Tom is taking over my blog today with a little guide on the things we got up to on our Paris honeymoon. I’ve had so many emails since we went on recommendations on things to do and I felt awful I’d not got round to sharing some of the things we did. Tom is always the one who plans out our trips (he would pretty much laminate his itinerary if he could) and he surprised me by saying he’d quite like to write this post. I thought it was pretty cute, hope you like it as much as I enjoyed reminiscing about our time there!
Here is a quick guide to the places we visited (and most importantly ate) while on our honeymoon in romantic Paris.
Paris honeymoon – What we did
Firstly I must say that Fritha is the positive one in our relationship and I am the one who always finds something to grumble about. So it may be surprising that I have so many positive things to say about the places we visited. This is for the most part as I had spent a long time researching good vegetarian/vegan-friendly places before our Paris honeymoon.
Eating in Paris
VG Burgers – Great selection of vege & vegan burgers and very cheap for Paris. I would very happily eat there again and again and again.
Maceo – We ate here as our expensive ‘honeymoon’ meal as it was somewhere we would never go with Wilf. The service was excellent (attentive but not in your face) and very welcoming. The food and wine were great but while we were both glad that we went there we agreed that not being ‘foodies’ we would be just as happy eating crepes or vege burgers as fine dining.
Bobby – Fritha chose this place for lunch in Le Marais on Sunday (she does love pasta!). It is a nice little Italian restaurant with a clean, fairly minimal/scandi interior. It was a great, calm place to stop for a glass of wine and a bowl of pasta in the middle of the busy shopping streets.
Brocaliante Creperie – This place was fantastic. It is fairly small so fills up very quickly. As there were just the two of us we were able to fit on the only free table. They have an extensive menu of savory galettes and sweet crepes along with a selection of ciders (a winning combination).
L’as Du Falafel – Last time we visited Paris we had falafels from L’as du Falafel. This place was directly across the street. The queue on Saturday lunchtime was long but moved quickly. Great falafels with fried aubergine which we ate away from the crowds just around the corner in the Rue Payenne park. After trying both I think that L’as Du Falafel still just edges it in the battle of the best falafel on Rue de Rosiers.
Soul Kitchen – This is a very friendly little café on the far side of Montmartre. Despite being only a short walk down a couple of flights of steps from the crazily busy tourist spots of the Sacre Coeur and Place Du Terte, Soul Kitchen was a charming little café full of local French families. We had a delicious simple brunch and coffee before heading off to the flea market.
Le Grenierre du Pain & Pauls– Both these bakeries in Montmartre were great for grabbing a quick pain au chocolat on the move.
La pick Clops – We only stopped for coffee here but the food looked good and we would happily have eaten there. The décor is in the style of an American Diner, but in a very French way. It was busy, but the staff seemed friendly and efficient.
Where to drink on your Paris honeymoon
Dirty Dick Paris – The name of this place is a nod to the seedy past of South Pigalle. It is now a fun Tiki bar. The cocktails are sweet and boozy served in a kitsch style (think little umbrellas and coconut shells) and the décor is just as kitsch.
Experimental Cocktail Club – This is a more serious cocktail bar where it is all about the cocktail. I chose a drink from the regularly changing drinks menu that was a delicious combination of Armagnac, raisin, and egg white. Fritha told the barman that she liked gin and citrus and created a great cocktail for her. We could happily have stayed here all night, but dinner reservations dragged us away.
La Venus Noire – We stopped in here for a glass of wine/beer on a brief visit to the Latin Quarter. It was interesting to see the old vaults turned into a bar, like many of the other bars/jazz clubs of the area.
Shopping in Paris
Free P Star – We visited many vintage clothing shops. The best in terms of price and selection was the various branches of Free P Star. Fritha bought a dress for 1 euro and I found her another dress for about 10 euros
Kilo Shop – Kilo Shop Paris which is another one that is good for bargain hunting where you pay by weight. My tip is to go to the Saint Germaine branch away from some of the other shops to find the better items.
Coton Doux – There are a few branches of the shirt shop around Le Marais. They sell lots of different patterned shirts. Fritha bought me one with a rather fetching tennis racket motif.
Le 29 photography bookshop – We stayed on the same street as this shop last time we were in Paris, and I travelled back here to pick up a gift for Wilf. They have such a great selection of children’s books that I ended up buying a few. Wilf loves Crocalou.
Fleux – We didn’t buy anything from Fleux on this visit, but it is without a doubt the best interiors shop (well more like 3 or 4 shops) I have visited. Well worth a look if you are in Paris.
Things to see in Paris
Photography Museum – I had been here before and wanted to take Fritha due to her interest in photography. The exhibitions are constantly changing but while we were there we both agreed that photo-journalist Pascal Maitre’s collection on life in Africa was the most interesting and moving.
Puces de Saint Oeun – I have included Europe’s largest antiques/flea market as an attraction rather than shopping as for us we could happily walk around for hours looking at the various shops/stalls. Several different markets specialising in antiques to 60s/70s memorabilia. Not to be missed is the ‘House of the Future’ that now sits in the middle of one of the indoor markets.
View from Sacre Coeur at night – I am not a fan of the Sacre Couer architecturally. However, after dinner in Montmartre, we headed up the steep hill to take in the view of the City of Lights. You can’t go wrong with this location for Paris romanace.
Where to Sleep in Paris
Hotel Josephine – A compact (as all are in Paris) boutique hotel with patterned wallpaper and vintage-style furniture. The location is great, just on the edge of Montmartre with metro stops a few minutes walk away. It’s the perfect romantic hotel in Paris.
If you are looking for things to do in Paris for couples then hopefully this post will have given you some inspiration. There are so many romantic places in Paris though you won’t be short of places to go and delicious meals to eat.
If you enjoyed this post you may also like:
Vegetarian and Vegan Food in Paris
A Photo gallery of our honeymoon in Paris
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A Weekend in Paris