The Paris list I send to friends
No tourist traps, no tired recs—just my favorite spots to eat, shop, stay, and wander in the city I got married in
This is From the Window Seat, a series of deeply researched, design-forward dispatches for people who believe in the art of traveling well. From immersive itineraries to standout hotel reviews, each one offers everything you need to experience a place—or a property—with intention and great taste.
First, I want to welcome all of the new faces around here! Whether you arrived via The Love List or Substack Reads (huge shout out to
!), thank you so much for joining us in the window seat. In honor of becoming a Substack Featured Publication, I’m offering a 20% discount on all annual paid subscriptions through the end of the month! Tell a friend or two.It’s been a minute since I’ve published a travel guide. Paris feels timely given the Olympics are wrapping up this weekend, and I’ve been adding so many new hotspots to my must-visit list lately. Paris also holds an incredibly special place in my heart—it’s where my husband and I got married last year.
Here’s what you can expect below the paywall:
A tightly edited list of spots actually worth your time—no tourist traps, no overhyped recs, just the places I’d send a friend.
Each pick comes with quick notes, smart tips, and a few overrated spots you can skip with zero FOMO.
The map app I use to plan every trip (and why I’d never trust the one influencers keep pushing instead).
I feel compelled to say that, despite sharing all these places, I’m still a big proponent of self-discovery. It’s really no fun to pack your trip full of viral recs and spend all day standing in line or fighting other tourists just for a cup of coffee. You don’t get to really experience a place that way, and then it feels like nothing really belongs to you. And no—nothing ever really does—but that feeling you get when you happen upon something new to you? I can tell you it’s usually way better than that coffee tastes.
My tip? Pick a few places you’re really excited to go to. Use those as anchors to plan your days around. For example, if you know you absolutely must go home with a film strip from the vintage photo booth in Montmartre, that can be your anchor location for one day of your trip. Visit your anchor, then stash your map. Be willing to wander; see where the road leads you. I think travel is so much more fulfilling this way.