Craving//Connecting: Paris

And after this, I promise to stop talking about it

Mar 28, 2025

If I had to describe March in one word, that word would be Paris. The entire month was spent preparing for, experiencing, and recovering from Paris (and Normandy). Last week I gave a synopsis of the good, the bad, and the ugly of our trip. Despite the heartbreak we experienced there, we also made many wonderful memories, which is why the trip has needed so many separate posts.

I know a surprising number of people planning their own trips to Paris soon, so consider this a one-stop-shop for all of my French recommendations ranging from how we prepared ourselves and three year old daughter, places we loved, products we used, and more. If you have an upcoming trip planned to the City of Lights or you simply love reading travel recommendations, read on!

Preparations

One of the best things I did to prepare for our trip was purchasing The Petit Guide’s “Paris Travel Tips- Preparing For Your Family Trip to Paris”. This guide was jam packed with helpful information geared towards families and came in handy several times, especially the medical section. If you will be traveling with children, I highly recommend purchasing this guide ($10) and following her on Instagram where she offers lots of travel/tour services for families.
We also consumed lots of media leading up to our trip. For our three-year-old, this included:
- Fancy Nancy (Disney+, books, Yoto cards)- This was hands down the best Parisian entertainment she consumed. She was already a Fancy Nancy fanatic, but by immersing herself in Nancy’s world, she learned a bevy of French words and phrases. She also gained a context and excitement for the city I don’t think she would have had without Nancy’s enthusiasm for Paris. Bonus: the last two episodes of the series detail Nancy’s flight and trip to Paris and were great to download for our flight.
- This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek (Amazon)- This was the second best way we prepared. My daughter retained several of the facts learned in this book and I learned a lot during our reading time, as well.
- Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (Amazon)- It helped that we were already planning a Madeline themed birthday party for her next birthday1, but after we decided to go to Paris, the Madeline books came alive even more.
- The Aristocats (Disney+)- Does this need explaining? Everybody wants to be a cat!
- Ratatouille (Disney+)- Would you believe this was my first viewing?
For us:
- Band of Brothers (Netflix)- in preparing for this trip, I realized all of my WWII knowledge focused on what the women were doing on the home front (a la Molly the American Girl Doll) or their covert contributions to the war effort (a la The Rose Code). I knew very little about the actual war. Watching Band of Brothers was a great education.
- Saving Private Ryan (rented from Apple TV)- I had never seen this movie until a few weeks before our trip. After watching this and BOB back to back, I would be fine without ever watching another war movie/show again, but I’m glad I watched both.
- Passport to Paris (rented from Amazon Prime)- taking a hard left, I knew I had to rewatch this iconic film before embarking on our travels. It’s a real shame MK&A movies are so hard to find, but this was worth every penny we spent to stream it. No one has a stronger choke hold on my childhood than the twins and this was the movie that planted in me the first seeds of desire to visit Paris some day.
- Emily in Paris (Netflix)- I didn’t so much rewatch this as have it on in the background while I was doing chores around the house. If you’ve never watched, I would recommend doing so before your trip to immerse yourself in the whole Parisian vibe. If you’ve already seen it, it’s nice to have such idyllic scenery playing as you prepare to go.
- Thee Devil Wears Prada (Amazon Prime)- sure, this movie is set in New York, but Paris plays a pivotal role in the plot, and really, who needs an excuse to turn on this gem?
- Julie and Julia (Amazon Prime)- who knew Meryl Streep would play such an instrumental role in my trip preparations? Watching this movie also inspired me to place a Libby hold on Julia Child’s book My Life in France, which just became ready to borrow, so I’ll report back with my thoughts.
- Be Ready When The Luck Happens (Amazon)- This was a prime example of reading the right book at the right time. When I started listening to this audiobook, I had no idea how much of a role Paris played in Ina Garten’s life and story. But hearing her describe the food and the city with such fondness just weeks before I left made me even more ready to experience it all for myself.

Packing

There were a few key purchases we made before the trip (or already owned) that I would consider packing essentials.

Gadgets

These power adapters were a must.
These headphone jack adapters made it so you could plug in headphones (if your Airpods died) and still charge your phone on the airplane.
We got these headphone splitters so my daughter and her cousin could watch movies together on the plane2.
We purchased Airtags and placed them in these holders to attach to our luggage. I also thought about attaching one to my daughter while we were out and about, but never actually did.
I’ve talked about how much I love this fan before, but sadly, I forgot to pack it. You better believe once we got home I ordered a second one to keep in my toiletry bag to ensure that never happens again. This is a great gadget for stuffy airplanes and trains.
I’ve also already shared about my love for the CampSnap camera, but I’m going to repeat myself. Although I still used my phone camera, it was fun to have this not only for myself, but for my daughter. When she started losing interest in wherever we were visiting, I’d hand her the camera and let her go to town snapping photos.
This travel mirror is something else I ordered as soon as I got home. Thankfully our room had space for me get ready every day, but my sister-in-law used this and it came in handy quite a few times (I even stole it at the airport when I needed to do a little face refresh).
We didn’t use these as much as I thought we would, but they were still good to have to make a toddler bed on the airplane. They also double as a foot rest in the airport. Ask me how I know…
Our daughter still sleeps with a guardrail on her bed, so we ordered these inflatable bed rails, which are relatively compact. Pro tip: do not inflate all the way or they will not stay put under the sheet. Again, ask me how I know.
I already had this on hand, but I’m so glad I brought this propolis throat spray for immune support for both me and my daughter. Luke chose to pop elderberry gummies.
I bought these pill bags back in November but this was the first time I really put them to the test. I take so many vitamins/supplements/etc. that I always struggle to find a pill organizer that’s both big enough to fit everything, yet compact enough to not take up too much room. These little bags checked both boxes and I will never travel without them again.
I heard mixed reviews on whether or not American hair tools would work in Europe, so I played it safe and snagged this dual voltage Conair curling iron and honestly? It works better than my fancy Babyliss curling iron.
In terms of luggage, I already owned all of these, but definitely recommend. If we weren’t traveling with a child, I think I could have gotten away without a checked bag.3

Clothes

I probably spent way too much time putting together outfits for me and my daughter5, but it brought me infinite joy and I felt perfectly Parisian, so I think the juice was worth the squeeze. Our trip took place early-mid March riiiigghhtt before spring truly sprung, so keep that in mind. However, the weather was way colder than I anticipated for that time of year, so I feel like these outfits would work for a true spring/fall trip, or for colder weather if you added a few more layers.

A few notes:

Actually measure your foot before ordering the Vivaia Mary-Jane’s. As someone who wore a size 10 shoe for many years when she really needed a 9.5, I didn’t believe the measurements telling me I needed a 9. I should have, in fact, gotten a 9. Despite them being a tad big, though, when I wore these shoes with tights, I was comfortable walking in them all day.
Keep an eye on the black and white sweater. I grabbed this on a lightning deal for $10 and feel like it goes on super sale quite often.

Itinerary

Note: my mother-in-law booked the tickets for all of our “excursions” through Viator. She also used WhatsApp to communicate with our shuttle service and VRBO hosts.

Day 1- travel day. Arrived in Paris, piled in rental cars, drove about 3.5 hours to Normandy. Bought groceries, explored the little town of Bayeux, settled into AirBnb, went to bed early.
Day 2- trekked to Bénouville to check out the Pegasus Bridge, hoping to eat at Café Gondrée, but it was closed, so we went to a little grab and go patisserie and ate lunch on benches while the girls played on a little playground. Came back to the house to hang and explore the property for awhile, then checked out Omaha Beach around sunset. Cooked dinner at home.
Day 3- one group went on a formal WWII tour while the rest of us made our own makeshift tour. We started in Sainte-Mère-Église to visit the church with a paratrooper dummy hanging from the steeple and to tour the Airborne Museum. Grabbed lunch in town then headed to the American Cemetery. We planned to stop at Pointe du Hoc and the Captain Winters memorial, but our crew was cold and tired, so we headed home.
Day 4- packed up and headed back to Charles de Gualle to return rental cars and get picked up by transfer company. Settled into our apartment then walked to Square du Temple-Elie Wiesel, a city park with a playground for the girls to play. On the way back we stopped at Café Janine, a cute little sidewalk cafe, for dinner.
Day 5- headed to the Eiffel Tower where we had tickets to ride the lift to the top6. After taking in the views we grabbed lunch at Brasserie de la Tour Eiffel, where my daughter developed her love for crepes. We then headed to Notre Dame and roamed around. Afterwards we worked our way back for our cruise down the Seine before heading back to our apartment7.
Day 6- toured Versailles (tickets required), grabbed lunch on premise8, and headed back to the apartment to freshen up. Thanks to grandparents, Luke and I were able to grab dinner at the Hôtel Particulier restaurant, Le Grand Salon, which I cannot recommend enough. Delicious food, cozy yet refined vibe, patio option during warmer weather, and Eiffel Tower views on your way out.
Day 7- Disneyland Paris! I had my favorite embroiderer, Collins and Company, make the cutest sweatshirts for the kids and my daughter and I wore these ears. My SIL made us a reservation at Royal Banquet a few weeks out, mostly because it was the only place with openings by the time we decided to go. Compared to Disney World, the prices were much lower and the meal came with a meet and greet with four characters. She also compiled a list of rides that would be age appropriate for the kids and since we didn’t have fast passes and were only there for the day, it was helpful to reference that list to make sure we were hitting everything we could. For dinner that night back at the apartment we picked up food from Bouillon République. This restaurant came highly recommended to us and while we never went to sit down and dine, we used their take away service twice because it was easy and delicious. I Highly recommend the duck confit.
I feel the need to clarify that I did not, in fact, take a solo picture with Donald Duck. In an effort to protect my daughter’s privacy, I do my best not to show her face on here, so trust me when I say she was in the picture, too. As evidenced by her lingering little hand and foot.
We pretty much hung out in Fantasy Land and Adventure Land with 2 three-year-olds. Our tickets didn’t get us into Walt Disney Studios but that is where a Frozen Show took place that I would have loved to see. But that’s the beauty in keeping the trip a secret—no expectations!
Day 8- Ventured to CityPharma to stock up on discounted French skincare products while Luke, my MIL, and the girls hung out at the Luxembourg Gardens a few minutes away. Grabbed lunch at Le Prince Racine. Headed to Louis Vuitton and walked up and down Champs-Élysées, making sure to stop in front of the Arc de Triomphe. Made one last stop at the Louvre just to see the outside before heading back to our apartment.
Day 9- loaded up and headed home on my father-in-law’s final flight!

Accommodations

I found both of these homes through VRBO and we couldn’t have been more pleased with them. Our group was made up of 8 adults and 3 children, for reference.

Souvenirs

First things first, I wish I could have brought home a vat of this butter.

I wish I could bathe in this butter. Unfortunately, I did not bring any of this butter home, but you should pack a cooler and bring some back for both of us.

The second most important souvenir was my skincare haul. I highly recommend doing some research about what you want before you go because CityPharma is buzzing with people. I had a list in hand and still wasn’t completely sure what I walked out with. I saved the list from this blog to my photos and used it as a reference. Here is what I came out with.

I haven’t been using anything long enough to give an accurate review, but I will definitely report back with my thoughts and feelings.

Okay, I think I’ve officially met my word quota when it comes to Paris. I hope this list serves as a jumping off point for anyone planning their own trip. I’m already dreaming of my next trip, so if you have anything to add, I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Au revoir, friends!