I put the poll on Instagram and you all voted that the first guide you wanted to see was a guide to all the instagrammable spots in Paris, so here it is with a map and all. Now there is literally infinite angles of the Eiffel Tower but these are the ones we managed to tick off over the very busy 3 days we had in Paris.
Eiffel Tower Locations
Avenue des Camoens
This insta-famous spot was empty when we got there just before sunset, which makes sense as the lighting obviously was a bit dimmer. If you’re going in the day, I can’t imagine it will be heaving with people but definitely busier due to its popularity on instagram. As with anywhere I imagine the earlier, the better however I don’t think it would be a massive struggle to get the shot.
Rue De L’Universite
Now this spot was just miserable when we shot – raining, so windy but on the plus side, completely empty at 8.45am. I would definitely go here early, I’ve seen multiple shots and stories here from later in the day and its full of cars and people so if you need an empty shot, set that sweet alarm ready for sunrise.
Au Canon Brasserie
Initially I didn’t really get why everyone was so obsessed with this spot but I kinda get it now. Any view with the Eiffel Tower is insta worthy lets be honest but this pop of red makes it all that more Parisian.
Port Debilly
I’ll be honest. This location smelled like an old sewer and it was a pretty miserable day but we thought, let’s just make the most of it. On a clear day I imagine the water probably doesn’t look as brown and you’d get a pretty magical sunset so I would probably only go if you had great weather – we were tight for time so we had to make do. Get the train to Trocadero and walk through the gardens towards the river. You wanna go to the left or right of the main road that runs directly to the Eiffel Tower (see on map at bottom of post) and there will be some stairs taking you down to the river side. I’m not sure if the ship is always docked there but thats what the rope is in the shot.
The Louvre
The Louvre is actually the most visited museum in the World but on this trip it was purely for the shots so I recommend going on a Tuesday when the museum is not open to the public and therefore a bit quieter.
Palais de Royal
On the there side of the road from The Louvre is Palais de Royal, the famous site of the black and white striped pillars. We accidentally decided to visit when there was a protest so had to wait about an hour before we could shoot but once they left it was pretty easy and just about timing. I don’t think you would need to visit this location too early to be honest and just work it into your schedule where you can.
Arc De Triomph
On our last morning in Paris we went to visit the Arc di Triomph and boy, is that one stresssssssssful roundabout. I personally don’t think it matters what time you go there, it will be heaving with cars and honking. There will be the occasional coach dropping people off and if you just wait the road does clear up every now and again. There’s so many angles you can just keep walking round until you find and empty spot and wait it out.
Rue De Cremieux
Known as the Notting Hill of Paris, initially I wasn’t too bothered about shooting this road but having seen this house on camera I quickly changed my mind and now I have a new shot for my next album cover. There is a sign that kindly asks you to be respectful and quiet when on the road and technically you shouldn’t really be taking pictures so we were in and out in ten minutes.
Monmarte
This gorgeous hilly village in Paris is full of beautiful cafes and views overlooking at the city. One thing to keep in mind if you are looking to shoot in Monmarte is to go early before certain cafes open, in particular La Maison Rose which is not blogger friendly at all. If you are just going for a casual phone shot I’m sure this is fine, the owners just feel very passionately that instagrammers are the spawn of the devil and is not scared to tell you. We arrived for 9.30am in Monmarte, shot Le Consulat, La Maison Rose, Lamarck-Caulaincourt: Metro (Line 12 and then the photo booth in this order and left around 11-11.30am with no issues or unwanted attention.
Cafe’s & Restaurants
Now every cafe in Paris has cute chairs and as expected perfectly encapsulates that Parisian chic life we are all going for but here were a few of my favourite locations to shoot whilst we were there…
Pink Mamma
Book for lunch at 12 midday (when they open) and arrive 20 minutes early to start queuing. We did and there were still 5-7 people in front of us but it’s the only way to get in quick and potentially get a snap of upstairs quite empty.
Cafe Marly
All we ever hear is how expensive Cafe Marly is so when I went I was expecting €15 per hot choc and €8 a croissant so when we arrived and realised a hot choc was €8 and the pastries were €4-5 it was a nice surprise although still very much daylight robbery for the quality of food. As it was quite cold the day we went the prime spots outside were pretty much empty. You can book a table but I imagine in summer you need to arrive early or wait for the right table for your shot.
Le Malabar
I saw this location on @Katie.one instagram and fell in love. I knew I had to shoot there and eventually with some help managed to hunt to spot down. The restaurant is just as cute from the outside as it is from the inside and the food looked pretty great so it was a shame we weren’t staying for food. Don’t make the same mistake as me by ordering the latte thinking it would come in one of those sexy coffee glasses because the one in this shot is actually the cappuccino and the latte isn’t cute at all. I’d say this is probably weather dependent on how easy it is to get the shot outside, the street is busy but as it was raining that day, most sat indoors.
Cafe De Flore
The fact that this location was on a main road was so confusing to me and deciding to shoot here at around lunch was actually pretty stressful to be honest. The junction that joins the very busy main road is also a very popular area for cars and is the of course the main crossing outside the restaurant. This location requires patience and could potentially be worth shooting a little earlier in the day, although with the right timing, I am pretty happy with how the shots turned out.
Cafe Hugo
Very warm outside seating area under heaters and wasn’t busy when we visited in Jan so this is a pretty easy shot to get. The road can get a bit busy with pedestrians but everyone was super friendly and the cafe were very accommodating so an easy shoot and we didn’t have to book.
Cafe Boheme
Our first stop in Paris and although nice, a little overpriced in my opinion for what they’re serving. It’s your typical brunch spot, lovely coffee and cute decor although the nicest decor was indoors however, it was busy and super dark so I don’t have a good enough shot to show you.
We killed some time here waiting for our room to be ready and I thought why not take a snap just in case.
Bridges
Pont Alexandra III
I didn’t decide to shoot here but it is a very famous spot in Paris so here’s my beautiful friend @anoushkalila making it look oh so creamy. This was shot on our first day exploring between 3-5pm so no need to go early.
Hotels
Although our first Hotel, Hotel D’alma had some pretty special views of the Eiffel Tower (and was amazing value for money £180 for two nights when we booked on booking.com) which I think could definitely have been worked into a shot if we had had time, our second kindly gifted stay at Hotel Des Grands Boulevards was truly a visual dream. You can access the bar and restaurant even if you are not staying at the hotel however the bedrooms are also extremely cute should you want to treat yourself on a stay here (avg €300 a night – book here).
Blog post on the hotel coming soon
Wear Juti Eats 