Paris is truly a magical city. It’s a destination you should absolutely have on your bucket list. Admittedly, last year when Jordan mentioned taking me to Paris  for my first time (he has been a few times), I was not excited about the idea. It wasn’t important to me to visit another very large city, considering that we live in one. After some convincing, we did visit for a few days in September  2018 (here, here and here) and I fell in love; quickly. This year, we visited in November for 5 days; 6 nights. Coming out of that trip, I feel like it was the perfect amount of time. We were able to really enjoy the city while not sticking to a strict schedule. We could roam the streets and hit up every cafe, stop and get a baguette, or a glass of wine without feeling like we were missing out on anything. While we did have dinner reservations a few nights, and a few sights that were important to see, I left feeling so refreshed and that we really did Paris justice this trip.

Six Things You Must Do in Paris
Visit the Louvre in the evening | Sure, head INTO the museum during the day, but make sure to venture back to walk around the grounds during the evening. The architecture stunning when the sun hits it as it sets. Once it’s dark out, the lights all turn on as well, illuminating the building. It’s pretty empty of tourists too!
Ile Saint Louis | Spend the morning walking around Ile Saint Louis. This is one of my favorite places to visit while I’m in Paris and it’s something you can do in a few hours. All of the doors and streets are so beautiful, and don’t forget to grab a cafè créme and a croissant at one of the cafe’s while you people watch.
Have a day of no plans | Do as the Parisans do and just “exist.” Walk around aimlessly, stop into cafe’s to grab wine, or a coffee, and just take in the moment. This is one of my favorite things to do. We actually spent a whole day doing this and it was one of my favorite days of the trip.
Visit the Eiffel Tower at night | Each day after the sun sets the Eiffel Tower sparkles at the top of the hour, every hour until about 12am or 1am depending on the season. 30 minutes before the top of the hour, head to Nicolas (popular chain wine shop) and grab a bottle of wine; they will open it for you there. This will ensure that you have bought a great bottle of wine without paying the price. There are men who stand around the tower and sell you over-priced and bad quality wine. By going to Nicolas ahead of time you will not fall into that tourist trap.
Shop the streets of Les Marais | Les Marais is a low-key neighborhood in Paris, and actually where I prefer to stay. It’s a great neighborhood if you like walking around and taking the metro. Other bonus is that the shopping over there is phenomenal. There are tons of local shops as well as retailers that are more common.
Ride the Metro | The easiest way to get around Paris is the Metro. Don’t be intimidated, all of their metro lines are numbers and the signs couldn’t be easier to read. One thing you want to avoid doing on your first trip to Paris is wasting time in a taxi going across town. Wearing my favorite MZ Wallace crossbody.
There seems to never be enough time in Paris, but if you can get around to doing these six things, you might as well call yourself Parisian. I hope this is helpful to those looking for reasonable expectations to feel fulfilled on your first trip to Paris.