food-culture
.jpg)
Images: The Vault, @zamcdonald
Shameless Media’s co-founder shares her favourite spots in the city of love.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commision.
.png)
Images: The Vault, @zamcdonald
Shameless Media’s co-founder shares her favourite spots in the city of love.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commision.
Paris is an ever-popular travel destination, and with its picturesque architecture and incredible cultural sights, it’s easy to understand why. But when a city has so much to offer, often it can be hard to decipher what is worth your time. Luckily, Zara McDonald has been keeping a very comprehensive list.
Having travelled there a few times, Zara is brimming with recommendations on where to eat, drink, shop and sightsee. (Generously, she’s also sharing her thoughts on what not to do). From the restaurant meal she is still thinking about months later to the district with the best vintage shopping, scroll on to discover the places visited on Zara’s most recent trip to Paris and save a few for the next time you find yourself in the pretty city.
I had three nights in Paris in January, so I tried to squeeze in as much eating as possible. I went to Le Bistrot de Paris, Allard, and Racines. Le Bistrot de Paris and Allard both have that charming, classic brasserie energy, while Racines is Michelin-starred but not as cripplingly expensive as you might expect (not cheap, but worth it). It was a pretty memorable Italian meal.
For drinks, Le Mary Celeste in Le Marais is the perfect pre-dinner wine stop, and I obviously had to double park at Les Deux Magots for champagne and hot chocolate.
The standout for me was Allard. It’s definitely a special-occasion restaurant, and the menu took me a little off guard when we sat down. Go with a group of friends if you can, because the dishes are decently sized. I still think about the canard aux olives (duck with olives) often. Like, a lot.
Next time, I want to go back to Brasserie Lipp. I went there for my birthday last year and love it. Expect long communal tables, minimal privacy, and very good food.
.jpg)
Image Credit: @zamcdonald
.jpg)
Image Credit: @zamcdonald
Honestly, my favourite part of shopping in Paris is vintage shopping. There is so much good and cheap stuff to find. I didn’t buy a thing on this trip because I had absolutely no luggage space, but I will always wander through Le Marais and pop into the secondhand clothing stores, even if it’s just to window-shop.
To give you something actually useful, I bought a pair of loafers before I travelled and have not stopped singing their praises since. I walked over 20,000 steps a day in Paris and didn’t get a single blister, which feels like the ultimate endorsement.
Fashion-wise, there was so much faux fur everywhere. European winter cities just do it better because the climate demands it. I took a faux fur coat with me and found myself reaching for it most days.
There are obviously a million cultural institutions in Paris worth your time and money (I am a sucker for the Palace of Versailles), but, truthfully, my best memories are always the simplest ones. Playing cards in the Jardin de Tuileries, or sitting at a bar in St-Germain, watching the world go by.
One thing I probably wouldn’t do again is line up for hot chocolate at Angelina. I waited over 30 minutes years ago, and while it was very good, I’ve never felt the need to repeat it. The hot chocolate at Les Deux Magots was pretty comparable, and we didn’t have to wait at all.
Paris, for me, is always best when it’s a mix of long lunches, wandering, and doing absolutely nothing in very beautiful places.
Image Credit: The Vault
