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Fashion

How To Do Paris In 48 Hours


Hey guys, Shay here from Team Jilly!! I recently had the opportunity to travel to Paris with Kérastase for an influencer hair event. Long story short, Jilly was supposed to come with me, but with her busy filming schedule, we just couldn’t swing it. Instead, she SO graciously offered for just me to go and represent Team Jilly (amazing I know)!! I am forever grateful for her providing me with this AMAZING experience that I’ll never forget, talk about best boss ever!! Anyways …

I know some of you are probably already shaking your heads at me thinking “Paris in 48 hours is NOT possible” … and although it might not be ideal (yes, I would’ve preferred to stay for at least a week), I think it is totally doable!! Follow along below as I walk you through some of my tricks on how I made it possible and what I did while I was there.

I really only had half a day to see the sites and explore the city. The rest of my time was spent at different Kérastase events with Nicole from Pomme Salon (she was my personal hairstylist for the trip and styled my hair for all of the different events) and the Canadian Kérastase team. Even though our schedules were jam-packed we managed to have a lot of fun!!

First things first, when booking your flight always look for the shortest travel time. Try to book your seats while booking your flight, even if it’s an extra $20-$50 it is totally worth it on the long hauls and red eyes. There is nothing worse than getting stuck in the middle seat of 4 on an overnight flight. I also recommend paying the extra few bucks for the extra legroom, window, or aisle seat depending on the type of traveller you are (I always get up to pee a thousand times so prefer the aisle lol). I always pack a warm pair of pants and socks that I throw on as soon as I get on the plane and I never travel without my blanket scarf – it works as a blanket, a pillow, or lower back support.

As soon as you arrive, I recommend dropping your bags off at the hotel, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, chug some water, and then head outside for a walk to beat the jet lag. When we arrived at the hotel at 9AM our room wasn’t ready (so maybe make sure to request early check-in too lol) regardless … we found a shower, changed, stored our bags and were on route to explore the city. 

I always recommend seeing a city by foot and transit so that you can get a real feel of the city and how the locals live. I always love taking the metro or train or bus and it’s more cost-effective if you’re on a budget. It was the Paris heatwave when we were there so after a few hours of walking and sweating in the heat we decided to hop on a tuck – tuck and I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you’re tight on time. It took us to all of the main attractions and it was a really fun way to see the city FAST!

MUST SEE & DO’s (what we had time for):

  • The Eiffel Tower in the day and night.
  • Arc De Triomphe
  • Champs-Élysée (I even stopped in at the Chanel store and may or may not have dreamt of purchasing a bag).
  • Picnic along the Seine – grab a baguette and some wine and you’re set.
  • Boat cruise along the Seine (this was SUCH a cool way to see the city!) – Thank you Kerastase!
  • Louvre
  • Trocadero – this is where we took most of the photos! We also found a water fountain to cool off in!
  • LOCAL Parisian Cafes – Cafe De Flore is a very popular photo-worthy spot but anywhere with home-baked pastries is a must stop!
  • Local Parisian Restaurant – try not to get stuck in a tourist trap so that you get the full Parisian experience. Share some wine and appies along a busy street and you will be content for hours people watching!
  • Hire Flytographer to take your pictures – use code JILLIANHARRIS2019 for $50 off your shoot.

OTHER MUST SEES (that we didn’t have time for):

  • Musée D’Orsay
  • Palace of Versailles
  • Montmartre
  • Angelinas Tea House
  • Luxembourg Gardens
  • Galeries Lafayette
  • Wine tour if you REALLY have time …

photo credit: Olga from Flytographer

Pink Dress | Red Dress (similar) | Yellow Dress | Pink Heels | White Heels | Hair Clips

Here’s to hoping you have longer than 48 hours while in Paris … and if not make the most of it like I did!! If you have any questions for me or I missed anything, shoot me a message in the comments below …

xo

Shay


Leave a Reply

  1. Hi Shay! Beautiful pictures! Did you wear tennis shoes to walk around the city? If so, what do you recommend?
    Thank you,
    Alissa

  2. Love the tips and places to visit Shay! I would also recommend to all Canadians taking half a day to visit Vimy Ridge. It is an important part of our history, very moving and well worth the trip!

    1. Yes, I’ve been to Vimy Ridge before so completely forgot to suggest this! Great tip 🙂 XOXO

  3. Great post! I highly recommend an afternoon in Montmartre, a stroll along Canal St Martin and a Sunday in The Marais. There are so many great parts of Paris that aren’t too far from the main attractions of the city.

  4. One must visit place you let off your list…Montparnasse Tower. From the rooftop you can see 360° view of Paris while sipping on champagne! Right outside a metro stop.

  5. I’d recommend Avenue Montaigne which is more beautiful than Champs-Élysées and close to Grand & Petit Palais Museums (must-see places architecture and exhibitions), Rue Saint-Dominique that leads you to Eiffel Tower (I just love that street) and the Invalides / La Tour-Maubourg, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Odéon (a bit posh nowadays but still full of Vian, Sartre and de Beauvoir spirits). You’ll enjoy time in Parisian cafés nearby Montparnasse or Invalides and should you step into the right bank (I’m a true left bank person, nobody’s perfect…), Sacré-Coeur even if Montmartre is so clichéd, Abbesses and its restaurants or Richelieu-Drouaut maybe.
    Anyhow, a 2-day trip is definitely too short!

  6. I’m heading to Paris for only 48 hours too so this is really helpful!! Where did you stay? I’m currently looking at Boutique hotels in the St. Germain area but there are so many!

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