In September 2025, I took a solo trip to Paris for the first time. By no means, is it my first time in the city – you’ll find other travel diaries already on my blog – but never had I ventured alone before. The ‘clinamen’ installation at the Bourse de Commerce was what drove me to book the flights, when I decided I couldn’t not see it for myself in person. It wasn’t the cheapest last minute trip I could have planned and I definitely didn’t have to stay for two nights instead of one but YOLO, right? I would undoubtedly do it again. I threaten to run away to Paris after every minor inconvenience anyway.
My flight landed in Charles de Gaulle by midday as I wanted to maximise the amount of time I could spend wandering the city. My hotel was in Le Marais so I jumped on the RER to Châtelet les Halles and walked the 10-minutes from there. I dropped my bags, applied sun cream and was out the door again within 20 minutes. Autumn was creeping into Edinburgh already but with temperatures reaching 23C in Paris, Summer was lingering.
My first stop was for some coffee. What else did you expect?
After my espresso, I grabbed an award-winning lobster roll from Homer Lobster for a picnic in the Luxembourg Gardens.
Camping out by the Medici fountain was gorgeous. I literally could have stayed for hours in the gardens, sunbathing and wandering around. It’s definitely one of my new favourite spots in the city and can’t believe it took me so long to visit.
Time for an afternoon sweet treat! The dark chocolate mousse from Chapon et la Chocolaterie de l’Eglise was deliciously rich.
I ate my chocolate mousse as I wandered the streets of Paris towards the main event, the Bourse de Commerce. I had an entry slot booked for 5pm.
The ‘clinamen’ exhibit was everything I wanted it to be and, more importantly, worth the flights. I’m writing a whole other blog post on the installation as there was just too much to say here.
The opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympic Games followed the torch travelling down the Seine to the Eiffel Tower, only for it to to be carried back to the Louvre by Roger Federer. It was an odd route but for this summer, the cauldron returned to the Tuileries Gardens.
After a long day, I grabbed a seat at BAOBAR for some dinner. I inhaled my dumplings – they were outrageously good – and crashed into bed.
Because of my job, I’m somewhat of an early riser and was up, showered and ready to go by 9am. I had a loose plan for the morning; drink coffee and shop at all my favourite boutiques in Le Marais. In hindsight, it was too loose because I didn’t research shop opening times beforehand. I forgot the French were more relaxed than the Scottish with few places welcoming customers before 11:30am.
I started my day at Sevenly Heart, a coffee shop by day and wine bar by night, where I read my book and sipped on a cold brew.
For me, Antoine et Lili, Maurice and the kilo shops along Rue de la Verrerie are a must when shopping in Paris My new finds this trip were Vintage Désir, where I bought two new coats and Colorful Standard.
I posted a full TikTok of everything I bought if you’re interested in a haul!
Usually I’m quite cool in coffee shops but the sci-fi energy of Café Nuances clearly threw off my vibe. So, due to an accidental spillage of an espresso, it was back to the hotel for a quick change before my next reservation.
I had booked an audio-guided tour at the Opera Garnier, a building I had admired (only from the outside) since I was 15 and visiting Paris for the first time.
It is truly magical inside, with dim lights reflecting off gold statues, ornately painted ceilings and marble staircases. The audio guide is also really fantastic, and worth the additional cost. I learned about the celebrated composers, painters and patrons of the opera house as well as the origin of the Phantom of the Opera.
Later in the week, La bohème was having its opening night so the audiotrium was closed to visitors as they rehearsed. Originally I had considered changing my flights to see the opera but instead, I hope to catch a ballet during my next visit.
I know for most Europeans, having dinner at 5:30pm is sinfully early but I wanted to avoid queuing if at all possible. I’d bookmarked the popular Bouillon Chartier for dinner so I could try l’escargot for the first time.
I had such a special evening. Contrary to the night prior where I was sat up at a bar alone, myself and three other solo diners were seated together at a table. Our party included an elderly Parisian man who dined there every evening, a lady from Warsaw visiting Paris for the first time and a man from Quebec returning after 15 years. They had to witness me trying snails for the first time as I struggled with the shells. There were a few small language barriers but it was a lovely night and I ate a gigantic profiterole. I know Bouillon Chartier has a reputation for being a bit of a tourist spot but I would go back in a heartbeat.
For years, the flash invaders have been of my favourite things to spot in Paris and for this trip I finally downloaded the app. I collected a few to add to my collection on the walk back to my hotel.
I needed a game plan for my final day. With RER strikes and protests happening outside my hotel, I was overly prepared in getting to the airport. But before all that drama, pastries.
My morning croissant and brioche were from French Bastards. I even carried one of their famous cookie rolls around with me all day to take back to Edinburgh in the evening.
Another cold brew, this time from Big Shot Coffee and I was back on the metro.
The Petit Palais is another of my favourite places in Paris. Not only is a beautiful building on its own, but a free art gallery too.
I have a print of Clairin’s Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt in my flat but I couldn’t pass up another opportunity to see her in person. She’s just so captivating.
It had started to drizzle but the weather didn’t deter me. I walked along the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower passing chestnut trees dropping the largest conkers I’d ever seen.
I continued along to L’île aux Cygnes and the Statue of Liberty; my second of the trip as I had seen the one in the Luxembourg Gardens a couple of days before. The words ‘FREE GAZA,’ were proudly written on her base as she looked over the Seine.
I dropped into Shakespeare & Company (no pictures allowed) to grab some books and had planned on eating at a bistro near Châtelet before picking up my luggage. I quickly discovered that protests against gargantuan government budget cuts were happening in the same area and, wanting to avoid riot police, I opted for smash burgers at Junk instead. I wasn’t a fan of the silver box my fries came in, if felt like the carbs were staring back at me.
The marches continued past Châtelet towards my hotel, literally shutting down the entire metro and RER station as well as the mall. I was chatting to a gent (he picked up on my lack of French-speaking too quickly) as we waited for the station to open. He thought Scotland was an English territory? Anyway…
My overly anxious mind did have a plan B and C in place to get to the airport, you know, just in case. For once it was actually necessary when Châtelet les Halles showed no signs of reopening soon. Instead, I walked to the Palais Royal to jump on the metro, changing until I could join the RER at Luxembourg. It was strange passing through Châtelet on the train as the platforms resembled a ghost town. I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare so, inspired by my day, I watched National Treasure 2.
Ultra-specific itineraries are a specialty of mine so the advantage of going solo means I didn’t have to consider other people’s preferences of things to do. I will admit though, it is more fun with someone else by your side. I was narrating to myself as I wandered along the streets. It’s easy for me to find similarities with Edinburgh which I why I think I love it so much and the more I visit Paris, the more I want to live there. A resolution for 2026 will definitely be to start taking proper French classes. I’ve just cancelled my gym membership so I’ve got no excuse!
Becca Marriner 
Leave a comment