Today I want to bring you my itinerary for a winter weekend in Paris. The French capital is a great place to visit in winter for its sparse crowds, Christmas markets, and other seasonal highlights.
Winter Weekend in Paris
Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world. I could go back every weekend and never get tired of exploring new neighborhoods, visiting new museums, and, of course, eating at new restaurants.
The source of all of these new things is usually the recommendations of friends. After posting on Facebook that I was off to the City of Light, I had no shortage of them on my winter weekend in Paris last week.
On Thursday morning I headed to France to work in Paris for a couple days. I spent all day Thursday and Friday running all over the city for meetings in locations as far-flung as La Defense, Issy-les-Moulineaux, and Saint-Ouen.
I rode just about every form of public transport Paris has to offer, including the metro, the RER, the regional trains, and the high-heeled shoe (powered by moi).
Where to Stay on a Winter Weekend in Paris
On Friday afternoon I collapsed in a heap in a junior suite on the top floor of The Westin Paris Vendome. This was compliments of my boyfriend, who racks up more hotel points than anyone I know.
Friday Night in Paris
He met me on Friday evening to spend a winter weekend in Paris, and he got The Westin to give us a very nice room upgrade. He earns his keep.
My boyfriend arrived only ten minutes after I did, and we spent the early evening on a stroll through the gorgeous Christmas-light-lit Place Vendome.
There was a wedding couple at the Ritz leaning out the window for photos. It was very romantic.
From Place Vendome we headed to Opera, then to the grands magasins, which were glowing with their usual holiday light displays.
We took a turn through Galeries Lafayette to see the giant Christmas tree, then headed back to The Westin to change for dinner.
Dinner on the first night of our winter weekend in Paris was at Le Chateaubriand, a restaurant in the 11th that came highly recommended by our neighbors in Hampstead.
We got the tasting menu, which consisted of five delectable courses featuring everything from a fresh crab salad to a so-rare-it’s-swimming-in-its-own-blood-but-so-good-I-didn’t-care pigeon dish.
We also had a rich, creamy cheese plate I ate between bites of my boyfriend’s dessert.
We left Le Chateaubriand feeling full but not too full, and headed to Hotel Costes for drinks in their boudoir-inspired bar.
Despite having to shell out a king’s ransom for a Bellini, we had ourselves an enjoyable time people-watching and relaxing after a long week.
Saturday in Paris
On Saturday morning we woke up early and headed to my favorite breakfast place in Paris.
The usual staff were all there, and we filled ourselves with Poilane bread and croissants, enormous bowls of coffee, and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
It was comforting to be back after almost a year’s absence, and even more comforting that we missed the downpour outside while we were eating.
After breakfast we continued our winter weekend in Paris with a walk around the area.
We visited the Christmas market at Saint Germain, strolled through the art galleries north of the boulevard of the same name, and walked around the Jardin du Luxembourg.
At two o’clock we headed back to the Right Bank to meet a friend of mine at the Musee Guimet. We walked through the collection of Asian art, amazed at its depth and geographical diversity.
After the museum my boyfriend and I stopped for a quick sandwich before heading up to the Champs Elysees. We walked down the street, taking in all the Christmas decorations in the shops.
Afterwards we made our way through the Christmas market in the Tuileries before heading back to our hotel to get ready for dinner.
Dinner on the second night of our winter weekend in Paris was at Les Cocottes in the 7th. Another friend had recommended it, and we were excited to give it a try.
The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so we showed up three minutes after it opened expecting to get a table without a problem. We did.
It was the very last table in the restaurant. After we sat down, a line formed behind us that made us glad we showed up when we did.
Dinner was excellent. After appetizers of crab salad and egg-and-lardon salad, we moved on to the cocottes, the little cast iron pans all the food at the restaurant is cooked in.
My boyfriend got scallops, which were amazing. I ordered vegetables, which were good but would have been much better as a side dish.
At least they were somewhat healthy, because for dessert we ordered the daily special, which was a chocolate cake with vanilla cream and kirsch, all topped with chocolate shavings. It was delicious.
That night the post-dinner agenda for our winter weekend in Paris involved two stops: the first was at Laduree Bar, the bar at the back of the Laduree shop on the Champs Elysees.
We ordered drinks that came paired with the appropriately-flavored Laduree macaroons and enjoyed them despite a rather lackluster crowd.
We moved on from there to a bar my boyfriend’s coworker had introduced him to. Despite the fact that the bar was a mere three blocks from where I lived when I worked in Paris, I had no idea it existed.
Apparently I was the only one. When we arrived reservation-less, the waitress moved us no less than twice to make room for those with bookings. Thankfully we were able to enjoy a drink nonetheless.
Like Hotel Costes, this bar was boudoir-themed, right down to the hostess, who was head-to-toe in fishnets and leather.
Sunday in Paris
The next morning our winter weekend in Paris continued as we headed up to the 9th for breakfast at Arnaud Delmontel, an award-winning bakery on Rue des Martyrs.
One of our friends had recommended it to us, so we stopped by for a croissant.
I had already been nearby for lunch on Thursday, when I ate at the English-run Rose Bakery across the street. I wanted to take my boyfriend back to show him what might be my new favorite street in Paris.
With no less than four fromageries, two fishmongers, a smattering of butchers, and of course one of the best bakeries in Paris, Rue des Martyrs brought the phrase “where have you been all my life?” to mind. We loved it.
We started planning our life there: where we would live, what we would do, what kind of dog we would walk up and down the street, and, most importantly, which fromageries we would patronize.
Tearing ourselves away, we continued our winter weekend in Paris by making our way to Parc Monceau to visit the Musee Nissim de Camondo.
Also highly recommended by a friend and also a mere few blocks from where I used to live in Paris, the museum was amazing.
Built by an eccentric 19th-century aristocrat who was obsessed with all things 18th-century, the house was a tribute to the decorative arts of the 1700s.
Left to the French state after the death of the owner, it’s now a museum, and a great one at that.
We took a quick stroll in the lovely Parc Monceau after visiting the museum, then headed to the Musee d’Orsay.
We hoped to take advantage of the fact that it and many other Paris museums offer free entry on the first Sunday of every month. Sadly, we arrived to find a huge line we didn’t feel like waiting in.
We took a walk instead, continuing our winter weekend in Paris by heading back over to the Right Bank and down to the BHV, my boyfriend’s favorite department store in Paris.
After getting all kinds of home improvement goods from the basement of the BHV, we walked to Mariage Freres in the Marais for tea.
The waiters in their white linen uniforms and the bamboo furniture made us feel like we were in the tropics for a fleeting moment. Then we were back out in the rain and the reality of winter in Paris.
There was one last thing to be done before our Eurostar left Gare du Nord for London: Le Relais de l’Entrecote.
We knew from last year that we should show up before they opened in order to get a table, so we arrived a few minutes early and found ourselves standing in a line that extended into the middle of the intersection.
Cars weaved their way around us (only in Paris would nobody honk at a line of diners waiting for a restaurant to open) until the restaurant opened at 7pm and we got one of the last tables in the house.
Our salad, steak, and frites were all done to perfection. We had to eat quickly given our Eurostar was to depart at 9:13pm, but we had enough time to savor our food before running to catch the metro to the Gare du Nord.
Winter Weekend in Paris: The Verdict
On the way home from our winter weekend in Paris I couldn’t help but be thankful for all the friends who recommended restaurants, bakeries, museums, and bars to us.
Every Paris trip brings a different set of experiences that serves to increase my love for the city. The moveable feast is certainly one to be shared, and is all the sweeter that way.
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