Paris

MORNING

Plan to eat plenty of pastries while exploring the City of Light. Start the day with a macaron from Pierre Hermé, or at Ritz Paris Le Comptoir, the new stand-alone pastry shop at the Ritz Paris, for espresso drinks and filled madeleines, pain au chocolat, and savory smoked salmon croissants. Take breakfast to go and walk through the nearby Tuileries Garden, bookended by the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde.

DAY

Book a ticket to see a rotating collection of contemporary art at Pinault Collection at Bourse de Commerce. (Don’t miss the gift shop, which sells a small selection of modern home goods and cool souvenirs.) Walk south to the Right Bank for lunch at Rose Bakery inside iconic French department store Le Bon Marché, then stay to peruse 8 floors of impeccably-curated fashion, home, and lifestyle collections.

EVENING

For dinner, make a reservation at Café Compagnon, a modern French cafe with seasonally-changing menu and wines made by chef and owner Charles Campagnon. Close out the night at Folderol, the hip cafe specializing in handmade ice cream and natural wine.

MORNING

Start your day with a croissant and cafe au lait at the Salon du The before taking a five minute stroll to the Louvre. (Tickets are free for anyone under 26.) It’s impossible, of course, to see the museum’s some 35,000 works of art in a day, but don’t miss highlights like DaVinci’s Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and a treasure-filled Egyptian wing with a great sphinx on display.

DAY

For lunch afterwards, opt for crepes at Breizh Café before stopping into the much more manageable Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, i.e., the museum of hunting and nature. In the newly-renovated space, find an eclectic and whimsical collection of antique taxidermy and art.

EVENING

Take a late afternoon walk to Jardin du Luxembourg, and on the way stop by Maison Aleph for bite-sized pastries and homemade ice cream in flavors like sesame halva before crossing the Seine.

MORNING

Paris may be the only city where walking through a cemetery could be considered deeply romantic. Take a morning stroll through the cobblestone lanes of Père Lachaise, where the graves of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison are among the intricate marble tombs and lush greenery.

DAY

Mid-morning, head to Café de Flore to soak up some classic Parisian cafe culture. Ask for a seat outside and order a glass of rosé, experiencing some of the world’s best people watching from the tiny green table.

EVENING

Set sail on the Seine with Bateaux Mouches, which offers cruises throughout the day. The Champagne cruise at sunset includes a mini bottle of Moet to sip while seeing monuments like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Pont Neuf, sparkling against the evening sky.

Finish the day with dinner at the three Michelin-starred Le Cinq, with fine French cuisine in the opulent dining room of the Hôtel George V.