A Magical Babymoon in Paris, France
If you are unaware of my and Derek’s Europe saga, I’ll spare you the long version. The short version is we were booked to spend 10 days in Italy for our honeymoon in May 2020. Can you guess what happened with that? LOL… yeah. So when we found out we were pregnant and decided to cancel our annual snow skiing trip…you know, the first place I started looking.
I had always wanted to go to Paris, the city of love, after all! Derek and I decided to spend one full week in Paris, France, and it did not disappoint.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Hotel Le Walt near the Eiffel Tower. It is near a lot of cafes and the Eiffel. It only took us about a 10-minute Uber ride to get to the Champs-Elysees and a 10-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower, so it is a great location!
A little about the hotel. We did not eat breakfast there, but they do serve breakfast each morning for a fee. I am unsure of what that fee is, though. The staff at the front are incredible! We had an issue with our luggage (LOL) and they were very accommodating the entire time. They even offered to call the airlines for us. But once our luggage FINALLY got delivered, they had it waiting for us in the room.
The beds were pretty comfortable, and we specifically enjoyed how the windows opened. We, unfortunately, booked too late to have an Eiffel view, but it was still nice to be so close! We could not turn the air down below 73 (Google European Energy crisis if you’re so inclined), so we just opened the window, making it the perfect temperature.
Top Places to Eat
La Terrasse du 7ᵉ – We went here a lot haha. They have an American breakfast that comes with eggs, bacon and toast. After every meal being very French, all we wanted was a taste of home. It was very good, and their croissants and cappuccinos were at the top of my list.
La Commanderie – This place had great pasta! With it being next door to our hotel we went there for a late night beer (for Derek lol) and chocolate crepe (for me) on more than one occasion.
La Choupinet – This was by far our favorite! After stopping in randomly for a beer and a chocolate crepe (see the theme here lol), I thought it looked familiar. I ended up looking at our reservations, and we were actually booked to come here for dinner on our last night. The service here is excellent, and the food is even better. Main piece of advice? Get the Escargot. It is SO GOOD.
Fitzgerald – We went here for New Year’s Eve, and it was good. Our negativity about it likely had to do with it being a prix fixe menu, but overall, it was fine. They got our orders mixed up multiple times (like bringing me a cocktail and telling me 100 times there was no alcohol in it – and there 100% was). At the end of the day, it was corrected, but they fought with me for a while over it. Overall, the food was good, and the atmosphere was great. It was just JAM PACKED in there for it being NYE, and we were seated next to this lovely couple from London, but like…. same table. See what I mean by packed? lol
Le Jules Verne in the Eiffel – This is a Michelin Star experience, so expect it to be expensive. Also, dress nicely! We paid $250 towards our ticket to reserve our table and an additional $250 after the meal to cover anything extra. We went for lunch, and both got the 5-course meal. It was delicious. If you are unfamiliar with Michelin Star courses, they are small. So don’t expect five American meals, haha, but it was still enough to fill us up! The best part of this experience is you get an INSANE view of Paris and skip all of the lines to go under the Eiffel and to the top. And a private elevator. That in itself makes the hefty price tag even more worth it.
What to Do
Eiffel Tower – Be sure to go during the daytime and nighttime. The Eiffel Tower light show starts at the top of every hour after dusk. Due to the energy crisis, they shut it off at midnight now, but we were in bed by then anyway.
Champs-Elysees – If you like good shopping, go here. 🙂
Hôtel national des Invalides – This is the French Army museum and also comes with tickets to the church, which is stunning! It is also the final resting place for Napoleon.
Sacré-Cœur – A gorgeous church (I believe it’s the oldest church in Paris) and it sits on top of a hill to give you a stunning view of the city!
Moulin Rouge – *book in advance* Derek and I saw Moulin Rouge on Broadway in NYC over the Summer, and Moulin Rouge is a staple of Paris, so we had to go! Be aware women are topless. But it is art and part of the show.
Pont de Alexandre III – A famous bridge! It is gorgeous and overlooks the Seine River. You can see it quickly on your way to walk somewhere else.
Seine River Dinner Cruise – *book in advance* This was so fun! Be sure to upgrade your seating to Privilege Service to get a seat right by the window and free champagne (which Derek got to enjoy allllll on his own lol)
Palace of Versailles – *book in advance* A MUST DO. This takes about a half day, and it is so much fun. We went in the afternoon to enjoy a slower morning in Paris and it ended with us getting to see the sunset in the gardens. It was truly magical!
The Lourve – The Mona Lisa… enough said.
Overall, this trip was a 100/10 experience. People ask me what my favorite part of the trip was and it was honestly exploring and seeing so many beautiful, old buildings with Derek. We were there at 21 weeks pregnant, and the baby boy decided to pop out – so we came home, and none of my clothes fit. I mean, maybe it was the chocolate crepes, but that’s my little secret….hehe.
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