48 Hours in Paris
It was $350 dollars to fly to Paris from Boston. That’s practically the average cost to fly anywhere in the US for the weekend. So why not make that a weekend in Paris? And that’s exactly what Chandler and I did earlier this year (March 2023).
I generally would be researching (i.e travel blog hopping) to plan a trip and get a sense of what to expect. For this trip, I did the bare minimum - I knew I wanted two things: have a fresh out of the oven croissant and to check out two of the cocktail bars that made it on to World’s 50 Best Bars list. Chandler wanted to go to the Louvre, so I built around those three things: croissant, cocktails and the Louvre.
We had both been to Paris before (when we were just friends hehe). It was also a quick trip and my first out of the country. I had no expectations and harnessing the internet to plan a trip was not in my sphere yet. We both felt like we did not really get a sense of Paris and this trip felt like it was our first time really in Paris. It’s one of my favorite trip to date!
For the people who very much so want to plan, keep on reading for what I did during my weekend (48 hours) in one of the most wonderful cities in the world. If you find yourself also on an extended layover, passing through Paris, or finding a really cheap flight here’s some inspiration for an itinerary:
Day 1
The view from our AirBnB in the 9th Arrondissement right off the Pigalle stop
10:30 AM: We landed in Charles De Gaulle and took the train into Paris. Side note, Chandler and I got separated immediately. Doors of the RER train closed on him and he just watched me staring at him as the train whizzed away like in a movie lol.
It took about 35 - 40 minutes to get into Paris and we found our way (after reuniting) to the AirBnB, settled in and headed out the door to explore. Literally just walked around and admired the beautiful buildings and Metro stops.
After wandering, I was ready for the first thing I wanted to do: check out The Little Red Door, No. 5 on the World’s Best Bars list or Le Syndicat, No. 84. We ended up being closer to Le Syndicat and let me tell, I absolutely loved it there. Subtle set up and the vibe was “Hanging with your friends in the basement”. It’s not a speakeasy but it’s so chill that you would have never guessed hip hop and good drinks were waiting for you inside; we nearly walked right past it. The menu was thoughtful and attention to detail to each drink was incredibly, truly hand crafted. The focus is using French liquor and spirits, adding to the uniqueness of this spot. In fact, the full name of the bar is Le Syndicat: Organisation de Défense des Spiritueux Français.
We were lucky enough to meet the creator of several of the cocktails on the menu and even more wonderful, he made us one of his featured cocktail.
After a few drinks, we found our way to our dinner spot at 8 PM: Benoit Paris in the 4th Arrondissement. We wanted to experience classic French bistro cuisine and wanted to try a Michelin Starred restaurant while in Paris and landed on Benoit. As soon as you enter, you feel classy and at home in their front room setting. The tables were quite close together but it never felt as though patrons were stacked on top each other or intruding in nearby diners and their conversations.
The food was delicious and for a one star restaurant rated at $$$$, I thought the prices were quite reasonable. I ordered the confit back of cod with Swiss chard and spring onions and jus. Chandler went for a French delicacy and ordered organic Tigre calf’s head (La Tête de Veau) with brains and all. Finalizing all the tastes with a classic vanilla millefeuille that was perfect and not too sweet, the ultimate Asian compliment for desserts.
After dinner, we realized we were right next to the Seine so we took a lovely walk across one of the beautiful bridges and admired the Seine. Took the Metro home, rest our feet and stomachs in preparation of the next day.
dAY 2
Court yard of the Louvre Palace
It’s museum day!
I had purchased tickets online for the Louvre prior to arriving in Paris for the earliest time available, 9 AM. We arrived about 15-30 minutes before our entrance time and noticed there were two lines already formed. One for people who needed tickets and one for those who pre-purchased. Both lines were long but the pre-purchase line was a little shorter, it definitely grew as more people arrived for their time slots. Once the museum opened [at 9 AM], entrance was pretty smooth from my point of view. We immediately grabbed some breakfast from the museum cafe and some coffee. Then found the museum maps and picked up an audio guide for €5. I found it amusing that the guides were Nintendo 3DS.
We only had about 3 - 4 hours at the Louvre because I had booked a walking tour as well. You might be thinking, “More than enough time!” and that is where you (and I) would be underestimating the colossal museum that is the Louvre. It’s not the largest museum in the world for no reason. I had read that with over 400 rooms and 35,000 artwork, it would take 100 days to see everything in the Louvre if you looked at each item for 30 seconds without stopping.
Once I accepted there was no way I could see it all in one day or even two, I was just happy to be there.
So have no fear, don’t let visiting the Louvre be an anxiety inducing activity. The Louvre website has a great resource that maps out recommended trails so you can get the experience you want from your visit. Chandler and I decided we wanted to see the heavy hitters: Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus de Milo, which were located in the Denon Wing. It was amazing how quickly the time flew by because we could have easily carried on but before we knew it, it was time to wrap it up.
Winged Victory of Samothrace
Sully Wing in the Louvre
The walking tour was next on the to-do list and it started at 1 PM, lasting for two hours.
I love walking tours, city bus tours, all the tours. I think it’s such a great way to cover a lot of ground of a city and learn something interesting about where you’re visiting. I like to use AirBnB experiences to book these kinds of tours, the reviews are always great, hosted by locals and overall an easy booking process. After looking through several, I booked the French Revolution Paris History Walking Tour with Theirry. It was $39 a person and he was wonderful! Incredibly knowledgable and engaging, you can tell he really has passion for history. We walked through Paris, stood in spots that key players in the French Revolution stood and saw where many of those same key players met the guillotine. I truly can’t recommend a walking tour enough if it fits your short schedule.
Thierry has a website as well that you can book directly www.parisology.net if AirBnb isn’t for you. He also offers other topics as well on his site or through AirBnB experiences.
The Place de la Revolution where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed.
After our 2 hour walking tour, I wanted to see Montmartre. And Montmartre I saw. The best way to explore with no agenda is to simply walk. Just pick a neighborhood, or don’t, and just walk around exploring the shops, streets, buildings and people.
The next thing on our itinerary was incredibly spontaneous, someone from my photographer circle mentioned they were going to be in Paris the same weekend and wanted to do a couple’s shoot. I volunteered Chandler and I; around 7 PM we met up with her on the Pont Alexandre III. The pictures turned out amazing and I’m really glad I caught her question! There are lots of photographers that will take your picture (or you and your boo, your friends etc) and I’ve found a great option was to use, once again, AirBnB experiences. I think it really made our spontaneous trip even more memorable and fantastic.
We decided to continue walking around in the area we took the photos and walked toward the Arc de Triomphe. I think it’s such a magnificent structure and didn’t think my trip would be complete without seeing it. After that, we called it a night because we had a flight home in the morning and one last thing that absolutely had to be experienced before we flew out.
Day 3
The first time I saw the Arc de Triomphe coming from the CDG to Paris via Charles de Gaulle–Étoile metro line
5:00 AM
I had one last thing I absolutely needed to do: eat fresh croissants in Paris. And I don’t mean “same-day” fresh. I mean “Straight From The Oven” Fresh. The only way to up that chance was to get to a bakery as soon as it opened.
Most boulangeries open at 6 AM but there was a specific one I was hoping to get to: La Maison d’Isabelle. Tucked in the Latin Quarter close to Notre Dame, this bakery won best croissant in 2018. It was the best decision I made and I might never be able to have another croissant just anywhere ever again.
Buttery, creamy, flaky, melt in your mouth - the best croissant.
I can not recommend waking up early and getting to a bakery enough. There’s something special about being an early bird in the streets of Paris and eating a warm croissant watching the sun rise. It certainly doesn’t have to be this bakery, pick your closest or one that you’ve been dying to go to, I don’t think you can do wrong in Paris.
8:00 AM: It’s time get find the nearest metro to get on the RER and back to CDG.
11:30 AM: Headed back to Boston.
And that’s what I did 48 hours in Paris.
I love short, whirlwind trips. A combination of flexibility, spontaneity, and Paris being Paris; made this one of my favorite trips to date. Some people may think these short trips aren’t worth it unless they can spend a longer time. But in an increasingly busy world with increasingly demanding schedules, it’s not realistic for some of us to spend a week, 2 weeks, a month traveling. And even if we did have that time, we might still not see everything we wish to see - so why not see what you can, whenever you can?
Have any questions about the trip, need some tips, want to know how I planned or got around - feel free to ask!
