View of the Eiffel Tower from 22 Rue de Universite

Writing a guide to Paris is an overwhelming task. It feels like you could visit Paris 100 times and still have new restaurants to try and new museums to uncover. However, after my fourth visit, I feel semi-qualified to share some of my favorite Paris things. My top tip with all destinations is to pin all of these recommendations on Google maps, then, as you wander and feel hungry or up for a little shopping, you’ll be able to pull up your maps to see if you’ve pinned anything nearby.

Start your trip with an establishing view! I used to love starting at the top of Notre Dame, which should reopen for the 2024 Olympics, but also love the views from Arc de Triomphe and Galeries Lafayette (free!). I avoid the top of the Eiffel Tower for a view, because if I’m going for a skyline view in Paris, I want the Eiffel Tower in it!

Have a picnic! Enjoying a picnic under the Eiffel Tower seems like the obvious thing to do, but I would also argue for a picnic in Place des Vosges, a lovely place to sit on the cool grass and watch the locals prance by with their French dogs.

Check out the chic shopping mall interiors. Galeries Lafayette, La Samaritaine, and Le Bon Marché are all so historic and breathtaking!

Some restaurants I love: Derrière (where I learned to love radishes!), Sur Mer, Le Comptoir de La Gastronomie (where I learned to love morel mushrooms!), Le Souffle, Pink Mamma, Ober Mamma, Creperie Little Breizh, Les Philosophes (only for French onion soup), Chez Janou, Clamato

Some shops I love: Landline, Merci, Artazart, La Trésorerie, 0FR, Papier Tigre, Le Mont St Michel, Empreintes, Deyrolle

Some bars I love: Candelaria (taco shop in the front, great cocktails behind kitchen door), Little Red Door (delicious and unique farm-to-bar cocktails)

Explore Montmartre: A lovely walk through Montmartre starts at Pigalle Basketball Court (frequently repainted). Then walk past or stop for a bite at Pink Mamma just up the street (good food, but also one of my favorite buildings!). From there, head to the Wall of Love and then snap a picture of yourself or with friends at Fotoautomat. If the line is long, grab a refreshment at Blackbird Coffee across the street. From there, wander up to Villa Léandre for one of the most beautiful streets. After that, say bonjour to Bust de Dalida and touch her boobies if you need luck in love. Keep walking and you will find yourself on another one of my favorite streets in Paris: Rue de l’Abreuvoir. Here you’ll see the iconic pink La Maison Rose and not far from there is also the very Wes Anderson-eque Le Consulat. If you need a bite to eat, Chez Eugene is surprisingly good and affordable given the touristy location. Finally, end your Montmartre tour at Sacré-Cœur. A top this hill, you’ll find a beautiful view of Paris and a carousel you can ride as you make your way down dozens of steps back into the city.

Watch out for people with clipboards, as there is usually ulterior motives that involve whatever is in your bag or on your wrist. I once stopped a girl from getting pickpocketed by a clipboard man in front of Musée d'Orsay! She had no idea anything was ever happening but I yelled in her direction and it was enough to scare him off, as she continued on her way engrossed in her phone, no idea she was about to lose her wallet.

Visit the Center Georges Pompidou late night. It’s one of my favorite museums and it stays open until 11pm some evenings. With fewer crowds, it can feel like you have the place to yourself AND you can get a great view of the sparkling Eiffel Tower from the top floors.

View from our sunset cruise down the Seine

Take a cruise down the Seine at sunset. It’s a lovely way to see the sunset from many different iconic places and you can bring bubbly on board! There are cheap options (I think our tickets were no more than 30 euros), or more expensive dinner cruise options.

The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour on the hour once the sun goes down and it’s definitely worth seeing at least once!

Keep your eyes peeled for street art! Paris is one of my favorite places for street art. From super tiny details to huge murals, you’ll find some sort of art on every corner. One of my favorite artists you’ll see all around Paris is Invader. He has over 1,300 little mosaic characters hidden around Paris, even one at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I just learned (right after my trip, le sigh) that there’s even an app you can download and as you come across his pieces, you snap a photo and earn points for each piece you find! I have so much fun keeping my eyes peeled for his characters.

My favorite mural in the world is painted by Jean-Marie Havan, inspired by Jean-Jacques Sempé and is located at the corner of Boulevard des Filles-de-Calvaire and Rue Froissart.

A few other spots I love: Musee d’Orsay, Tuileries Garden, Garden des Plants, Galerie de Paléontologie, a walk along the Seine, Musée de l'Orangerie, Les Deux Plateaux, the Bastille Neighborhood, the 10th arrondissement, the Marais neighborhood, Notre Dame, the area around Shakespeare’s Bookstore, Sainte Chapelle

Bon voyage!