OUR PARIS EDIT: THE PLACES WE ACTUALLY GO
Paris is one of those cities that has been written about a million times. Everyone has a guide. Everyone has opinions. And honestly, most of them feature the same ten places.
So this is ours. The spots Ducie and the team keep returning to, the corners of the city we genuinely love, and a few new finds that have made their way onto the list. Consider this less a travel guide and more a note from a friend who knows Paris well.
Oh, and one more thing before we start: we put together a playlist to go with this. It's called She Wears Ducie in Paris and it's on our Spotify (find us under @ducie). Put it on while you wander.
FRENCH BRASSERIE
There's something about a proper Parisian brasserie that never gets old. The hum of conversation, the bread that arrives without asking, the way time seems to slow down just enough. These are the ones we love.
PETIT POINTOISE
This one feels like a secret, even though it isn't. Tucked away in the 5th, Petit Pontoise has the kind of energy that's hard to manufacture. It's small, genuinely intimate, and has this lovely family feeling to it, like you've been invited to someone's home rather than seated at a restaurant. The menu is classic and the atmosphere is even better.
LE PETIT LUTETIA
On the Left Bank and firmly in the Saint-Germain world, Le Petit Lutetia carries that effortless neighbourhood brasserie charm. The kind of place the locals have been going to for years without making a fuss about it. Classic French dishes, a warm room, and that easy Parisian pace.
CHEZ JANOU
A little more casual, a lot of fun. Chez Janou is the kind of place that fills up fast and stays full. It's been something of a fixture in the Marais for years, and honestly, the chocolate mousse alone is reason enough to go.
ELEVATED VIBES
Sometimes you want something a little more. The lighting is considered, the room has a story, the whole evening feels like an occasion.
LE GRAND COLBERT
The interiors here are genuinely beautiful. All mosaic floors and painted ceilings and that grand, golden brasserie energy that feels completely timeless. The food is excellent but honestly you could sit here with a glass of wine and be perfectly happy doing nothing else. One of those rooms that makes you feel like you're in a film.
BISTROT DES TOURNELLES
A little more tucked away, a little more intimate. Bistrot Des Tournelles sits in the Marais and has the feel of a neighbourhood gem that hasn't been over-discovered. Cosy, warm, and the kind of place where the evening stretches pleasantly longer than you expected.
L'AVENUE
If Le Grand Colbert is a beautiful room, L'Avenue is an event. Situated on Avenue Montaigne, this is the most elevated spot on this list. The terrace is iconic, the crowd is impeccably dressed, and the whole experience is unmistakably Parisian in the best possible way.
PEOPLE WATCHING
One of the great Parisian pastimes. These are the spots where the city performs for you, where the coffee is good and the view (of people, mostly) is better.
L'ESCALE
This is where the fashion crowd goes, and it shows. Set along the Seine, L'Escale manages to be both stylish and genuinely relaxed, which is harder to pull off than it sounds. During the day it's great for coffee. Come evening, switch to wine. There's seating outside, which is lovely, but the real thing here is that you can also just stand at the edge with your drink and watch the river go by. We can't explain why that's so good, but it just is. Casual, cool, no fuss.
CAFÉ CHARLOT
Bigger and more of a proper restaurant than L'Escale, Café Charlot is a day-to-night kind of place. The food is genuinely good (not just the vibes), and the crowd is exactly who you'd hope: fashionable, the sort of people who look like they've got somewhere interesting to be afterwards. Best enjoyed with friends, preferably with nowhere to be for several hours.
LE PROGRÉS MARAIS
A Marais institution. Le Progrès has that lived-in neighbourhood café energy that's increasingly hard to find, a pavement terrace perfect for watching the world pass by, and a crowd that mixes locals with a fashion-adjacent contingent who've discovered it and made it their own. In the best way.
DAYBREAK
Mornings in Paris deserve attention. Here's where we start ours.
DREAMING MAN
Someone once told us this is the best coffee in Paris. We're not going to argue. Dreaming Man is tiny, Japanese-run, and has this wonderfully personal feel to it. There are photos on the walls, Japanese cakes in the cabinet, and something about the whole place that makes you want to slow down and actually enjoy your morning rather than inhale it. Seek it out. It's worth it.
CHRISTOPHE LOUIE
French pâtisserie but make it interesting. Christophe Louie does the classics, like madeleines and canelés, but with unexpected flavours that make you reconsider everything you thought you knew about them. The kind of pastry shop where you go in for one thing and leave with four.
MAMICHE
For pastries, full stop. Mamiche has built a devoted following and it deserves every bit of it. The croissants are exceptional, the rest of the cabinet is dangerous, and the morning queue moves quickly enough that you won't mind the wait.
MUSEUMS
Yes, you know the Louvre. Yes, it's magnificent. Here are the ones that don't have a two-hour queue and might actually be our favourites.
MUSÉE DE L'ORANGERIE
Monet's Water Lilies, housed in two oval rooms designed specifically for them. That's it. It sounds simple and then you walk in and it's genuinely breathtaking in a way that's hard to prepare for. Smaller than you expect, more affecting than you'd think possible. Non-negotiable.
BOURSE DE COMMERCE
The contemporary art counterpoint. Housed in the gorgeous circular 18th-century building near Les Halles, the Bourse de Commerce is home to the Pinault Collection, one of the finest collections of modern art in the world. The building alone is worth the visit. Everything inside it is a bonus.
MUSÉE MARMOTTAN MONET
Another Monet, but different. Tucked in the 16th near the Bois de Boulogne, this one feels genuinely like a discovery even though it holds one of the largest collections of his work anywhere. Fewer crowds, more intimacy, and an incredible permanent collection. Add it to the list.
VINTAGE STORES
Our favourite version of shopping. Here's where to find the good things.
CHEZ SNOW BUNNY
This one takes a bit of hunting but the rewards are real. Chez Snow Bunny is the kind of vintage shop where you find Dior, Chanel, and Fendi alongside genuinely unexpected pieces. Everything is carefully selected, the colour palette leans beautiful, and there are bags and shoes alongside the clothes. Go with time and patience. Leave with things you'll wear forever.
AIMÉ
A broader edit but just as considered. Alongside vintage designer pieces, Aimé carries less well-known labels that are often just as interesting. We particularly loved the vintage jackets and their sunglasses selection. The kind of shop that makes you reconsider your whole wardrobe on the way home.
KANELLE VINTAGE
This one we're a little obsessed with. Kanelle specialises in silk, in every colour imaginable, and the silk cami dresses in particular are absolutely beautiful. We've been thinking about them styled with our leather jackets ever since.
A final note on area: if we had to choose one part of Paris to spend our time, it would be the Marais, always. It's quieter than you'd expect for somewhere so central, genuinely beautiful to walk through, and almost everything on this list is nearby or easy to reach from it. Start there. See where the day takes you.
And don't forget the playlist.
She Wears Ducie in Paris, on Spotify. Find us under @ducie.
