the 1st arrondissement – beyond the Louvre

The thing about the first arrondissement that nobody tells you is that it's not just the Louvre. If you walk 10 minutes you will find the most beautiful hidden passages in Paris as well as some of my favorite gardens. So welcome to the first episode of my 20-part series where I explore each of the arrondissements in Paris starting with the premier arrondissement beyond the Louvre. Hello and welcome to a new series I'm doing where I'm exploring each arrondissement in Paris. I have lived in Paris for a while now and I feel like I know it enough to give you good recommendations but I've realized that there are arrondissements that I've spent barely any time in and I've kind of become comfortable in the fact that I have a routine here, I have my favorite places. So I'm going to do something about that and I'm taking you guys along with me which is very exciting. Not the smartest decision because currently we're struggling for money a little bit but regardless I'm so excited. Each week I'm doing two days in each arrondissement starting with the premier arrondissement. I feel like I'm saying it wrong. You know like when you keep saying a word and or you're trying to spell a word and it starts looking really weird you doubt yourself a bit. That's how I'm feeling right now. But the first arrondissement is the heart of Paris. It is the busiest area so I'm going to show you the places that are worth a use and the places that aren't. I'm going to show you some good coffee shops, the hidden spots, the areas that you can go explore and chill and my favorite bar in Paris. Perfect for summer. So if you're coming in summer, perfect time. Let's go. We are going to be joining some friends and we're also going to be doing some on our own because I love solo travel and I live alone so a lot of the time I'm doing stuff by myself. Also we're starting super early this morning. It is 8 30. What you're looking at here is a covered passage, Galerie Véro Doudat. These were Paris's shopping centers before department stores ever existed. There's only about a handful left in Paris and this is one of the oldest. All of the shops here are so tiny. They're so cute and full of antiques, books and art. But my favorite thing about this passage is that it is always quiet. Even on a you walk in from the busyness of the first arrondissement and it feels like the noise just stops. Palais Royale is one of those places that Parisians love and tourists walk past. Sometimes I find the Toulouse a little bit overwhelming so personally I prefer coming here. The gardens are beautiful and you can actually sit somewhere without fighting someone for a seat. They have these little arcades on the side that have tiny boutiques but my favorite way to enjoy the garden is grabbing a coffee and sitting in the sun with a friend. This is Saint-Chapelle. It is from the year 1248 and Louis IX built it to house the crown of thorns. There are 15 windows, 600 square meters of 13th century stained glass. Honestly I didn't know what to say when I walked in here and I feel like I still don't have the words to encapsulate just how incredible this is. I'd actually never heard of this place so when I went initially I didn't book ahead and the line was insane. So I actually got a spot a week later but it's so worth it because it's one of those places where you just have to stand in for a while and just be in complete awe of the beauty and the craft. This is the Concierge and to be honest most people walk straight past it. It's right next to Saint-Chapelle and it was the royal palace but I had always wanted to visit here because it became a prison during the revolution. Marie Antoinette was held here for 76 days before she was executed. This building is from the 1300s. Standing here and thinking about what happened in this building overwhelms me because there is just so much history embedded in it. Most people walk straight past this place because they're heading to the Louvre and I think that is one of the mistakes especially if you are a furniture lover. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is attached to the same building but it's its own type of world with fashion, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, design objects across 10 centuries and are some of the most beautiful rooms in Paris. If you have a French residency card or you're a European citizen under the age of 26 you can get in for free. To be honest anyone can tell you about the Louvre but my intention of this video was to show you that there are things outside of the Louvre that consume the first arrondissement. For me one of my favorite places to visit is Place de Font. I don't know if that's how you pronounce it but it's this beautiful area where I see a lot of people write about in books. I'm pretty sure Hemingway wrote about it so it's very very iconic. It's very expensive here so I don't recommend getting you know something to eat but it is beautiful. There's always Parisians playing this ball game. It's kind of like Bachi but it's so beautiful in the spring. It's my favorite time to visit. And finally I saved the best for last which is the food and coffee aspect. For coffee I went to La Crème du Palais Royal which to be honest I go to just for the views. On the second day I went to Oats Coffee. I was originally going to go to Telescope Coffee which I really love but was closed but this was honestly just as good. Their coffee was super strong. For lunch my favorite place is this Onigiri place. I'm back but I only got two. These are so good. I love going to galleries. This is the Onigiri chicken piquant and then we have the Tom Mayo. So good. I love to get these and go to Palais Royal and sit and eat them. One of my favorite eats in Paris and it was like 5 euros 70 which is not too bad but Paris. And then to finish it off we had Alfie's which is an Argentinian chef doing Italian influenced dishes in a former bookshop. They hand make their pasta which is very very important to me. I would come here just for the tiramisu because it was the best I've ever had in my entire life and that is no word of a lie. And finally for drinks which I'm ending this episode on. There's a little bar on the Seine across from the Concierge. I came here at the Vibe. Drinks along the Seine will always be a little bit more expensive but it's worth it just for the sunset and the atmosphere you're surrounded by. A few ghost spirits by the Seine. Honestly the first arrondissement never disappoints. I feel like it's the epitome of Paris. There is so much history in these streets that you could honestly spend two days just walking around and admiring. For me my favorite spot will always be Pont Neuf. Palais Royal being a close second. But the contrast between the very much alive nature in these gardens and these buildings that have witnessed so much history will always be my favorite thing to admire and ponder on. And that is the first arrondissement. Two days, a lot of walking. I think I did maybe over 40,000 steps and I came out with this. It's definitely one of the more intense arrondissements because there are so many tourist things to do in there. But I guess that's why it's the heart of Paris. Episode two is the second arrondissement. It's the smallest in Paris and nobody talks about it which is why I love it. So I'll see you next Sunday for that episode.