So I just finished preparing for my French exposé tomorrow. Naturally I chose to talk about wine but I have to talk for 15 minutes in French, so wish me luck!! Since my mom is flying over to Paris in 3 days now, I decided to share my idea of the perfect day in Paris. By all means don’t try to squeeze Paris into one day. Stay here forever if you can! But if you want to get a feel for Paris in one fun day, here’s what I’d recommend:

Start with a French breakfast. Hard to compete with my fav, bagels and cream cheese, but grab either a croissant and a café crème (if you’re feeling really French) or a delicious crêpe! Best eaten outdoors at a chic little café 🙂

Visit Hotel de Ville. This site will drop you right in the middle of tourist central. Rue de Rivoli is a busy street lined with commercial stores, but your in Paris, so walk across the Seine River to visit Quasimodo at Notre Dame. You can walk around the side of the church that has a beautiful garden when its warm out. Notre Dame is on an island, so if you walk across the other side of the Seine you will head into the Latin Quarter. The famous Shakespeare & Co. bookstore is right across one of the bridges covered in lover’s locks.

For lunch grab falafel in the Marais. Rue des Rosiers is dotted with Jewish storefronts, the best being those offering food (duh). You can grab a pita falafel from one of a dozen windows but I prefer King Falafel, Chez Hanna or L’as du Falafel (the most famous). This is a cool little area to walk around. The Marais is also known to be a popular neighborhood for gay men, so don’t be surprised if you pass a cross-dresser in 6-inch heels.

Visit the Louvre. You could spend 5 minutes or 5 days in the Louvre, depending on your interests… but I prefer to walk around the building and into the Tuileries Gardens.

Spend the afternoon sitting under the Eiffel tower with a bottle of wine. It is the most perfect stereotypical moment and you will love every minute of it. Make sure the weather is nice and you may as well bring a baguette and some cheese along too. If you have time you can also make the walk/metro ride over to the Arc de Triomphe, the view from the top is amazing!

Head over to Sacré Couer for sunset. This beautiful white church sits atop the highest hill in Paris giving you a great view of the city. Once you are at the top you can wander the streets of Montmartre. Look for Place de Tertre where artists paint in the street. You can also find Le Moulin Rouge in this area and quite a few cute little restaurants you can pick for dinner.

And to make the day absolutely perfect? Grab a variety of macaroons when you pass a boulangerie or patisserie. Carry a baguette, cheese and wine in your purse.. hey, you never know when the perfect picnic opportunity may arise. Walk as much as your can.. you’ll be tired but see so much this way!

My mom only has one day in Paris before we jet off to Italy and Greece! Of course that shows where our priorities lie but I still want to show her as much of Paris as I can in her short time here.

Je suis tombé amoureux avec Paris!

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