Every little girl dreams about Paris. We are trained on this from the very early days. Paris is the one city one dreams about. Its alleys, its sights, walks along the Seine, the cafés, food wine, and so on and on and on. A trip to Paris isn’t just quite the same as other city trips. It is a way of life and therefore needs to be cherished from the very beginning. In this blog post, I am going to write about the preparations that I did to get the most of my trip to Paris. How to prepare for a trip to Paris will include you working some through important sources about the Parisian lifestyle and will give you some amazing insights about what to do and to avoid in Paris for making your trip to Paris as authentic as it gets!
Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant.
-Honoré de Balzac
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Sources
To really soak up all the Parisian vibes I first tried to adopt the mindset of a Parisian woman. To do so I did various things that I will explain to you one by one. Don’t worry about you not being French but wanting to see through the eyes of a Parisian woman. The first thing I learned is that everybody can feel this Parisian vibe.
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How to be Parisian
My first source was the book “How to be Parisian”. I borrowed it from a friend and read it within a few hours of babysitting. It is an easy read and quite funny. You don’t have to believe every word that is written in it but nevertheless, it gave me quite a good insight into the Parisian mindset.
Rewatch Those Movies and TV Shows
For me one of the ultimate movies about Paris is Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain. I just adore the movie and the making of it. You can imagine how thrilled I was that we visited the café Amélie is working in. But there are a lot more movies that deal with Paris! For example, Carrie Bradshaw spends time in Paris in the show’s finale of Sex and the City, just as well as her sister from the same producer Emily. In Emily in Paris, we follow the young Marketing specialist Emily on her adventures through Paris and her many difficulties of adapting to French life. A little different from these movies and shows I also adore the Disney classic the Hunchback of Notre Dame! You see, there are countless shows and movies taking place in Paris, ready to bring you to the city of love!
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Prepare Your Activities and Plans for Paris!
I am a big fan of the motto: “preparation is key” and it applies to my vacations and travel plans as well as to any other area in life. One thing I love to do is already plan a roughly draft of the days of my trip and think about all the activities I want to do, that may require a reservation. This could mean booking your tables in one of my favorite restaurants in Paris or booking activities like visiting the top of the Eiffel Tower. You can also check out some of the acitivies on the links below!
Fashion Preparations for a Trip to Paris
A Parisian woman is known to be well dressed. And furthermore, Paris is one of the most important fashion cities in the entire world! Walking down its streets you will find countless fashion inspirations, one outfit more impressive than the other and of course you can also join the playground of great fashion if you like. For me, there are a few things that are just so chic and Parisian, that I have to bring them on each trip to Paris!
A Trench Coat
The first thing that came to my mind that I need to own, when I would be going to Paris is a trench coat! Of course, I didn’t settle for a Burberry one (although I would have loved this idea!) but I took a quick look in Vinted (a platform where you can sell and buy second-hand clothing) and found a nice one from Guess. Combined with a nice scarf and some boots, you are almost looking like a Parisian now!
Striped Shirt
Another essential for the well-dressed woman in France is a striped shirt. Looks all classic and great. Combine with boots, jeans & red lipstick and here we go! Furthermore a striped shirt is a true allrounder and should be in the closet of every woman. It is also perfect for minimalists as it is that diverse!
Beret
Ok ok ok ok. Everyone does this. I know. But I HAD to. I bought a Beret for my trip to Paris. I am sorry ok? And I admit that I love it. Without it, I couldn’t embrace my inner Parisian. So even when berets tend to be a thing for tourists it made me super happy to wear them. And this resulted in me having some nice pics to show to you!
In Paris
So did you get all into the Parisian mood in advance by reading and watching movies now? Did you get all the pieces you need? Then let’s talk about what to do in Paris to make you feel the true vibe of this beautiful city! Let me give you a few examples.
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Think Outside of The Box Instead of Only Visiting the Sites
Of course, when you are in Paris for the very first you want to see Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower but I insist that you should definitely skip some of the bigger attractions so you really get into the spirit of Paris as its city. And trust me there are so many cool and unusual things to do in Paris!
Because Paris has a lot more to offer than just the big attractions. If you just wander around some neighborhoods and you can experience the true Paris! Our favorite place for example was St. Germain. We walked around there for hours and even ate there twice!
Another place that was awesome for walking (and indeed a bit of shopping!) all around Marais! There are tons of cute little boutiques and I even bought new shoes!
You could also think even outside of Paris. There are a lot of day trips that can start from Paris, like seeing Versailles or visiting Disney. Something plus merveilleux would also be to go on a Champagne Tour, starting from Paris.
Last but not least, I highly recommend to you, not just to visit the facade of Sacre Coeur but also to visit the back of it! My Parisian friend even told me: now that you have seen the back of Sacre Coeur, you are almost a Parisian too! The neighborhood behind the church is incredibly beautiful and was so inviting.
So what I am trying to say is that you should not forget all those beautiful places in Paris, that you would miss if you would just go to the tourist attractions!
Eat Where The Locals Eat
Luckily I have a friend that lived in Paris so she could get me the one restaurant tip that I want to share with you! We ate there and were so in love with it that, I think there is no way around it when you are in Paris.
The name of the restaurant is Café Panis. It is directly next to Notre Dame and if you visit it during the week it isn’t full. The restaurant has a beautiful interior and the food is amazing but not too expensive. For me, it is the perfect place to eat, as I couldn’t decide what to eat.
These are all my tips about how to get into a Parisian vibe! If you want to read more about my time in Paris, see my post about the Eiffel Tower!
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