8 Splurges in Paris I Love

Despite its reputation of being one of the most expensive cities in the world, Paris can be affordable. Maximizing hotel points, traveling in off/shoulder seasons, and being strategic about meals can help. Paris doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s one of the major capitals that maintains very fair prices, whether we’re talking about pastries or museums. With a little bit of extra planning, we’ve found ways to enjoy certain splurges in Paris that make our trips extra memorable. For me, a splurge doesn’t have to be expensive. It should be something that I wouldn’t necessarily do at home though. As such, I wanted to share a few splurges in Paris that have completely changed our trips to Paris.

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links for tours and products I love at no additional cost to you.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Restaurants to Splurge on in Paris

Lunch or Dinner at Le George

This is one of the most unforgettable experiences in Paris on our list. It’s also one of the most expensive splurges for us, but it doesn’t have to be for you. Le George is a one Michelin star restaurant at the Four Seasons Paris. It’s definitely one of our favorite restaurants in Paris. In attempt to be romantic, we always go for dinner. And, we generally splurge on two bottles of wine with our meal. The first time we visited, we chose wine based on our own preferences. (We loved both wines so much that we found one of the wineries on a trip to Tuscany.)

When we returned to Le George in December, we decided to let the sommelier choose wines within our price range. He did such a great job that Tom asked him to recommend French wines for our return visit the following night. (They had a white truffle menu. I couldn’t resist.) He went above and beyond by going to Le Cinq, the other Four Seasons restaurant and studying their wine list. He came back with a few unique and unbelievable options, including a 2006 Bandol that required the most ridiculously amazing decanter.

The food here is truly outstanding. We’ve never had a bad dish. I will skip an entire day of meals to enjoy everything at Le George. Some of my favorite surprises have been the saffron risotto with ossobucco, the sear (and flavor) of the steak, and the tortellini with lemon and mint. The apple torte dessert is huge and delicious. Seriously. Everything here is good. Go hungry, order broadly, and enjoy everything. It’s a splurge for a reason. This same dinner and wine experience would cost so much more in the United States. I’m always floored at how reasonable it is. Obviously, you could make it as expensive as you want to with such a robust wine list. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a great bottle of wine at Le George though.

One last plug for making a reservation at Le George, particularly if you are celebrating a special occasion in Paris. The last time we were there, we ordered a 2005 Bandol from Provence. Not only did they find a way to preserve the label for us, but they also included a wax seal from Le George to remind us where we had it. While this item has little value on the open market, it meant the world to us. It represented the trust we put in the sommelier on our subsequent visits, but also the attention to detail they put in making our experience special.

Le George is open for lunch or dinner, and you will need to make a reservation in advance. The dining room overlooks the hotel courtyard. In the summer, you can request a table on the terrace. You can make reservations online, but don’t forget to click to confirm your reservation a few days in advance.

Journey of Doing - best splurges in Paris - affordable Michelin star restaurants Paris
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Journey of Doing - Best restaurants in Paris for lunch
One of the best splurges in Paris that I’ve found is Le George
Journey of Doing - Michelin star restaurants Paris lunch
Journey of Doing - where to go in Paris for a splurge-worthy meal
Open for lunch and dinner and offering an affordable Michelin starred meal in Paris, it’s one of my favorite restaurants in Paris!

Drinks & Dessert at the Ritz Paris

If you’ve been reading my posts for awhile, you know I love the Ritz Paris. I’ve taken several pastry classes at the Ritz Escoffier, but before I started doing that, we enjoyed nightcaps and the buche de Noel at Bar Vendome. You might see the Hemingway Bar on all the social media apps, but I really love Bar Vendome for its classic ambiance and the piano bar. I’ve seen people get engaged here, and the staff goes above and beyond for every single one of their guests. We always feel so welcome.

Francois Perret is the head pastry chef at the Ritz Paris and this is the best way to try his desserts without staying at the Ritz. (You can also buy his French pastry cookbook as the perfect Paris souvenir!) You can also enjoy them at Le Comptoir, but if you want to elevate your Paris trip, you’ll head to Bar Vendome instead. Both the dessert and cocktail menus change according to the season, though you can always find some of the Ritz Paris classics on both menus.

To avoid disappointment, I recommend making a reservation in advance. When we travel to Paris in off season, we can usually get in at the end of the night. However, when Paris is busy, the Bar Vendome does fill up and turn people away. I recommend asking for a table in the atrium with its beautiful glass ceiling if you want to experience the magic of Paris under the stars.

Journey of Doing - where to go in Paris for drinks and dessert
Journey of Doing - where to go in Paris for drinks and dessert

Things Worth Splurging on in Paris

Book a Le Mer Facial at the Park Hyatt Paris

One of the things that I love most about the Park Hyatt Paris is Le Spa, the hotel spa. Even when we aren’t staying at the PHV, I will book a treatment. Le Mer is a luxury skincare brand that I love, and I love to try all the products through treatments at the spa at the Park Hyatt.

The best treatment at Le Spa will depend on whether you prefer body treatments or facials. I generally book the custom facial so that they can recommend products based on what is happening with my skin. (We all know that there is a huge difference in how our skin feels in winter or summer.) The facial is a great way to hydrate your skin after a long flight. That being said, the 90 minute La Mer body treatment (with Gabriel!) is my favorite spa treatment in Paris thus far. It includes a body scrub and massage, and it a wonderful way to treat your jet lag!

I’ve tried a couple of luxury hotel spas in Paris. Gabriel’s massage is the best I’ve found thus far. One of the things you need to consider when you a booking a treatment at a luxury spa in Paris is whether you will have access to all the spa amenities at a property. Some hotels do reserve certain benefits for their hotel guests. That makes sense to me, but it’s important to know in advance. I would hate for you to get there and be disappointed.

Journey of Doing - favorite splurges in Paris
Journey of Doing - best luxury spa treatment in Paris, France

Buy a Piece of Art in Paris

I am always on the hunt for the perfect souvenir. Our “basic” souvenirs from a trip are usually a couple bottles of wine and a Christmas ornament from our trip. However, I also love buying original art. The first pieces of art I bought were from a gallery in Venice in 2010. They are still framed in our formal dining room because I can’t bear to part with them, even though they really don’t match our decor anymore. When we returned to Venice for our honeymoon in 2015, I fell in love with Giovanni Pulze, and in 2022, we purchased three of his paintings from an art gallery in Dorsudoro. They are some of my favorite souvenirs to date.

My Favorite Art Galleries in Paris

I love gallery hopping in Paris. Carre d’Artistes is always one of my first stops because their artists and inventories change regularly. I love the expo location in St. Germain because it carries large format paintings, which is what we need in our home. Every single one of their stores carries different original inventory and different artists. It’s really fun to peruse the art and find that perfect souvenir for your trip to Paris. The other thing I really appreciate is that everything is priced according to size. There’s no negotiating, which feels like a lot less pressure to me. Their original works range from the very small to the very large. This means that you can find the perfect piece for any space. We bought an Alan Dessapt painting from them in March 2024, and it was the fastest I’ve ever seen Tom purchase anything!

I also love ArtEthic Galerie near the Sorbonne in the Latin Quarter. It’s where I discovered Jerome Guillet, a French artist who did a series of blue paintings that I LOVE. (I will own one. Manifesting it here, just like I did with our Giovanni Pulze paintings.) On Sundays, you can also find the Le Marche de la Creation near Montparnasse. This outdoor art market features original works and you can often meet the artists. It happens on Sunday mornings year round, though the winter months don’t see quite as many artists.

I think that art is one of the best splurges in Paris because you can enjoy it forever. While buying a designer handbag may last you for a while, if you use it every day, it will eventually wear out. You can enjoy art every day without that same risk.

Book a Photo Session in Paris

When we went to Paris for our honeymoon, I knew I had to book a honeymoon session with L’Amour de Paris. I didn’t love our engagement photos and our wedding photos weren’t my favorite. Our couple’s session in Paris remains one of my most favorite souvenirs from our honeymoon because it’s unique to us. The photos have decorated our Christmas cards and are framed throughout our home. This photo session in Paris started a bit of a tradition for us for a few years. It’s actually one things that I’m hoping to start doing again. (We took our 10th anniversary photos in Florence and Tuscany last year, and I was reminded about how important this is to me!)

Our photos were taken by Stacy, the OG of L’Amour de Paris. I am still obsessed with them. Our early morning photo session included several iconic Paris locations, and she made Tom feel so comfortable. If the team at L’Amour de Paris isn’t available, I love the work of Kiss Me in Paris, especially their blue hour and night photography sessions.

Journey of Doing - Paris honeymoon photo session
This iconic dress is by Dallas native Lela Rose, and I’m still wearing it 11 years later.

How to Splurge in Paris Without Breaking the Bank

Wine and Cheese Tasting in Paris

While this isn’t your typical luxury travel experience, this wine and cheese tasting is something at we book every time we come to Paris. This is one of the best Paris experiences to open you up to the complexity of French wine and cheese. (I knew nothing about either.) Erwan runs a small wine shop in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. He focuses on small producers and pairing great wines with different cheeses. It has opened the world of French wine to us. Between wine tastings with Erwan and Kendall (our favorite waiter at Sacree Fleur in Montmartre), we’ve started traveling beyond Paris on our trips to France. (Erwan introduced us to affordable wines from Saint Emilion, which resulted in us visiting Bordeaux in December and staying a few nights in Saint Emilion within the same year. Kendall is the reason we traveled to Honfleur and Normandy last summer. Their wine recommendations will shape our road trip through France this summer, too.)

I know a lot of people think that doing a tour once is enough, but every time we take this wine class in Paris, we learn more about French wine. We discover a new cheese that we like. And, we bring bottles home to try with family and friends. On this past trip, we brought home 12 bottles of a 2015 Saint Emilion Grand Cru that we love, but I also asked Erwan to mix and match wines from different parts of France. We bought 8 red wines and 4 whites, which is a record for me. I’m generally not a white wine person, unless you’re talking about Alsatian white wines.

Journey of Doing - best unique experiences in Paris
Journey of Doing - Best wine tasting in Paris

Buy the Paris Museum Pass

Hear me out. If you love museums and want to spend your time museum hopping in Paris, buy the Paris Museum Pass for the duration of your stay. This is one of the best and most underrated splurges in Paris. When we spent 10 days in Paris in July, we bought the museum pass, and we would hit up (at least) two museums a day. Not only did it give us the maximum flexibility, but it also allowed us to skip all the lines at all the most popular sites in the Paris.

My Favorite Experiences with the Paris Museum Pass:
  • Seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle from the top of Arc de Triomphe
  • Experiencing the mid-day light streaming through the stained glass windows at Sainte-Chapelle.
  • Seeing Monet’s Water Lillies at L’Orangerie in the early and late afternoon light. (The Musee de l’Orangerie has some of the best special exhibitions! Always check them out!)
  • Visiting Degas’s perfect ballerinas at the Musee d’Orsay (and then book tickets to see them for yourself at Paris Opera Ballet).
  • Experience the less busy wings of the Louvre museum, including the Richelieu wing with decorative arts or the Sully wing with its antiquities. (The most famous works of the Louvre are in the Denon wing.)
  • Wander the sculpture garden at the Musee Rodin. To see the iterations of scale of so many popular sculptures is incredible.
  • Experience the changing exhibits of the Picasso Museum. I love how often the museum changes its works, and you can truly see the evolution of Picasso’s work at this museum. It is incredibly well done.

If seeing all the museums in Paris isn’t you style, I would book a private tour of the Musee d’Orsay or the Louvre through Paris Walks. The Musee d’Orsay is one of my favorite museums because I love Impressionists, but you have to choose what makes the most sense for you. I think Paris Walks has some of the best guides, and by booking a private tour, you can tailor it to your interests. We’ve used them for a lot of private tours.

Journey of Doing - most unique Paris experiences
Journey of Doing - most unique Paris experiences

Visit a Boulangerie for Warm Baguettes

This is one of those splurges in Paris that is uniquely French and impossible to plan for without a little work. You have to get lucky or befriend your local bolangerie. (It’s entirely possible to do so with a little French and a lot of kindness.)

While not overly sophisticated and definitely not expensive, some of my favorite meals in Paris have after getting oven-fresh baguettes in Paris. There is nothing better than a warm baguette smeared with Reblochon. (You will not change my mind.) You can usually find fresh baguettes in the early morning, around lunchtime, and before dinner. Govern yourself accordingly.

Thoughts on Things Worth Splurging on in Paris

I think you really have to know what’s important to you and the people you’re traveling with. For some people, having a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a museum is the ultimate splurge. (For us, this was when we booked a private tour of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum.) Booking a table at the best restaurant in Paris and enjoying a truly special meal may do it for others. Sometimes that’s booking a room with a view of the Eiffel Tower and watching it sparkle every evening. And maybe, it’s upgrading to a suite at one of the luxury Palace hotels. We’ve done all of these things in Paris, and all of them have been worth it at one time or another.

Whatever you decide to do on your trip to Paris, I encourage you to think about the experiences that will outlive the material things. After so many trips, when we think about where to go in Paris now, we think about the people who made our trips special. Whether we’re only spending a long weekend in Paris or staying for a few weeks, it’s ultimately the people we’ve met that made our trips worth splurging on. Do your research and think about what’s important to you.

Follow along with Sara!

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