Paris To-Do Checklist

What would you add to the list of things people want to see and do in Paris? Let me know and I will share it with readers!

E. Dehillerin Kitchen shop -18 and 20, rue Coquillière – 51, rue Jean- Jacques Rousseau – 75001 PARIS; Phone: +33 1 42 36 53 13
Open Monday 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. ; Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sunday and holidays
Deyrolle  Curiosity Shop – 46 rue du Bac 75007 Paris Tel : + 33 (0) 1 42 22 30 07 Métro : Rue du Bac Bus : 84, 63, 69, 68, 94 et 83 (Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 7 pm and Monday 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 7 pm)

Colette  retail shop, 213 rue Saint-Honoré – 75001 Paris – Tel: +33 1 55 35 33 90
Open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Metro: Tuileries (line 1) or Pyramides (line 7); Bus line 68 or 72.

Best department store to shop on a Sunday, year round, is BHV/Marais (Bazaar Hôtel de Ville). They also have the best corner view overlooking the Hôtel de Ville plaza, Eiffel Tower and Tour Saint-Jacques on the fifth floor.

During the summer, the rooftop view from BHV/Marais is Le Perchoir for views, bar, finger food, music.
Open Tuesday to Saturday (8:15 pm to 2 am) Wednesday (9:15 pm to 2 am)
Entrance on 37, rue de la Verrerie. No reservation required.

Winter version of Le Pechoir in video

Best department store roof top view (spring/summer season) is Printemps-Haussmann. Scroll through Printemps’ restaurant proposals for the year round options.

Louvre – keep an eye for treasure hunts with THATLou or Other THAT’s (Musée d’Orsay, street hungs – RUE and the British Museum) ThatMuse has moved to London
Versailles
Normandy

Marché Raspail (organic, outdoor food market); Boulevard Raspail 75006 Paris; between rue du Cherche-Midi and rue de Rennes; Tuesday and Friday 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

For Paris restaurants, follow GlobetrottingSwede in TripAdvisor
You can never go wrong (not yet) with the latest Michelin Guide.

Eiffel tower and restaurants for lunch Jules Verne $$$ or 58 tour Eiffel $ (Read 58 Tour Eiffel story) – Check for updates on the Eiffel Tower website.
View of Eiffel with drink Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile‘s Bar la Vue formerly the Concord La Fayette Hotel 35th floor.
Macaron –Ladurée

Café Les Deux Magots (6 place Saint-Germain-des-Prés 75006 Paris; Tel: 01 45 48 55 25; Metro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés) – Hemingway (He actually mentions more often in “Moveable Feast” the café La Closerie des Lilas (171 Bld Montparnasse 75006 Paris Tel: 01 40 51 34 50).

I recently lunched at the famous Montparnasse brasserie La Rotonde. I definitely recommend this. Reservations are a good idea, otherwise you are upstairs in a plush, red cushioned bench seats dining room (105, Boulevard Montparnasse 75006 Paris Telephone: 01 43 26 48 26).

Café Varenne 36 Rue Varenne, 75007 Paris; Tel: 01 45 48 62 72 ‎ for a country omelet – Open Monday to Wednesday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Restaurant noon to 4 p.m.; Thursday 7 a.m. to midnight and Restaurant from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday Restaurant noon to 4 p.m.; Friday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. closed in August and winter
Le Bistrot de Paris near the Seine (Quai Voltaire and Musée dÓrsay); 33 Rue De Lille 75007 Paris; 01 42 61 15 84; Metro: Rue-du-Bac; Closed Sunday
Café de Flore for the Apple Tarte Tatin

Shopping FAQs

A readers asked where to find Bercy village. It is the old wine import and distribution area in the 12th arrondissement Closest arrondissements to Bercy are the Bastille area, and the Tolbiac area in the 13th across the Seine from Bercy village.

If you are looking for one of the popular areas for nightlife close to the Seine, I would recommend the Bastille area. Itt is very lively day and night. If you stay along a boulevard such as Richard Lenoir or Beaumarchais, the rooms on the boulevard may be noisy from the traffic.

In the Bastille (11th arrondissement) along Rue Sedaine close to Boulevard Richard Lenoir you will find a good variety of restaurants: French bistros and cafés (Café de l’Industrie), Italian Nanolita, DaVito/Moonshiner Bar (very branché with cigar smoking and whiskey through the refrigerator door), wine tasting, hookah, and gourmet almond desserts (Diamande). More delicious Diamande photos on their Facebook page.

Is your evening wide open – opera? ballet? theatre? Bastille is a hopping area along rue de Lappe, Charonne, Roquette with music and the Opera Bastille.

For a show or current museum exhibitions and concerts visit l’Officiel des spectacles Web site. Google translate will help you with translating the pages from French to English.
Find a show about and for discount tickets visit one of the entertainment Web sites to buy your tickets: CityVox or BilletNet .

Seeing the sights
Visit the Paris mayor’s Web site for recommended strolls or visit my guided walk and tours page.

Would you like a quick run down of Paris history? The mayor’s office provides “The History of Paris” page in English.

Which double decker bus? The greenish-yellow bus (Open Tour) or the red one (Big Bus Paris)?
I recommend Open Tour – more stops – follows the regular bus routes. Open Tour also has a combination ticket with Batobus, the hop on, hop off boat shuttle or the bus and tasting tour!

How many museums are there in Paris? The list of museums in Paris is long that I found in Wikipedia.

For an evening view, I recommend the Concorde Lafayette Hotel – Click on their photos and you will see what I mean.

Of course, if you would rather eat at the Eiffel Tower, lunch is a great time (58 Tour Eiffel or Jules Verne), because you can see the surrounding area. Here are few suggestions for Terrace and View Restaurants .

For things to do, visit the Paris Mayor’s office page in English (Que faire à Paris).

If you want to discover Paris with different themes or if they have a made-in-Paris movie they like, how about the Paris Mayor’s Office walking tour page:

Question came in from a reader about walking tour maps. Here are a couple of suggestions: The Paris Tourist Office, Metro Pyramides offers walking tour maps to. Another place for walking tour maps is the The Paris Mayor’s Website from movie walks to following a trail of the middle ages!

For special events, I recommend picking up the latest copy of l’Officiel des spectacles at a news stand or look at “How to Find What’s On” for ideas and tickets. Use Google translate for their website offi.fr The “Ticketac” Website mentioned has discount tickets and their site is available in English.

TripAdvisor has a page devoted to Paris nightlife.

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