is the Cristal Room Baccarat restaurant (meal cost per person: approximately 100 €).





Magical location, great food, impeccable service and a section of the museum of crystals opened specifically for the customers: would you ask for more?

At the end of the meal we were offered the cake with a candle for both since they knew it was our anniversary. We also had the fortune to find a lost flavor from our childhood: inside one the desserts, there were some sparkling candies...you know the ones that feel like fireworks in your mouth??? 

While we were visiting the Baccarat museum, we took the opportunity to take some pictures in one of the rooms (sorry for the low quality of the pictures but we didn't have our reflex camera with us). A wonderful overall experience. 

 Activities

You can't go to Paris and not visit the Eiffel tower. You should avoid the cold and windy days because you are likely to freeze to death, especially in winter. (As we did)

The view, however, is spectacular and the sense of wonder makes you forget any other feeling. 









Remember to head to the Trocadero, monumental area a few steps from the Eiffel tower that allows you to make beautiful pictures.

A great way to see the city in a comprehensive and cost-free way is to do one of the many free tours available. We have chosen Culturefish and we loved it. Remember to leave a tip!

A show at the Moulin Rouge was an experience that we wanted to do at any cost. The theater was impressive, but the show was far below expectations especially considering the price paid: about 110 euro per person with a bottle of sparkling wine included.

“How to become parisian in one hour” - a very funny show and a must watch when you are in Paris. Olivier Giraud plays a truly engaging show: you won't stop laughing for an hour and you'll understand a little more of the Parisian mentality.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or curiosities.

Have a nice evening!