Pierre Hermé macarons are awesome too! The streets where the shop is at are really quaint and nice to walk around.

I personally enjoyed taking a day trip out to Château de Versailles (Palace of Versailles). It’s less than an hour out of Paris, easily accessible by the metro and a real treat to travel on the double decker train carriage. The gardens are BEAUTIFUL and so is the palace itself! Take a gazillion photos and then chill by the lake with a bottle of wine and some cheese. There were people rowing on the lake in the summer. Seems like a painting right? Nope we saw it and experienced it for ourselves!

One tip I have when travelling: when asking for help, always say “Bonjour” first, then gesture somehow to ask if they speak English, and smile a lot before you ask for help. If you start speaking to them in English right off the bat they get defensive and might not help. When I was in Paris I had that experience. If you feel more confident in your language skills, you can say, “Bonjour, parlez vous anglais?” (pronounce: bon-joor, par-lay voo ong-glaise). It means: “Hello, do you speak English?” We tried that and the people we approached became friendlier and were more willing to help.

Paris is also a great place to have your coffee ‘au comptoir’ the parisian way (i.e standing at the bar) – best place to hear the gossips, get some advices on where to go in the arrondissement while enjoying a freshly baked croissant or crispy baguette with salted butter.
If you know how to appreciate real croissants and baguettes, look for the boulangeries (bakeries) that received prizes – best ouvrier de france, best baguette of France, etc. – yes, France celebrates this art with a nationwide competition every year.

1. Cafe Angelina
Its not the best cafe in Paris, but it offers ambience and a rest for your weary legs, especially if you are visiting Versailles.

2. rue St. Honore, Gallerie LaFayette, Printemps
If you do a simple Google map search and plot these 3 points, they are actually quite close on foot. Other notable places nearby rue du St. Honore is the Louvre Museum, Tuilleries des Jardins and Place de la Concorde (Egyptian obelisk is there). From rue St. Honore, it will take about 15 – 20 mins walk and you can also pass by the abovementioned flagship Chanel store along rue Cambon.

rue St. Honore is a luxury fashion street, there are quite a few designer boutiques there too. Goyard is along this street too. If you are a macaron lover, please visit this street too – theres Pierre Hermes in a street of rue du St. Honore, Jean-Paul Hevin and Michel Cluizel. Jean-Paul Hevin is quite popular chocolatier and the chocolate macaron (available in different variations) are quite delectable.

I visited a small cafe along rue St. Honore called La Coupe D’or and the mont blanc they serve there wins Cafe Angelina hands down (Angelina’s was too sweet for me). Theres also seats outside the cafe for you to people-watch.

3. City Pharma
If you are a fan of French Skincare brands, in need of retina A ointment Avibon you can visit City Pharma in rue du Four. It is also near Saint Sulpice, one of the church attractions in the city.

4. Notre Dame
I would recommend to visit Notre Dame because it is a beautiful church. There are free walking tours for Notre Dame. I joined “www.cityfreetour.com”. The guides run on tip basis, so you technically pay what you think the guide has provided you for. My friends and I joined Chris on a short 1hr tour of Notre Dame and he has provided us with some interesting facts of the Notre Dame. The ice cream shop nearby called Fleur de I’le. But if you are a arty person, Lourve would be a better choice.

5. Champs Elysees
If you are a fan of huge H&M, LV flagship, Sephora flagship stores, this street is quite a treat. The huge pizza restaurant along this street is quite good and also on the pricey side.