I haven’t been for Paris for years and having lucked out with a glorious sunny weekend I decided to take full advantage of the weather and see as many of the highlights Paris on foot as possible. According to my Jawbone (whose reliability I’m not totally convinced on) I walked well over 60,000 steps over the course of the weekend, which of course I used as the perfect excuse to indulge in delicious French food…
Day One
After an early Eurostar (and an even earlier Barry’s Bootcamp class) I started my weekend as I meant to go on…trying out L’eclair de genie. Light with the perfect amount of sour passionfruit to counterbalance the creamy filling; I will definitely be trying some other flavours next time I’m back!
This delicious pastry was enjoyed in the beautiful surroundings of a hidden gem which I stumbled upon on my way to Le Marais – Jardin de L’Hotel des Sens.
After my mini picnic I took a wander around the Marais district…
And followed this with a proper lunch at the famous and delicious L’As du Fallafel which (by some sort of miracle given how generously filled the pittas are) I managed not to spill all down myself!
I continued my wander along the banks of the Seine and onto Île_de_la_Cité
I was hoping to make it up Notre Dame (as the views are meant to be unparalleled) but the queue was a good couple of hours and so I decided that it would have to wait until next time. Taking in the cathedral from the bottom is still mind blowing – the intricate carving is just incredible.
It was then just a quick hop skip and a jump via the Pont Neuf to the most insta worthy attraction in Paris – the Pont des Artes…
The authorities have removed the lovelocks from the main bridge (as it was bending under the weight of them all!) but there are still quite a lot left on the railings on the steps up to the bridge.
My final wander of the day took me past all the street stalls on the banks of the River Seine to the Musee Rodin.
On past trips to Paris I’ve visited a lot of the bigger museums but somehow, despite my love of Rodin’s sculptures, this one never made it onto the itinerary. The museum is currently under construction but even with a limited display it blew me away…and I got pretty snap happy!
The sculptures in the beautiful garden/woodland setting were just crying out to be photographed!
We ended the day with a pre-dinner drink at Le Perchoir – a rooftop bar with a wonderful view of Le Sacre Coeur that has a great casual vibe.
We went to the most phenomenal restaurant for dinner – L’Arpege, Alain Passard’s three michelin star restaurant which served up some of the most inventive and delicious vegetable dishes I have ever eaten. I’ll write a full review later in the week but even if you don’t have time to check it out (or just don’t want to ruin the surprise) put this restaurant on your itinerary if you can get a booking.
Day Two
After a lazy start we headed off to the shops. I mean, when in Paris…
The concept boutique Colette was top of my list.
With its beautifully curated displays and multitude of interesting pieces I could have spent hours in here…but luckily the boy was more focused and got us to our lunch reservation on time!
We ate at Neige d’Ete – a French Japanese restaurant that, again, I’ll review in full in a later post but as a preview it was a meal full of delicious flavours and beautifully presented food. A restaurant that is already booked in for my next trip!
Feeling rather full we got back on our feet and headed to the sight to end all sights – the Eiffel Tower
After an another failed attempt to catch a view over Paris (as Hotel Raphael’s roof terrace was closed for a wedding) we took a final turn around the Arc du Triomphe. 
Before putting up our tired feet in a cafe and heading home to London already plotting our return trip. I’m back in October so any hints and tips for my new itinerary much appreciated 