Coucou tout le monde depuis Paris!
Hello, finally, from Paris! I’ve had one-too-many chocolat chauds and crepes au sucre on my trip to the City of Love. And honestly? You’ll hear no complaining or regrets from me. In fact, I’ll have 10 more!
There really is something so special about sitting at Les Deux Magot’s sidewalk tables on Boulevard Saint-Germain, sipping on the most nostalgic cup of chocolat chaud viennois and people watching. While the Parisian sun is fairly strong this time of year (totally unlike New England’s), the air is just cold enough to necessitate that I carry my gloves in my purse and wrap my scarf tightly around my neck. There are about a thousand photos in my “Paris” album, but I’m always going to reminisce about every alleyway, pain au chocolat, and golden-hued streetlamp that makes Paris, well, Paris.
Since I am an art historian—beyond being a devout (and self-proclaimed) foodie—I stopped by as many galleries, museums, and public art spaces as possible during my visit. Yet, my favorite by far has to have been the Louvre, with its winding halls (where I definitely got lost more than once…) and far too-crowded galleries. I saw paintings and sculptures that I have only dreamed of seeing in person, and yes, I shamelessly admit that I battled the crowds just to get a picture of the Mona Lisa… But what ended up being the most magical part of my dallying around the Seine was my experience after leaving the Louvre, and my comfy seat in the Jardin des Tuileries, to cross the Pont des Arts into Paris’ sixth arrondissement.
The 6éme, also called Luxembourg or Le Luco, is one of Paris’ central arrondissements on the Rive Gauche. The Luxembourg Palace and Gardens are in this neighborhood, along with famous institutions like Café de Flore and Café Procope. People like Jorge Luis Borges (my favorite poet) and Albert Camus lived in the 6éme during their lives, and with all the university students roaming the narrow streets, it felt that the neighborhood was bursting with a creative energy that sang with every step I dared to take further inside. Beyond melting at the smell of French pastries that wafted from every café corner (and resisting the urge to buy them all) or admiring the outfits of every chic Parisian woman who passed by, the 6éme truly has a magical je ne sais quois to it.
So, of course, here is my guide for what to do in the 6éme—specifically in Saint-Germain-des-Prés—from le pet’t-dejuner to dîner. Allons-y!
BREAKFAST ON RUE DE BUCI
Rue de Buci is lined with brasseries, boulangeries, and patisseries galore. But the one that always drew me in, with its striped red and white awning, was Smith’s Bakery, which was recommended across many Instagram-recommended reels. So, of course, I gave in and went inside. The rows of neatly ordered patisseries and viennoiseries were calling my name, but for an early morning outing, I opted for a classic latte macchiatto and pain au chocolat. After paying, they made my coffee in the machine behind the counter and handed me everything on a little tray that I then took over to my seat right across from the pastry refrigerators. Inside Smith’s Bakery, there are two small round tables pressed up against the wall, which can get pretty cramped as a line of people starts forming around 10:00 to 10:30. Their seats outside offer a great view of Rue de Seine and Rue de Buci, and I loved watching the shop owners preparing for the day and customers emerging from Potager City with bags full of fresh fruit.
If you’re feeling a bit more peckish or more of a sit-down vibe, I definitely recommend crossing the street (make sure to look both ways for the bicycles!) and checking out Paul’s selection of pastries, breads, and sandwiches (my personal favorite is their jambon et fromage). A combination of a boulangerie and a patisserie, Paul quite literally offers everything a girl could want for a Parisian breakfast, from salty tartines to delicious desserts. In 2021, the space’s refurbishment was entrusted to interior designer Emilie Bonaventure who brought back Hausmann charm with pops of green, black, white, and blue, blending old and contemporary through a “vision of a chic and gourmet Parisian.”
LUNCH AT VIANDAS DE SALAMANCA
Their motto is “Le Meilleur Bocadillo du Monde,” and since I haven’t been to Spain (yet), I would most definitely agree. Just a block away from Paul and Smith’s Bakery on Rue de Buci, Viandas de Salamanca offers a taste of Spain right in the heart of Boulevard Saint-Germain. As someone who grew up eating cured meats, I was so excited to have found this place, and am safe to say that it did not disappoint! Along with their gorgeous sandwich layout, they have a massive selection of cheese and cured meats to purchase. Definitely will be buying those and a baguette from Paul to have my own pique-nique at Jardin de Luxembourg next time I’m there!
For about 7€, you can get a decent-sized bocadillo, only for take away since they don’t have places to sit inside the shop. When I walked in, they were out of their famous pata negra sandwiches (clearly, a popular choice!), but I went for their regular sandwich jamón et fromage. With my purchase, the man behind the counter offered me pieces of jamon or queso in a cone for a few extra euros, which I of course said yes to and devoured in an instant. Will be dreaming about this for a while!!
LOUVRE VISIT
Upon booking my flight to Paris, the first ticket I booked right after was to the Louvre. I decided to get a timed entry ticket for 1:30pm which, in hindsight, was the best decision. When I got to the Louvre Pyramid, I entered to the left, beating the line of people in the stand-by or non-timed-ticket line. Around this time, the museum was still fairly crowded—when is it not?—and there was extra security since the theft a few weeks ago. In front of the Apollo Gallery, where the notorious theft took place, there were four guards. *A note for those who want to visit the Louvre, the Apollo galleries were closed when I was there and it seems that they will be for the forseeable future.
I began my visit in the Sully Wing, slowly making my way up to Levels 0 and 1, where I later switched to the Denon Wing. The Romanist in me was thrilled to see the Louvre’s collection of Roman art, but they were all gone, since the museum is updating their Roman wing. Disappointment aside, since I was able to take some gorgeous pictures of the golden, stuccoed ceilings and ceiling paintings in the space, I moved on. The museum is impossible to cover in one day, let alone two, so I ended up sticking to the Denon Wing to see the museum’s most famous masterpieces.
After finishing up with Greek Art and the European Sculptures, I went up the Daru staircase to see the antiquity that I had been wanting to see for the longest time: The Winged Victory of Samothrace. The Daru is an extremely busy staircase, with influencers posing for pictures in front of it, tour guides trying to speak over the crowds of people clamoring about, and people just trying to enter and exit the galleries in peace. What the staircase does provide is an uninhibited view of the sculpture from all angles!
After the Winged Victory, I followed the signs to see the French, Italian, British, and American paintings, a long corridor encompassing almost half of the Denon Wing’s Floor 1. I strolled amongst some of the most famous paintings we covered in the AP Art History course I took my junior year of high school, including La Grande Odalisque by Ingres, Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix, and Da Vinci’s La Belle Ferronnière. I was completely captivated by canvas after canvas, panel after panel, and sculpture after sculpture that lined the walls of this hall. It’s hard to believe that Lous XIV thought that the Louvre was too small for him, when I felt dwarfed by the massive polychrome columns that lined the walls.
And, of course, I had to see the Mona Lisa. While I wasn’t let down by “the world’s most disappointing masterpiece,” the sensation of being pushed and shoved by strangers wedging phone cameras and selfie-sticks in between my person wasn’t exactly what I would describe to be a pleasant viewing experience. If you’re looking to have a contemplative moment with the Mona Lisa, I would suggest trying to squeeze in on one of the two sides, rather than approaching it head on. There were less people on those sides, since everyone was trying to get a frontal photo of her. I finished up my trip to the Louvre in the Etruscan Galleries, seeing the famed Sarcophagus of the Spouses and marveling at the bucchero pottery, before making my way out of the museum around 4:00pm for le goûter.
GOÛTER ET APERO AT LES DEUX MAGOTS OR CAFE LE FLORE
For those unfamiliar with le goûter, it’s literal meaning in French is “to taste,” but it has become a beloved and sacred moment of the day for an afternoon snack, just like the merienda in Spain, Italy, and Argentina. While many are familiar with it as a pause for children between lunch at noon and dinner in the evening, many adults take part in le goûter, be it a small chouquette or pain au chocolat. Having already been down Rue de Buci, I decided to go a bit further into Saint-Germain-des-Prés, continuing my earlier sojourn down Boulevard Saint-Germain to two of the most famous cafés in the world: Les Deux Magots and Café le Flore.
Famous for their renowned clientele, including Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Pablo Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway, these two cafés are institutions in Paris, so I decided to visit them both (on different days of course).
My choice of goûter was the same at both places: a chocolat chaud and a pastry. But my experience was different at both places—as it should be!—and I report back with nothing but good news. For me, Les Deux Magots had the better chocolat chaud. It was rich, chocolate ganache-y, and a steaming cup of absolute goodness. I sat outside, enjoying the sunshine and watching the cars go by on the Boulevard. But in terms of the pastries? Café le Flore takes the cake, no pun intended. Their tarte au citron was sour and sweet, hitting all my cravings at once. At Café le Flore, I sat inside, the warmth of the decoration and the heater making it feel like I was having tea at the Grove.
APÉRO
For my obligatory apéro, I opted for Les Deux Magots’ classic St. Germain Spritz. I’ve had a few St. Germain Spritzes in New York, but there is nothing like a St. Germain Spritz in Saint Germain. Perfect way to start the evening!
DÎNER AT IL VICOLO
And finally, for dinner, I chose a quaint little restaurant just peeking out of the apartment buildings on Rue Mazarine called Il Vicolo. Having had some of the best Italian food in my life throughout Italy (from Tuscany down to Puglia), I had high hopes and expectations for this place, which, in the end, were 150% met. From the moment I walked in the door to the moment I left, I felt all of the Italian hospitality that Il Vicolo offered. They took my coat, showed me to my seat, and chatted with me as though I lived in the apartments right next door. And if there is one thing I love more than good food, it’s a good ambience, and Il Vicolo captured that blend perfectly for me. Loredana, Luca, and Francesco—the family trio that run the place—are some of the kindest souls I met across Paris. If I could go back and have dinner there every night, I absolutely would.
We began dinner with an amuse-bouche, an hors d’œuvre with compliments from the chef, Maurizio Carlucci. My glass of wine, a delicious 2019 Barolo, was delectable with the warm bread that came from the kitchen. For dinner, I decided on their Antica Maccheroneria, which comes with sautéed clams, candied cherry tomatoes, and Calabrian pepper. It was truly a masterpiece in a dish—absolutely divine. Other popular plates I noticed around me were the focaccina, the casoncelli bergamaschi, and the ravioli di ricotta di bufala e spinaci saltati. For dessert, I had their pistachio gelato. What a treat! Honestly, I think it might just rank higher than the pistachio gelato that I have come to love at Osteria del Biano in New York, but don’t tell anyone!
And as the sun finally dipped behind the Hausmann roofs on the 6éme, I couldn’t help but feel that the entire neighborhood had lured me in and left a piece of itself in the corner of my mind. After a full day in the neighborhood, with a brief bout to the Louvre, I walked along the sidewalks of Rue Mazarin with my scarf tucked into my coat, with well over 15,000 steps counted on my phone. Passing along the Pont des Arts once more, I stopped to admire the Seine, the glowy yellow hues of the European street lamps reflecting across every surface on the bridge, including the clustered lovers locks that still remained. As I stared back at the dome of the Institut de France, I wondered what about it had captured my heart and refused to let go.
Spending a day in the 6éme feels like diving into one of my many, carefully curated Pinterest boards. At every street corner there’s something new, something inviting. There are for sure hundreds of places I missed, but that’s the magic of a place like Le Luco. The magic of this quartier isn’t in the way it looks, but in the way it invited me to slow down. To breath. To wander the small streets and boulevards without purpose. To remember what it feels like to live fully in the moment rather than just capturing it and moving on. Every part of the 6éme whispered for me to stay a little longer. And I did. Just me, the occasional passerby, and the Seine, under the midnight Paris sky.