Our European travel extraordinaire Saskia gives us her hit list for the France capital including how to live like a local, macaroons to die for, the bar to have a cosmo where SJP and the Sex and the City girls filmed and how to score a seat at Fashion Week!
Paris is such a great place to visit. It is so easy to get around on the metro (buy a ticket called Mobilis which will let you travel all day within zone 1 and 2, so much cheaper than tourist tickets) and there is so much to see and do (and eat – my trips tend to involve a lot of food!).
I think the best time to visit is late summer – hotels are cheapest in August, the big department stores all have sales and sitting outside the little brasseries until late in the evening is one of my favourite things to do.
Brasserie dining
Where did you stay? Tell us about it
We stayed at a fabulous apartment of the Apartment Collection Paris – by 8Hotels just off the Rue Montorgueil (as seen in the Amelie movie) close to the Marais area, my new favourite part of Paris.
Saskia in front of the apartment building
The apartments are owned by Australian hotel group 8Hotels, which you can tell from the guest book on the dining table – most previous guests were Aussies! The spacious two-bedroom apartment was on the fourth floor and there is no elevator – so you definitely get fit staying here.
Julie on the stairs to the apartment
Our lovely apartment
You really get a feel for what it would be like to live in this famous city, and it was great to have so much room (compared to most Parisian hotel rooms the apartment is huge!). The neighbourhood is positively buzzing in the evenings, so many cool little bars and restaurants leave you spoilt for choice. Mind you, if you are a morning person and decide to have an early start, you will be amazed by how quiet it is – turns out Parisians don’t really “do” mornings!
Any insider tips on Paris from your trip?
Foodie faves
Patisserie Stohrer (51 rue Montorgueil, one minute from the apartment) opened in 1730 and still serves the most perfect cakes and pastries today. A must try!
Rue Montorgueil
For dinner I highly recommend the Comptoir de la Gastronomie on 34 Rue Montmartre (a five minute walk from the apartment). Local produce is what made this place famous, and if, like me, you cannot stomach foie gras (and really, you shouldn’t), do try the wonderful cheeses and wines on offer.
Lunch!
Another favourite for dinner is Le Fumoir opposite the Louvre. The terrace is a great spot for people watching, and for dinner there are two options: the fancy three course menu inside (worth the price) or the cheap and cheerful bar menu at the front tables of the restaurant.
Le Fauchon the Place de la Madeleine sells the best macaroons, try some!
Shop ‘til you drop
Galleries Lafayette is my favourite department store in Paris, not only because all luxury brands can be found here, but also because from the top floor terrace you get the best views of Paris – for free!
The Galeries Lafayette
View from the top floor of Galeries Lafayette
Petit Bateau has stores all over Paris (including one on Rue Montmartre) and if you need to bring back baby gifts this is the place to stock up. They also make great clothes for adults, your size is then “20 ans” which means age 20. Luckily this tends to fit even if your current size is nothing like that of when you were 20, like mine!
Beverage bliss
For an aperitif I recommend having a Cosmopolitans at KONG overlooking the river at Pont Neuf. Some scenes in the Sex and the City movie were filmed here and there is a restaurant on the top level as well.
Kong
The Seine river
Get your culture on
The area around the Louvre is a great place to be on a hot day – cool your tired feet in the little lake and soak up some rays. If you don’t feel up to facing the crowds to go inside, save the Mona Lisa for another time and visit the Musee des Arts Decoratifs instead. They often have great exhibitions, when we were there a Louis Vuitton/Marc Jacobs retrospective was on show.
Cooling down by The Louvre
What is your best travel tip for visiting Paris?
If you happen to be in Paris during Fashion Week (in September or March), try to get in to a show! I was hanging around the Tuileries gardens one afternoon when lots of stylish looking people started to queue to get into the Issey Miyake show. After all the VIPS and ticket holders were let in suddenly everyone around me jumped up and ran – so I joined them! I managed to get into the show and had a pretty good view, too. I had no idea this was even possible and I could not believe my luck!
Tuileries gardens
Inside the Issey Miyake show
Another good tip? Visit the pharmacies! Honestly, French pharmacies are the best, I can never get enough of them. So many affordable products that are so luxurious. I found a lot of my faves thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP blog post.
If you try just two products, make it the divine Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse and the Embryolisse face cream – all the models use it, you know!