Long weekend in Paris |

With travel abroad still being quite restricted and uncertain, the only weekend in Paris we can have at the moment is its namesake tea by Fauchon (which is delicious by the way, give it a try!). However, this is not stopping us from dreaming of our next trip, even if a short one. The Eid Al Fitr long weekend is now behind us but the next long weekend for Eid Al Adha is less than 2 months away so it is not too early to start considering travel options.

More and more countries are opening up for fully vaccinated tourists and the EU announced last Wednesday that it is reopening its borders to fully vaccinated travellers. We can’t wait! Both Silvia and I hold very fond memories of our travels to Paris and we would like to share with you our tried-and-tested ideas of how to make the most out of your trip to Paris when you only have a few days to stay there.

For some reason, I never visited Paris even once before moving to the UAE, even though Paris was just a short Eurostar train ride away from London. I had to move miles away to visit France for the first time but was happy to discover that even when living in Dubai a (long) weekend in Paris is just as easily accessible if one was willing to hop on a plane for a 6 and-a-half hour journey.

Even if you only have a long weekend to dedicate to your trip, you can still do and see a lot, we are speaking from experience here! Silvia and I only had 3 full days to spend in Paris on our last trip in 2019 when we went on the Eid Al Adha weekend. For some reason, all direct flights to Paris with Emirates and other Gulf carriers were fully booked on those dates so we had to be creative and booked a flight to Munich with Emirates and another non-connecting flight from Munich to Paris with Air France (a first for both of us). At that time we thought it was an unnecessarily complicated way of getting to Paris. Little did we know that in just 6 months from then the way we travel would change so drastically.

*Going for a walk around Paris in May 2019*

*Exploring the gardens of the Petit Trianon in August 2019*

So, what do we suggest you should do in Paris if you only have 3-4 days there? Below are our recommendations for you!

Day 1

Fauchon L’Hotel

There is no Parisian hotel that feels more like home in Paris to us than Fauchon L’Hotel. We have reviewed this amazing hotel on our blog – you can read our review here. In short, the location is perfect if you want to explore Paris on foot as you can get to most of the places of interest by walking without ever needing a taxi.

Tea at Le Meurice

A short walk away from Fauchon you will find yourself on the Rue de Rivoli between the Place de la Concorde and Louvre. Le Meurice is located here right opposite the Tuileries Garden. Did you know that this hotel was advertised as the best place to stay for an English traveller when it first opened in 1815 (at a different location in Paris though)?

During its rich history spanning over 200 years, the hotel has welcomed many prominent visitors. One of those distinguished visitors was Salvador Dali who would stay at the hotel every year over a period of 30 years. One of the hotel’s restaurants, Restaurant le Dali, was actually inspired by Dali. We recommend this elegant and colourful place for enjoying a nice and relaxing cup of tea as it offers a good selection of rare teas from around the world.

Opera Palais Garnier

A trip to Paris is not complete without visiting the opulent Opera Garnier, the famous opera house that dates back to 1861 with extraordinary architecture representative of the Napoleon III style. It is not just the design that made this opera house instantly recognisable around the world, but also the fact that it was used as the setting for The Phantom of the Opera.

You can visit Opera Garnier on your own or opt for a guided tour. Silvia and I like exploring things at our own pace so we decided to go on our own and it was a wonderful experience. The main highlights of the Palais Garnier are the grand staircase, the grand foyer (it reminds us of the Galerie des Glaces sans mirrors), and the auditorium. We highly recommend exploring on your own as you will be able to notice and admire a lot of details.

Lunch at Laduree

Despite so many Laduree branches available in the UAE, it is still worth visiting a local branch in Paris because the experience is much more Parisian. You won’t find spacious sofas that you can have all to yourself when you come with a friend or two, or even on your own, and the tables are tiny and very close to each other (probably not so much now due to the social distancing rules).

The menu and presentation are also different and you can find a much wider choice of macaron flavours. We were surprised to find out that gold leaf macarons are available in Paris but we never see them in Dubai.

Maison Assouline

If you are a discerning book lover like us, then you should definitely visit Maison Assouline in Paris, especially since the branch in the Dubai Mall closed last year (we miss it a lot!).

Assouline, a luxury publisher in fashion, design, travel and lifestyle, is well-known for its awe-inspiring coffee table books. Maison Assouline is a concept store for culture where you can find not only amazing books but also furniture, limited edition gifts and collectibles. Mason Assouline in Paris is located at 35 Rue Bonaparte.

*Maison Assouline bookstore in Paris – sans a cafe but it has the same fluffy sheep chairs!*

Perfume shopping at Lubin

France has always been known for its exquisite perfumes but why buy the usual brands you can get at home when you can visit a tiny boutique and get a scent from the perfumer to the royal courts! Let us introduce you to Lubin – a niche perfumer whose scents were worn by the likes of Marie Antoinette and Grace Kelly. You can easily walk to the boutique as it is only a short stroll from Maison Assouline.

If you would like to know which perfumes we recommend and our experience visiting the boutique, please read this post here.

Day 2

Librarie Galignani

Any book lover must visit Librarie Galignani, an elegant bookstore which is known as the oldest English bookstore on the continent. It is conveniently located on the Rue de Rivoli next door from Le Meurice. It has endless shelves of books from floor to ceiling and you may need to climb a ladder to get to the ones sitting on the top shelves. The choice of high-quality books is so impressive that it is impossible to leave without indulging a little!

*While most of the books are in English, you can find some books in French*

Lunch at Loulou

Loulou is a stylish and elegant Italian restaurant located just outside Louvre in its gardens. It has a spacious terrace so you can enjoy your lunch al fresco whilst taking in beautiful sights of Louvre and Jardin de Tuileries.

We never had to make a booking when visiting Loulou but because the place is very popular and due to the social distancing restrictions limiting available seats you may want to call them in advance to make sure they can accommodate you.

We have tried Loulou’s salads and desserts and all of them were delicious and elegantly presented.

Louvre

After enjoying a nice lunch at Loulou it is time to explore the Louvre museum conveniently located just steps away.

We can safely say that it is impossible to see everything even if you dedicate an entire day to the museum because there is too much to see. So our advice is to pick the exhibitions you are most interested in and go from there. And no, we do not recommend you make a beeline to see Mona Lisa (although no judgement if you do!). There is always a crowd of people wanting to see the famous painting and chances are you will be disappointed if you waste so much time queueing instead of exploring much more interesting and impressive exhibits the museum has to offer.

*Matching the elements of the beautiful marble floor*

Make sure you wear comfortable shoes as you will have to do a lot of walking and there are not many places where you can sit down for a quick coffee and they are usually very busy so you may not even get a table.

*If you stay at Louvre until around its closing time you will be rewarded with this view*

At the time of writing, the Louvre museum reopened to visitors on 19 May, however, all visitors must book a time slot to visit the museum.

Hot chocolate at Ritz

What can be better than sipping a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy spring day? Head to Ritz at the Place Vendome where you can settle with a cup of comforting hot chocolate in their small cosy courtyard. Perfect on a rainy day!

*Somehow we ended up with 2 cups of hot chocolate each!*

Day 3

Versailles Part 1

Whenever we visit Paris, a trip to Versailles is always included in our itinerary. Most people travel to Versailles by train but we really recommend taking an Uber or a taxi as it is only a 30 minutes ride from central Paris (Fauchon L’Hotel to be precise) and you won’t have to navigate the Parisian train system and having to walk from the station to the palace (you need to save your energy for when you get to the Palace of Versailles, trust us!). Plus you will be able to see the modern town of Versailles when travelling by car. It is very charming and when we go back we are hoping to stop by at the local street market selling fresh produce.

The magnificent Palace of Versailles needs no introduction and you have probably seen it in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and the famous TV series Versailles (both used the actual Versailles palace for shooting, amongst other locations of course).

*The palace grounds are at their most beautiful in summer*

*So strange looking back at the pre-2020 photos and seeing people without masks*!

*The quality of the mirrors at the Palace is outstanding, I’d love one of them for my house!*

Because the Palace and its grounds take hours and hours to explore, we recommend that you book an overnight stay at one of the local hotels, especially if you book to watch the famous Night Fountains show with fireworks (we highly recommend this experience). It finishes quite late so you may prefer to stay nearby, especially if you are planning to continue exploring Versailles the following morning. Please note that you cannot see the fountain shows all year round so please consult the Palace’s official website for up-to-date information.

*The lights at night make the Palace look even more magical*

*Fireworks coupled with baroque music will transport you back to the days of le Roi Soleil*

If you want to avoid waiting in line to get in (yes, even if you get your ticket online you still have to queue, at least this was the case in 2019) we recommend you should book a guided tour. There are a lot of different tours each focused on a particular topic but you should book well in advance as they are very popular and get sold out quickly.

*These doors lead to some hidden rooms that you can explore only if you book a guided tour*

There is so much to see at Versailles that we will write a separate post dedicated to it but below you can see more highlights from our last couple of visits.

Day 4

Versailles Part 2

If you stay in the town of Versailles overnight after watching the Night Fountains show the night before or just arrive early and want to enjoy a quick breakfast, we recommend Café Blue Roi located in Rue Colbert just steps away from the palace gates. Google maps are showing it as temporarily closed but we hope it re-opens soon as we really enjoyed our fresh and simple petit-dejeuner there!

It is well worth spending at least half of your second day in Versailles, especially if you want to explore the famous Petit Trianon and the gardens before heading back to Paris.

*Silvia admiring Marie Antoinette’s favourite roses*

*Hameau de La Reine* *still has farm animals living there just like over 200 years* ago

*Although the structures have been recently restored, visitors are not allowed inside as the buildings are still too fragile*

*We are always happy to be in* *Petit Trianon*!

After some time of being temporarily closed, Versailles finally reopened on 19 May. Please note that the Palace, the Grand and the Petit Trianon are always closed on Mondays, however, you can still explore the Park and the Gardens if you want to visit on Monday.

31 Rue Cambon

If you are a fashion lover then you should definitely visit the Chanel flagship boutique at 31 Rue Cambon. Not only will you able to find items that may not be available in your local boutique, but you will also be able to see the famous staircase that leads to the former private residence of Coco Chanel so it is a piece of haute couture history.

*Coco Chanel loved the Coromandel screens so much that they adorned the walls of her apartment in Paris*

Despite it being a busy boutique due to its central location and being Chanel in general (any Chanel lover will know what we mean!), we found the service to be very attentive so it was a very good experience overall.

Lunch/dinner at Fauchon

If you are pressed for time and don’t have the time to walk around looking for a nice place for lunch/dinner before you need to go to the airport if your flight is in the evening (like in our case), you should definitely consider Fauchon’s own restaurant as it is located around the corner from the hotel itself and the food is very nice.