Lazy Saturday Afternoons in Paris

If you live in this vibrant European capital, chances are you have spent a fabulous Friday night, full of chatting with strangers, dancing in dimmed light and drinking various bubbly drinks. When you wake up by the first rays of the sun, coming through your thick curtains, you may just wish to turn on the other side and dream just a little more. After all, the days won't run anywhere and you are just so tired, and it is nice to close your eyes and think about that ravishing young gentleman that asked for your number last night.

But nevertheless, it is worthy to kick your ass out of the comfortable nest in which you fell around 3 pm last night, and get yourself some breakfast from the nearest boulangerie. Fill your stomach with still fresh croissants, soft pain au chocolat and cafe au lait, and you are ready to put on your most comfortable shoes, sunglasses and an elegant scarf (necessary addition to your Parisian outfit) and head out to explore the boulevards and avenues.

A question …

… that one must answer before going to Paris, is: am I the kind of person that can walk around museums and galleries for hours and not get bored? Do I consider art as an added value, necessity or useless thing in my life? If you have chosen Paris as the city of your stay, where you will live, study and try to write some seminar papers while your exchange, you probably love art and history. Paris has many amazing sights, but one of its most massive pluses is the fact that it contains tons of culture. There is no city in Europe that inhales and exhales art with each and every breath. And since Paris is unique in this way, it is time to show your respects to its most vibrant part.

There are many, many most known museums in which you can, surprisingly, enter for free if you are under 26 and a citizen of one of the member states of the European Union. If you are an Erasmus+ student, this shouldn't be a problem anyways. I hope you are staying in Paris for a long time because no matter how long you live here, there is always something new behind the corner, a coffee shop, enchanting view, small boutique or a gallery that wasn't here before. The city is a living, breathing organism, that is constantly changing, and keeping up with it is impossible. You can run with it, but you will never win the race, and you will never want to anyways.

If your soul craves art

An ideal way to spend your Saturday is, therefore, to head over to Saint Michel and take a walk along the Seine towards Musée d'Orsay or Louvre; avoid visiting Notre-Dame and the island, because it will be flooded with tourists, except in the tiny park behind it. You can see Orangerie or visit one of the smaller museums that suits your own artistic taste, or you can head over to the other side of the city and enjoy the works of today's artists that are displaying their talent on Montmartre and around Sacré-Coeur. Smaller museums and galleries can be even a better idea on weekends because you will have more peace this way. Famous Latin Quarter where many artists have found their inspiration (and plenty of wine) and Marais offer a vast variety of choices for a culture-hungry wanderer.

Where to empty your pockets

If you feel like spending or you still haven't found that perfect gift for your boyfriend/girlfriend, friends or fanily back home, you should definitely try Galeries Lafayette. This extravagant shopping centres, scattered across Parisian arrondissements, offer everything one can desire (almost everything, but there is always Pigalle), from fluffy toys, books decadent in material, yet minimalistic in style clothing to Chanel perfumes and Guerlain lipsticks. Don't forget to check out the view from the top floor!

If you have any smaller sisters or brothers, you can also visit the Disney Store at the Champs-Élysées near the Arc de Triomphe. You will find all Disney characters there in any shape or form, and the cool part is also that you can find the villains there too. Why bring your little sister a doll representing Ariel, when you can bring her the doll of Ursula?

Where to get your tan after lunch

If you find yourself anywhere near Concorde, you should definitely visit café Angelina on 226 Rue Rivoli. It is the most famous tea house in Paris, especially known for its traditional hot chocolate. The place is booming with business from its good reputation, so if you choose to stay inside, you will pay almost twice the price, but you will enjoy the beautiful decor. Keep in mind that the place will anyways likely to be full and you will have a hard time finding a spot. If you just want to taste how amazing their hot chocolate actually is, take the hot drink with you and enjoy it on a bench in a nearby park.

After lunch, you can enjoy the sun (if there is any) in the biggest park in paris, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. You can find the entrance at Rue Bolzaris. The park itself is very big and designed in a very natural way; it doesn't feel like the architects and gardeners aimed for a very artificial look, more for a lovely place of relaxation, full of wild flowers, uncut bushes and friendly ducks.

There are many visitors there every day as it is an amazing place to spent the sunny days, but nevertheless, you will not notice the huge number of people around you do to the park's grandiosity. Try to wait for the sunset there too, you won't be disappointed!