In Paris at Christmas: Ritz Afternoon Tea, Plaza Athénée & Seine Dining | SIMPLY SLOW TRAVELER

Welcome to a new video and come with me on a couple of days exploring the magic of Paris at Christmas time. My morning started with a walk around the Saint-Germain neighborhood, beautifully golden under the late November clear skies, just exploring the stores and admiring the festive windows displays and the beauty of the city's architecture. After a while, we went to Ralph's Café to get something warm to drink and it's a nice little treat in this small yet beautiful space. Any time of the year is a good time to visit Jardin du Luxembourg, but I feel that in late autumn and especially on a beautiful day like this, when the warm seasonal colors really pop up, it is the perfect time for a visit Make sure to check all my favorite places to visit in Paris around Christmas time on my Festive Guide to Paris, which you can find on the description box of this video. On days like this, the garden is always a mix of energy of those that take the opportunity to go for a run or a bit of exercise and the calmness of those that just want to sit and enjoy the warmth of the sun in this cold weather. After spending a good time sitting and relaxing at Jardin du Luxembourg, I went to one of my favorite stores nearby, Marins Montague, with all these new beautiful unique decorations and stationary items that make such good Christmas presents too. This day, we skipped lunch as in the early afternoon we had to head to the heart of Paris for a most beautiful festive afternoon tea at the Ritz in Place Vendome. The festive afternoon tea, which complements the regular afternoon tea during Christmas time, takes place in the beautiful Salon Proust, a library-like room with the fire crackling in the fireplace for a fully cozy environment, all while enjoying some of the most delicious warm and spiced cakes and pastries by Chef François Perret. And after an hour and a half of the most delicious tea time, we went exploring the beautiful and lush Hotel Christmas Decorations. As the afternoon came to an end and the sun sank low on the horizon, we went walking towards Avenue Montaigne, admiring the illuminations across the different streets, squares and facades along the way. Being one of the richest avenues in Paris, the Christmas decorations in Avenue Montaigne really stand out, and especially the decorated facade of the Dior flagship store in Paris. We made a quick stop to check out the decorations at Hotel Plaza Athénée. In its courtyard, they have a nice rink where children can skate if you go for an afternoon tea there, which can make it a very nice way for a family to spend a festive afternoon. As Nightfell and Eiffel Tower got fully lit up, we went towards the Seine for a most amazing dinner experience. Close to 8 pm, we got on board of the Don Juan II, a magnificent art-deco wooden yacht with a very charming and warm interior decoration, a low and intimate light and even a fireplace that took us on a two-and-a-half-hour slow ride along the Seine for a dinner with the most romantic Parisian views. The dinner was composed of a five-courses menu featuring some of the most iconic creations by chef Frédéric Anton. All the food was absolutely delicious, with such a rich and deep exploration of flavors and textures. To make it even better, the service was impeccable from start to finish, and together with the food and amazing scenery, they granted this experience a Michelin star, making it the only starred dinner on the Seine and a truly unforgettable one. Once we finished, we were still on time to watch another light show at Eiffel Tower from Débile Bridge before making it back to the hotel and calling it a rather memorable day. The following morning was not as bright as the previous one, setting the tone for the whole day which we spent mostly exploring the Le Marais neighborhood. We went to get breakfast at the pastry shop Du Pain et des Idées, just outside Le Marais, with a beautiful decoration, an amazing assortment of croissants, pain au chocolat, pistachio escargot and many more delicious and so beautifully smelling pastries. After getting my escargot in the small interior of the shop, I went outside to get a cup of tea and had breakfast at the outside counter, surrounded by the beautiful Parisian architecture. We then made our way towards the heart of Le Marais, passing by small gardens and beautiful stores, admiring the most beautiful windows displays and getting in and out of a couple of them. One store where I always like to stop to browse for unique items and books is the Merci store, with its entrance now fully decorated for the season. I have to confess at one point I had half a dozen books on my cart, but then I curbed my enthusiasm and a bit saddened I ended up buying just a couple of them. At Merci you can find a little bit of everything, from books and board games to decoration and homeware and also some clothing too. It is a place where I always feel inspired and where I always find some little thing that I am happy to bring back home with me. This year there will be no plan for the snow to fall, it would not make a difference to me at all, nor wasting any dream. We then kept going south towards the river and made a quick stop at Place des Vosges, where we sat for a while admiring the beautiful square and garden, with the brown leaves still heroically hanging to the tree branches, matching beautifully the reddish tones of the buildings around. After a while we kept on exploring the neighborhood and checking different stores where I ended up buying a few things that I had on my Christmas presents list. For lunch we spontaneously stopped at this very traditional looking corner bistro, where we had a light and quick meal, with the star of the show for me being a delicious rice pudding for dessert. After getting our tummies nice and warm, we kept on going in and out of a few different stores, browsing for more uniquely Parisian Christmas presents for the family and friends. As I do this time of the year, do you remember when we were the talk of the town, when I'm sitting here drinking, I can't help but think about you, about us, as I do this time of the year. Finally, we crossed the river and near Musée d'Orsay, we sat for an afternoon snack at Cordelia's, a beautiful flower shop with a picturesque café inside too, fully decorated for Christmas already and with a very fresh flowers perfume infusing the whole space. We had some tea and coffee and shared a piece of cake, a most delicious and relaxing way of finishing an afternoon of Christmas shopping around town. I hope you liked coming with me for another couple of days exploring Paris and don't forget to subscribe to not miss more of my upcoming Christmas videos.