Below is a list of recommendations for Paris – mostly centered around food, wine, cafes and fabulous streets to meander around. Also be sure not to miss our 25 restaurants write-up with an additional list of others to check out as well. And, for more on food/wine in France, check out our foodie section for France which obviously includes Paris.
Republique/LeMarais
- Cafe Charlot, 38 Rue de Bretagne, 75003 – this is near republique and at the top of Le Marais. Its a great place to begin/end a walking tour of that area. They do a nice brunch
- Marche aux Enfants Rouge – a cute little food market. Make sure to see Place de Vosges.
- Chez Janou, 2 Rue Roger Verlomme 75003 – French restaurant -good for dinner but pop in and reserve. Le Loir dans la Théière – 3 Rue des Rosiers 75004 Paris – Lovely little place for lunch with great homemade dessets – check out the lemon meringue pie.
- Breizh Cafe, 109 Rue Vieille du Temple – great crepes and oysters. It is always busy so try to reserve.
- Chez Omar, 47 Rue Bretagne – great couscous and wonderful Parisan style architecture.
- Swann et Vincent, 7 Rue St Nicolas – nice Italian restaurant close to Bastille
Around Le Louvre
- Le Fumoir – 6 Rue de l’Amiral de Coligny – great for drinks and cocktails
- Le Louvre Ripalle, 1, Rue Perrault, 75001 (around the corner from LeFumoir) – great restaurant – if you like meat, order the Côte de boeuf for 2.
Rue Montorgueil/Near Les Halles
- Rue Montorgueil itself is a market street full of Parisan life and activity – a must see. (great cafes and restaurants as well).
- Cafe Etienne Marcel – a great cafe to hang out not far from the above street.
- Aux Crus de Bourgogne, 3 Rue Bachaumont
Around Blvd Haussmann
- Madeleine Bastille, 39 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle – if you are looking for of the best steak and fries in Paris you need to visit this place. The entrecote and/or the Côte de boeuf are must haves :)
- There are a series of Passages off Blvd Haussmann that are really nice – they are arched galleries with lots of little shops and restaurants. The architecture is totally French and worth seeing. They are called Passage Jouffroy, Passage des Panoramas, Passage Verdeau and they are all sort of linked.
- Rue des Martyrs – an “Always On” market street. Its great and where real Parisans hang out.
- À la mère de famille, 35 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre – amazing little chocolate shop/
- Kiku – 56 Rue Richer, a really great Japanesse restaurant but its small and you need to book.
- Au Loup, 25 Rue Bergère, 75009. Cute new wine bar with some great charcuterie and cheese.
St Germain
- Les Deux Magots, 6 place Saint-Germain-des-Prés – steeped in Parsian history, this is one of the key places where artist, writers and philiophers hung out on the leftbank. They also have amazing hot chocolate.
- Little Breizh -11 Rue Grégoire de Tours, one of the best creperies in Paris; all the ingredients are organic and brought in from Brittany.
- Fish La Boissonnerie’s, 69 Rue de Seine – great restaurant.
- Prescription Cocktail Club, 23 rue Mazarine 75006
Places Worth Seeing
- Opera Garnier, its fabulous. There are tours but you can also go in and wander around.
- Musee D’Orsay
- Invalides
- Sacre Coeur
The above was recommended by Brenda O’Connell who is living there now but originally from Ireland.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
