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It’s been awhile since I last updated this blog {three years to be exact!}. Wow, how time flies! Since I’ve last blogged, I moved back to California and got married {I hope to share highlights from the best day ever on this blog}! It’s time to remove the cobwebs to make way for a new post on a city that is very dear to my heart. Let’s dive in!

The hubby {will call him “T”} and I embarked on a 10-day trip to Paris, France with no set itinerary other than to relax, eat and drink all day, every day. We recently were in Paris for our honeymoon back in September but loved our time there so much, we decided to go back. At first, we thought a 10 day trip to only Paris would be too long and too much considering that we typically only spend 3-4 days max in any city we’ve traveled to. But in hindsight, 10 days flew by and it left us wanting to visit this city even more frequently.

I hope this comprehensive Paris travel guide will help make planning for Paris easier for you!

BEST AREA TO STAY IN PARIS

Le Marais, hands down.

There are lots of cute boutiques, restaurants, cafes and bars in the 3rd/4th district. We used Airbnb for the first time in September to book a last minute trip to Paris during our honeymoon in Europe and loved the experience. For extended stays, I highly recommend staying at an apartment so you can do laundry {be sure to include washer + dryer in your search filter}, get a great sense of the Parisian life {bring back goods from the market} and enjoy having it the comfort of a home.

BEST RESTAURANTS / EATS IN PARIS

We had so many delicious meals in Paris. Here are some of our favorites!

Keep in mind:

• Make reservations, especially for dinner {call or make reservations in person}. A lot of the restaurants are small and book up really fast!
• There are no reservations at Holybelly or Kunitoraya. Get in line early at Holybelly or you’ll miss out on breakfast and will be waiting in a long line!
• L’avant Comptoir is a standing bar. If you prefer to dine at a seated table instead, dine next door at their cafe, Le Comptoir du Relais.

BEST SNACKS / FOOD IN PARIS

Some notes about French wines, baguettes, cheese and foie gras …

• French wines – I have to admit when it comes to European wines, I am clueless. Most wines I love come from Napa Valley. But on this trip, I discovered wines from Bordeaux and ordered it at every restaurant that carried wine from this region. It’s similar to a Merlot/Cabernet and it can be bold and dry… just how I like my wine!
• Get baguettes at a Boulangerie – The French take their baguettes seriously. There are laws in place for how and where baguettes can be made. If you see Boulangerie or Boulanger in the name or on the store signage, they bake and sell their breads on premise. Shops that bake them from frozen dough or from dough brought in from a factory or have the breads brought to the shop are Depot de Pain. For the freshest and tastiest baguettes, look for “Boulangerie/Boulanger”.
• French cheese – there is so many, especially brie! Some personal favorites include any camembert {similar to brie, made from cow’s milk}, comte {a hard cheese from unpasteurized cow’s milk}, and brie in the smaller disc size, so gooey and delicious!
• Foie gras – visit Pierre Champion for the foie gras in the refrigerated area. Go to Contesse du Barry to get terreine in various flavors {packaging is cute + colorful}, goose and duck foie gras as gifts.

BEST EXPERIENCES IN PARIS

During this trip, we did very few touristy things. We love French food so many of our experiences involved food. Here are some fun things we did.

The French cooking class is typically 5-6 hours long and worth every penny. You get to learn how to shop for the freshest ingredients, how to be efficient in the kitchen and much more. Don’t forget to book in advance! Oh a visit to Versailles is a must as well!

BEST PLACES TO SHOP

• Le Marais area for cute, local boutiques with amazing leather goods, etc.
• Printemps de L’Homme {64 Boulevard Haussmann} for a one-stop shop for all the name brand, luxury items which I highly recommend purchasing in Paris. It’s slightly cheaper than the US due to the tax refund for items purchased over $170 euro.
• Chanel {31 Rue de Chambon} – the flagship, oldest Chanel store. This location carries more inventory than the other stores and the shopping bag is a souvenir in itself as it has the “31 Rue de Chambon” imprint. Ask the sales associate if you can take a photo on the famous mirrored staircase where Coco sat to get a view of the entire boutique.
• Sezane – Love everything about this French fashion brand.

And there you have it!

What are your favorite spots in Paris?

p.s. Look out for the next travel post on travel tips such as how to get your tax refund and how to make your stay in Paris as easy + comfortable as possible!

We headed to Venice {Venezia} after Prague. Our plan in Venice was just to relax – we had no itinerary, planned activities or a list of must sees and eats {shocker!}. Venice is a town literally on water. Locals don’t live in Venice because it’s so expensive; everything has to be transported in by boat. It’s the only mean of transportation – there are no bikes or cars in Venice! Venice is about being outside. It’s like an expanded open outdoor mall with tons of small boutique and cafes/bars. The alleys are so narrow and fortunately, the canals did not leave any trails of smelly air during our time there {but I heard during the summer months, the smell is very strong}. The thing to do in Venice {or anywhere in Italy, really} is to sit outside in the patio at the cafes to sip on espresso, smoke cigarettes after cigarettes {this we did not do}, while people watching.

+ about Venice – best part of our stay was the location of our hotel which made our short trip manageable {we didn’t have to roll our bags up and down stairs, canal bridges, etc}. One of the taxi stops was literally right across from the hotel we were staying at. We stayed very close to St. Mark’s Basilica and Square. I loved the laid-back feeling of Venice. The only sit-down meal we had was for lunch when we first got into Venice. The rest of our meals consisted of hopping from bar to cafes to get bites of bruschetta, sandwiches and pizza while sipping on wine, spritz, and espresso {yes, in that order lol}. I become obsessed with spritz! We had the best tuna sandwiches! Italians drink their espresso like water which I absolutely love because it doesn’t make me feel guilty for consuming so much caffeine! The boat ride to Venice was quite interesting and the experience to get around by boat was different.

- about Venice – way too touristy. Wasn’t too impressed with their seafood selection but Venice is known for its fresh seafood. There were too many birds at St. Mark’s square, actually everywhere! The pigeons are overweight because people keep feeding them, no wonder they are everywhere! Because the only means of transportation is by water taxi, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to the train station. We missed our train but thankfully they had trains going to Florence every hour! Don’t expect great service. Also, on a side note, we did a gondola tour at night thinking it’ll be “romantic”. But quite honestly, it was so dark, you could barely see half of the sights! I recommend doing this early in the day. But beware, it’s going to be a traffic jam mayhem!

THE LOGISTICS:

• How we got to Venice from Prague: Plane booked on Orbitz
• How we got to the hotel from the airport: We took a public boat service {the dock is a long walk from the airport exit + you can buy your tickets right at the dock}
• Where we stayed in Venice: Savoia & Jolanda Hotel {best part of this hotel is the location + loved the decor {beautiful luxe fabrics, made me feel like I was really in Italy!}
• Location is everything: Stay near St. Mark’s Square and the waterfront by the taxi/boat ports
• Number of days we stayed in Venice: 2 days, 1 night {recommend: 2-3 full days}
• What to consider: Tour neighboring islands, ride the gondola during the day {book the tour through your hotel concierge}, carry cash to pay for souvenirs and snacks {if you plan on pub/cafe crawling}

VENICE // MUST SEES {Places to Visit}

1, 3// Walk around the town, stop at various bars to get a drink + snacks, soak in the culture and the relaxed atmosphere
2// St. Marks Square {visit the basilica, sit in the patio of one of the cafes and people watch, admire the overweight pigeons}
4// Souvenir shopping {I don’t really buy souvenirs/trinkets other than artwork, postcards, and food but I had to get the amazing masks!}

VENICE // MUST EATS {Good Eateries!}

1// Gelato {hello, you’re in Italy!}
2// Seafood
3// Spritz {and then get an espresso on your way out!}
4// Best tuna sandwiches at this bar

Overall, we enjoyed our short trip to Venice. It was certainly care-free traveling {sometimes not having a plan is the best thing}. We loved hanging out at the cafes/bars, standing around munching on antipastas and sipping on spritz.

If you want a short getaway, Venice would be a great place to visit. We stayed here for only 1.5 days {one night} and it was plenty. The town is very small. Stay longer if you want to visit the nearby islands.

{Photos by Tiffany Nguyen}

Not sure how I feel about Prague. As soon as we got into the center of town, we were surprised by the amount of tourists {it’s almost as worse as Venice!} flocking the pebbled streets. Prague still has a lot of catching up to do {catching up with modern times} and you can’t blame them. The country came out of communist control in the late 80’s/early 90’s. We spent a day in Terezin {built by Emperor Joseph II in the late 18th century to protect the Czech lands from the Prussians}, one of the Nazi concentration camps used for propaganda to trick the world {Red Cross} that the Nazi built this “beautification” community for the Jews. But it was really used as a transportation center to deport the Jews to Auschwitz and Treblinka death camps to be murdered. It was a somber experience.

+ about Prague – probably by far the city with the most beautiful architecture; our segway tour {you never want to do any other tour after this!} – quite honestly, it’s THE way to tour the city. The town is very hilly {almost like San Francisco} so having the electric motor go up hills was an untiring, exhilarating experience. And the Czechs got their potato dishes down!

- about Prague – overall, the food wasn’t spectacular {if you like your heavy starch – potatoes, you’d probably enjoy the food}. The bf calls it food for people living in the cold! It’s extremely hilly and lots of pebbled streets, so wear very comfortable tennis shoes. It’s full of tourists. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like during the summer months! Old town, old culture, old ways of thinking and doing business.

THE LOGISTICS:

• How we got to Prague from Vienna: The Train
• How we got to the hotel from the train station: We hiked up the pebble stone hill to get to the hotel with bags in tow {worse idea ever! i highly recommend hailing a cab, even if your hotel is only a few blocks away from the train station.}
• Where we stayed in Prague: Sax Vintage Design Hotel {the downside of this hotel is that it’s located up a hill so walking to the hotel can be painful at times; overall, i would have chosen another hotel but i do like their breakfast + it’s only walking distance to the Prague castle with amazing views of the town.}
• Location is everything: I recommend staying near the train station or the town square.
• Number of days we stayed in Prague: 2 days, 2 night {recommend: 2 full days}
• What to consider: Take a tour of Prague on a segway {best idea ever!}! You will thank me later.

PRAGUE // MUST SEES {Places to Visit}

1, 2, 3// Prague Castle + St. Vitus Cathedral {we took a hike up the hill from our hotel to get an awesome view of the city, everything closed early so we didn’t get to go inside the castle/cathedral}
4// Old Town Squre {where you can shop for souvenirs, soak up the atmosphere over a coffee or a cool beer at one of the cafes lining the square}
5// Tour the City on a Segway {one of the stops is coasting along the Vltava River + on the Charles Bridge}
6// Love Locks {a symbol of love throughout Europe, love locks along the canal near the Charles Bridge in Prague’s Mala Strana}
7// Lennon Wall {awesome photo backdrop}

PRAGUE // MUST EATS {Good Eateries!}

1// Complimentary Guest Breakfast @ Sax Vintage Design Hotel {delicious pastries!}
2 + 4// Mlejnice {we stopped here for beer, potatoes + meat}
3// Sklep {more beer + meat}

Touring Prague on a segway made the short visit to Prague enjoyable. I appreciated the architecture but as for the food, I wasn’t satisfied. Maybe it because the Vienna raised the bar pretty high.

{Photos by Tiffany Nguyen}

This next travel post is on the Chateau de Versailles in France. It’s not in the typical format of the Eurotrip Travel Series Guide where I recommend places to visit + eat. This time around, I wanted to just show images that captured the beauty of Versailles.

That said, if you’re in Paris, you must spend a day in Versailles to tour the Palace, its garden, and Marie-Antoinette’s Estate. It’s only a short train ride to the Palace from Paris!

Versailles is grand, absolutely stunning from floor to ceiling. The gardens’ perfectly manicured lawns display the style of a classic French Garden. It’s definitely a must-see + you have to see it in person. These pictures only give you a glimpse of the grandeur of France’s Palace of Versailles!

How PERFECT is this place?

{Photos by Tiffany Nguyen}

After much contemplation about what city to go to next after Paris, we finally set on going to Vienna. We got sold on Vienna when we learned that it’s the capital of classical musical and known for sweets, meats + coooffffeeee. Vienna is an unexpected charming city! We loved our stay here. If you don’t know it already but I love to eat and try different restaurants and foods. My trips to any new city typically revolve around searching for the best meals. And we certainly had the BEST MEALS in Vienna.

+ about Vienna – Vienna is such a clean city! The clean subway station goes by an honor system. The entrances don’t require you to swipe your train ticket. The people are honest, friendly, and gorgeous! I had the best boiled beef meal in my life. It was so good, we ate at the same restaurant two nights in a row and probably would come back if we had stayed longer in Vienna! They are serious about their meats. I was fascinated about the history of their beloved Emperor Franz Joseph and beautiful Empress Elisabeth. There were hardly any graffiti or at least I didn’t see any! It was a nice change after going to Paris and experiencing the mayhem. The city is so quiet. We arrived on a Saturday and we hardly saw anyone on the streets! It was so peaceful. You can tell the Austrians really love their city. It’s one of the few cities that haven’t sold its soul to tourism.

- about Vienna – none, if you come there with zero expectations!

We arrived at our layover in Frankfurt, Germany with a beautiful sunrise!

The logistics:

• How we got to Vienna from Paris: We flew Lufthansa from CDG to VIE with a stop over in Frankfurt, Germany
• How we got to the hotel from the airport: We took the CAT train to the city center + walked a few blocks to our hotel
• Where we stayed in Vienna: Hilton Hotel {very spacious rooms}
• Location is everything: We stayed in the center of the city, only a few blocks from the main train stop
• Number of days we stayed in London: 3 days, 2 nights {recommend: same amount of time but add a few more days if you want to stop in other cities such as Salzburg}

VIENNA // MUST SEES {Places to Visit}

1// Hofburg Palace {loved the museum dedicated to Empress Elisabeth “Sisi”, the wife of Franz Joseph + the Imperial silver collection!}
2// Mozart Concert @ Vienna State Opera House {a bit touristy but we enjoyed it overall. remember to plan ahead because they do sell out!}
3// Historic Center of Vienna {a UNESCO World Heritage Site, take a stroll + take in all the beautiful baroque-style architecture + gardens}
4// St. Stephen’s Cathedral {there are many cathedrals in Vienna!}


VIENNA // MUST EATS {Good Eateries!}

1// Plachutta {amazing, amazing boiled beef, dining here is an experience that you will never forget!}
2// Caffe Latte {stopped here for brunch}
3// Grillwurst Weiner Food Stands {it has a variety of different sausages, bratwurst + pickled veges!}
4// Central Cafe {enjoy viennese coffee with a sachertorte, a Viennese specialty which is essentially a decadent chocolate torte!}
5// Demek {delicious chocolates packaged in the prettiest wrappers!}

By far, Vienna has to be one of my favorite cities in Europe! I cannot wait to come back and explore other cities in Austria!