With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought I’d share a few more things that we love about Paris. It is the City of Love after all. When we stayed in Paris in April 2015 we really fell in love with France, especially our neighborhood and apartment in Montmartre, we’ve been lucky enough to return a few more times and to have made some really great friends that now live there.

Drink with the locals at Le Super Coin

Andrew is a major beer guy. We have such a great beer scene in Maine that whenever we travel he tries to sample local beers and go to a local beer bar. France is known for wine but we were able to find a cute beer bar called Le Super Coin.

It’s located on the back side of Montmartre and is just a little hole in the wall. If we weren’t looking for it we never would have known it was there. The cool thing about this little bar is that it only carries regional and other European beers. Our first time visiting there  was a big soccer game on so there were lots of locals cheering on their teams and we had a blast. Everyone was super friendly; we even had a pizza delivered to the bar because we didn’t want to leave for dinner! It is a must do if you’re interested in good beer or cider and want to feel that local vibe.

We learned on our most recent trip that coin in French actually means corner, and coin-coin is the sound that a duck makes. We didn’t notice this our first time there but there are little rubber ducks tucked away in the bar. (coin-coin!)

Walk among the tombstones

Père Lachaise Cemetery is one of the most visited cemeteries in the world. The Doors are one of my favorite bands so of course we needed to make a stop to see Jim Morrison’s grave. The cemetery was a little out of the way but it was on my list so I insisted that we make the trek to the edge of the city. Père Lachaise is huge and is the burial place of many well known people. Chopin, Colette, and Oscar Wilde are just a few other tombs that you can visit. There are maps posted at the entrances so if you’re looking for someone specific you can find them, but you’ll find yourself stopping along the way to admire other tombs in this beautiful cemetery.

Rent with Airbnb

Our apartment in Montmartre was the first experience that we had renting through Airbnb and it couldn’t have been better.

The apartment was small but it was just us, and the location was perfect. It was close to the metro and great restaurants were right around the corner. It made us feel like we had our own little apartment in Paris and wasn’t so cookie cutter, like a hotel would have been. It had character and neighbors who would greet you with a “Bonjour” as they made their way through the courtyard with their groceries. Sadly the apartment that we loved is no longer on Airbnb, but there are so many options on there to make your stay feel special. Try looking in the 18th, 13th, or 6th arrondissements

Visit Notre Dame

As iconic as the Eiffel Tower, you can’t possibly go to Paris and not visit this church. It was completed in 1345 and is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.

The attention to detail in the design is impressive, from the flying buttresses to the gargoyles, Notre Dame is a must see when visiting Paris. Now, one thing that we didn’t do but I wish that we did was exploring the catacombs. Andrew wasn’t into it but I’m fascinated by what is under the city of Paris, no level of convincing would change his mind though. Maybe next time.

Spend a Couple of Hours at La Felicita

This is the latest hot spot in Paris! It wasn’t even on my radar but luckily we have such good friends that are locals and they are in the know  La Felicita kind of like a big food market but with a better vibe. Venders offered wood-fired pizzas, ceviche, fresh pasta and more! Beautiful sphere lanterns and twinkle lights set the mood, while the DJ played music from the early 2000s, I wanted to both eat my pizza and have a dance party.

The cocktail bar was beautifully backlit and the bartender made delicious cocktails. And you need to make sure that after all the food and drinks that you save room for dessert. They have a lemon meringue pie that is to die for, I really wish I had a piece now.

My favorite thing about La Felicita was the bathroom. I know it’s wierd but the bathroom was just so different. The door to the ladies room was covered in Barbie dolls and the mens room was covered in Ken dolls. When I finally made it into the bathroom stall it was aglow with rainbow lights…rainbow lights! I pulled out my phone and had a mini photo shoot. Apparently the mens room is a little crazy too but I wasn’t allowed in there and the guts weren’t big on taking pics in the bathroom.

When you’re in Paris there is never a shortage of things that you want to see, do, or eat. It is definitely one of the most beautiful cities in the world! So eat the escargot, drink the carafe of wine at lunch (and then take a nap afterward), go explore the historic sights. Just make sure that you are taking everything in around you and be flexible. We had wanted to visit Grand Palais but there was a major event going on there, so across the street we went to Petit Palais.

Embrace the city and what it has to offer. Some of the best days that Andrew and I have are when we’re  just wandering around and slowly discovering a city. We never would have visited Les Invalides and seen Napoleon Bonaparte’s tomb if we hadn’t been strolling around that part of town, it was not on our list.

I hope that these Paris posts help in your planning! Or inspire you to take a trip, we loved Paris and can’t wait to visit again.

Bon Vacances! 🙂