Bonjour! I recently visited Paris on a solo trip in December, right before Christmas. Discover all the spots I visited in the French capital on my way home from Washington DC. Enjoy!

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It felt good to be back in Paris after five years since my last visit, when my best friend and I were both in the French capital and in Lille, further north.

At the end of this post, you will find a Paris map with all the attractions and restaurants that I covered during this trip, but before that let’s jump into my itinerary broken down day by day. Here we go!

What to see in Paris

Before jumping into the details of my Parisian 5-day stay in December, let me briefly share with you the overview of my itinerary in the capital of France:

• Day 1: flight from Washington DC to Paris + catching up with friends
• Day 2: Arc de Triomphe + Champs Elysées + Place Clémenceau + Grand Palais & Petit Palais + Eiffel Tower + Les Invalides + Palais Garnier
• Day 3: Montmartre + Musée du Louvre
• Day 4: Canal St Martin + island of St Louis and La Cité
• Day 5: travel back home

And by the way, did I already mention that Paris in December is even more beautiful than usual thanks to all the Christmas decorations and festive vibes? 🙂

Day 1 – Flight from Washington DC to Paris + catching up with friends

I left DC at 5:25 p.m. on a Friday and I landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at 6:30 a.m. the next day. After that, I took the RER B train to Chatelet and then I changed to the RER A to Charles de Gaulle Étoile, the metro station under the famous Arc de Triomphe (around one hour in total). I walked five minutes down avenue Foch until I reached the tiny apartment I had booked through Airbnb on rue Chalgrin (see details below – Where to sleep in Paris). After a well deserved shower and a ´pain chocolat aux amandes‘ (a pastry with chocolate and almonds), I slept for a few hours. To be honest, I was truly exhausted!

Read all my posts about Paris for more inspiration!

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After the morning rest, I decided to go sightseeing. Since I was staying next to the Arc de Triomphe, I ate a croque madame right there, at the Café le Triomphe (8, Av. de la Grande Armée). First things first because I don’t want to mess up with my food! 🙂

Following the lunch break, I began my walk along Av. Friedland and Blvd. Haussmann. I then met with my high school friend Mathieu and we had a coffee on the terrace of the Triadou brasserie (80, Blvd. Haussmann). His friends joined us later and we ended up having dinner at l’Art Source, a snack and wine bar in Montorgueil (6, rue Marie Stuart). I was really excited to eat delicious cold meat. What a joy to be back in Europe!

Day 2 – Exploring the must-sees in Paris

On Sunday I also started exploring from the Arc de Triomphe, with a Nutella crêpe handy this time around. I walked down the Champs Elysées and I stopped down at the Place Clémenceau Christmas Market. After passing by the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, I crossed the imposing bridge Pont Alexandre III, built towards the end of the 19th century to celebrate the friendship between France and Russia. I kept wandering until I reached the Eiffel Tower and I went up to the Trocadéro to admire the view from there. After crossing over Viaduc de Passy, I headed to the area around École Militaire and Les Invalides and I stopped at a pastry shop near the Cambronne metro station before visiting my friend Mathilde at her place.

After catching up with her, I took an evening stroll back to my Airbnb apartment passing by the Opera House (Palais Garnier) , the Boulevard des Capucines, place Vendôme, rue Cambon (famous for housing Chanel’s iconic boutique), rue du Faubourg St. Honoré, the Palais de l’Élysée (the official residence of the French President), Avenue Matignon and the Champs Elysées. I dined at the Pomme de Pain on the Champs-Elysées, a fast-food chain known for its sandwiches.
Something that I was expecting but that still surprised me was seeing heavily armed soldiers in Paris’ most iconic locations, although it fully made sense following the terrorist attacks on November 13.

Day 3 – Montmartre + Musée du Louvre

I woke up really early on Monday since I was ‘moving into’ my friend Mélanie’s place before she went to work. Hence, I headed to the Clichy neighborhood first thing in the morning. After dropping my luggage there, I had breakfast at a great café-brasserie next to the Place de Clichy metro station (Le Petit Poucet – 5, Place de Clichy). I started my morning walk taking the Boulevard de Clichy until I reached the Moulin Rouge ( if you haven’t watched this movie starring Nicole Kidman yet, you should). I wandered through the Montmartre area and its steep streets, passed by the deserted Place du Tertre (famous for its painters) and ended up inside the Sacré Coeur basilica to get away from the cold weather for a while.

At noon I met with my friend Mathieu again and we ate at le Zinc d’Honoré (36, Place du Marché St Honoré). Since it was too cold to be walking around, I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at the Louvre Museum. Lastly, I met Mélanie in Clichy to have an evening drink at L’entracte (7, rue Biot) and catch up.

Day 4 – Canal St Martin + island of St Louis and La Cité

On Tuesday, I had a quiet breakfast by myself at my friend’s house before heading to the 10ème arrondissement, more specifically to the Place de la République area. I walked along the Canal St Martin, saw the Hôpital St Louis and passed by the infamous locations where the terrorist attacks on November 13 took place, still covered with flowers and mourning notes: le petit Cambodge restaurant, le Carillon bistrot, and the Bataclan concert hall. I kept walking along Boulevard Beaumarchais, stopped to buy a slice of quiche lorraine at Moisson des Saveurs (86, Blvd. Beaumarchais) and arrived at Place des Vosges.

From there I walked to the Place de la Bastille, passed through the Boulevard Henri IV and arrived at the ancients islands where Paris was born: St Louis and la Cité. I met again with my friend Mathilde at Notre Dame Cathedral and we walked towards the Sorbonne university area. We had a snack at the Columbus Café & Co. (21, rue Soufflot) and continued walking despite the fact that it started to rain a lot. We passed by the Jardins du Luxembourg, the Senate, St Sulpice, St Germain des Prés, the Musée d’Orsay and the docks along the Seine river. We rounded off our stay with a glass of wine at le Grand Corona (3, place de l’Alma). Then I joined my friend Mélanie and some other friends of hers to attend a theater play ‘Le porteur d’histoire‘ at the Studio des Champs Élysées (15, Av. Montaigne).

Day 5 – Riding back home

On Wednesday, the stay in Paris came to an end and it was time to go home. In the afternoon I boarded a train from Montpartnasse station heading to Hendaye.

Watch this recap reels of my trip to the French capital in December.

In case I missed it…

Note to myself ( 🙂 ) for my next visit. Explore the following:

• exhibitions at the Petit Palais, housing the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris
• stroll along the Jardins du Luxembourg
• take a ride on board of a bateau mouche,
• admire the impressionist paintings at the Musée d’Orsay
• wander around the Cimetière du père Lachaise.

Where to eat in Paris

For your ease of reference, below you will find all the foodie locations I visited during my stay in Paris that are mentioned throughout this post. Bon appétit!

• Café le Triomphe (8, Av. de la Grande Armée): I ate a croque madame in this French café next to Arc de Triomphe. If you’re wandering what a croque madame is, or what the difference is between a croque monsieur and a croque madame is, let me explain. Croque monsieur is basically a twist on the basic ham and cheese sandwich, which comes with white sauce and grated Emmental cheese on top. In addition to that, croque madame is served with a fried egg. Yum!
• Triadou brasserie (80, Blvd. Haussmann): I met here with my high school friend Mathieu and we had a great time catching up over coffee.
• L’Art Source (6, rue Marie Stuart): I had dinner at this snack and wine bar in Montorgueil with Mathieu’s friends. Good wines and cold meat.
• Pomme de Pain: located right on the Champs-Elysées, I dined at this fast-food chain known for its sandwiches.
• Le Petit Poucet (5, Place de Clichy): if you’re looking for the quintessential French café to have your breakfast / croissant fix, look no further. This café-brasserie next to the Place de Clichy metro station is your place to go.
• Zinc d’Honoré (36, Place du Marché St Honoré): located next to Place Vendôme, I had lunch here with my friend Mathieu.
• L’entracte (7, rue Biot): I caught up with my friend Mélanie over drinks at this bar next to her place.
• Columbus Café & Co. (21, rue Soufflot): café near the Sorbonne area, where I had a break with my friend Mathilde.
• Le Grand Corona (3, place de l’Alma): I had a glass of wine with Mathilde in this brasserie close to the Eiffel Tower and some of Paris’ theaters.

In addition to all these bars, cafés and restaurants, don’t miss out on the delicious French food going from mouthwatering pastries (chocolatines, pain chocolat aux amandes, croissants, macarons, you name it!) to famous ingredients such as foie gras or duck (canard), without of course forgetting the wines and the champagne!

Where to sleep in Paris

I stayed two nights in an Airbnb very conveniently located next to Arc de Triomphe, on rue Chalgrin. Although the apartment was tiny, location-wise it was on point!

I also crashed at a friend’s apartment for two more nights.

For more accommodation options in Paris, feel free to check out Booking or Airbnb, my go-to places wherever I travel.

Paris map with my itinerary

Below you will find a Paris map with all the attractions and restaurants that I covered during my stay in the French capital in the month of December. Make sure to save it for later in case you’re traveling there soon!

Where to travel beyond Paris

The French capital is a magnet for tourists and there’s certainly a lot to do, be it in December or during any other month of the year.

Browse my France destination page for more ideas!

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Did you enjoy reading this post? Have you been to Paris in December? Let me know in the comments below.

✈️ Curious to know where I’ll be traveling next? ✈️

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In the meantime, safe travels around the world!