Paris Travel Diary + Travel Guide

Time to talk about the city of lights!! I could not be more excited for this post..Paris was definitely my favorite city we visited in Europe and is honestly one of my favorite cities I’ve ever been to in the world. While America will always be my home,  would definitely be interested in moving to there for a few years. The people there were so kind, the fashion there was like nothing I had ever seen, every single building was beautiful, the food was amazing…need I say more? 

We arrived in Paris after about an easy two hour flight from Rome. We were able to have another beautiful morning in Rome before hoping on a plane after lunch and arriving in Paris before dinner ! The drive from the airport to our hotel was about an hour with traffic, but driving and seeing the city was an activity in itself. 

Where we stayed..

In Paris, we stayed in the West-End Hotel due to a recommendation from a friend. When we first arrived at our hotel, we were shocked there was no where to pull up and there was no one outside, but we knew it was a boutique hotel and was small so it was fine! The location was awesome as we were right in the heart of Champ Elyees and we could not have been more excited to be in Paris!

When we got to our room, it was definitely a smoking room when we were guaranteed nonsmoking room..however, they were very nice and updated us to a bigger room to make up for it. Our new room was a little out-dated, but the bathroom was very updated and since we weren’t in the room too much, it was honestly just what we needed. 

The hotel room did not have a workout room, however many don’t in Paris, and they did have complimentary breakfast however the breakfast only provided fruit, croissants, and nuts.

Exercise..

Our first morning we decided to go to a spin class that I had seen mentioned in an article by Vogue earlier this year. Since the hotel didn’t have a gym, Dynamo was the perfect solution and was so much more fun than my regular workout in the hotel workout room! 

Before we went, I have to admit even I was pretty nervous. Not because of the workout, but because I was in a foreign country, knew no french, I didn’t know it they would speak english, if they would be nice, or anything ! The first class was free though, so we thought we’d try it. We had nothing to lose ! 

When we got to the studio we were pleasantly surprised almost everyone spoke English, and spoke it well ! They could not have been more friendly to us and helped us with absolutely anything we needed. The studio provides shoes every class and water is free your first class. 

During class, the tempo is directly correlated to the beat of the music very much like SoulCycle. This made the class very easy for my mom and I to follow along even though we didn’t know a word they were saying ! The class involved tap backs, push ups, movement of positions, and changes in positions very similarly to classes in America. 

We loved class so much we went back every single day we were there! Each instructor was just as good as the next and we loved experiencing the moves from each of their classes. We went to Tilly, John, Clotilde, and Jeremie.

Where We Ate…

Four Seasons: Our first night there, we were not too familiar with the area yet but we were right across from the Four Seasons, which is always fabulous and very reliable, so we enjoyed drinks in the garden at the Four Seasons and then dinner in their dining room! The entire hotel and especially garden was so beautiful, and it was definitely the perfect welcome to Paris!! Their french food was very good and the atmosphere was even better. 

Laduree: Seriously, how could you go to Paris and not go to Ladurees?! With locations all around the world, Ladurees is known for having the best macaroons, tea, and treats. We enjoyed afternoon tea here with macaroons and trust me, they are not overrated. This is definitely a must when in Paris !

L’Avenue: Definitely one of my favorite restaurants from the whole trip! L’avenue was across the street from our hotel and in the heart of absolutely everything ! The street in which L’avenue is located is practically like the Rodeo Drive of Paris with the most fabulous high end shopping and this restaurant has the most beautiful outdoor patio and windows as all the walls. The atmosphere was magnificent and the food was to die for as well. When you first sit down, they bring a bowl of nuts and olives and a basket of the freshest baguettes before the main course. My mom and I both ordered the grilled chicken, which was a very large but very thin breast grilled perfectly, and I got the green beans on the side while she got fresh fries! We both could not have been happier with our meal. L’avenue is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It was crowded for every meal, every day! 

Hotel Plaza Athenee: The Dorchester Collection hotels have always been my favorites ! So obviously we were going to stop in the one in Paris and it was surely did not disappoint. This was definitely my favorite lunch the whole trip and wish it was somewhere I could go more often. We ate on the patio outside the hotel, which is also on the same beautiful street L’Avenue is on, and it was the perfect, casual lunch spot on a beautiful Paris day. When the brought us the menu, I was so excited to see the McCarthy Salad from the Beverly Hills Hotel (my favorite salad there) was featured on the menu!! Obviously I ordered it and have to admit I think it was better than the one in California. The Hotel Plaza Athenee has many restaurants to choose from and is fabulous for breakfast, lunch, drinks, or dinner! 

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Carette: Super cute for pastries, tea, or lunch right by the Eiffel tower with an amazing view!

Cafe De Flore: Adorable cafe for brunch, lunch, tea, or pastries ! My mom and I sat here after dinner at Ralph Lauren for some tea before heading back to the hotel. The atmosphere is so adorable here and the shopping around this area is adorable ! In the heart of the Saint Germain area of Paris, this cafe is also the perfect place for afternoon tea after some fun, walking, and shopping.

Angelina’s: Another awesome cafe for tea, coffee, pastries, or if you go to their tea room you can get breakfast, brunch, or lunch! We ate breakfast at the tea room on the last morning and it was the perfect way to end our stay in Paris. The food and atmosphere were amazing!

Sights To See..

In Paris, we did not do much sight seeing at all because I think we definitely got our fair share in Rome..and in Paris the monuments are much larger and are not as much things you ‘tour’. While there , we definitely made sure to see the Arc de Triumph, The Louve, and The Eiffel Tower. However, we skipped out on the Palace of Versailles because I had heard horror stories about the crowds!

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Shop above outfit HERE!

Most of the sight seeing in Paris is very quick though and is a great picture opportunity, so one thing we enjoyed was we took a photo tour where a professional photographer took us around and snapped some awesome pictures ! Some of the poses he put us in were definitely a little awkward and he only took us to a few sights, but it was definitely worth it and so much fun!!

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Shop outfit above using the links below ! 

Another activity I loved was we walked along the path next to the Seine River. The path is amazing and really let’s you see all the beautiful bridges, plants, and greenery. [ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][/ezcol_1half_end][ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][/ezcol_1half_end]

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Shop outfit here! 

Shopping..

Honestly, the shopping in Paris is amazing on every street and the fashion is indescribable ! Plus, every European brand (Zara, Topshop, Chloe, Hermes, YSL, Chanel…) is dramatically cheaper in Europe ! We definitely shopped til we dropped. My favorite shopping while we were there was on Avenue Montaigne, which was like the Rodeo Drive of Paris! This street had Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chloe, YSL, Celine, and just about every other iconic fashion brand we all dream about. Another street that we loved was on Rue de Sevres around the Zara, Hermes, and a huge department store with just about every brand and item you could imagine! Finally, Galeries Lafayette is absolutely amazing and has just about everything you could imagine with the most beautiful architecture !! 

We felt compelled to get matching boots.. 😉 

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