72 Hours in Paris: A Luxe, Lightning-Fast Escape

Audio By Carbonatix

For my bride and me, Paris will always be our place—the city stitched permanently into our story, the place where every cobblestone feels like memory, and where time slows just enough for love to breathe. We have wandered the summer nights and crystal-blue waters of Sorrento as recently as this season, and we are about to taste, sing, and experience London at Christmas—glittering lights, cathedral choirs, and winter markets. Yet still, Paris remains our city of love.

Just nights ago, tucked into a warm corner of our favorite local bistro, sharing bowls of beautifully rich cream of mushroom soup, we found ourselves discussing why. And Aimee—my forever muse—was quick to describe her dream itinerary for our next Paris escape. It was in that moment that this journey wrote itself. Consider this not only a travel guide, but a love letter.

Below is your curated 72-hour immersion—designed for romance, beauty, reflection, and just the right amount of decadence.

Day One – Arrival, Champagne, and the Ritz

Check-In: The Ritz Paris — Place Vendôme

There is nothing like walking through the revolving doors of The Ritz. The soft glow, the marble, the quiet luxury—it feels like stepping into a dream. Settle into your suite, peel open the curtains to reveal Place Vendôme, and allow yourself to exhale. Order champagne. Admire the bath linens. Realize you may never want to leave.

Dinners: Le Grand Colbert

Your first meal should be classic Parisian brasserie elegance. Head to Le Grand Colbert, the iconic dining room made famous in Something’s Gotta Give. Expect soaring ceilings, impeccable service, and the best roast chicken and pommes frites of your life. Order dessert—even if you think you’re full.

Nightcap: Hemingway Bar at the Ritz

Slip back into the Ritz—without rushing—and finish the evening where the legend himself once wrote and sipped. At Hemingway Bar, mixology is art and storytelling flows like the cocktails. “When I dream of afterlife in heaven,” Hemingway said, “I dream of the Ritz.” After one drink here, you’ll understand why.

Sleep like royalty.

Day Two – Couture, Culture & Destination Dining

Breakfast: A slow start at Café Ritz

Flaky pastries, perfect cappuccino foam, and morning light streaming through gilded windowpanes—breakfast here reminds you that life is meant to be savored.

Morning: The Dior Museum

Fashion is history, art, emotion, and architecture—and nowhere is that more evident than the Dior Museum, where Christian Dior’s vision unfolds in immersive rooms drenched in fabric, light, and memory. It is breathtaking. It is Paris distilled. It is the definition of inspiration.

Lunch & Views: La Girafe

A table at La Girafe with direct Eiffel Tower views is a spiritual experience. Fresh seafood towers, crisp wine, and the iron lattice of the Tower rising directly overhead—it’s like dining inside a postcard. Take your time. Take a photo. Take another.

Dinner: Plaza Athénée — Avenue Montaigne

This isn’t just a meal—it’s theater, elegance, and serenity blended into one. The Plaza Athénée is haute cuisine in a crystal palace. Bring something beautiful to wear.

Evening stroll along the Seine, hand-in-hand if you’re lucky.

Day Three – Trains, Nostalgia & A Final Toast

Lunch in a Time Capsule: Le Train Bleu

Inside Gare de Lyon sits a restaurant so ornate it feels like dining in a palace car frozen in time. Le Train Bleu is gold leaf, murals, velvet, sweeping arches, and cuisine to match. Order the lamb shoulder. Sit in awe.

Golden Hour & Shopping on Rue Saint-Honoré

Stroll past Dior, Hermès, and Goyard. Try on something you absolutely don’t need. Buy something that makes you feel alive.

The Last Toast: Back to Hemingway Bar

Great weekends deserve cinematic endings. Let this one close where it began: crystal glasses, soft leather chairs, and conversations that linger.

Departure

You arrived tired. You leave reset.

And somewhere between Dior’s couture and La Girafe’s skyline, you remember what joy feels like.

Paris tends to do that.

For us, it always has.