the 11th - a Paris Guide
I am back from my week in Paris and let me tell you, despite the cold, wind and scattered showers, I still love that city very much. I had a few messages on my Instagram (where I shared TMI about the trip, I am sure) asking for tips, recommendations, which airline, etc. So, that is what this post is! Please take all my recommendations with a grain of salt, we are all different types of travelers and what I love, you might not. When I travel, I like to be as local as possible, I like to say “I am a traveler, not a tourist,” and I think my choices in favorites reflect that to some degree.
So, are you ready? OK! Allons-y!
Paris is divided into sections called arrondissements, there are 20 of them. My favorite is the 11th. I have stayed in two hotels and one Airbnb in the area. I generally am a hotel girlie, but in Paris the hotel rooms are quite small (unless you are able to splash out more than I am!) and I do like to immerse myself (aka pretend I live in Paris) so a mix of Airbnb and hotels have been my MO, and so far I haven’t been let down.
The Airbnb we stayed in during an October 2023 trip WOULD have been perfect for two, maybe three, people. We made the bad life decision that all four in our group should stay there and it was not great. There is ONE bedroom, despite the posting saying two when I booked it, and a crawlspace with a bed. Not ideal for four grown ups!
During an October 2022 trip, three of us stayed here and we loved it. On the edge of the Marais, and close to the 11th…the location was hard to beat. As for hotels, the two in the 11th I have stayed in and would stay again are the BLC Design Hotel and Hotel Exquis.
The BLC is a starkly designed hotel with bare bones amenities BUT larger than average rooms for Paris. Cost wise, I find it a very good price point. In fact, we had planned on staying here this last trip but the desire to explore another area (St. Germain des Pres) took us elsewhere. This is all to say, I would stay there again DESPITE the strange art that overlooked me while I slept (in what I think has been the most comfortable bed of any place in Paris I have stayed!)
Hotel Exquis is a darling little boutique cute. They offer a small lower level that provides breakfast at an extra cost, water, coffee, tea, etc. and the spaces are designed in a colorful and cozy way. It is right across from some of my favorite spots on the Rue de Charonne, which I have now after four trips solidified as my favorite street in Paris. The rooms are small. Like, you need to be a carry-on traveler for this hotel to work for you. Your big ass suitcase with 47 outfits you are not going to wear will not fit!
Now, while the 11th is my favorite area, while we are on the subject of hotels…I need to share my favorite hotel that I have stayed at in Paris. The Monsieur Aristide in Montmartre. This hotel is a boho artsy dream of a spot. I actually am in the very slow process of re-decorating my apartment with their rooms as the inspiration. It is beautiful, and if you can get a room with a terrace? OUI OUI. I hope one day to stay there again, on the terrace, sipping an aperitif. Le. Sigh. The hotel group that owns this lovely hotel is called Chapter Six, and they have many hotels that are on my list, including the Maison Saintonge, and not just because of all the free candy.
Speaking of eating…
The 11th is home to Septime, which IYKYK, if you do not know, it is a Michelin star restaurant that is a bucket list dining experience for many foodies. I am not a foodie, but I love to brag. In October 2022, my friend Andrea miraculously managed to score a reservation and we got to go. If you can get one, I suggest you take it. It is probably the best dining experience of my life, despite the fact that I cannot tell you anything about the dishes I had (other than the main being sweetbreads…) The sommelier was so knowledgeable, and when we gushed over one of the beverages (a limited production vermouth) he arranged for two bottles to be shipped up to Septime La Cave (their sister wine bar) for us to buy and take home.
Septime has two other “sisters” on the block, Clamato and Tapisserie. Clamato does not take reservations, and the general consensous online is get there 30 minutes before opening to score a table. That being said, when we walked by on a Monday night at 7:45pm (45 minutes after opening) the place was half empty. So if you are dying to try Clamato, go on a Monday in January! Tapisserie is a bakery and coffee shop and is definitely worth a pop in. It is teeny inside, so expect your coffee to go, and maybe you will get lucky and can grab one of two window seats outside.
Just a half a block away is Louie Louie, the proud owner of the title “Alexandra’s favorite pizza place in Paris.” If you know me, even just on socials, you must know I love pizza. And not just in the way everyone says it, I could literally eat it every single day. This last trip was 6 nights, and 2 nights we had pizza. I could have easily done all 6 as the pizza scene in Paris is incredible and growing each day! There are so many places I want to try; I am tempted to organize a Paris Pizza Party Tour…hmmmm. While we are at it, Giorgio is also really good, and cute, and they have a server named Louie who was a star! I would go back just for him, he was so lovely. We somehow scored a last-minute reservation and the watched not one, not two but about 20 groups get turned away as the place was packed and apparently these 20 groups did not know about “online reservations.” A thing like that!
A new favorite in the 11th is Suzie Wong. We were dying for some Asian food this past trip and ended up at Suzie’s while we were on our way to a sushi spot we had been before…let me tell you, this was among my favorite meals on this trip. I got the dandan noodles and I am STILL thinking about them. Paris has so many good foods spots, I would say it is hard to go wrong…but you can, and you might, but you will not go wrong at Suzie Wong.
If you want to bring something home that is very Paris/French but is not a tacky souvenir you will no doubt throw out during your next purge, you need to visit Antoinette Poisson in the 11th. I discovered this place during my obsession with Madame du Pompadour, birth name Jeanne Antoinette Poisson. She was the primary mistress and essentially a shadow queen to Louis XV. I first read about her in The Rivals of Versailles, and during a google search of her learned of this incredible shop. It has taken me 4 visits to get there, despite staying so close by the past few times! I bought a gorgeous cushion cover, a little notebook, a print done on domino paper, and a handmade, hand painted dish that I think is my favorite purchase of this last trip. Everything is made in Paris, and everything is beautiful…if not a bit on the pricy side. There is a reason I did not shop much after this little spree!
Overall, the 11th is the perfect location to stay in Paris, it is close to everything via transit, and even not that far of a walk to Montmarte! I did it in loafers last year in just about an hour. The food scene is incredible, and it still feels very local despite being in one of the most visited cities in the world. Next trip, I will be returning to the 11th to explore more of what it has to offer.
I feel like this post is getting a bit long, and I have so much more to tell you outside of the 11th! So, be sure you are subscribed so when I publish the next installment of my Paris recommendations, you are on the list.
Next up I will dive into places outside my beloved 11th, and maybe some tips on which airline to choose for your journey (I have flown three so far and one is definitely a nemesis now…LOL.)
bisous mes amis!
