Paris May 2022

Paris! So excited to be here!

My overnight flight arrived at CDG Airport at 9:30am. As you may know, the best way to beat your jet lag is to stay up all day, have an early dinner, and get to sleep fairly early. If you give in to your urge to take a nap, you may find that you’ve prolonged your jet lag.

I have a room booked at the Grand Hotel des Balcons in the 6th arrondissement (Latin Quarter). I took the RER from CDG to Luxembourg station (10.30 euro), and my hotel was a short walk (about ½ mile) from there. I arrived at the Grand Hotel des Balcons at about 11am, and they stored my luggage for me until my room was ready. I headed to my favorite pastry shop, Maison Mulot on the Rue de Seine, to revive a little with a pastry and a coffee. They have a few outdoor tables, or you can take your pastry with you. In fact, I went to Mulot every morning of my trip for a pain chocolate and a coffee. All their pastries as well as their macarons are excellent.

The hotel was just lovely, and pretty much ticked all the boxes I search for when I’m looking for the perfect hotel for me. In Paris I like staying on the left bank. My favorite arrondissements are the 5th (Latin Quarter) or the 6th (St. Germain des Pres), and that’s where this hotel is. The location can’t be beat. It’s close to the Luxembourg RER station (longer distance trains to the airports, Versailles, etc) and the Odeon metro station, from which you can get pretty much anywhere in the city. The front desk staff all spoke excellent English and were very accommodating. The room I had was a single with a full bath, which included an American style shower, and it had a balcony with a great view of the Odeon Theater and the Paris rooftops. All that and it was very reasonably priced as well. That said, the room was very small, as you will find in many European hotels, but I always say if you’re spending a lot of time in your room in Paris you’re not doing it right.

That afternoon I took a tour I had booked on Airbnb called “Best Thrift Stores in the Marais and the Sentier”. An absolutely lovely young student by the name of Annabelle, who spoke excellent English, took our group to her favorite resale and consignment shops in the trendy Marais area. She also provided tips about shopping and dining. I think everyone in the group purchased at least one thing.

On Sunday morning I went to the Marche Bastille, a huge outdoor market (open on Thursdays and Sundays) where you can purchase all manner of fresh foods (fruits, vegetables, fish,oysters, meat, cheese, etc) as well as all kinds of international prepared foods to consume right there or to take with you. Then that afternoon I took a bike tour with Bike About Tours. They offer several options, including a monuments tour. For people like me who have already seen the major sights, they offer a “Hidden Paris Tour”, which visits several places that I’d never known existed.

One of the highlights of my trip was a four course dinner prepared by the 2012 winner of Masterchef France, Jean-Yves, which I booked through eatwith.com. The chef’s heritage is Vietnamese but he was raised in France, and his cuisine incorporates elements of both cultures. He prepared an amazing four course meal which he served in the cellar of his lovely home in the Marais. The food was just exquisite, and beautifully presented, with the chef describing each course as we went along. If you book this dinner (or anything else on eatwith.com) use my referral code and we’ll both get money off: B45DEDEF

An organization called Paris Greeters (https://greeters.paris/en/) is a group of volunteer Parisian “ambassadors” who offer free walking tours in Paris. You specify your interests as well as the date and time you’re available and they will match you with a guide. I had the privilege of touring Montparnasse with the lovely Claudine, who took me to parks, cafes and shops. I not only discovered new sights, but also learned much about everyday life in Paris.

I’ve been asked by many people through the years to compile a list of tips about visiting Paris, which I’ve published in a separate post on this blog called, appropriately enough, Paris tips. It’s very personalized and it’s no substitute for a good guide book. If you want to purchase one of those, I highly recommend Rick Steves guides, especially for information about self guided tours.

Bon voyage!