Travel Guide: Our Honeymoon in Paris
I know that traditionally newlyweds go on their honeymoon immediately following their wedding, but for multiple reasons ours was a bit delayed.
For starters, Fred and I haven’t done several of the “traditional” things when it comes to our wedding/marriage because we enjoy doing life our way.
Secondly, we coudnt’t decide exactly where we wanted to go. Originally we thought Japan would be amazing since neither of us have been to Asia but unfortunately, they still require a 10-day quarantine upon arrival from the U.S. and being that we only had about 10 days to spend for our entire honeymoon, that wasn’t going to work for us.
Although we have both been to Paris, we hadn’t been there together as a couple - or better yet, as husband and wife. We decided to add the French Riviera to our trip to make it unique so we could both see other parts of France that neither of us had been to before, but that will be in future blog posts so this one can be dedicated just to our time in Paris.
You can watch our vlog from our honeymoon in France on my Youtube Channel here.
We arrived at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport on Friday, May 20th at around 10AM. After going through customs & collecting our bags we looked for signs to the train station. The public train and metro systems in Europe are very efficient and the most cost effective means of transportation so we try to utilize them as much as possible.
Once we got checked into our hotel, we had to take a quick nap before heading out to explore. Our first stop post-nap was to Galeries Lafayette to do a little shopping before dinner.
Fred had never been to Galeries Lafayette before and was quite impressed with just how remarkable it was. It is a five story department store with a wide range of brands available to suit any budget from ready to wear to haute couture. The store also features a stunning dome as well as a rooftop with panoramic views of Paris (including the Eiffel Tower).
Being that it was our honeymoon, I wanted to make a reservation at one Michelin Star restaurant during our trip. I had heard great things from another travel blogger I follow (@blondeatlas on Instagram) about 114 Faubourg (located inside the Le Bristol Hotel) and it’s where we had dinner on our first night in Paris.
I made the reservation a few weeks in advance and they emailed me to confirm our time and asked if we were celebrating anything special. When I let them know we would be in Paris for our honeymoon, they ensured the staff would note the occasion. Let me tell you, they truly went above and beyond for Fred and I - talk about setting the bar high for our first night!
We began with a glass of our favorite champagne - Taittinger (they had a delicious bottle from 2008) and a first course compliments of the Chef which was an artichoke soup with pan-seared foie gras, black truffle emulsion. For our main courses Fred ordered the pigeon, yes I said pigeon - apparently its a French delicacy - and I had the Dover Sole which was filleted table side. Unfortunately, I didn’t get photos of our entrees, but they will be included in our vlog so make sure you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel for more honeymoon footage. To end our wonderful dinner, our waiter brought out a complimentary dessert for Fred and I with a candle that read “Happy Anniversary”. It was truly an extraordinary experience and if you’re looking for an upscale place to dine that pays attention to every little detail, I would certainly recommend 114 Faubourg.
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel for a night cap before calling it a night.
On our second day in Paris, we took the train to Chateau de Versailles (which I will have a dedicated post for next week that I promise you won’t want to miss).
We were exhausted after our day trip, so we rested for a bit and then headed to Champs-Elysées for a casual dinner at Le Deauville. The food was nothing special, but if you want to just relax and people watch it is certainly a great option. The prices were affordable, however you should know that when dining in a high tourist area like Champs-Elysées, the service will be subpar.
Post dinner, we walked over to grab some macaroons from what I’ve heard is the local favorite - Pierre Herme. My personal favorite macaroon shop is Lauderée but unfortunately the line was extremely long (for good reason I believe) so I decided to give the Paris local favorite a try.
We couldn’t hang out on Champs-Elysées without making our way over to the famous Arch de Triomphe and lucky for us - it was golden hour. We snapped a few photos and then made our way to easily the most iconic place in Paris - the Eiffel Tower!
In my opinion, no trip to Paris is complete without seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle while enjoying a crepe filled with Nutella so that’s exactly what we did.
Our last full day in Paris was packed full of adventure. We began the day bright and early with an 8AM photoshoot by the Eiffel Tower. I found a photographer on Instagram (@litvinjulia.photo) from another flight attendant and she was amazing!
After our photoshoot, we headed to Musée du Louvre. Although Fred and I had both been to this museum before, neither of us had seen the Mona Lisa so that was at the top of our list. When we arrived at our scheduled appointment time of 10:00AM just 1 hour after it had opened, it was quite busy! We immediately made our way to the Mona Lisa, snapped a few photos, and then wondered around the museum for a little while.
If you’re planning to be in Paris for 2 or more consecutive days and want to make the most of seeing museums & attractions I highly recommend getting a Paris Pass. Click on the link to find out how it can be helpful.
We eventually worked up an appetite and decided to walk over to Cafe Carousel for some lunch. Fred and I split a bowl of French onion soup that was absolutely delicious (and I don’t even like onions so that’s saying something). For entrees, Fred had the Farmer chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and I opted for their Penne with red pesto and Parmesan. Dessert consisted of a double espresso for each of us - which I love that they served with a little cookie.
Then it was off to Musée d’Orsay to see some beautiful Monets. This was my first time to this museum and I must say I think I enjoyed it more than The Louvre. For one, it wasn’t as crowded, which did wonders for my anxiety and secondly, it reminded me of The MET in New York City, which is one of my favorite museums of all time.
I was able to stop by Ladurée located inside of the Louvre and bought some macaroons and I’m happy to report that after tasting them along side the ones I got from Pierre Hermé, Lauderee still reigns supreme! Their macaroons are the same price as Pierre Hermé, but Ladurée’s flavor & consistency was better in my opinion.
Our final meal was at one of the cutest places in Paris - a restaurant called La Favorite. It is located in the Saint Paul neighborhood and was luckily a short walk from our hotel. Their food was just ok in my opinion, but the ambiance is certainly why most people flock to this French brasserie. All of the beautiful flowers they feature on the outside of the restaurant makes it very Instagram worthy!
I really hope you enjoyed this blog post. Getting to recap my travels and let others know what restaurants/sights were my favorite (and worth the hype) is truly a passion.
I have decided to dedicate July (my birthday month ☺️) to post each city we visited during our honeymoon on every Sunday. So if you’re excited to see where else we journeyed to be sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss a post.
