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Blog #35- Video Blog! Can I do Paris Alone?
Absolutely! For several years I went to Paris without knowing a single person. On my first several visits, I signed up for weeklong tours and workshops in the middle of my trips so I would have people to connect with in case I was feeling lonely and missing conversations in English. Doing that was super fun and even educational, but as time passed, I began to schedule day activities while I was in Paris, rather than a multi-day tour or workshop.
Everyone has different levels of comfort, different abilities to communicate in French, different interests- but here are a few of my suggestions on how you can enjoy and even love visiting Paris as a solo!
Where you stay is SUPER Important!
I only booked short-rental apartments when I was staying longer than a week.
My experiences were mixed. A couple of apartments had dark hallways, horrid elevators, and scary garbage rooms. Maybe it was those specific buildings, but I often felt I was the only person in the building and walking up curved crooked stairs or stuffing myself and my suitcase in a small elevator, more than freaked me out. (I had visions of someone not finding me for days or weeks later….and even imagined the headlines.)
Before I bought my apartment, I most often used Paris Perfect and have stayed in several of their Place Dauphine apartments on the Île de la Cité. Fantastic location and a great building. Not all apartments though are created equal even with the same company. I stayed in one of their apartments on rue Saint Dominique when my son and grandkids were in Paris for a vacay, and it was subpar. The best aspect of the apartment was it was the middle of summer during a heatwave, and I had AC.
One time I rented from the Adrian Leeds group. It was an apartment on rue de Buci, which was awful. The building was empty of people, dark skinny hallways, and the apartment’s only windows overlooked an alley where night after night after the café next door closed, people would stand in the alley below to smoke and quite often argue. The shortcomings of apartments are never mentioned in the ads and photos rarely show you reality. If you know of someone in Paris, have them check out the streets around your potential rental.
If you don’t know anyone, make good use of google maps. If you are above or very close to several cafés that means late night noise. The energy on Rue de Buci for example, is fun during the day but super irritating if you are trying to sleep.
Elevators are next on my list and there is no way to see it until you arrive. Push back on your rental company to give you more details. Unless you are on the 1st floor (2nd floor in America), young or in such good shape that you can lug heavy suitcases up tilted staircases or you travel with minimal clothing, the elevator in the building where you are staying, matters.
When I came to Paris for short visits, I had several beautiful, boutique hotels that became my favorites.
I’ve stayed at Relais Christine Paris (gorgeous and sumptuous), Hôtel d’Aubusson (lovely) – both in the 6th arrondissement, and Hôtel Trocadero La Tour back when I had a friend who lived in the 16th arrondissement. In the beginning I thought the hotel room didn’t matter, and after one horrible room after another, I made the hotel an important part of my travel budget. I would recommend any of the hotels mentioned because they all have several common areas for you to read a book or a newspaper, have a drink or a coffee, and observe guests. You’ll then the opportunity to listen to French conversations, people watch, and weirdly, that makes you feel a part of a community. Sitting in a tiny hotel room all by yourself does nothing for your joy meter. I always talk to staff if possible. Many Paris hotels are small and therefore space on the main floor is limited which doesn’t matter if wonderful events are happening in your room, but for a solo, it truly matters!
Dining Out- Sitting in Cafés
Totally normal to be a solo in a Paris café, brasserie or restaurant! In fact, if you look at the outside tables around a café, most are filled with solos. Find your favorite spots and go every day. Pretty soon the waiters will be giving you a morning welcome smile.
As for meals, I love doing larger lunches and eating very light for dinner. Actually, that is the French way! Even now that I have an apartment, I tend to eat more mid-day than in the evening. Brasserie Lipp is fantastic for a good, traditional French lunch. Go for the entrée, the main plat, the dessert, the coffee. Every time I go there, strangely, I find the brasserie filled with men, so lots to look at. Years ago, I’d often lunch at Le Hibou in the 6th and have my morning coffee across the street at Les Éditeurs. Lovely.
Before I purchased my apartment, I’d pick up a light dinner in one of the yummy take-away places and have it in my hotel room. You can truly make that special, I promise. Even now, I regularly have soup or a salad for dinner and that will be all you need if you have a good hearty lunch.
I still haven’t gotten used to the lateness of more formal French dinners. Believe it or not, 7:30 pm is when the Americans arrive. French people like dinner at 8:30 or even later. I was in Paris on Valentine’s Day, almost ready for my usual good book in bed, when I looked into the open windows of the building across the street from me as I was closing my drapes. (Yes, this is something I love about Paris!) There were three couples, all dressed up and sitting down to dinner at 10:00! Culturally, we live on different time schedules. Americans are at the office by 9:00 and out the door by 5:30 or 6:00. Not so in Paris. Many shops don’t open until 11:00 am and stay open until 7:00 pm. Drinks after a long day at the office in Paris start at 6:30, when most Americans are home and sitting down to dinner. I have no idea why this is but let yourself adopt the French schedule when you are in Paris. All those late nights will end up making your return to an earlier time zone much easier.
Plan out little excursions, some structured, some not.
Make your trip about museums, art galleries, décor shops, clothing shops and even visits to wander into a boucherie (butcher shop) or a poissonerie (fish shop) just to see the differences. Incredible!
And the morning markets are always a fantastic wander. If antiques are your jam, Le Marché aux Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen is the best, but you’ll need a guide and a taxi or Uber. The puce is huge and a market guide will show you shops based on your interests whether it’s Chanel jewelry, Hermès scarves, porcelains, Saint Louis crystal or even mirrors and the like. You’ll be overwhelmed if you just wander.
Years ago, I booked a couple of day tours with Ô’Château for champagne, which were wonderful. Their wine tasting events are also excellent. I remember lunch with all the different champagnes at La Maison Penet. An experience never to be forgotten. La Cuisine Paris along the Seine has fabulous cooking classes, some followed by a lunch or dinner. If you want something more private, there are several good options.
Find those tours that will immerse you in whatever it is that makes your heart sing. Whether it’s lace or textiles, gardens, antiques, cooking or art, find the unique, the special, the incredible and soak up the inspiration and ambiance of the city. Paris is brimming with beautiful architecture, a long history, a café culture, world-renowned museums, romantic streets and delicious food. All of it can be thoroughly enjoyed as a solo traveler!
One of the biggest benefits of solo travel is that you get to set your itinerary. If you want to wander through the gardens at the Rodin Museum and try sketching, because you had previously purchased some pens and drawing paper in a little shop, there is nothing stopping you.
Paris is an incredible city. Yes it’s a big city, lots of noise, good areas and not so good…but it is like no other city to inspire you to dream, create and plan out that next chapter you want to make happen. Whenever I return, I find I have reconnected with those much-needed aspects of my life.
COMING SOON….
Recapture Your Joie de Vivre!!
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