Hi. We’re Keith and Marissa.
We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with a trip to Paris – a whole month! So often, vacations are made up of crammed itineraries, hard-trodden tourist paths, stark hotel rooms and too much eating out.
We wanted to do things differently.
Our goal for the trip was simple: to live as Parisian-like as possible, to find our own Joie de vivre (Joy of Living!).
To accomplish this, we:
- Rented an apartment
- Shopped daily for the freshest foods and often cooked simply at home
- Traveled around the city by foot, metro and bike
- Leisurely explored museums and other city attractions
- Spent afternoons relaxing in beautiful parks or along the Seine river
Sound appealing? Then this book is for you.
Of course, spending a month away from home is not always an option. But you can experience Paris this way with just a week or two.
In this guide, you’ll find our best tips on preparing to go, what to pack, how to find a place to stay, how to explore the city on foot or bike and get around on the metro, language basics, day trips out of the city, simple recipes to make in your apartment and more. We’ll also share our thoughts on the best museums and how to really enjoy them, restaurants to try, even our pick for the best chocolate shop in Paris.
Our hope is that you pick and choose from what we’ve shared to design your perfect trip to Paris, to find your Joie de vivre!
Paris Like You Live There: A Practical Travel Guide
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Manage Logistics
In this chapter, we’ll help you work out the details of your trip from when you’ll travel, to setting a budget and organizing documents.
Chapter 2: Choose An Arrondissement & Rent an Apartment
In this chapter, we’ll go over the highlights of each of the 20 arrondissements and give you a list of resources for finding the right apartment.
Chapter 3: Pack Your Bags
In this chapter, we’ll give you a detailed list of packing essentials and what to wear.
Chapter 4: Walk the City
In this chapter, we’ll give you 4 of our favorite walks for exploring Paris on foot. Example:
Chapter 5: Ride the Metro
In this chapter, we’ll give our best tips on riding the metro along with maps, ticket information and our favorite (and free!) app for making it easy.
Chapter 6: Rent a Bike
Explore Paris by bike! It’s inexpensive and really fun. We’ll explain how.
Chapter 7: Explore a Museum
In this chapter, we’ll share our favorite museums and how to make exploring them even more fun.
Chapter 8: Speak Français
In this chapter, you’ll find essential words and phrases: basic communication, useful phrases, useful words, on the menu, numbers and days.
Chapter 9: Ride a Train
In this chapter, we’ll share the details of high speed train travel and 4 great day trips to consider.
Chapter 10: Cook a Meal
In this chapter, you’ll find advice on shopping for the best of everything to cook at home in your apartment. And we’ve shared 7 of our favorite recipes that are both delicious and easy to prepare.
Chapter 11: Dine Out
In this chapter, we’ve shared the details of our very favorite places to dine out in Paris.
Chapter 12: Pick a Favorite
In this chapter, we’ll share what we call a “Little List of Lovely Miscellany” – 14 of our favorite Paris discoveries, including our favorite chocolate shop and a couple of hidden gems.
Welcome and thanks for being here! I'm Marissa, here with approachable and delicious real food recipes inspired by the seasons. 
