Travel Tips - Paris, France

Forget Eiffel tower key rings, t-shirts and other obvious tourist tat and instead bring home some gorgeous macaroons from one of the branches of Ladurée. The packaging is beautiful, that is, if they last until you get home!

For an extra indulgence head over to their grand tearoom on the Champs Elysées.You won’t be disappointed.

Rose Bakery has to be one of my all time favourite places to eat in Paris, and it’s well worth the journey.
Located at 46, Rue Des Martyrs and marked with a arch shape doorway and some iron chairs, Rose Bakery is a café come general store selling all sorts of store cupboard bits and pieces including organic chocolate, speciality tea, breakfast cereal and fresh fruit not of course to mention a superb lunch time menu, consisting largely of quality produce cooked simply. On my last visit I had grilled chicken thigh and salsa verde, which was served in a light stock with steamed carrots and baby leeks.

Rose Bakery is also famous for its deserts, so be sure to grab a slice of their loaves and tray bake cakes, but for the perfect gift for your loved ones back home, or perhaps as a momentum of your visit, be sure to pick up a copy of their outstanding cookbook “Breakfast, Lunch, Tea”… and you never know you might even be able to have it autographed while you’re there!

It is surprising to think that the Catacombs of Paris have been left off the majority of tourist maps for the city, but they are easily one of the most captivating attractions of all that are on offer. Although you might find the queue can have a longer wait time than the Louvre (and it certainly did on the day I visited), this is due to the fact that only a handful of people are allowed enter at a time.

At the end of the 18th Century, Paris was overcome by disease caused by the large number of bodies in the city’s cemeteries. It was up to the churches to solve the problem and what they decided to do was truly unique. Taking the long winding staircase deep under the streets of Montparnasse, dimly-lit tunnels lead you through a maze of skulls and bones – each row of remains meticulously arranged as a sign of respect for the dead – and there are also some astounding crypts and altars where masses were held deep underground.

This vast burial chamber covers nearly two kilometres and you may be glad to be on your way out by the time you reach the exit. Although what has been a somewhat eerie experience will be undoubtedly one of the most memorable of your trip to Paris.

From limited edition trainers, portable electronics including Leica and Diana F cameras, music, jewellery, books on fashion and men’s and ladies designer clothing upstairs, Colette is an essential destination for a shopping trip in Paris.

Sandwiched between a number of quality designer boutiques including Louis Vuitton and Dior, a visit to Rue Saint-Honoré is a must if you like shopping.