So You Want To Go To Paris: Here’s Everything You Need To Know

How Should I Get There?

Aer Lingus fly you right into Charles de Gaulle from Dublin’s Terminal 2, and it’s a pretty quick jaunt over Wales to the French capital. The journey takes just over an hour and a half and there are daily flights. As for making it into the city of lights, there is the Roissybus which takes roughly 45-60 minutes and leaves the airport every 15 minutes. Or you can hop on an Air France bus to Porte Maillot and Etoile. You don’t need an Air France boarding pass, but you will be paying more than for the Roisseybus. There are commuter train options too, to Gare du Nord, where you can get onto the metro system. This is cheaper and faster too. However, when trekking home, bear in mind a lot of the terminals aren’t exactly foodie friendly. We were reduced to baguettes we bulked with some pricey packets of Lays the evening we flew home.

Who Should I Bring?

Light clothes. Paris in the summer is a stew for us Irish. So, loose dresses, light cardigans, good shoes and an umbrella will see you fighting fit. Also, make sure you pack the biggest sunglasses you can find. You don’t want to be caught rapid people watching and wondering how exactly French women manage to look so finished all the time. (We think it’s the fact they only eat starters and the eyebrow raising at tourists taking selfies must burn some calories.)

Where Should I Stay?

Airbnb is a great option for this notoriously pricey city. However, if you are hellbent on a good sturdy mattress in a charming hotel, complete with attic view windows, Hotel la Villa Saint Germain in the sixth arrondissement is a great pick. A double room would cost you €210-240 depending on the date. Here you’re bang in the left bank hood, Rive Gauche, where you can partake in all the coffee culture, and nip into art galleries for a gander.

Where Should I Eat?

Eh, sorry not sorry to be basic, but we went to the restaurant where Carrie met the Russian’s ex in Sex and the City season six, Kong, and it was class. Like genuinely amazing food and the Geisha cocktail was glorious with its vodka, rose syrup, strawberry purée and champagne. Book a table for sunset so can watch the city’s skyline come to light around you. Order the chocolate spring rolls for dessert. Don’t get caught up in a passive aggressive skirmish with your lover’s ex. Parfait!

Don’t miss…

Hot chocolate at Angelina – just opposite the Tuileries Garden, this cute tea house might be something of a tourist trap, but a bowl of this for dessert will have you inappropriately moaning.

A Yon Ka facial in Aquamoon – make your way towards the Ritz and find this little haven on Place Vendôme. French girl skin doesn’t happen on its own.

An exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay – all the big names are hung here. Get your share of Monet and Cézanne on the impressionist floor, and get a little freaked out by the orientalism on the ground one.

Do a women’s history themed walking tour – book a spot on womenofparis.fr with British ex-pat Heid for a gander where you learn all about the amazing and controversial gal’s who history books don’t pay enough attention to.

For more ideas, see en.parisinfo.com

This article first appeared in STELLAR’s August issue. Our September issue is on shelves now!