Vive le Paris Mini Guide! Day One - Tour de Eiffel, Bastille & The Islands

Paris, the city of romance, Fashion capital of the world, known for Le Tour de France and amazing food and wine.

Le Tour de Eiffel - View from Trocadero

Due to my job, this was my third visit to Paris in a year, for an international exhibition. Lucky for me we do get some free time in the late afternoon and evenings to explore what is fast becoming one of my favourite cities.



I first visited Paris in January 2012, so as a frequent traveller I grabbed a map and delved straight in visting the touristy sights of the Louvre, Tour de Eiffel, Champs D'Elysees and Montmartre. And not to forget a very swish party at Hotel Salomon de Rothschild!

Obelisque du Luxour - Champs D'Elysee (January 2012)

The Louvre (January 2012)

Sacre Couer at Montmartre (January 2012)

Carousel - Montmartre (January 2012)

Tour de Eiffel by night

Gold & White Party at Hotel Salomon de Rothschild (July 2012)

We normally stay in a hotel near to the Duplex Metro stop which is within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero. The Metro is really useful in Paris, alike to the London tube and pretty simple to work out. Busy times are the usual morning rush between 8-10am and then early evening 5-7pm but it doesn't quite ever seem as crazy in the Metro. Best bet is to buy a book of tickets for frequent travel.

So on my current trip having been to most of the touristy spots, we headed east to Bastille (I'll also be gig reviewing these guys in March) and picked up some food at Le 138 on Rue de Faubourg, Saint Antoine. A little cafe that passers by and regulars clearly spend hours in, chatting, drinking coffee and working. We ordered (in French) a traditional croque madame (with egg) and croque monsieur. A french delicacy, but in basic terms a grilled ham and cheese toasty but for some reason in France it tastes so much better!

Croque Madame at Le 138

Le 138 - Pick a chair!

The cafe had big bay windows, with a mix match of chairs and tables, plus it was in my favour as it had exposed brickwork, old fashioned signs and a spiral staircase leading to what looked like an after hours bar and the art filled quirky shaped toilets. The staff were patient and friendly with our French and their English. A sweet little stop off that I'm comes alive in an evening.

On to Père Lachaise where we attempted to find the graves of Jim Morrison from The Doors and Oscar Wilde, unfortunately due to our bad sense of direction and difficult map of the plots we found neither before it got dark and didn't want to stick around after sunset. However if you do have more time, it is very pretty with great views from the top. It also meant that we could visit one of the Time Out recommendations I had found - Mama Shelter, which was a 15 minute walk from here.

Pere Lachaise - Paris

Mama Shelter is a hotel, come restaurant, come bar. Chalkboard ceilings with quotes in french and english, quirky drawings of hearts cover the roof. There are different areas depending on whether you are eating or drinking, with a mini pizza restaurant at the front and open kitchen at the back. We sat at their square bar in the centre for a drink to take in the atmosphere in this dimly lit, so much to see place. I had the Electrik Ginger, I'm a massive fan of ginger beer in my cocktails and it wasn't too badly priced at 12 Euros for the pleasure. The video screens dotted around the bar, portray groups of friends and couples taking pictures of themselves either in the bar or in their rooms, so its funny to watch. I loved everything about this place and with many bars and restaurants around the area, plus near to Metro stations, I will definitely consider staying here.

Walk art and Wood - Mama Shelter

The Electrik Ginger - Mama Shelter

Ceiling Chalking at Mama Shelter

Our afternoon was finished off by a meal in Cafe St Regis on "The Islands" or specifically Ile Saint Louis, in one of the oldest districts in Paris. From which Notre Dame in all its glory can be seen. My colleague had previously visited the restaurant, a traditional French, with a mix of tourists and local Parisian customers. It was a fairly in out policy but not too bad as we didn't have a reservation and weren't planning on staying long. I opted for the sea bass with green beans, with Creme Brulee to finish (come on I'm in Paris it had to be done!) and a St Germain Original Cocktail.

Notre Dame

St Regis - The Islands



Sea Bass & Green Beans - St Regis

Creme Brulee - St Regis


Price points for St Regis were average for Paris, with happy hour on cocktails and drinks available from 7pm until 9pm. Particular features I liked were their black and white tiled walls with wooden booths, unusual lamps and the creme brulee was fantastique!

It wouldn't be right to end day one's post without mention our "local" a wee bar just as you step off the Duplex Metro called Au Dernier Metro. I want to live in this bar! The Manager has been there for as long as my work colleagues have been visiting and the atmosphere is always so buzzy. He serves local beer and lager on tap for around 3/4 euros, glasses of wine and has a line of tables down the right hand side of the small, but always packed out bar and restaurant. There's always a real mix of people in the bar, from students, to groups of friends, after work drinkers and families. All eating, drinking and chatting. We were lucky in Summer to try one of their cheese & meat boards. A rustic selection of traditional french food, washed down with a picon biere (try one if you haven't already). 

Delirium Lager - Au Dernier Metro

Retro signage - Au Dernier Metro

Delicious meat and cheese board - Au Dernier Metro

We ate: A Croque Madame, Seabass & Green Beans, Creme Brulee
We Drank: An Electrik Ginger, St Germain Original and Delirium Beer
We Talked about: Work, Sightseeing, Paris, Where to go what to see
Selling point: Le 138 - Friendly staff, Mama Shelter - Cocktails and decor, Cafe St Regis - Creme Brulee & Happy Hour, Au Dernier Metro - It so close to our hotel & really buzzy

References

Le 138

138 rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine, 75012 Paris, France

+33 0143433020

Mama Shelter

109 Rue de Bagnolet, 75020 Paris, France
+33 1 43 48 48 48

Cafe St Regis
6 Rue Jean du Bellay, 75004 Paris
+33 01 43 54 59 41

Au Dernier Métro

70, Boulevard de Grenelle, 75015 Paris

+33 01 45 75 01 23