Travel guide: Paris
My highly-curated list of Parisian favs, all the places I'm dying to visit on my next trip, and the app I use to keep them organized
First, I want to welcome all of the new faces around here! Whether you arrived via The Love List or Substack Reads (huge shout out to
❤️!), thank you so much for joining us in the Window Seat. In honor of becoming a Substack Featured Publication, I’m offering a 20% discount on all annual paid subscriptions through the end of the month! Tell a friend or two.It’s been a minute since I’ve published a travel guide. Paris feels timely given the Olympics are wrapping up this weekend, and I’ve been adding so many new hotspots to my must-visit list lately. Paris also holds an incredibly special place in my heart—it’s where my husband and I got married last year.
Here’s what you can expect below the paywall:
A highly curated list. Right now it’s shorter than you might imagine and that’s by design! I’m not going to tell you to eat at Girafe or get coffee at Café de Flore (no hate, they’re just tired recs).
Short descriptions for each place, why I love it, and some pro tips (along with a few bonus “do not go” suggestions).
The app I use to catalog my favorite spots across the world—and why it’s better than another one you’ve probably seen a lot of influencers promoting.
I feel compelled to say that, despite sharing all these places, I’m still a big proponent of self-discovery. It’s really no fun to pack your trip full of viral recs and spend all day standing in line or fighting other tourists just for a cup of coffee. You don’t get to really experience a place that way, and then it feels like nothing really belongs to you. And no—nothing ever really does—but that feeling you get when you happen upon something new to you? I can tell you it’s usually way better than that coffee tastes.
My tip? Pick a few places you’re really excited to go to. Use those as anchors to plan your days around. For example, if you know you absolutely must go home with a film strip from the vintage photo booth in Montmartre, that can be your anchor location for one day of your trip. Visit your anchor, then stash your map. Be willing to wander; see where the road leads you. I think travel is so much more fulfilling this way.