Illustrations by Wendy Lubovich
What’s your dream day in Paris? I can tell you mine — I’ve been perfecting it for years. It’s a day without a plan. An aimless stroll in and around the 6th Arrondissement, where I’ve been renting apartments for decades. Explore this idyllic itinerary of must-visit destinations for a quintessentially Parisian day in the City of Light. There will be food and fashion, secret gardens and quirky discoveries. Understand a pocket of Paris and you understand the whole.
Bread & Roses
This is the place I dream of: a chic, corner cafe on Rue Madame. The mood is easy and elegant as they parade jewel-like pastries in pretty cases up front. Settle into a window table and order a Paris-Brest, lavished with praline cream. Neighborhood ladies nibble on brioche. Bespectacled gentlemen read Le Monde. Paris is about simple, daily pleasures — take it all in.
Luxembourg Garden
Pass through the grand gates and enter a botanical wonderland of towering hedges with green garden chairs scattered about. Always, I take an immediate right to visit my secret garden filled with tortured trees. Trained to fan out splat like giant candelabras, these espaliered apple trees have been holding their curious poses for decades. The living sculptures feel like old friends.
Charlotte Bialas
Fancy some fashion? Bop into this ‘only in Paris’ kind of boutique where it’s all about prints. Rare, vintage silks are culled from around the world, then tailor-made into covetable wardrobe staples. Floral blouses, bell sleeve button-downs and twirly skirts made by a maître plisseur, or master pleater. Stripes, dots and swirls. Get lost here in this delightful play of pattern.
Marin Montagut
Just down the street, a wonderous, light-filled atelier awaits, all inspired by Old-World charm. Created by an illustrator and designer, the shop’s worn wooden cupboards are brimming with handmade treasures for the home. Hand-painted porcelain plates are adorned with French street signs or croissants. Marbled paper lamp shades. Pillows with Parisian maps. It’s a fresh, playful take on French artisanship.
Église Saint-Sulpice
Churches in Paris are masterpieces. Push open these mammoth doors, where the scent of incense perfumes the air. Soaring ceilings, claret red candles, burnished stone floors. There’s a melancholy beauty here with fading murals by Delacroix. Once during a funeral, I saw pallbearers carry a black coffin out into the rain. The bells were chiming as the mournful organ notes from Mozart’s Requiem thundered out into the square. It was indelible. The pageantry of death as only the French can finesse.
Le Voltaire
Time for a spot of lunch, so let’s take Rue Bonaparte to Quai Voltaire. Wear your best jewelry and tuck into a green, velvet banquette where there may be radishes and butter to start. So French. Dark wood paneling whispers discretion as white-jacketed servers ply you with sole meunière and frites. End with a rich espresso, while the surrounding stylish diners from fashion and finance are trading secrets.
Sennelier
An after-lunch stroll is in order, so head to this historic, atmospheric shop filled with French art supplies. Floor to ceiling; you’ll find brushes, palettes and pastels here, all displayed in antique cubbies dating back to 1887. Picasso shopped here, so did Degas and Gauguin. I like to collect their pocket-sized blank notebooks with red linen covers. Simply browsing here makes you feel like an artist.
Bibliothèque Mazarine
Now, prepare yourself for the most ravishing reading room in Paris. First established in 1643 by Cardinal Mazarin, this bookish suite is hidden in the learned Institut de France. Massive chandeliers, marble busts and leather-topped reading tables with seat numbers etched in gold. Sit like a queen while gazing out tall windows overlooking the Seine. They’ll bring the books out to you, while you breathe in this sumptuous lair of history and knowledge.
Pont des Arts
Right outside the Bibliothèque Mazarine, take a moment to linger on this iconic wooden foot bridge: my Parisian north star. Stand perfectly in the center then gaze out straight ahead where the tip of Île de la Cité kisses the Seine. Bateaux-mouches lumber by and birds swoop above as the Louvre shimmers off to the left. This ravishing view is the reason people fall in love with Paris. Now it’s yours alone.
Collector Square
Time for some vintage sleuthing as we’ve booked an appointment at this secret salon, which feels like a private townhouse. Take a seat, sip an espresso and swipe through an iPad with hundreds of vintage luxury handbags for sale. An Hermès Kelly bag from the 1980s? No problem: they’ve got four black versions to bring out to you. Ditto for the Lady Dior bag. So civilized and utterly luxurious. Legacy French craftsmanship at its finest.
Au Sauvignon
Ponder that lavish splurge at a sidewalk table, while enjoying a cool glass of Sancerre. People watching is my favorite French sport, and this venerable wine bar spills out into the very heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. No nonsense waiters glide between tables, keeping near chaos at bay. Glasses clink. Pâté is passed. All the regulars have come here to exhale from the day. Take your place among them.
Le Dôme Cafe
Finally, cap things off at this quintessential Parisian restaurant beloved by Ernest Hemingway. Beautiful boiserie. Pinky-hued fringed lampshades. Order their iconic seafood tower heaping with crab, oysters and prawns. Pour a splash of Champagne into your coupe and toast the bounty of Paris. Chin-chin. This luxurious feast is the final curtain call — lock it in your mind and keep it with you always.
