https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 01 May 2026 07:43:51 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2795073 Thu, 04 Jan 2018 14:02:14 +0000 PinkElephant 2795073@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jhd: Thanks for the blog suggestion - that'll be really helpful!</p> <p>@JennyPenny: Yummmm crepes! I haven't had good crepes in years (maybe since we lived in Japan, which sounds weird, but there is lots of great French food in Japan) - I love having a gluttonous meal of a savoury ham and cheese crepe followed by a dessert one!</p> <p>@Dahlia: @hummusgirl: This sounds so cool! I wonder if the weather would work for this in April? Also like that there is a Segway option if we're feeling lazy.</p> <p>@lamariniere: Thank you for the in-depth tips. These are so great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794972 Thu, 04 Jan 2018 00:42:40 +0000 hummusgirl 2794972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We also did a Fat Tire bike tour and it was a highlight of the trip! We did the one in Versailles and it was so lovely - we stopped at a market for wine/baguette/cheese and then had a little picnic by the palace pond. Kind of cheesy and touristy but we loved it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794963 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 23:08:45 +0000 lamariniere 2794963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Dahlia: great idea! I did a project with that company 15+ years ago and went on some of their tours. You can do a bike or Segway tour. Definitely a fun way to see the city. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794962 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 23:07:31 +0000 lamariniere 2794962@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I would probably spend all 3 days in Paris and not do a day trip. But I love Paris. :happy: </p> <p>We went this time last year for 2-3 nights without the kids and had a fabulous time. From this list we stayed at Hotel Thérèse in the 1st district and walked just about everywhere since it is so centrally located. But I looked at all of them and they are all in great locations, so you can’t go wrong (I lived in Paris for 4 years, so I’m familiar with the neighborhoods). <a href="http://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-boutique-hotels-in-paris" rel="nofollow">http://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-boutique-hotels-in-paris</a> </p> <p>This is a short list I shared with a friend who went last year. </p> <p>Merci shop in the 3rd district. Huge concept store with all sorts of housewares, clothes and books, along with a cafe. </p> <p>Amazing Japanese restaurant: Udon Bistro Kunitoraya - 1 rue Villedo, 1st district. It’s tiny and you have to line up (no reservations) but it’s so good we went twice in 3 days. </p> <p>Fondation Louis Vuitton - gorgeous Frank Gehry building + museum</p> <p>La Grande Épicerie - the food shop of the Bon Marché (high end department store) on the left bank. Everything gourmet that you can dream of is at the Grande Epicerie. I would highly recommend going to browse and fill up a picnic basket. It's a 15 min walk from the Luxembourg gardens, so you could take your picnic there.</p> <p>Mariage Frères for tea. Several locations. </p> <p>Near Canal Saint Martin (hipster-y):<br /> Ten Belles - for excellent coffee - 10 rue de la grange aux Belles<br /> Du Pain et des Idées - amazing pastries, you will get fat just looking at the display- 34 Rue Yves Toudic</p> <p>Gaspard de la nuit - 4th district. For a very nice dinner but not crazy fancy. I’ve been a few times and once I was sitting just one table over from Jean-Paul Gaultier. 🤩 Definitely reserve. </p> <p>Maybe check out a show at Opéra Garnier or the Bastille? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794913 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 15:49:09 +0000 Dahlia 2794913@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you want help working up an appetite, we did this bike tour of Paris and it was so fun! <a href="https://www.fattiretours.com/paris" rel="nofollow">https://www.fattiretours.com/paris</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794910 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 15:41:26 +0000 jhd 2794910@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: ooh filing the crepe idea away for my next trip to Paris, whenever that will be! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794896 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 15:19:20 +0000 JennyPenny 2794896@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jhd: @erinbaderin: DH and I ate at Chez Janou on our first trip to Paris together and we LOVED it but forgot the name. You reminded me with the unlimited chocolate mousse so I looked it up and sure enough that's it. Definitely one of my favorite meals in Paris and I'm so glad to have the name again :)</p> <p>Another thing DH and I do every time we go is a visit to Rue du Montparnasse for authentic crepes and cider. There are like 10-15 creperies all on one little street. We don't have a clear favorite yet so we just pick one based on whoever has a menu that looks good to us that day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794888 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 14:58:06 +0000 Beehive 2794888@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: We last went to Paris (this time with our son, who was 4 at the time) the summer before last. It's such a wonderful place, especially if what you're looking to do is eat your way around the city. Food blogger David Lebovitz has a really useful guide to Paris restaurants on his blog: <a href="https://www.davidlebovitz.com/paris/" rel="nofollow">https://www.davidlebovitz.com/paris/</a> - you may want to do a bit of research and make reservations through your hotel concierge. It's not always necessary, but restaurants in Paris really like when you have a reservation (and of course some book up). </p> <p>If you're looking at hotels and aren't on a strict budget, we loved where we last stayed, and think it's even better for couples/romance - Hotel de l'Abbaye (<a href="https://hotelabbayeparis.com/en/" rel="nofollow">https://hotelabbayeparis.com/en/</a>). The location on the left bank makes a perfect base for wandering. I regularly dream about their perfect pastry basket and fresh-squeezed oj breakfasts in the garden by the fountain! </p> <p>Have a fantastic trip! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794887 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 14:48:28 +0000 jhd 2794887@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: we ate at Chez Janou on our honeymoon. Didn’t know about the chocolate mousse though!! @PinkElephant: our meal at Chez Janou was probably one of the most memorable of our trip. And the Marais is a fun area to explore. I’m no help on the things you want rec’s for, but your ideas sound awesome, especially the cooking class. The blogger from Damn Delicious was just in Paris and it looks like she did a bread class? My favorite thing to do in Paris is eat pastries and just walk around lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794866 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 13:31:58 +0000 PinkElephant 2794866@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Thank you for saying that - this trip is actually kind of a consolation prize...we'd hoped to go to Iceland, but the timing (out of our control b/c of the wedding) is too risky for seeing the Northern Lights, and we both feel like we don't want to go to a place we might only go once in our lives and miss one of the highlights. When he initially mentioned it, I wasn't super psyched about Paris, but I think doing it "our way" (focused on food/wine, not sights) has the potential to be fun and romantic! :)</p> <p>@erinbaderin: :) :) on the pastry shops. Six years ago when I was pregnant with our first, we took a trip to Belgium and DH spent a lot of time sitting in breweries drinking beer while I ran around stuffing my pregnant belly with all the chocolate I could find. It was winter, and while we were initially disappointed that a lot of the sights to see were closed due to weather, I was very happy with how the trip turned out in the end. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794863 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 13:25:38 +0000 erinbaderin 2794863@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't have a lot of advice on any of the things that you're looking for advice on, but we were there in 2013 and two things that I can recommend is the Hotel Originale - great location, every room is decorated differently, it was truly lovely - and a restaurant in the Marais called Chez Janou that has an all you can eat chocolate mousse that was TO DIE FOR. </p> <p>We were there for three days and really just spent the time wandering around, and making frequent café/pastry stops. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794860 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 13:15:48 +0000 Foodnerd81 2794860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sorry, this isn’t helpful, but you just reminded me I had a dream my DH and I were going to Paris on a romantic vacation and now I’m really jealous! I’m sure you will have a wonderful time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paris-without-kids-anyone-been-recently#post-2794859 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 13:08:48 +0000 PinkElephant 2794859@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH and I are attending a wedding in a remote area outside of London this spring, and have a few days to tack on a little vacation afterwards while his parents watch our three kids (yay!) We are most likely going to do Paris due to the ease of getting there (train), and some killer airfare deals we found for the return flight. But we both have not been since we were teens/young adults, and would love some tips from anyone who has been recently. Primarily I'm researching the following:</p> <p>- Private cooking class? We did this in Rome and it was amazing - the chef took us to a market on his moped, bought the ingredients, and cooked a 5-course meal with us in his apartment.</p> <p>- Daytrip for wine tasting?</p> <p>- Private tour company in Paris? We've both seen all the "big" sites so don't really need an in-depth visit, but might enjoy some sort of neighbor hood tour or drive around the city. On second thought, even a hop-on-hop-off bus could fit that bill, if there's a route that hits some fun neighborhoods for a combination of eating (priority!), shopping, and minor sightseeing.</p> <p>We'll be there about 3 days, are adventurous eaters, don't speak a lot of French, and don't care too much about finding bargains once there, since we're doing well on airfare and we don't generally get to go kid-free more than once a year - so we'll spend a little extra to get a great experience or for our own convenience.</p> <p>Thanks in advance! </p>