3 Days in Paris Itinerary
An amazing three days in Paris, touring through the fashion capital of the world and eating the best of French cuisine. Follow our itinerary as we explore Paris.
Day 1
1. Seafood Lunch at Clamato - Better than Septime? | 1 p.m.
After an exhausting 10+ hour flight, our first stop after landing in Paris and dropping our luggage off at the hotel was to head to lunch. Clamato, which oddly has the same name as the tomato juice, is a seafood-focused restaurant located in the 11th Arr. on the east side of town. It was opened by the same people behind Septime, which is just down the block and recently ranked as #15 on the World’s Best Restaurants list. Clamato occupies a much narrower space, where a bar runs along most of the front of the restaurant with some tables along the other side and in the back. It also has a no-reservations policy, but luckily we didn't encounter any wait and were seated immediately.
The menu is comprised almost entirely of seafood, with a focus on the raw bar selection and the cooked items were generally prepared simply to emphasize the freshness of the ingredients themselves. We ordered a number of raw items including a round of oysters, whelks, scallops, as well as squid prepared with endives. We complemented this with a gem lettuce salad and a pot of mussels for a light and refreshing lunch. The oysters in particular left a deep impression of being incredibly plump and creamy and are not to be missed. The meal made us forget about our fatigue and we were glad that we had made the trip. Overall, I was quite impressed, and felt that it was on par, if not better than, Septime.
2. Dessert for the Gram | 3 p.m.
After lunch, we made our way over to La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac, which was only a couple blocks away. We had seen some of their cakes and pastries on Instagram and had been captivated by the way they looked and their intricacies. It was a small shop with a line extending out the door, but it moved quickly. Once inside, we were amazed at the display of cakes which all looked simply stunning. We ordered the lemon tart and a black sesame chocolate mousse cake. The design and presentation of the desserts had an incredible amount of details. When we took the first bite, we were glad that the taste also lived up to their looks, being very light and not too sweet. Just as a tip, you can buy the pastries and head across the street to La Chocolaterie Cyril Lignac where there are seats and drinks.
3. Exploring Le Marais - Museums and Shopping | 4 p.m.
Staying on the east side of the city, we took a quick cab ride to Le Marais, which can be described as similar to the Soho district in New York City. It is full of small cobblestone streets lined with fashion boutique shops, artisanal coffee and pastry shops, art galleries, as well as public parks and spaces. The Picasso National Museum and the Carnavalet Museum, which focuses on the history of Paris and has a small wonderful garden, are located in the area. In terms of shopping, there is a large BHV department store, but also a number of smaller French boutiques including Maison Labiche, A.P.C., Maison Kitsune, ami, and Comme des Garcons. There are a number of international streetwear brands for those looking for the latest in sneakers and fashion.
4. A Classic Tourist Bistro and Landmark | 8 p.m.
For dinner, we headed back to the same area we had lunch for the highly recommended French bistro, Paul Bert. As we walked through the restaurant to our table, we definitely noticed that almost everyone there was a tourist and we ended up sitting next to a family visiting Paris from Chicago.
While the English chalkboard for translations was in high demand, luckily the restaurant would not end up being a “tourist trap.” The food, which was traditional French food, was done really really well. We ordered foie gras and oysters for appetizers and entrees of black pepper steak and boudin blanc. Everything was exactly how I expected a French bistro would be like, and it's deserving of the huge tourist crowds and long waitlist.