This article is reposted from the WeChat public account of a reader in our WeChat group, Lazy Person 33’s Food, Drink, and Fun. Original link.

Day Two

After I posted our Day One itinerary yesterday, a few friends said they were also thinking about taking their kids. Honestly, we think Paris is not a very little-kid-friendly destination. In addition to the jet lag and safety issues I mentioned in the first post, it’s also because the main focuses of a Paris trip are museums, shopping, and Michelin-starred restaurants—none of which are things little kids tend to enjoy. Museums are boring for small children, and they can’t talk loudly; parents also can’t really stand in front of the artworks and take their time appreciating them. Shopping goes without saying: it’s mostly luxury goods, which kids won’t be interested in. Michelin restaurants have lots of courses and long waits, and kids quickly lose patience after sitting for a while. Of course there are places to take kids, such as Disney, some animal exhibits, and so on, but honestly, the U.S. has those too, so there’s no need to go all the way to Paris specifically for that. In short, if you go to Paris, the trip is mainly for the adults; the focus is not on the kid, and you shouldn’t expect the kid to enjoy a lot of it.

Alright, this post is about our second day in Paris. For the planned itinerary, see Christmas in Paris with a Three-Year-Old in Tow (Part 1).

After getting through the hardest day, we slept very well that night and had breakfast at the hotel in the morning. The Hyatt Regency had quite a few breakfast options, especially a very rich pastry selection. We redeemed a Hyatt Free Night, which did not include breakfast, so we paid extra for breakfast—several dozen euros per person.

After breakfast, we headed out to take the bus. Google Maps said the bus stop was right in front of the hotel, but no matter how we looked, we couldn’t find the bus stop sign. We went back to the hotel and asked the staff, and it turned out that because of construction, the stop had been moved to another street. We hurried over, huffing and puffing, just in time to miss a bus.

Palais Garnier

We got on the bus and headed to today’s first stop: the Palais Garnier. Our kid really likes taking the bus and gets incredibly happy every time.

By the time we arrived at the opera house, it was already 10:30. My reservation time was exactly 10:00, but the ticket checker didn’t really look closely and let us in.

As usual, they checked Covid Passes and tickets. The line was a bit long, but it moved quickly. You can rent an audio guide at the entrance, but since we had our kid with us, we planned to just look around casually and didn’t rent one.

When Napoleon III and Haussmann were reshaping Paris, this opera house at the intersection of several grand boulevards ultimately adopted the design by the young architect Garnier. Today, in honor of Garnier, the opera house is also called Opéra Garnier. It is said that when Empress Eugénie saw Garnier’s design among as many as 170 proposals, she asked: What is this? It is neither Roman, nor classical, nor Louis XIV, nor Louis XV! “Dear Empress, this is your husband Napoleon III!” The opera house is also said to symbolize the love between Napoleon III and Eugénie; the N and E at the top are the proof.

There is also a reason why the opera house is now known as the tackiest date spot in Paris. Back then, many sons of wealthy families would meet the girls they loved at the entrance on the front of the opera house, by the nude goddess statues. If things went well, they would run over to Place Vendôme on Rue de la Paix next to the opera house to buy a diamond ring. This later evolved into the custom of proposing with a diamond engagement ring.

After the new opera house at Bastille was completed in 1989, most performances moved from this, the world’s most famous opera house, to the Opéra Bastille. Today, the opera house is open for visits during the day when there are no performances, and you can also buy tickets to see a ballet or opera. The Boulevard des Italiens in front of the opera house was once a famous banking street; today, it has many restaurants with good value. Behind the opera house are the famous Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores. As a result, this is also one of the most crowded areas in all of Paris, and even all of Europe.

It was pretty warm inside the opera house, so after we went in I took off my scarf and put it on the stroller. As my spouse kept pushing the stroller around, the scarf somehow fell off somewhere. We only realized it was missing when we were about to leave, so we turned back and searched the entire theater, but still couldn’t find it. There also wasn’t anything like a lost-and-found inside the theater. We asked at the entrance, but no one had turned it in. Finally, I thought I’d check the exit area, and at the counter by the gift shop entrance, I spotted my scarf right away with a young Black staff member. I said, “Hi, this looks like it might be mine,” and he gave it to me. A close call, but thankfully nothing happened. Thanks to that unknown kind person. To thank the visitor and the staff, we bought several things at the gift shop. Our kid picked out an opera music book and really likes looking through it, but often asks us, “What’s this song called?” We can only reply, “Mom and Dad don’t know French”...

We came out through another exit, where lots of people were sitting around and relaxing. It reminded me of those grassy “Lovers’ Slope” spots on university campuses.

Montmartre

By then it was also lunchtime, so we took a bus toward Montmartre.

After getting off the bus, we first passed by the Moulin Rouge.

The Moulin Rouge is located at the foot of Montmartre in Paris, in the city’s red-light district, and the windmill on its roof is its signature feature. The Moulin Rouge is the oldest and most famous cabaret in Paris, and it is also the birthplace of the French Cancan. In 1904, the owner of the Moulin Rouge, Paul Felis, spent heavily to bring in designers and expand it into a large song-and-dance venue that could accommodate more than 2,000 people, attracting audiences with performances featuring beautiful women, singing and dancing, juggling, acrobatics, and more. Today, the selection of Moulin Rouge dancers is even stricter; whether in figure, appearance, style, or presence, they are all exceptional, and they are absolutely not allowed to be suggestive with guests in either actions or words.

Famous people who have performed at the Moulin Rouge include Ella Fitzgerald, Liza Minnelli, La Toya Jackson, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Édith Piaf, and others. Better-known dancers and performers include La Goulue, Josephine Baker, Yvette Guilbert, Jane Avril, Mistinguett, and Le Pétomane, literally “the fart maniac.” The Moulin Rouge was also a painting subject for the Post-Impressionist artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Montmartre, in northern Paris, was once a small village outside the city. It was not incorporated into Paris’s 18th arrondissement until the Second Empire. Before that, because it was outside Paris’s jurisdiction, it did not need to pay taxes. With wine also produced on the hill, it became the drinking and entertainment center of Paris at the time, which is why the Moulin Rouge and Le Chat Noir got their start here. Back then, drinks and rent were cheap, attracting “poor artists” such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, and Renoir... Today, the wine here is no longer cheap, and the western part of the hill has become an upscale residential area, full of hotels and restaurants.

For lunch, we checked in at the café where Amélie worked in the movie Amélie.

Café des Deux Moulins was founded in 1912 and is named after the nearby Moulin Rouge and Moulin de la Galette. In recent years, it became widely known because of the film Amélie, in which Amélie works here. Today, the café has many movie-related souvenirs, including posters and various decorations.

There really are quite a few Amélie elements in the shop, even by the worn-down restroom entrance.

The menu had no English, so I pulled out Google Translate and spent quite a while translating before finally managing to order.

This beef tartare was all right, though the portion was a bit large.

Amélie’s favorite crème brûlée~

After lunch, we walked along the streets toward the Wall of Love. The area around Montmartre has such a lived-in neighborhood feel.

After walking a few blocks, we arrived at the Wall of Love.

The Wall of Love (Mur des Je t'aime), located near Montmartre, covers 40 square meters and features handwritten “I love you” in more than 250 languages. On the far left side of the wall, you can find the vertical Chinese “我爱你,” with the character “愛” written in Traditional Chinese. Above the wall is an illustration of a beautiful woman leaning beside a small table, with a few small lines of text next to her that read: “Stay rational; forcing things is impossible.” Couples can go near Place du Tertre together to look for the Wall of Love (Mur d'amour), where “I love you” is gathered in languages from around the world.

There is a mini playground next to the Wall of Love, and our kid asked to play here for a while.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica

We continued on toward Sacré-Cœur Basilica. There were several extremely tall staircases along the way, which really tested our stamina, especially since my teammate was also carrying the stroller.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica is a Catholic minor basilica in Paris, France, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Located on Montmartre, a hill in northern Paris, it is one of the city's famous landmarks. Construction was completed in 1914, but because World War I broke out, it did not officially open for use until after the war ended in 1919.

The platform in front of the church offers views over part of Paris. You can also try climbing 300 steps to the bell tower of Sacré-Cœur Basilica for an unobstructed view over Paris.

Sacré-Cœur has a strong Roman-Byzantine style overall, and many of its design elements include nationalist symbolism. It has three arched porticos, with equestrian statues of Joan of Arc and Louis IX decorating the two sides. The 19-ton Savoyarde bell was cast in 1885 and is one of the largest bells in the world. The funds for building Sacré-Cœur all came from private donations, totaling about 7 million francs, but they had all been used up before above-ground construction began. A temporary altar was set up on March 3, 1876, and donations from pilgrims quickly became the main source of construction funding.

Sacré-Cœur was built with limestone quarried from Château-Landon. This stone continually releases calcite, helping ensure that Sacré-Cœur retains its white appearance even under the effects of weathering and pollution. The church dome has a huge mosaic known as Christ in Majesty, one of the largest mosaics in the world. The grounds around Sacré-Cœur include a garden with a fountain for meditation.

Shopping

It was still early, so we took a taxi to browse Printemps and Galeries Lafayette—our first shopping stop of the trip. I actually really dislike shopping in person and usually buy everything online. But since we were already there, we figured it would be a waste not to buy something, so off we went.

Galeries Lafayette and Printemps are right next to each other. I had heard that Galeries Lafayette gets extremely crowded and the shopping experience is poor (our driver said the same), so we went straight to Printemps. With Christmas approaching, Europeans had started buying gifts, and factories were shut down as well. The popular styles from several major brands were basically impossible to find anywhere. If you want to shop, do not come during Christmas season.

This website, https://www.obonparis.com/zh, has some coupons for visitors with Chinese passports, so you can download them in advance as needed. At the time I was writing this, Galeries Lafayette was offering things like small gifts.

Founded in 1865, Printemps is right next to [Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann] (http://place.qyer.com/poi/V2AJalFiBz9TZg/). It also consists of 3 buildings: women’s fashion (Mode), men’s fashion (Homme), and beauty & home (Beauté & Maison). Because it was renovated after a change in ownership, the women’s fashion building has a better shopping environment. There is a Ladurée tea salon inside, and the top floor of the beauty & home building is a good place for views. Foreign visitors (non-French nationals) can present a Paris map from their hotel that includes a Printemps discount page at the front desk to receive a personalized 10% discount card. Publications from the Paris tourist office and similar materials also include discount coupons. Visitors can also receive a 12% credit card tax refund, or 10;8% in cash. However, luxury brands such as Gucci, food, and wine are not eligible for discounts.

Printemps France currently accepts UnionPay, Alipay (important), Visa, master, and various other payment methods, making it very convenient. Printemps France’s strict brand curation and personalized services have helped make Printemps one of the flagship department stores among Paris’s many large shopping centers—a store that can truly influence fashion trends. Printemps is mainly divided into three major sections: luxury and fashion brands, the men’s world and men’s luxury accessories, and home and beauty products. The cosmetics department’s overall decor uses soft tones and clean lines, giving customers a visually pleasing experience. Major brands sold here include Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Lanvin, Lancome, La Mer, and others.

At Printemps, the displays for major categories such as hats, jewelry, handbags, and leather shoes are quite distinctive, as if they were presenting individual works of art to customers. Shopping at Printemps offers a 12% tax refund service, and the store also provides services such as Chinese-speaking shopping guides, hotel delivery, and personal shopping assistants.

The five floors of Printemps are mainly dedicated to fashion, with major brands including Cartier, Chanel, Céline, Coach, Bvlgari, Armani, Burberry, Bottega Veneta, Iwc, Gucci, Omega, LV, Prada, Dior, Rolex, Van Cleef & Arpels, Hermes, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and other top brands. Basement level: a rest and tea area and a bag area. Ground floor: mainly luxury brands. First floor: creative designer brands. Second and third floors: mainly popular fashion. Fourth floor: casual denim and sports fashion.

On the ground floor of the women’s fashion building at Printemps, there is a Russian dessert shop called Pouchkine, with a small bar counter where you can sit down for coffee. The shop’s cakes are beautifully decorated and very tempting. The croissants are on the larger side and are very fragrant and crisp. There is also a Ladurée dessert salon on the 1st floor.

Galeries Lafayette is right next to Printemps; the two are adjacent.

The Galeries Lafayette flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann in central Paris is the largest department store in Europe, covering more than 70,000 square meters and bringing together over 3,500 international brands. It is not only the fashion world’s largest center for men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, but also offers a wide variety of home and lifestyle products, foods from around the world, and an extensive selection of fine wines. Galeries Lafayette’s diversified positioning makes it a fashionable place where people enjoy and appreciate life.

The main building’s giant neo-Byzantine gilded, painted, and carved glass dome, built in 1912, is a must-see attraction in Paris. While witnessing the evolution of fashion trends, it has also witnessed Galeries Lafayette’s passion for innovation, fashion, and design, as the store has continuously introduced new ideas and adapted to new trends and lifestyles. Through more than a century of change, Galeries Lafayette has continued to shine brightly in the Paris and global fashion scenes, showcasing authentic Parisian style to the world.

The store’s counters have Chinese-speaking staff, giving Chinese visitors a shopping experience that feels welcoming and familiar. The department store has three buildings, divided into the men’s building, women’s building, and home building. The men’s building has a Paris tourist information center on the first floor (French ground floor), where customers can get free travel information and ticket booking services. Every Lunar New Year, summer, and Golden Week, Galeries Lafayette Paris prepares a series of special offers for Asian customers, including exclusive items and gifts with qualifying purchases.

If you saw the itinerary I planned in Christmas in Paris with a Three-Year-Old in Tow (Part 1), I had actually also scheduled a visit to the Hermès flagship store for this day. But all three Hermès stores in Paris now require appointments. The appointment system uses random selection: you apply on the website during the designated time, and the results are released every evening. I used both my passport and my teammate’s passport and started trying two days before departure, but we still never got an appointment before we left. Still, seeing how everything was out of stock during Christmas season, I comforted myself by thinking that even if we had gotten an appointment and gone, we probably would not have been able to buy a bag anyway.

That said, while the classic styles from several major brands were gone, we still managed to buy some seasonal bags. Checkout and so on were all pretty quick, but the tax refund process started to get bumpy. I do not know if it was because they had not had Chinese customers for too long or for some other reason, but a simple tax refund completely confused the Printemps staff. We ended up waiting more than an hour before getting the correct tax refund form. With no other choice, we had to call and push back our dinner reservation that evening. Fortunately, the restaurant was accommodating. After finishing our shopping, we hurried out and took a taxi to the only three-Michelin-starred restaurant of this trip.

Pierre Gagnaire

Paris has a very high concentration of three-Michelin-star restaurants, and many of them are famous. When I was making the reservation, there were actually quite a few options still available, but the only three-star restaurant on TheFork that was listed as family friendly was this one—Pierre Gagnaire. Pierre Gagnaire is also a very famous chef, and we had never tried any of his restaurants before, so I booked it without hesitation.

The service here was honestly pretty average. We have been to Michelin restaurants before where the servers were quite arrogant, but the service itself was still attentive. Here, the service felt somewhat careless. When they announced the dishes, they practically mumbled so much that you could barely hear them, and a few servers walked back and forth without even looking around.

While I was ordering, the hors d'oeuvres came out first. My partner and I each received a menu: one had prices and the other did not. Supposedly this is also part of French romance? The person being treated to the meal cannot see the prices. I guessed that, by default, they gave the priced menu to the man, but in our family I am the one who orders, so I swapped menus with my partner.

Next came the kid's meal—fish pasta. The restaurant does not have a kids menu, so what the child eats is entirely up to the guest's imagination. The server said, "Whatever you order, we will make it for the child," which also felt a bit cocky. I tried a bite of the pasta, and it was very ordinary. I did not taste anything three-star about it.

The pile of dishes that followed all hovered somewhere between "pretty okay" and "a bit bizarre."

If I remember correctly, the plate below was where the disaster began. This piece of food tasted strikingly like mutton fat, and it completely overwhelmed me with greasiness. After eating it, I instantly felt full and had absolutely no desire to eat anything else.

Because I had already lost my appetite before the starter was served, I was completely out of it afterward and forced down a few bites while fighting the nausea from all that greasiness. This is not an objective assessment, but both the starter and the main course gave me only things to complain about and no highlights.

This piece was foie gras; it was actually duck liver. The thing underneath that sort of looked like liangpi was, at least, sweet and sour.

This fish dish was also nowhere near the standard a three-star restaurant should deliver, from plating to flavor.

Even the desserts were unremarkable. Even my kid, who normally loves sweets the most, didn’t want to eat them... By this point, I wasn’t even in the mood to take photos anymore.

All in all, since having a child I hadn’t eaten at a three-star restaurant in many years, so I came in with high expectations. The result was a huge disappointment. Later, some people online said the Pierre Gagnaire in Shanghai also left them wondering what exactly they were eating. Looks like I’ll be avoiding this chef’s restaurants in the future.

At this point, after two days in Paris, we still hadn’t had a single meal we were truly satisfied with. Pretty miserable, honestly. Thankfully, dinner over the next two days kept getting better and better. Look forward to the next post!

Writing these posts isn’t easy. Even though I don’t make money from writing, I still hope for a little encouragement to keep going. If you enjoyed the article, please click the “Wow” button at the bottom right to show your support :)

Paris Trip Series

This article was originally published in 2021, so it still contains some pandemic-related content. However, most of the tips and experiences are still useful, which is why we’re republishing it on this site.

About the Author

This article is reposted from the WeChat public account of a reader from our WeChat group, Lazy 33’s Food and Travel Fun. The articles are all original and very well written. If you’re interested, feel free to follow along.