How to Spend the Perfect Weekend in Paris – this post is all about what to do in Paris, where to stay in Paris and where to eat vegan food in Paris.
Our daughter was about to turn 16 years old so we told her that she could choose a family weekend trip to anywhere within a 3 hour flight from Lisbon. Being that she loves food, especially pastries, and thrift shopping, she chose to spend the weekend in Paris, France. This blog post is all about how to spend the perfect weekend in Paris! 
where to stay in paris – how to spend the perfect weekend in paris
Check out this amazing list of places to stay in Paris: HOTELS AND APARTMENTS IN PARIS, FRANCE
AMAZING PAID + SUPER FUN EXPERIENCES
- Seine River Cruise – this is the top-selling Seine River cruise in Paris (for good reason)!
- Skip the line Arc De Triomphe Rooftop Tickets – enjoy the magical view of Paris from this iconic arch
- Versailles Palace + Garden Full Access tickets – you can’t miss Versailles while in Paris!
- Disneyland Paris 1-Day Ticket – if you are traveling with kids, they will LOVE Disneyland Paris!
- Catacombs Skip the Line Ticket and Audio Guide – if you like creepy/strange tours, then this is perfect for you!
- Skip the Line Ticket to St. Chapelle – do you want to see the most amazing church ever? Then, I highly suggest this ticket to visit St. Chapelle.
Short backstory
If you have read our previous posts, you know that we are a vegan family of 4 that moved from Austin, Texas to Portugal in July. Check it out here: WE MOVED TO PORTUGAL! We spent the first 2.5 weeks in Cascais, then 8 days in Porto and now we are in Lisbon, where we will have been living full-time since August.
how to spend The perfect weekend in Paris
After an uneventful 2.5 hour flight on Transavia from Lisbon, we arrived to Paris in the early evening on Friday. Once we exited Orly airport, we took a taxi to the vacation rental. The taxi ride took more than 40 minutes (double the normal amount of time) due to heavy traffic. It was self-check in at the apartment rental. The owner sent us instructions on how to get the keys from a lock box at a nearby grocery story.
Once we got the keys and dropped our small backpacks at the apartment, we walked to Aujourd’hui Demain for dinner. They were incredibly busy! If you visit, don’t go during their busiest times, which I presume is exactly when we went. It took over an hour to get our food, which isn’t a good thing when you are “hangry.” We finally got our food (a couple of veggie burgers, mac n cheeze, nachos and pancakes) and devoured it within minutes.
After eating, we walked around the Bastille and Opera area and then walked back to our apartment. Fernando and I greatly enjoyed the balcony on our 5th floor walk-up apartment with lovely views of a typical Parisian street. We went to bed relatively early so we could get up early to spend the entire day walking around Paris and seeing the sights. 
Saturday
Fernando and I (per usual) got up earlier than the kids so we walked to the local Farmer’s Market and Bio market to pick up some food for breakfast. The Farmer’s Market was gorgeous and just what you have likely seen in the movies filmed in Paris. It was colorful and full of gorgeous, plump fruits and veggies. After picking up a few fruits and veggies, we headed back to the apartment for breakfast. 
After we ate, the kids and I walked downstairs and one block over so we could marvel at the colorful, charming Rue Cremieux. We had to take some photos and a couple of walking videos of this picturesque street. Then, Maia and I walked to the various thrift shops on our list as it was her birthday and she wanted to spend the day thrifting. Matias and Fernando walked around Paris to see the sights and ended up at the Louvre garden.
These are the thrift shops that we went to:
Kilo shop, 69 Rue de la Verrerie
Croix Rouge, 36 rue Geoffroy l’Asnier
Le Marais area
Maia found a few treasures at Free P Star, which definitely weren’t as affordable as what we are used to in a thrift shop. Then we found some like-new condition Converse at Croix Rouge for only 4€ – score! Nonetheless, the few items that Maia found are very unique and she’s already worn them a couple of times so it was definitely worth it. The thrift stores all seem to be concentrated in roughly the same area. This area (Le Marais) is very popular among tourists and locals alike. It was so cool to see all of the Pride flags and rainbow crosswalks along with the people watching of the myriad of fashionistas around. 
Land & Monkeys
After our thrifting experience, Maia and I met up with the boys at Land & Monkeys for a quick vegan lunch. We ordered a couple of the pre-made sandwiches and the quiche as well as a few pastries and desserts. Everything was delicious! After eating at Land & Monkeys, we walked back to our apartment so we could rest a bit before going out to dinner to properly celebrate Maia’s birthday. Along our walk, we stopped at Place des Vosges and greatly enjoyed the ambience and watching all of the fashionable Parisians enjoying a lovely Fall day at the garden. 
Coulee Verte Renee-Dumont
While the kids relaxed at home, Fernando and I went to the Paris Highline (which was a model for the NYC Highline). This Highline is called Coulee Verte Renee-Dumont and it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. The Highline in NYC is also one of my favorite things to do so this doesn’t come as a surprise. This walking trail is a former railway and it’s elevated from the ground which affords gorgeous views of the buildings nearby. There are trees, shrubs and native vegetation throughout the trail and the Fall colors were on full display. I highly recommend a visit to this idyllic spot! 
saturday night dinner
Fernando and I walked back to the apartment and talked to the kids about where we would go to dinner. It was getting late and several places that we had on our list would be busy and likely closing soon. I was hoping to have a special birthday dinner for Maia, but thankfully, she isn’t too picky. We ended up getting takeaway Asian food at Vege Saveur’s which we brought back to the apartment. It was decent and the most affordable meal we had in Paris. We savored our food on the enchanting balcony with a nice view of Parisian buildings. After dinner, we just hung out as it was getting cold outside and preferred to stay inside where it was nice and cozy.
Sunday
On Sunday, Fernando and I ventured out relatively early so we could get pastries from our favorite vegan spot in Paris – VG Patisserie. As we were walking towards the bakery, we happened upon a marathon. Some of the streets were closed and there was a consistent flow of runners where we needed to cross the street. So, we had to weave our way through the runners so we could cross the street. I felt like we were playing Frogger. Of course, prior to crossing, we stopped to cheer along the runners. Once we got to VG Patisserie, everything looked divine so we may have ordered a bit more than anticipated. It was pretty expensive, but totally worth it. I mean, how often do you come to Paris?? We ordered several croissants (OMG – so delicious!), desserts and a couple of macarons. This place is a must visit when in Paris! 
Jardin des Plantes
After returning with the treats, we decided to walk around Paris without a specific itinerary to just enjoy the sights. If you know me, I don’t usually do unplanned things while traveling. For trips, I do massive research and make a list of things to do, places to visit and where to eat. Despite this not being how I typically travel, it was fun and definitely more spontaneous. We decided to visit the Eiffel Tower by walking and stopping at several places along the way. First, we walked to Jardin des Plantes. I was mesmerized by the lush garden full of life, color, textures and sizes. What an amazing garden – if you like gardens and greenery, this is a must visit! And bonus points – it’s free!
Seine River
After exploring the garden, we made our way back to the Seine River to follow the path towards the Eiffel Tower. The path is lovely and everywhere you look, there’s something utterly amazing to see. As we approached the Louvre, we needed to use the restroom. We remembered from our last visit in 2019 that there is a mall near the Louvre with bathrooms. After making our way there, we were shocked that it costs 2€ per person to use the bathroom. However, we were desperate so we shelled out the money to use the toilets.
Love Juice Bar
At that point, we were also hungry. We hung out in the garden outside the Louvre for a bit so we could look at our favorite travel app, Happy Cow, to see which restaurants were open. Unfortunately, since it was Sunday, almost all of the vegan restaurants were closed. Happy Cow led us to a juice bar/healthy snack type of place that was open called Love Juice Bar so we walked there to replenish ourselves. We each got smoothies and a couple of chickpea salad toasts and 1 almond butter cocoa nibs toast. This was our most expensive meal in Paris and the least amount of food for it! Yikes! After consuming our snacks, we were so close to the Eiffel Tower that we could see it in the background of the street we were walking on. But, we had to stop along the way to buy a couple of fresh baguettes since we were still hungry after eating our snacks. The baguettes were mouth-watering good and still hot from the oven. We snacked on them along our walk to the Eiffel Tower.
Eiffel Tower
Next time, we are definitely doing this TOUR. On our trip to Paris in 2019, we spent a lot of time at the Eiffel Tower, so we didn’t spend a lot of time during this trip. We went near the tower so we could take some photos with our delicious baguette. After spending about 20 minutes hanging out on a bench while eating the baguettes, we walked to the nearest subway station and took the subway near the apartment. Since we stopped at quite a few places along the way, it took us approximately 5 hours to walk to the Eiffel Tower. At this point, we were pretty exhausted from our full day outside walking and wanted to rest a bit at the apartment. We also had to pack our small backpacks for our return home the next morning. 
AUJOURD’HUI Demain
After resting for a bit, Fernando and I went out again to take advantage of our last night in Paris. We walked to Aujour’hui Demain and it was super busy like on Friday night when we ate dinner there. They have a vegan grocery store inside so we looked at all of the offerings. We bought some candy treats, snacks and frozen pizza. Then, we returned to the apartment so we could bake the pizza for dinner and enjoy the pastries we got at VG Patisserie afterwards. This was a perfect, yet super chill way to spend our last night in Paris. We hung out a bit and then went to bed early since we had to take a taxi at 5:00 a.m. to Orly airport for our 7:00 a.m. flight back to Lisbon. THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT HOW TO SPEND THE PERFECT WEEKEND IN PARIS.
Au’revoir Paris – We love you! 
Orly Airport
We checked in online 30 hours before our flight and since we had tiny backpacks, we just had to go through security and then we were good to go. It only took about 10 minutes so we had quite a lot of time to spend at Orly airport. I want to take this time to show my gratitude towards this amazing airport. We were in Terminal 3, which appears to be the newest part of the airport. It’s ultra-modern, sleek and it has comfy areas to sit and plug in your device. There is also a Playstation area, which was on pause because of Covid. Once it opens again, this will be a great place for kids and teens to hang out while waiting for their flights.
While wandering around the airport, I saw that they had a Ladurée, which is famous for their macarons. I stopped in to see if they had any vegan options and they had exactly one – blood orange ginger. I bought one for each of us. We absolutely relished it and let the burst of flavors and textures melt in our mouth. I wish they had more vegan options because those were the ultimate treat!
where to stay in paris
- Budget-friendly + comfy apartment
- 11th arrondisement + sustainble hotel
- Comfy + great location apartment
- Luxury + amazing location apartment
- Splurge worthy + LOCATION
highly recommended experiences in paris
- Hop on/hop off Paris bus tour
- Illuminated Seine River Cruise
- Eiffel Tower Guided Tour tickets
- Skip the Line Arc de Triomphe
- Versailles Skip the Line tickets
Paris is like a dream! HOW TO SPEND THE PERFECT WEEKEND IN PARIS
We had an amazing time in Paris, but felt like the time flew by! Next time, we plan on spending longer than a weekend there. When we visited Paris in 2019, we spent an entire week and truly, that wasn’t long enough either. There are so many amazing activities to do in Paris, places to eat and more that it really deserves a couple of weeks time or even longer, if possible. Have you been to Paris? What are your top recommendations of things to do there? Or places to eat awesome vegan food?
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THE 5 ITEMS WE WERE SO HAPPY TO HAVE FOR ALL OF OUR TRIPS:
- Merrell women’s light hiking shoes – these are amazing because they are lightweight, but are extra grippy and helpful! I also have this pair that I always get compliments on: Merrell Rainbow shoes. Fernando loves his Asics trail runners which are also grippy and perfect for walking on cobblestone streets.
- Thermoflask water bottle – like a Hydroflask, but more affordable! We don’t go anywhere without these water bottles full of purified water.
- North Face Aphrodite 2.0 capris – Seriously, I wear these pants every.single.day! I couldn’t live without these ultra-comfy, lightweight pants that dry so quickly. They are 100% worth the money!
- Osprey Day Pack – this is an awesome lightweight backpack! We easily put the belongings we need at hand for traveling around the city and on public transportation.
- Travel-friendly chewable toothpaste tablets – these are so fantastic for keeping your teeth clean on the go!
OUR FAVORITE EUROPEAN SERVICES:
- DISCOVER CARS – If you want to rent a car while you’re in Europe, our favorite car rental aggregator is Discover Cars. We frequently rent cars, and they always have the best prices and great quality vehicles.
- iTalki – if you want to learn another language before traveling to Europe or while you’re there, we love iTalki. We highly recommend their language services.
- NORD VPN – perfect to use your technology in other countries!
- Airalo E-Sim – this let’s you use your phone anywhere in the world without having to get a physical sim! We use this all the time when we travel outside Europe!
- For fun activities in each city, check out Viator and their recommendations.
- Big Bus Tours – the perfect way to see the city when you first arrive!
- Get Transfer – transfers between all of the airports and cities
THIS POST WAS ALL ABOUT HOW TO SPEND THE PERFECT WEEKEND IN PARIS!
HERE’S ANOTHER ARTICLE I WROTE FOR GET YOUR GUIDE ABOUT PARIS:
HOW TO HAVE A FABULOUS TRIP TO PARIS FRANCE
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