**See Sunday afternoon itinerary below
This past weekend, my husband and I decided to spend some time on the île Saint Louis in Paris. Maybe you know what this island is, maybe you don’t. But unless you are Parisian, French, or just that into Paris history and geography, you probably have never heard of it. And to be honest, until the other day I never knew the actual name of it. It was always ‘the island across from île de la cité’ where Notre dame is located. This island is approximately half the size of île de la cité, has a church, restaurants, cafés, but tends to live in the shadow of its sister island.
Before heading there, we enjoyed a small piano concert in the 5th arrondissement in the Eglise Saint-Julien-le-pauvre. I see posters everywhere advertising these little concerts, which mostly seem to happen on Sundays. After seeing one of those posters, I thought I might buy a ticket online. It so happened that tickets were on sale for 28% off, so I figured why not? It was an intimate, relaxing, and very enjoyable concert featuring the works of Chopin, Beethoven and more by a pianist named Philippe Alègre. After having experienced the opera just weeks before, it was still fresh in my mind, and I realized how much more I like small, private-style concerts. You could see and hear everything so much better! It was a much more immersive experience overall. Not to mention the beautiful, gilt surroundings of the small church. If you decide to ever go to one of these concerts, know that it is worth it, but keep in mind there is NO bathroom on-site. My recommendation would be to go to the Tea Caddy just across the street for a lovely afternoon tea prior to the concert. It’s a tea room from the 1920s and it so cozy, especially in the colder months.
After the concert, we strolled around the surrounding area as the sun began to set, crossing over the bridge onto île de la cite and then eventually to île Saint Louis. We hadn’t anticipated how strong the winds would be that day, so we popped into a tea room for a hot chocolate. Then we walked a little more and visited the church on the island, Saint Louis-en-île. As we still had another hour or so before dinner, we found a charming restaurant that served vin chaud. It was honestly the best vin chaud I have had yet! You can also get a cup of it at the to-go window (trust me, it is much nicer than it sounds) for half the price. The interior of the restaurant, Aux Anysetiers du Roy, was medieval in style with old world furniture and an oven exposed to the dining area. I put it down on my list of places to go in the future, since we already had reservations for dinner elsewhere. Just down the street, we had reservations at Le Caveau de l’isle, a quaint restaurant with stone walls and original wood beams in the ceiling. Although the owner, who happened to be serving us, was kind of grumpy at first, he slowly warmed up throughout the meal. Overall, we enjoyed our food, and had a good experience.
All-in-all, it was a relaxed Sunday afternoon where we got to experience some less ‘typical’ activities.
If you were interested in our Sunday experience, feel free to use the itinerary below while you are in Paris!
Approximately 6-hour itinerary:
· Afternoon tea at the Tea Caddy, 14 Rue Saint-Julien le Pauvre, 75005
· Concert at Saint-Julien-le-pauvre, 79 Rue Galande, 75005 (ticket website : http://www.concertinparis.com/?lang=en )
· Saint Louis-en-île, 19 bis Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 75004
· Vin chaud (either there or to-go) at Aux Anysetiers du Roy
· Early dinner at Le Caveau de l’isle (make reservations on LaFourchette to find discounts)
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