Restaurants
You really can’t go to Paris without planning to enjoy the food.
One of my all time favorites here is Le Relaise de l’Entrôte (http://www.relaisentrecote.fr/). I have dined here many times, always at the 20 rue Saint-Benôit location which is near l’Église St-Germain-des-Prés (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-st-germain-des-pres.htm). They serve one thing, steak in this amazing secret recipe sauce, so when you are seated they ask one question (how do you want it cooked) and pretty much expect a response in French (but I think they will accept English). Here is a good place to have a phrase ready (http://www.frenchentree.com/france-food-cuisine/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=2195). And they do have a menu for wine and dessert, but diner is a walnut salad followed by two servings of steak-frites.
Not too far from there is that somewhat touristy street with a lot of fondue restaurants that we stumbled upon when I was there with my parents and I was able to find again when I was there in 2015. The one I ate at the last time was http://www.lemarmitondelutece.fr/ but there are plenty of other options to peruse in the same area https://www.google.com/maps/place/Le+Marmiton+de+Lutece,+6+Rue+Saint-S%C3%A9verin,+75005+Paris/@48.8539659,2.3459377,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x47e671e0c2310e43:0xf7eb4dac6138805f?hl=en-US. I couldn’t find the one my parents and I had gone to, which had a lot of non cheese fondue choices as well, perhaps it has closed or was only open for dinner as on my last trip I had to fit this into a lunch slot.
A bit pricier than that is Le P’Tit Troquet (http://www.zagat.com/Verticals/PropertyDetails.aspx?VID=8&R=100777) which I find very charming mostly due to its very tiny size and have enjoyed the food at twice.
Once, a few years back when with friends I went to to Le Pecope (http://www.procope.com/ and http://home.att.net/~sakal/pages/procope.htm). It is very famous and also very pricy.
Finally, Cafe Marly inside the Louvre complex, facing the pyramid and is great place to sip some wine as the sun sets reflecting off the glass.
Shopping
Also hard to avoid in Paris is shopping. It’s not worth going over the large, well known stores here, so I focus more on some gems I have found over the years.
One place that I stop almost every time I visit is the Maille mustard store (http://www.maille.us/pages/home.aspx)shop (http://www.wcities.com/en/record/,321175/8/record.html). They have more flavors than you can imagine and were very friendly the last time I was there.
I also like to pick up perfume at Fragonard (https://musee-parfum-paris.fragonard.com/). This sort of blends into the museum category below because you can take a tour to learn the history before making your purchases.
Museums and Monuments
- http://www.musee-orangerie.fr (Monet’s Water Lillies)
- http://www.musee-rodin.fr (don’t skip the garden)
- http://www.museepicassoparis.fr
- http://www.catacombes.paris.fr
- http://www.sainte-chapelle.fr
- Taking the tour of the towers, the line is long and getting there early seems to work best. I was lucky once to be at the top on a Sunday morning as the bells began to toll, it was an unforgettable experience.
- Visiting the crypt below the cathedral (http://www.crypte.paris.fr).
- Attending a mass and singing along with the service music.