Landing at Charles de Gaulle Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris was straightforward, and the transfer to the city center took about an hour. We checked into the Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais, Paris in Le Marais, which felt like a quiet, well-positioned base for our first few days. After dropping our bags, we walked straight to L'As du Fallafel L'As du Fallafel, Paris. The queue moved quickly, and eating the pita on the sidewalk was a simple, effective way to start the trip.
On our second day, we left the Marais and headed toward the Louvre Louvre Museum, Paris. We strolled through the Tuileries Garden Tuileries Garden, Paris before stopping at Café Marly Café Marly, Paris for a view of the pyramid. Later, we grabbed a coffee at Le Nemours Le Nemours, Paris. The museum itself was massive, and we learned quickly that it is better to pick a few specific wings rather than trying to see everything in one go.
Our third day focused on the Left Bank. We started at the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Abbey Saint-Germain-des-Prés Abbey, Paris and spent some time browsing the shelves at Shakespeare and Company Shakespeare and Company, Paris. Lunch at Les Deux Magots Les Deux Magots, Paris was a classic tourist experience, but the people-watching was excellent. We spent the afternoon at the Musée d'Orsay Musée d'Orsay, Paris, which is much easier to navigate than the Louvre due to its open, former railway station layout.
“The Musée d'Orsay is much easier to navigate than the Louvre due to its open, former railway station layout.”
Day four was for Montmartre. We headed up to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Paris early in the morning to beat the worst of the heat and the crowds. We wandered through the Place du Tertre Place du Tertre, Paris and visited the Musée de Montmartre Musée de Montmartre, Paris, which has a surprisingly quiet garden. Lunch was at Le Consulat Le Consulat, Paris, followed by a stop at Le Moulin de la Galette Le Moulin de la Galette, Paris before heading back down the hill.
On our final morning, we took a slow walk through the Luxembourg Gardens Luxembourg Gardens, Paris. It was a nice way to decompress before checking out and heading back to Charles de Gaulle Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris for our flight home. Five days felt like a good amount of time to cover these specific areas without feeling like we had to rush between neighborhoods.