Whoever said that “Paris is always a good idea” was a very smart individual, and I’m pretty sure that we would be great friends if we ever met. Grace and I spent the last few days in this beautiful French city–just the two of us. It all started with her gifting me a Eurostar ticket between London and Paris for Christmas, the express train that can shuttle you from one city to the other in two hours. When I was looking at the calendar for when we could make this happen, I knew if it wasn’t this first week in May–it probably wouldn’t be this year. So with Ed and Jimmy’s blessing–the two lone Scheidlers at home–we booked the trip.
This post recaps where we stayed, the places we ate, and all of the things we did. Please keep in mind that this was very much a girls’ trip. Most of the things we did would have been of no interest to my husband or boys (Except for maybe Eddie! Ha! There were several times Grace and I would say, “Eddie would love this!”). Whenever I plan a trip that my whole family isn’t going on, I challenge myself to find the best places for the best prices. That leads to sometimes quirky choices, but now you have some context for why we made the decisions we did.
I flew to London to meet Grace last Tuesday night and had Wednesday to get my body clock on European time. I was able to find a single sleeping room at my favorite little place, the Lime Tree Hotel in Belgravia. I wrote all about my love story with this hotel and this neighborhood in this post from last year. Nothing has changed. It’s still as sweet as ever. (Although I will warn you, the single rooms are tiny and don’t have much of a view. But I think my room rate was about $200 per night, which is incredible for a boutique London hotel. Additionally, they don’t have an elevator or air conditioning…something to keep in mind if you travel with lots of luggage, don’t like stairs, and are planning a visit in the middle of summer.)
One last thing about Belgravia, there are lots of new restaurants popping up in this part of town. We tried one of their newest called Cleo. I don’t think it’s been open even a month. While the food was very good, the service was a little off. I think they will fix this with time. It’s worth checking out if you’re in London as their outdoor seating is lovely. (We also grabbed a drink before dinner at The Thomas Cubbit. This was so much fun! They had a good-sized menu of non-alcoholic drinks in addition to their boozy ones. I had the Coastal Spritz that hit the spot on a balmy, 80-degree London evening in April!)
Train to Paris
As I mentioned, this whole trip came to be with Grace giving me a Eurostar ticket between London and Paris for Christmas. I am so glad she did! I would bet my life that it’s 10 times easier to train from London to Paris than it is to fly. Grace and I tubed to the St. Pancras train station where Eurostar said to arrive 90 minutes before our train. I think it took–at most–15 minutes for us to get through security and border control. We then had time to grab a cup of coffee (or two!) before we boarded. Seats are assigned when you purchase your train ticket so boarding and storing luggage was no trouble at all.
The train stops at Gare du Nord in Paris, and I’m not going to lie, it’s a little chaotic outside the station. Because I had heard this, I had arranged for a car from our hotel to pick us up. It cost $35 euros. In retrospect, I think an Uber would have worked just as well, and probably would have cost half the price. But I would definitely have an exit plan from the station set ahead of time, to avoid the long and crazy taxi queue.
Where We Stayed
After lots of convos with my brother who had recently been to Paris, purchasing Anna Kloots’ Paris Comme Moi, and too many hours to count researching on TikTok, I decided we should stay in the Le Marais neighborhood, which is arrondissement 3. Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements and numbered in no particular order. Actually, one of our guides told us that the order of the arrondissements makes the shape of a snail, but outside of that–there isn’t much logic to the numbering. Le Marais is somewhat central, very walkable, and a lovely mix of shops and restaurants that both locals and tourists enjoy. We felt very safe in Le Marais and at the Solly Hotel specifically. The Solly Hotel staff was very kind and proficient in English. This is key as you need them to help you make dinner reservations, as many of the popular restaurants require you to CALL for a booking. Check-in was at 2:30 p.m., but they were happy to hold our bags since we arrived about two hours before this.
For a Parisian room with a view of the Eiffel Tower (we had to crane our necks a little to see it), it was perfectly spacious for two. We had plenty of room for our luggage and a nice, big bathroom with shampoo, body wash, and a hair dryer. We had a coffee maker that we also loved. The room was tidied every day and fresh towels were left. They also provided a carafe to refill with water on the first floor, as the hotel no longer offers plastic bottles. They do have an elevator and air conditioning. And for an additional fee, you can add breakfast in the hotel to your reservation. Grace and I opted out of that as we knew there were many croissants to be tried outside the walls of our hotel. Additionally, we were very close to two Metro stops, which made getting to the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Élysées that were a few miles away, no trouble at all. The Solly Hotel was a great choice for our first girls’ trip to Paris.
Where We Ate
The whole time we were in Paris, we were very aware that we only had so many chances to sample the food! The pressure! That’s why I wanted to steer clear of the tourist traps and try to get the most authentic French food we could. Again, Anna Kloots’ Paris Comme Moi was so helpful. She broke restaurants down by neighborhood, meal type, and price. I agreed with everyone of the suggestions she gave.
Also, it was late April-early May and we ate every one of our meals outside. The cafe culture is huge in Paris and one to be enjoyed. I now firmly believe that all food tastes better outside.
Breakfast
Maison Louvard: My brother and I are more likely to visit a bakery than a museum when on vacation, so I was thrilled when he would send his favorite bakeries. He discovered that the cafe that first came up with the “crookie” (the croissant and cookie combined)–Maison Louvard–was just a 15-minute walk from the Solly Hotel. And it was so worth it! Grace and I had three croissants for breakfast that morning and we are not ashamed. They were dreamy!
Bo & Mie: 1 cappuccino, 1 flat white, 1 fresh orange juice to share, and 2 pain au chocolat was our order for the two mornings we popped into this boulangerie before we started out on our day. Delicious and incredible people watching. Grace was always thrilled the cashier thought she was French and assumed she was from the neighborhood.
Lunch/Dinner
Cafe de la Poste: This was our first meal in Paris and it didn’t disappoint. I had a Croque Madame (ham and cheese on brioche with a fried egg on top) and Grace had a seared tuna bowl that she really enjoyed.
Croco du Marais: We had a girl dinner from here that was one of our favorites. Tucked in a little corner outside, we had a meat and cheeseboard that came with a side of French fries. It was pure heaven! Another fun restaurant to hang with the locals. (We both decided we weren’t a fan of the liver pate.)
La Fontaine de Mars: This was the nicest, most French meal we treated ourselves to. I was set on having steak frites and Grace wanted to try roasted duck. It was the loveliest dinner, just a couple blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Reservations are a must and we were able to book online.
Bistrotto: This was the cutest little Italian restaurant in Montmartre. I had recently seen an influencer review this restaurant and I thought it would be perfect for an early dinner after a heavy day of sight seeing. The pasta was all made from scratch and the staff was wonderful. We dropped by without a reservation and were able to get a table outside. Just what we were looking for!
Restaurants I wish we could have tried, but we needed to book earlier: Girafe, Le Bistrot Paul Bert, Chez Janou, Hemingway Bar
What We Did
Le Galeria Dior tour: I have wanted to see the “Dior Museum” since it opened in 2022. I would recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of time. While they kept the ticketless line moving, it was fun to jump to the front when we arrived. This exhibit only takes about an hour to see and when you’re finished, you can walk the stunning Champs-Élysées. The Champs-Élysées is a world-renowned avenue in Paris spanning a little over a mile, with the Arc de Triomphe at one end.
Eiffel Tower: While we didn’t take a tour of the Eiffel Tower, we were able to literally sit underneath it one evening after dinner and watch it sparkle. The city waits until it’s completely dark, for us it was 9 p.m., before the sparkling begins. And then it sparkles every hour, on the hour, until 1 a.m. It’s spectacular!
Visit Palace of Versailles: We took a morning trip to Versailles, which was honestly–with all of the crowds–just the right amount. Versailles was about 11 miles from our Paris hotel, so we opted to Uber there. We had first looked at taking the metro/bus combo and the Uber seemed to just make more sense. It cost about $30 euros. The crowds were insane on the Saturday we visited, but it helped that we had tickets to the “Skip the Line” guided tour. It was about two hours long and when I’m on vacation, that is about my limit. We got a great overview. Had it not been so crazy, I would have loved to explore the gardens but we opted out of that on this visit. I think Versailles is worth seeing, but if you’re short on time, don’t feel badly if you skip this. Grace and I were more impressed with the Napoleon rooms at the Louvre–same flavor and within the city.
Montmartre free walking tour: Grace has traveled all over Europe and has had wonderful luck with the GuruWalk free-tour company. We had a two-hour walking tour of Montmartre that was so wonderful that it made this area of Paris one of my favorites. The guides just hope you will tip them in the end…that is how they make their money. We were able to book this tour while we were there.
Shop Citypharma for all of the skincare goodness: I do a lot of travel research on TikTok and I stumbled on all of the hauls travelers were sharing from their trips to Citypharma (a French pharmacy) to buy beauty products. Grace didn’t know anything about this trend, so it was so much fun to share it with her. According to TikTok, Citypharma on Rue de Four is has the best selection of French skincare products at the best price. However, Grace and I visited this location twice and it was closed both times, once for a national holiday and once because they were without power. So we decided to try all of the other Citypharmas and were amazed at the price difference and product selection from one to the next. It was a very girly activity but it was lots of fun. One of the pharmacies even gave me a VAT form to get my tax refund that I processed at the train station before we went back to London. And, Heathrow changed its rules about the size of lotions and potions you can bring back in your carryon (I don’t know the specifics) and I was able to bring all of my purchases home.
Louvre Couture exhibit: Grace and I have both seen the big three at the Louvre: the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. But I still felt like we should visit at least one exhibit at the Louvre, the biggest and busiest museum in the world, while we were there. Thankfully, one of my closest friends was in Paris earlier this year and told me about the Louvre Couture exhibit. Seeing designer dresses is probably the only thing that could get me into a museum on a beautiful, sunny, spring Parisian day. Part of it was set in the Napoleon apartments, which we loved seeing after being to Versailles. We spent about 90 minutes going through this exhibition and felt like that was enough. This exhibit is running through August 2025 and you must buy your tickets in advance.
Notre Dame Cathedral: We went to mass here on the Sunday we were visiting. You don’t need tickets to attend mass (tickets are free regardless), but we did need to queue in a 20-minute line to get into church. It was very moving to be at Notre Dame and think of what it must have been like to be a Parisian and see this treasure on fire in 2018. They have restored is so beautifully–it is so light and bright. It’s a must visit!
Sit in the parks: There is a huge park culture in Paris and there is no better place to take a load off after walking all of the steps than one of their beautiful parks. Grace and I so enjoyed the Luxembourg and Tuileries Gardens.
Walk, walk, and walk some more: People had told us that walking is the best way to see Paris and I have to agree. We did use the Metro a couple of times, it’s pretty easy to figure out, but walking was our preferred mode of travel. Just make sure to pack some comfy shoes!
The only thing I didn’t get to do was to visit was the Chanel store at 31 Rue Cambon, Coco Chanel’s original store that also houses her apartment. The apartments aren’t open to the public, but my sister had said if you get the right sales associate, you might be able to gain access. It’s also recommended that you have an appointment for any shopping you might want to do. This will be at the top of my list if I ever get to go back.
I hope this information is helpful as you plan your trip! Paris is absolutely as wonderful as you’ve heard!
xo,
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