< don't-think : DEFINED > 4 'petits itinéraires' to zig / zag to les très picturesque paris pleasures
the pictures will make it seem like you have life all figured out, the wine will remind you that you don't need to.
PARIS D E F I N E D MAGAZINE »» PARIS RIGHT NOW » summer defined
Coucou mes bébés,
Now is your last chance to promenade the [très-] popular parts of paris before the crowds descend on our sparkly metropolis.
This month’s < paris: edit > is centered on the Musée du Louvre and the nearby-ish St. Germain-des-Prés + Montorgueil hoods — and their legendary institutions. Use my edit to access the chic-est parts of Paris with a solid set of recs in place so you can glide along effortlessly, basking in history, art, and of course all the delicious French things to be found along the way, like some kind of highbrow PAC-MAN. And do it now, before the summer hits and things get a bit heated...
BONNES NOUVELLES: Two things we love are coming [back] together: Sain Boulangerie + The Curiosity Collective Paris are relaunching « Make Croissants in a Boulangerie » . Get your hands in the dough with Anthony Courteille, whose sui generis croissants were celebrated by Vogue Magazine as the Best in Paris. ON-Y-VA...
CULTURE CLUB »»» eat, drink, and be dazzled
MOOD: where the popular kids hang
ROUTE: google map here
DO THIS:
Lunch at Café Marly
The Louvre to see the top sights
Chill in the Jardin Tuileries at La Terrasse de Pomone for a sweet crêpe
Coffee on the covered terrasse at Les Deux Magots [it overlooks the oldest building in Paris — the St Germain Church]
Check out Lapérouse and their cave a vins - maybe for an aperitif?
< lunch with a view >
One of the most compelling Parisian experiences is to dine/drink with a postcard view — and Café Marly delivers this experience with the reliability of the postal service. Why not have lunch as near as possible to the glass pyramid at the Louvre? Don’t just bask in the view and the thousand years’ of history and art, linger at the best seat in the Louvre and make the most of your hours in the world’s most noted museum...[note: museum entry not required.]
< now for the museum-ing + skipping lines >
So, if your aim is to present yourself at the Musée du Louvre and imagine yourself as one of those mysterious characters from Dan Brown novel or something, why not get to it while relaxed and well-caffeinated? There are [hundreds of] thousands of reasons that the Louvre is so beloved. It houses the world’s largest compilation of art, and also a bunch of proof that history actually happened.
I rec a short visit with a plan — a circuit of the highlights? Antiquities? Ancient Egypt? Or straight-up wandering? Depends on your mood but plan to stay about 90 minutes to 2 hours, and make use of the lockers at the entrance to liberate yourself of your coat, umbrella, etc. But first, get tickets online to ensure smooth, timed entry, and use the semi-hidden staircases next to the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel [the mini arch in front of the pyramid] to skip the lines like an insider.
Luckily the museum provides a series of pre-set circuits like Masterpieces, Journey Along the Nile, and even a route to see the works/spaces featured in Jay Z and Beyonce’s [two talented and enterprising American entertainers] APES**T video. [Humblebrag — french boyfriend is a cameraman on many things but [to me] this was one of the coolest things he worked on. However, he disagrees and prefers the nature stuff.]
< now you deserve a sweet >
Next on the list is La Terrasse de Pomone which slings up some good-for-the-location crêpes from the prime-est of prime real estate [perhaps second only to Cafe Marly] au plein air [yet generally well-covered] the gardens at Jardin Tuileries in front of the Louvre. [It’s the first resto on the left coming from the Louvre.] [Better crepes can be found at Little Breizh or Breizh Cafe.]
Watch out for the FIERCE crows, some the size of house cats [with the same audacity] who developed a taste for ham and cheese and won’t hesitate to make attempts to pickpocket your panini.
But we’re not stopping with the chic views today. Consider yourself like a goose, except instead of slop, you are being [gently and willingly, which is more than we can say for the poor beasts] force-fed French elegance and culture. Or not, as that’s kind of a vulgar metaphor and it reminds us of the poor geese and also you aren’t here being fattened up for French Christmas, you are fattening for your own personal, intellectual, reasons.
< coffee + culture + christ on a cross >
To that end, sip your late-afternoon coffee basking in an impressive view of the oldest church in Paris — the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church across from Les Deux Magots. The best way to describe this café is that it is dripping in old-school Parisian literary vibes. Seriously though, the neighborhood hasn’t been a serious literary hub [it’s way too posh now for the starving artists] since probably the 1960’s but we can still enjoy the echoes of Hemingway, Mark Twain, and Simone de Beauvoir while acknowledging the attempted hustle to keep a literary vibe going in one of the priciest hoods in town...
While we love the vibe and location of Les Deux Magots, we think you should soak up dinner elsewhere [ one of our mottoes here is « don’t waste even one meal in paris » ]
< wine back the clock >
Now should be around the time when you start craving les French wines to help the body absorb all those cultural nutrients or some thing, I dunno the metaphor is mediocre, so yeah wine time. Don’t worry, we got you. Inside the luxurious Lapérouse restaurant there is a storied wine cellar which houses over 800 different bottles of wine. Take your pick. They open at 7:30 pm so why not linger in the backstreets of St. Germain neighborhood beforehand?
< dinner once upon a time >
Finish off the evening with dinner at Art-Nouveau chic Brasserie Vagenende, where you can melt into a chair for some classic French cuisine [also a worthy place to continue your wine walk.] Think of hearty, bourgeois, French dishes and classic desserts. Now you’re one of us.
MORE THAN A MOUTHFUL »»» go with an appetite, mes petites gourmandes
MOOD: gourmandise
ROUTE: google map here
DO THIS:
Cedric Grolet for a French breakfast [croissants and pain au choco d’ouf] oohlala but make reservations [oui, even for breakfast the man is famous AF]
L’Orangerie to see the water lilies [but really the Marie Laurecin works steal the show...]
Rue de Nil for L’Arbre à Café and to enjoy croissants from Terroirs de l’Avenir
Cheese tasting, street-food style at La Fermette
Tea at Kodama at this point it will be good to sit down a bit. Then visit Tour Jean-sans-Peur a.k.a. John the Fearless tower
a little shopping in the covered passages nearby
Frenchie Bar à Vins for dinner [p.s. get in line at 6pm because they don’t take reservations, or just come back at about 8pm when the first wave starts to leave]
< the breakfast of [french] champions >
Let’s continue with the food theme, shall we? First up, a truly contemporary French breakfast at Cedric Grolet. Not only is the coffee on point [or tea or matcha, whatever tickles your papilles] and the pastries made from scratch by the anointed king of the French pastry scene. We now have a monarchy-by-merit, it seems.
< the art part >
Next on the list is L’Orangerie for lovers of impressionism and the feeling of walking on a dream [without drugs.] Just like the majority of museums in Paris, this one also houses a très-notable painting by a très-notable artist [I’m talking mainstream where everyone, even the anti-art people of society, know who I’m talking about]. In this case Claude Monet’s Water Lilies are exhibited in massive canvases in an oval room. It’s quite impressive. [I found the works of Marie Laurencin to be unexpectedly more interesting — her style is truly enchanting and unique — but I am also quite the snob/occasional contrarian about art so, yeah. French boyfriend found this opinion mildly sacrilegious.]
< une pause café. and cheese. and croissant >
Next convey yourself at the appointed [by you, it’s vacation] hour for your « pause café » [that’s coffee break, but in French]. Stroll down Rue de Nil, a hub for food-motivated wanderers to L’Arbre à Café, where you can sip expresso, oui, but also sample far-flung interpretations of the coffee cherry in the form of tea and liqueur made from the coffee fruit before it becomes the brown water the world knows/loves. Croissants from Terroirs de l’Avenir across the street pair well with L’Arbre a Cafe’s unique roast.
Don’t fill up too much though because the next stop is an intro to cheese tasting at La Fermette. You’re looking at a proper fromagerie and with a selection of the specialty French cheeses everyone is always going on about [it’s time to find out why] so this your chance glide comfortably into the pantheon of French cheeses, as they offer platters for tasting in front of the shop, street-food style. [Our rec for a bespoke platter: If they have Trappe Echourgnac, my favorite cheese made by nuns, we rec tasting it as it’s hard to find. Also their creme de bourgogne truffle cheese and petit basque sheep’s cheese from the southwest in the Pyrenees mountains. ] [Mondays they open at 4pm other than that it’s a 7 days a week of cheese at your beck and call...]
< tea drinkers unite >
Not into coffee? Make your way to tiny Kodama where the selection of tea is not only plentiful but you can also try some of their delish cakes.
Or, new on the scene in the nearby covered passage « la grand Cerf », Kalany Mya tea salon where the charming and friendly owner Laetitia bakes everything from scratch and offers several different iced teas. There is even an upstairs seating area. Closed Sunday/Monday.
< more culture for you savages >
Since it’s right around the corner, you might as well break up all that eating and drinking with some sight-seeing. Stop by the Tour Jean-sans-Peur, the last vestige of the Hôtel de Bourgogne, the residence first of the Counts of Artois and then the Dukes of Burgundy [oui, we do actually get into the history side of things as well]. And some shopping in the covered passage « Le Grand Cerf » near Kodama.
< the dinner bell sounds like wine glasses clinking >
End the day back on Rue de Nil at Frenchie, a quaint cave à vin who knows what they’re doing not only with their wine pairings but with à la carte dishes that are worth the wander. If you want to get your forks on some good seafood, this is the place. There’s also the full-on restaurant across from their wine bar, but that’s more of a « reservations a month in advance » thing and not so spontaneous. Also, at the wine bar, you can nosh à la carte style rather than commit to set menus. Be there when they open at 6:30 for the easiest seating as they take no res. [Alternative spot we <3 if you don’t get in — Le GAG des Cariatides in the Passage du Grand Cerf, a MOUTHFUL in all the best ways. ]
INTELLO »»» we came, we saw, we ate, too, as we are merely human
MOOD: intellectual/highbrow
ROUTE: google map here
DO THIS:
Zigzag around the Berges de Seine waterfront area [hurry, before it becomes a stadium for the Olympic Games note: mostly closed off as of right now with only a pocket full of floating bars open near the Alexandre 3 bridge open as well as a small swath near the Hotel de Ville ]
Head towards the Louvre for the Egyptian or Mesopotamian treasures [ tickets first! here ]
Grab a coffee at Café du Clown
Then to the Monnaie de Paris for an enamel workshop or museum visit
Dinner at Le Procope
<the waterfront beckons >
Paris is divided by the River Seine from East to West which means there are [mostly] lovely bridges dotted around the city. When the weather cooperates, it is nothing less than breathtaking to just take a stroll [east to west if it’s nearing sunset] along the banks in the pedestrian- and bike-friendly paths. If you want to spend some more time on Seine, take a cruise [our favorite small boats are here, but the Bateaux Parisiens has a chic fleet of publicly-accessible boats that don’t require booking and depart [usually] every 30 minutes from the foot of the Eiffel Tower.]
< the art part >
I love the Louvre — it’s one of the 1001 reasons why I live in Paris. I’ve been slowly working my way through it for the last decade. In any case, their Egyptian and Mesopotamian collections are genuinely impressive. Like the itinerary says, we are putting our high-culture caps on today. Get tickets here in advance and enter from the semi-hidden staircases next to the mini Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel facing the pyramid to skip-zee-lines.
< coffee for serious types >
After nourishing those neurons, now zap them back into action with strong coffee from Café du Clown. They have pastries, they have legit expresso, they are not clowning around. [See what I did there? Some believe in self-love, I go for self-LOLs]
< more culture >
The next stop is all about the money, honey. At la Monnaie de Paris, they don’t just film Emily in Paris scenes [the triumphant Pierre Cadeaux fashion show was filmed in the courtyard], they have been making money on this site for ages. Visit the exhibit inside dedicated to taking you through the process, the history and above all, the scandals. Oh la la.
< cocktails + the study of a genius / absolute pervert >
After a long day of being an intellectual, reward yourself with a nice freaky cocktail from Le Gainsbarre. Located inside Maison Gainsbourg, it’s no surprise that you’ll find these cocktails to be refined as well as explosive. Like the man himself, Serge Gainesbourg, who was kind of the Michael Jackson of France — a musical and songwriting genius who broke the mold but whose uh, proclivities, make us cringe...but not so hard that we cancel him. Non. So we just kind of gloss over the not-woke parts and keep his bangers on repeat.
Report next to accessible-posh resto Le Procope, your dinner spot for the evening. [Make a res.] They describe it as « bourgeoise classique » but the real draw is the history — it’s where but the US Revolutionary War and the French Revolution were topics of discussion, some say planned over coffees in the historic environs. If you can’t get in, the Brasserie de Prés across the passageway is a great choice and you might be seated next to the thousand-ish year old Philippe August wall — the former boundary wall of the city of Paris.
SHORT + SWEET »»» [napoleon was one of the two]
MOOD: posh + lazy
ROUTE: google map here
DO THIS:
Take away les patisserie from Cedric Grolet [le Meurice location has a take out shop] and bring them to the Tuileries Gardens or have it as tea-time at hotel Le Meurice
Musée du Louvre for those imperial jewels [insert dirty joke here]
Head to Céleste at Cheval Blanc to experience their rooftop bubble to escape naughty weather, or just the rooftop when the weather is not so naughty and no coverage is needed
Et Voila, my spring itineraries! Let me and les filles know how they work out for you in the comments svp.
Coming très soon: my curated list of Paris Tours, Tastings, and Experiences will be posted here and at P A R I S » D E F I N E D MAGAZINE <3. Marie, Caroline, Hannah, and I can only be in [four] places at one time, so...
Also, about 30 hours of neurons a’firing and keyboards a’mashing go into each of our dispatches [plus the ancestral knowledge necessary to make such proclamations], so if you have the means and like our style, please do consider becoming a paid subscriber <3
Merci for sliding into our corner de les internets chez PARIS » D E F I N E D MAGAZINE
À bientôt !
KissKiss from P A R I S ,
Kat Walker, Editor-in-Mischief
and the team: Marie, Caro, India, Maya + Hannah
PARIS > D E F I N E D MAGAZINE
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PS: get a « friends + family » reduction on booking any paris tours from now until the end of June with our « sœurs » at The Curiosity Collective Paris by clicking here and using the code « lesAMIS10 »
All these suggestions provide such unique experiences! I really appreciate reading your perspective on both the tourist attractions and the local gems. Headed to Cedric Grolet for breakfast and it was amazing.
The Cheval Blanc hotel rooftop was incredible and had an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. Thanks for the recommendation:)