Tomáš's Paris
Three unhurried days

A Weekend
in Paris

Day one

Montmartre, slowly uphill

Start with breakfast, then simply wander. Let the streets pull you gradually uphill toward Sacré-Cœur. The route itself is the point, not any single stop along it.

You’ll pass the old windmill, La Maison Rose and the little vineyard almost by accident. That’s the right way to find them.

Whoever is playing on the corner that day
Breakfast

Breakfast is usually a small affair here.

Traditionally it’s an espresso, a croissant, and a cigarette if you smoke. Plenty of Parisians do. If you want something more than that, this is where I’d go.

Breizh Café

Proper Breton galettes and crêpes, and the right way to start the morning before the hill fills up.

Google Maps ↗
Crêpe Suzette, flambéed at the table
The Moulin de la Galette, the old wooden windmill in Montmartre
Moulin de la Galette
La Maison Rose, the pink-fronted restaurant on its Montmartre corner
La Maison Rose
The Clos Montmartre vineyard on the slope below Sacré-Cœur
The vineyard, out of season
The pale stone apse and dome of Sacré-Cœur against a blue sky
Sacré-Cœur, from behind
Coffee

The cafés are all great for atmosphere and very easy to find on rue des Abbesses. But if you want really excellent specialty coffee, go to Clove.

Clove

Probably my favorite coffee in Montmartre.

Google Maps ↗
A Paris café terrace in the late morning, chairs turned out to the street
A café terrace, mid-morning Photo: @lisaonophoto · Creative production: @resetlab_ · Art direction: @karlarodce
A glass carafe and a ceramic cup of filter coffee on a dark table at Clove, beside a green box of Datura beans
Filter, and the beans it came from Photo: @clovecoffeeshop
The great clock of the Musée d'Orsay seen from inside the hall
The clock from inside Photo: Samuel Isaacs / Unsplash
Afternoon

Have one proper museum.

My favorite is the Musée d'Orsay. The building is almost as good as the collection.

Musée d'Orsay

Probably my favorite major museum in the city. It houses one of the world’s great collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art inside a spectacular former railway station on the Seine.

Google Maps ↗
From Tomáš

If you’d rather have something calm and intimate, go to the Musée Rodin instead. There’s a garden you can sit in.

The steps below Sacré-Cœur crowded with people at sunset, the basilica lit against a pink sky
Come back for sunset

Bring a bottle of Champagne up to Sacré-Cœur.

One of my favorite ways to end a day in Montmartre.

Dinner

Have one great classic French dinner.

The navy and gold corner frontage of Le Bon Georges on rue Saint-Georges
The corner at rue Saint-Georges Photo: @le_bon_georges
Le Bon Georges

One of my favorite upscale classic French bistros, and a good introduction to a certain kind of Paris dinner.

Google Maps ↗
Day two

See the city from a different angle

Walk or bike along the Seine.

One of the best ways to feel the city is simply moving along the river. No route, no destination.

And if you want to change your view for an hour, there are two good ways to do it. I wouldn’t call either one better.

See it from the water.

The Eiffel Tower seen from the Seine, from the deck of a river boat
From a Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat
Vedettes du Pont Neuf

The specific Seine cruise I recommend if you want to see the city from the water.

Google Maps ↗

Or see it from above.

Paris rooftops, bridges and the river seen from a terrace above the city
From the Tour d'Argent rooftop
Le Rooftop de la Tour d'Argent

The rooftops, the bridges and the river all at once.

Google Maps ↗
The Canal Saint-Martin in autumn, plane trees turning gold on both banks and gulls on the water
The 10th

Walk along the Canal Saint-Martin.

Worth it simply for the walk. Then, if you can, dinner nearby.

The canal in autumn Photo: Pascal Bernardon / Unsplash
One of the canal's white iron footbridges, with people crossing and leaves on the quay
One of the footbridges Photo: Pascal Bernardon / Unsplash
The terrace of Hôtel du Nord, red and cream fringed parasols over café tables on the street
Hôtel du Nord, on the quay Photo: 0scar M / Unsplash

Currently one of my favorite tables in the city.

Early June

Great food, natural wine, good service.

Google Maps ↗
The dining room at Early June, laid tables and iron columns in bright daylight
The dining room at Early June Photo: Early June
The west front of Notre-Dame lit at night, people crossing the square in front of it
That night

Walk past Notre-Dame at night.

The west front, lit
Later that night

The tower sparkles for five minutes, on the hour, after dark.

Don't watch it from underneath. It's much better with a little distance.

The tower sparkling
Day three

The Marais, slowly

By now you have your bearings, so this day is looser than the two before it on purpose.

Place des Vosges, then the Marais, then the Marché des Enfants Rouges when you get hungry. Everything in between is the day.

Lunch at the market, whenever you get hungry.

A fruit and juice stall inside the Marché des Enfants Rouges, crates of produce under a green Only Fruits banner
Marché des Enfants Rouges Photo: Ville de Paris
Marché des Enfants Rouges

Small counters, no ceremony. Pick whichever line looks best. If you’re hungry, get a stool at Les Enfants du Marché.

Google Maps ↗

Then simply wander.

A wander, not an itinerary. Get a falafel sandwich, and if it turns cold, stop for a hot chocolate. If you want coffee, Sevenly Heart is on the way.

L'As du Fallafel Marais · 4e Get a falafel sandwich, then walk it off toward Place des Vosges. Maps ↗
Place des Vosges, red brick façades behind clipped trees, the fountain running and people sitting on the lawn
Place des Vosges Photo: Sitraka / Unsplash

End up at Place des Vosges.

Sit down for a while before you go anywhere. It’s the calmest square in the city.

Google Maps ↗
Carette Place des Vosges · 3e If the weather turns cold, this is where I’d stop for a hot chocolate. Maps ↗
From Tomáš

There’s no route here. If you end up somewhere that isn’t on this page, you’re doing it right.

A few more of mine

Places I keep coming back to

Hôtel Particulier Maps ↗

A hidden-feeling place I love more for the atmosphere than the food. A beautiful garden where chickens wander among the outdoor tables, a chic restaurant inside, and a cocktail bar downstairs.

Septime La Cave Maps ↗

My favorite natural wine bar in the city. Small, busy, natural wine, small plates.

Le Bon Bock Maps ↗

A Montmartre restaurant I like a lot. Good food, and it happens to have natural wine too.

Some of these came to me from friends. The chain of recommendation is part of the charm.

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