A five-day itinerary in Paris: off-season attractions and dining tips
- FancifulRoamer
- Aug 17, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 22
As a traveler, Paris is a must-visit city. I don't like to visit a place just because everyone else is doing it, but Paris is a sight you need to see for yourself. Even though I was sick of looking at the photos in my French class in school, this trip was amazing.
We had an opportunity to stop in Paris off-season while traveling through Europe, so we took it. It was January, so it was more affordable. I checked the weather and it was supposed to be 2' Celcius/ 35.6` Fahrenheit.
Our hotel was in the Montparnasse neighborhood, it was a nice area. We didn't do much walking, because it turned out the outside temperature was more like -2' C/ 28.4' F, plus windy. My auto-immunes had me replace some attractions so we'd be inside more. So here is what we did during our 5 days in Paris, off-season, visiting the city and trying not to freeze.
Day 1
We arrived very early in the morning, so we had to wait in the chilly hotel lobby for a while. We finally got to our room and started our French adventure with a hot shower and a quick nap.
Next, we had a lovely walk by the river Seine. We were lucky to have sun and the highest temperature of our trip for this stroll. We saw the booksellers and then made our way to The Louvre Museum. The lines were huge and not moving, so we went over to the Museum of Decorative Arts, as we didn't want to waste our day just staying in line. This museum is in a wing of the Louvre Palace. Funny enough, it had a longer line for people who already had tickets.
The Museum of Decorative Arts was a great choice. It was cool to see furniture, clothes, and jewelry collections through the ages. We also loved the temporary exhibition on 80s fashion and design. The visit took about 2 hours. The designer fashion gallery was popular with fashion students and creators.
We had dinner at Au Bourguignon du Marais. The Beef Bourguignon was delicious, a must-try in Paris. And the prices were fair, too. Remember that you can get a free carafe of water in Paris. It's not common to receive free water in Europe.
Day 2
Day 2 was one of my favorites, as we visited The Palace of Versailles.
The former royal residence of King Louis XIV (14th), was built in the French Baroque style and finished in 1661. It started as a simple hunting lodge but was expanded in several phases. We did not buy tickets for the gardens because of the cold. We had great views from inside the Palace, which was enough for me. If we would visit again during better weather, I would love to take a walk around the huge gardens, perfectly maintained.
Fun fact about the Palace of Versailles- it had 2,300 rooms and no restrooms. During the King's reign, between 3,000 to 10,000 people lived within the Palace. During those good old times, most illnesses were treated with mercury, bloodletting, and leeches.
We spent a few good hours here, it was amazing to see the majestic apartments and all the art. We did our best to imagine what life was like here a few centuries ago, but I don't think I would've liked to experience it.
I kept track of the exit that took us through Ladurée, so I could try some macarons. Whenever I had macarons around the world, they were dry, with a sandy texture and bland flavors. I wasn't a fan, but this trip changed my mind. My favorite macaron from Ladurée was the passion fruit. It had a crunchy exterior, with a chewy, soft inside. The filling was delicious. I was then chasing macarons for the rest of my days in Paris. Our hotel also left us a treat of macarons, so good. I also sampled the macarons from La Maison du Chocolat, but they weren't as great.
For dinner, we stopped at a restaurant by the hotel. We had escargots and onion soup. I didn't partake in the snails, I don't like the texture, I had tried them before. The butter and herbs are the best part of snails, in my opinion. Onion soup does not sound so appetizing, but it was the best I've ever had. It didn't have a huge amount of onion in it, which I liked. And it's a great way to take the cold out of the bones.
Then we had a charcuterie (meat) and fromage (cheese) board. We struggled to put a dent in it, as it was so filling, but it was delicious.
Day 3
We asked about tickets to the Louvre at our hotel. We booked a slot on Monday at 2 pm, which was the best. We only waited for about 10 minutes to enter the museum. The wind chill made it seem longer, but we were cozy inside.
It was surprising to see people queue for attractions and fancy restaurants in the cold. And they waited for hours. I didn't expect to see that during the off-season. I wouldn't wait hours for a restaurant even in good weather, so everyone has different goals.
We followed the Louvre Museum map, which was a bit confusing. It was a lot of ground to cover. We stopped for a snack and coffee at the museum cafe. We missed the last floor, as the museum was closing. European museums, in my experience, have everyone out the door a few minutes early, so they close the door on the dot.
I recommend starting your visit the moment it opens. Wear comfortable shoes and don't linger unless you're mesmerized. The restrooms are between rooms, camouflaged by the walls.
Among my favorite pieces were Venus de Milo, The Barque of Dante, and the French Crown Jewels. Of course, it was great to see the Mona Lisa, although that room was incredibly crowded and you only got a few seconds to view it, after waiting in line.
To get ready for a visit to the Louvre, plan your route and make note of what you really need to see. You can check out their website here.
We exited the museum through the gift shop. We also passed through the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall. The shops were closed, as were the restaurants.
Dinner on day 3 was at Les Fondus de la Raclette Paris 14eme. We managed to reserve a table the day before, it was very popular. We had to take a taxi, and my French language remnants saved the day. The driver didn't understand the address, so I managed to say the number in French. The restaurant was small and reminiscent of a log cabin.
So this restaurant's specialty was fondue and raclette. There was a little grill incorporated in each table. We started off with a hot onion soup. Then we each got one type of fondue which came with bread and a side salad. The small charcuterie plate we added was barely touched, everything was so filling. The dessert of chocolate fondue with fruit and marshmallows sounded amazing, but we had no more spare room, not even in the dessert stomach.
The small place was getting smokey when we left, as fondues were abandoned to lively conversations and clamorous laughter.
Day 4
On day 4 we visited the Catacombs. I was a little worried, as I don't like small spaces, or ...piles of bones. But it was an interesting experience. Make sure you reserve your time slot and buy the tickets online, there are two separate processes.
The tunnels under Paris were initially stone quarries, which were the prime materials for the houses above. Because of cemetery overcrowding and sanitary concerns, the remains of 6 million were moved underground in the catacombs, similar to Roman practices. Among them are the remains of Robespierre, Blaise Pascal, and Jean Racine. The bones and skulls are neatly arranged in stacks along the walls. It was not as creepy as I anticipated, but don't stop to think too much while you're in there.
To go down and then come out of the catacombs you need to go on spiral staircases. The tunnels keep a constant temperature of 14' C/ 57' F all year round. It was more comfortable than the outside.
After we finished our underground tour, we came across a bakery so we tasted some local pastries. We had a delicious breakfast at the hotel, with so many local options, so we didn't have many visits to bakeries. Plus, I was keeping the walking around to a minimum.
Day 5
On our last day, we got to see the Tour Eiffel. We took an Uber there, took photos, and left after 10 minutes. It was very cold, but we got some good, moody photos of the majestic construction. It was a bit surreal to see it in person after looking at it so much in school books.
Luckily another Uber was right there so we jumped in and headed to the Grande Épicerie. It is a must-see place. It's a huge grocery store, with local products, special treats, and bites ready to eat. It was amazing, among my favorite places in Paris.
The ground level of the Grande Épicerie was pastries, meats, and cheese. There were also a few restaurants with limited seating. One specialized in truffles, for example. You could get various jars of truffles, truffle pastries, and everything truffles. This was one of my favorite stops.
There were also aisles of international products, marked by country. A large selection of fresh produce had beautiful, fragrant fruits and vegetables.
The second level holds kitchen appliances, utensils, and decorations. There's also an a-la-carte restaurant called La Table de la Grande Épicerie de Paris.
We sampled some of the products through the store, admired all the amazing things, and bought a souvenir tote.
We had dinner at Les Deux Magots, a charming brasserie with 150 years of history. All the literary and art geniuses used to converge here, like Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso. Even Julia Child visited. The meaning of the restaurant's name is "two Chinese figurines".
I really liked the place, it had an authentic French atmosphere, beautifully decorated. I thought I couldn't have any more cheese, but I had to try a croque-madame before leaving. It did not disappoint.
Overall, we had a great experience. We are pretty flexible, but we got to see most things we had on our list. And the food was amazing. If you're planning your Paris travel off-season, I recommend layers of wool and a travel mug of hot tea.
In a distant future visit to Paris, I would like to experience it during spring. I would spend every day eating pastries and strolling the streets and gardens. Also, I would do my favorite thing about European cities- dining al fresco. Food always tastes better when you eat it outside.
Comentários