What to do in six days in paris

“Breathe Paris in. It nourishes the soul,” said Victor Hugo. Millions around the world agree and I was suspect. I visited Paris while at boarding school in Germany, but my high school self didn’t yet notice beauty. Returning 20 years later, I fell in love with the city that captures hearts. Cobblestone streets, subtle art, regal museums, grand gardens, there’s much to explore in Paris. Here are our favorites from spending six days in France’s capital with Montparnasse as our home base.

Eat:

• Chia pudding from Judy, Cantine Qualitarienne – Rousseau, a gluten-free restaurant in a beautiful space.
• Chicken katsu bao burger from Gros Bao Paris, a Chinese restaurant along a canal.
• Creamy eggs at La Parenthèse, a neighborhood restaurant with daily specials and a view of the Eiffel Tower.
• Crema di Grom from Grom Gelato, the city’s only Grom location with their classic flavor with biscuits, egg yolk, and chocolate chunks. Add whipped cream.
• Mushroom and ham salad at La Gentiane, a neighborhood restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and quirky art on its walls.
• Pain suisse from Boris Lumé Boulangerie, a bakery that inspired the one depicted in the TV series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.
• Passion fruit custard from BO&MIE, a popular bakery with plenty of seating.
• Pastrami sandwich with smoked salmon at Zinzin, a small Mediterranean sandwich shop with a simple menu.
• Seasonal menu at Ellsworth, an intimate restaurant with a rotating menu owned by an American couple.
• Tarts from The French Bastards – Pigalle, a popular bakery with dozens of options.
• Truffle pasta from Pink Mamma, a multi-level restaurant in a pink building with a hidden rooftop speakeasy.

Drink:

• Bellini spritz from Ober Mamma, a popular Italian restaurant with big cocktails for 10 Euros.
• Cider at La Cidrerie du Canal, a chill cidery with drinks from around the world along the canal in Canal Saint-Martin.
• Cocktails from Le Syndicat, an intimate cocktail bar that uses only French products. Note that their cocktails skew sweeter.
• Hot chocolate from Noir – Coffee Shop & Torréfacteur, a coffee shop with a tile floor and a spiral staircase to a loft with additional seating.
• Iced latte from Ten Belles – Paris 6, a small cafe with a few seats indoor and outside.
• Latte from these coffee shops:
  • Bel Horizon Coffee Roasters, a single origin roastery.
  • Bonjour Jacob Saint Germain Coffee, a cafe with design books, guides, and more.
  • Inform Café, a coffee shop with a takeout window near the Arc de Triomphe.
  • Steel cyclewear & coffee shop, a cafe inside a bicycle shop.
  • Terres de Café Daguerre, a cafe along a popular street for shopping and dining.
  • TORRÉ Coffee shop, a small cafe on a street with many shops.
• Sesame latte from Gram Café, a coffee corner inside a streetwear and vintage shop.
• White wine from Le Rubis, a small bar that turns into a restaurant in the evenings.

Do:

• Browse design, architecture, and photography books at OFR Bookshop, an independent bookstore with a back room with clothes.
• Buy fresh produce at Marché Belleville, a long farmers market every Tuesday and Friday along Bd de Belleville.
• Listen to a concert at Sainte-Chapelle, a 13th century Gothic church with large stain glass windows depicting 1,113 scenes from the Bible.
• Play ball at Pigalle Basketball, a colorful, hidden basketball court open to the public.
• Read a book at Jardin du Luxembourg, a 17th century garden with a palace, a fountain, sculptures, and an enclosed playground.
• Rest inside La REcyclerie, a spacious, industrial cafe and restaurant with an urban farm and pop-up events.
• Shop for children’s toys and goods at Le petit Souk Paris 7e – Saint-Dominique, a beautiful children’s store.
• Slide down a long slide at the dragon-themed playground at La Villette, a large park and cultural space with museums, trails, food hall, and more.
• Stroll through Passage Verdeau, a 19th century arcade with shops. There are several withing a few blocks.
• Take your kids to Aquaboulevard, an indoor water park with a rope swing into the wave pool and waterslides. Note that it’s rundown, but my seven-year-old daughter spent hours here.
• Visit the Museum of Hunting and Nature, a unique museum inside two historic mansions that blend the old with the new.
• Walk along the Seine River with a warm chocolate croissant from nearby Boulangerie LIBERTÉ.

See:

• La Baguenaude de Valmy, a tall mural of a girl with bubble hair by Vinie, a well-known muralist.
• Mazarine Library, the oldest public library in Paris and among the world’s most beautiful libraries. Entrance is free with your I.D.
• Modern art at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, a large museum in a design-forward space with a rooftop terrace with views of the city and the Eiffel Tower.
• Monet’s artwork building for two oval rooms inside the Musée de l’Orangerie, a small art museum within Tuileries Garden.
• Striped columns by Daniel Buren at Domaine National du Palais-Royal, a 17th century palace with a large garden.
• Subtle art like cartoon mosaics, murals, photographs, and other public works in almost every neighborhood.
• Taxidermy at Deyrolle, a second-floor shop with stuffed animals and goods for sale.
• View of the city from Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, a famous church on a hill. Spend time watching artists draw customers in the nearby square.
• View of the Eiffel Tower from Parc de Belleville, a hilltop park with street art in Belleville, a neigborhood known for its artist and immigrant communities.
• Vintage goods and antiques at Marché aux Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen, a flea market with posters, toys, clothes, records, and more.