I am excited to start a new travel series on this blog where La Vie Partagée will collaborate with locals that live around the world to write their Must Do’s in their own playground.  Our first post in this series will be about the second city closest to my heart: Paris.

Wahiba is a friend I met when I interned at Accenture in Paris. She is a chic, young Parisian.  Fast forward a few years later, we are still great friends and travel buddies.  When I wanted to write about the current trends and new must dos from a Parisian perspective, I naturally went to the source. Wahiba was excited to share her favorite things to do and new places to see, eat, drink, and shop.

Must See

Fondation Louis Vuitton

Besides the usual suspects that we all have come to know of Paris (Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc), this is the newest attraction that sits on the edge of Bois de Boulogne.  In 2006, LVMH commissioned famed American architect, Frank Gehry, to design a building that aims to promote and support contemporary artistic creation for a wide French and international audience.  The foundation opened its doors to the public on October 27, 2014.

Must Eat

Mémère Paulette

Wahiba:  “A nice bistro with rustic decor”

Ô Château

Wahiba:  “A nice wine bar that you should order a cheese plate with a good white wine!”

Farago Pintxo Club

Wahiba:  “A new restaurant that serves Basque tapas called pintxos, which are small snacks that can be eaten sitting or standing, as an individual meal or shared.  The restaurant is owned by a Michelin-starred chef.”

Blueberry

Wahiba: “A creative, unconventional sushi restaurant, with bright pop colors on the walls and on your plate”

Le Salon du Panthéon

Wahiba:  “For lunch – above an art house cinema in the Latin Quarter, this almost secret salon was put together by Catherine Deneuve and the interior decorator Christian Saper, like a Saint-Ouen flea market.  A place of sixties inspiration, almost like an apartment, with a library corner, a dining room and a green terrace.”

Volver

Wahiba:  “Argentinean restaurant”

La Closerie des Lilas

Wahiba: “This is an institution where the intellectuals hung out in the early 20th century like Man Ray, Miller, Hemingway, Sartre, André Breton etc. It is a late-night piano bar, upmarket restaurant and a more lovable brasserie.”

Faust

Wahiba: “Hidden out under the monumental vaulted of the Alexandre-III bridge, in a cozy contemporary decoration. The menu is chic classics.  This is also a club at night.”

Restaurant David Toutain

Wahiba:  “A great gourmet restaurant”

Caillebotte

Wahiba:  “A nice bistro serving fresh food in a modern setting”

Le Sergent Recruteur

Wahiba: “A modern gastronomic restaurant in the Ile-Saint-Louis”

Homies

Wahiba: “Gourmet tapas”

Pierre Sang On Gambey

Wahiba:  “A contemporary freestyle menus set at one price”

Café Chilango

Wahiba “Mexican food”

La Régalade

Wahiba: “A classical and traditional dining room with a warm and convivial atmosphere. The Chef proposes refined dishes inspired by southwestern classics. Good value for a sophisticated menu.”

Nina

Wahiba:  “A creative bistro”

Le Petit Pan

Wahiba: “Tapas and pinchos”

Neige d’Eté

Wahiba:  “A sophisticated restaurant serving upscale modern French food in a well designed country-chic”

La Cantine du Troquet

Wahiba: “A popular basque bistro“

Atelier Vivanda

Wahiba:  “A great meat place”

Coretta

Wahiba “Serves excellent contemporary bistro cooking”

Acide Macaron (tea room)

Wahiba:  “A great tea room and macarons for the afternoon”

Akrame

Wahiba:  “A gourmet restaurant owned by a  talented young chef (the Michelin Guide took the unusual step of awarding the restaurant a star in its first year)”

Now that you have eaten your fill of Paris, it’s time to drink and make merry.  Check our post next week for part 2 of the Must Do’s in Paris.

Author:  Chau Hoang

Collaborator:  Wahiba Thiery of Spa Themae