This is the second part of our highlights and recommendations for Paris. For more about our time in the wonderful French capital, please see part one.

Day Five

We started today by fueling up on cappuccinos at Matamata Coffee Bar. France doesn’t have a huge coffee culture, but since it’s a huge international city, hipster cafés with good roasts are slowly emerging.

And we greatly needed good coffee to sustain us through our day at the Louvre. The Louvre is a huge museum, featuring dozens of wings and almost literally countless (and priceless) works of art. We wanted to be smart with our time at the Louvre and not get too overwhelmed, but we still packed too much in. Yet we definitely had a good time and enjoyed mulling over pieces from ancient Mesopotamia to the Mona Lisa.

After six hours (!!) at the Louvre, we met up with Vikram’s friend from high school for some happy hour wine and charcuterie, and then had a pretty early night in after being on our feet all day!

Day Six

One of the greatest things about Paris is how walkable the city is. We spent this morning taking a long but leisurely walk across the city, admiring all the beautiful Hausmanian architecture and winding backroads on the way.

After a yummy brunch at Eggs & Co. in the Saint-Germain neighborhood, we wandered back towards the river Seine and visited the Musée d’Orsay. This art museum is much smaller than the Louvre, so it was much more manageable and even enjoyable to visit. It also features one of the world’s largest collection of Impressionist paintings, including works by Monet, Degas, and Cézanne. Two hours here was the perfect amount of time to explore a few different galleries and appreciate what the museum has to offer, without getting too tired out.

The museum building itself is also intrinsically beautiful and interesting. It’s an old train station, and as I was walking around I felt like the building was an art exhibit in and of itself!

We then had a coffee break at Caféothèque, on the other side of the river past the Notre Dame. This apparently is one of the first good cafés in Paris that some people credit to bringing a coffee culture to the city.

For dinner, we went to Les Pieds Sur Table. One woman basically runs the whole show here, from cooking to table service. (She does have her dog Eugene help out!) We had a very tasty and soul-comforting meal of chickpea meatballs, veal stew, and pumpkin lasagna.

Day Seven

On our last full day in Paris, we finally made it to the city’s most iconic symbol—the Eiffel Tower.

While we didn’t want to wait in the long and crazy lines to ascend the monument, we still really enjoyed seeing it up close. Personally, I don’t find the Eiffel Tower to be particularly attractive in the Paris skyline—but up close, it is a really interesting structure, and beautiful in its own way. Also, we were surprised to see that the Eiffel Tower is a tan color—we both always imagined it to be black or gray!

Then we had a pretty chill day walking more through the Saint-Germain neighborhood, eventually coming to the Jardin du Luxembourg. Tons of families, couples, and groups of friends were out enjoying the warm weather. In general, the abundance of nice public spaces was one of our favorite things about Paris, and something we wish we had more of in U.S. cities.

And no trip to Paris would be complete without some macarons. We treated ourselves to tea and treats at Ladurée, a luxury French bakery that created the double-decker macaron.

Then as the sun set on our final night in Paris, we walked down the famous (and tourist-laden) Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe—a wonderful, final hurrah to an amazing week in Paris.

Travel Notes:

• Our average daily cost in Paris was around $100 per person. Being able to stay with a friend for a few days definitely helped to keep costs down, but still it was not as expensive as we thought it would be to enjoy the city. The $100 per day included all our food (from cheap kebab places and groceries to a few nicer meals out), drinks, attractions, and a private AirBnB apartment.
• Despite being overwhelming, the Louvre is incredible and a “must-visit” while in Paris. It is open every day (except Tuesday) from 9 am to 6 pm, and until 9:45 on Wednesdays and Fridays. Tickets cost 15 euro.
• The Musée d’Orsay is open every day (except Monday) from 9:30 to 6 pm, and until 9:45 on Thursdays. Tickets cost 12 euro.