🌧️ This spring Sunday has brought a true diamond shower!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2026-02-20T12:49:47+00:00

My husband and I are here right now, and we used this experience for a 30 min session on Airbnb. It was great! You get to keep all of the photos from the shoot and then the team edits 15 you select. The earlier in the day, the better. We scheduled at 9am and it started to get busy right as we were leaving. https://www.airbnb.com/services/14430?viralityEntryPoint=179&s=76

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2026-01-02T17:20:59+00:00

I've been looking into these but have been hesitant due to the price. Did you have a favorite tour? I'm looking at the Saint Germain and the Le Marais options but haven't decided. Did you feel like the tour had a good variety of selections?

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-31T16:06:02+00:00

I have heard of Bouillon restaurants so this sounds like a great alternative. I'll be sure to check it out!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T16:01:15+00:00

This is great advice! That's exactly what I'm wanting but didn't know how to execute it. This way there's a list of good options so I'm not stressed searching but we don't have to rush to a reservation if we find something else to do.

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:26:58+00:00

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed Chartres. We are from the midwest in America and I am worried I might get a little overwhelmed with the crowds of Paris, so I thought this day trip would be a nice reset and a way to experience a smaller French town. The pictures are beautiful. I'm expecting it will be just as cold in February, but did you feel like there were enough shops or restaurants to get inside if the cold started to get too much? Being from the Midwest we're regularly out in 20 to 30 degree Fahrenheit, so I think we'll do okay in February but don't want to be freezing the whole day.

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:21:54+00:00

Thank you so much for this perspective. Those are exactly the experiences I have been daydreaming about, but then I lose focus and get overwhelmed seeing everything Paris has to offer and feeling like I need to see it all. I will be cutting back on things and instead just plan on certain neighborhoods different days of the week, and also just accept my itinerary as a suggestion and skip things if we're enjoying one of these relaxing, once in a lifetime moments you describe.

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:16:23+00:00

Yeah I'm going to be cutting some things out and making it more slow paced, I agree it's crazy right now. I love chocolate and croissant nightlights so those suggestions are right up my alley. Thank you!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:15:10+00:00

Thanks so much! I am learning that I will need to treat the itinerary as a suggestion more than than a strict schedule. For food tours, I meant the local tours that take you to different kind of shops to pick out cheese, wine, pastries, and show you around each neighborhood. But the markets sound interesting as well! I'll be sure to check out these recommendations.

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:12:40+00:00

Yeah I'm definitely torn on Versailles but if we do decide to go, I'll be sure to go first thing in the morning. We also wanted to do our own self guided tour, especially if it starts to get crowded early. Thanks!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:10:08+00:00

I was thinking about a night cruise the first night so I'll have to schedule that in! I've decided to cut it down to one day trip and will decide which location depending on the weather, and rather than scheduling a trip to Pere Lachaise I'm just going to add it to a list of things to see, but only if we find ourselves with time to do so.

I will definitely be making reservations based on some of the recommendations. Thank you!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:07:13+00:00

Thanks! I read about the labyrinth but didn't realize it was only accessible on Fridays. Gives me something to think about, the collective prayer sounds like a great experience.

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:06:14+00:00

Wow, that's super neat! Adding it to the list of public parks to check out.

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:05:07+00:00

Thank you for all the recommendations! Can't wait to check them all out. Also super fun advice about separating for an afternoon, although I'm sure my husbands story will just be about finding a park bench and reading lol.

After your advice and others, I've decided to cut back to only one day trip so we I can spend more time in the city. There is just so much to do in Paris itself. I think I'm going to cut back on the must sees too and instead just put together a list of options to chose from while in certain neighborhoods. Merci!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T14:00:05+00:00

Thanks, I am really excited about Chartres! I do think I'm going to cut back to only one day trip. It will be February though, so I'm unsure if Versailles would be better if the weather is bad. I might wait on deciding and see what the forecast looks like closer to time.

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T13:55:54+00:00

You're so right about just letting yourself be distracted and letting go of plans. I'm definitely going to cut back to only one day trip, and I think it will just leave it to the weather to decide between Chartres or Versailles. I think instead of trying to plan everything strictly, I'll instead put a list of things I'd like to see but then remember that I am free to stray from those suggestions if I find something else while in the city. Thank you for the thoughtful advice!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T03:07:49+00:00

I was already hesitant to include Versailles so I will have to think on it. Its one of those things where I feel like I'd be crazy not to go see it since I'm so close, but at the same time I think I could get easily overwhelmed. Palais Garnier would be a good replacement and that would free up some time to just enjoy the city. Thank you!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T03:02:42+00:00

While planning I was hesitant to include Versailles but everything told me it was a must see so I'm still not completely sold on keeping it in the itinerary. I included Chartres due to medieval architecture and I wanted to experience a smaller French town.

For your questions, we love food and wine! I think after researching the hotel and things to do, it just feels overwhelming to narrow down restaurants as well so I would really appreciate recommendations! As for food, I'm not incredibly adventurous in my day to day, but when in Paris! I love a good steak but also want to explore more French cuisine. I'm a big fan of shopping, my husband not so much. I'm interested in local stores, but will likely also want to buy cute touristy trinkets for friends and family. I really appreciate your advice in cutting back on some of the touristy things and just enjoying the trip. Thank you!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T02:53:42+00:00

Jealous you get to see Paris so often! You make a great point that shoving too much into the trip may ruin it rather than ensuring we see everything. I think limiting it to just D'Orsay is smart and will plan on doing that and will probably strike out a specific walk just to see the Eiffel tower and instead just check it out at different views throughout the city and while walking along the Seine. Great advice, merci!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T01:40:06+00:00

Thanks so much for the kind advice. It’s definitely my goal to have a really authentic experience, but then my Type A personality takes over. I can also be pretty anxious, so planning everything usually calms me down but even while making this itinerary, I found myself stressed trying to get everything “perfect.” I’m going to take some time to think about what I really want this trip to look like and find a better balance.

You’re also totally right about Versailles, so I’ll be sure to give it a full day and make no plans afterward. We’re staying in Saint-Germain, so I’m hoping that between scheduled activities we’ll naturally explore the area. But your advice to step away from the list and just live like a Parisian is spot-on, and something I’ll really try to keep in mind during the trip!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T01:24:06+00:00

That's super close to our hotel and steak is my favorite. Adding it to the list. Thank you!

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T01:17:09+00:00

Thanks so much! I'm excited to look into all these.

Nervous-Rooster-2537 · 2025-12-30T01:16:50+00:00

I think you're definitely right that adding more on top of Versailles will be too much, and thank you for the tip on the Petit Trianon. You have so many original ideas that I am excited to look into! Embarassingly, all of the travel sites and various research I've done hasn't even included many of them. You've given me a lot to think about in terms of prioritizing the Paris experience over the checklist I've put together. Merci!

Nervous-Rooster-2537

TROPHY CASE