Extra Photos
We spent our afternoon at Musée Rodin. I truly love this museum! The grand old house, housing many of Rodin's sculptures and studies, is gorgeous. And the gardens are beautiful! We took full advantage of the sunshine and enjoyed some éclairs on a bench outside in the gardens.
Helpful Hyperlinks
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Two museums not to be missed: Musée Rodin and Musée de l'Orangerie.
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If you're planning on hitting a lot of museums while in town, make sure to check out the Paris Museum Pass.
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For a quick but delicious lunch in the Marais, try La Favorite.
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For an authentic Breton crepe experience, try Crêperie Josselin in the 14th.
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For delicious eclairs that double as miniature works of art, head to L'Eclair de Génie, which has branches throughout Paris.
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A great resource for Paris restaurants, and one I rely on often, is Paris by Mouth. Especially handy are their lists of which restaurants are open on Sunday and Monday, when many Paris restaurants close.
Our walking tour ended near the Saint-Paul métro. The rest of our day, we had free. We searched for food in the area and wound up at the nearby La Favorite. I ordered the goat cheese salad for my meal, thus obeying Laura's Cardinal Rule for Dining in France: when in doubt, select the item with goat cheese. French cheese truly is every bit as good as people say it is, and goat cheese - chèvre - cannot be beat.
Day 3: We spent the morning on a guided walk with our group through Le Marais, led by the impeccably dressed Elisabet (seriously though, not many people could rock yellow from head to toe!). Starting in Place de la Republique, we worked our way up and down the Marais's streets. Along the way, we explored markets, sampled food and drinks, and wandered through many gorgeous parks and public spaces, all filled with spring flowers.
The Marais is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris, and it was very cool to hear about it from a resident of the area. I especially enjoyed learning about the hidden history of the area; I typically think of Le Marais as a great food, shopping, and people watching area, but it has a rich past all of its own.
Next stop: Musée Rodin!
From one museum to the next: we headed to the Orangerie, but first a pause on Pont de la Concorde to enjoy the beautiful day!
Included in the price of our tour was the Paris Museum Pass. This is a pretty sweet deal if you're planning to visit a lot of museums in Paris. My favorite perk? Getting to go to the front of the line, something that came in handy more than once. It would be a shame to waste your vacation queueing!
To finish our day, we popped into Musée de l'Orangerie to admire Monet's waterlilies. It was cool to see the paintings because, later in the tour, we would see the gardens that inspired them at Giverny.
We ended our day with a simple - but super tasty! - meal near our hotel at Crêperie Josselin, a bustling, no-nonsense restaurant. I had a goat cheese crepe for my main (yes, goat cheese again) and mom and I shared a salted caramel crepe for dessert.
Then, it was back to our hotel to pack up our things and get ready for the next phase of our adventure, leaving Paris and exploring the rest of the heart of France!
Daily 'Gram
During our group walk through the Marais, we paused briefly at Square du Temple, a lovely public park. Paris sure is stunning during the spring, isn't she? I was constantly in awe.
Daily Snap
During our afternoon free time, we stumbled on a gift shop near the Rodin Museum selling all manner of France-themed merchandise. I couldn't help but laugh at this mannequin and its "French" outfit. I can only imagine how a chic, clad-all-in-black Parisian would react to it!
Daily #Hashtag
#LaGrève: French for "strike," this is definitely something to be aware of during your stay, as the French do love a good strike. Pay attention to what strikes are occurring, as this can impact the availability of museums or public transport. During our trip, for example, strikes occurred at the Louvre and Versailles (but luckily not on the days we visited.)