Iman Khamissa’s Paris Travel Guide

Pic Credit: Pixabay

Published by: Halaal Travels

Author: Iman Khamissa

Last updated: 20 December 2022

What made you decide to travel to Paris?

It has always been my dream to go to Paris since I was a teenager. 

When do you think is the best time to go to Paris?

The best time to go to Paris is definitely non-peak times, especially with a toddler even though it’s busy all year round. November I think is the best as the weather isn’t too cold and it’s festive so all the markets are on. We visited multiple sites to see the Eiffel Tower & went on the ferris wheel to see the view of Paris but that’s only available from 19th November to 8th Jan.

Halaal Food in Paris

Surprisingly there are so many halal places in Paris, honestly too many to fit in 5 days.

Best Halaal (Halal) Restaurant for dinner:

• Maison Noura is a Lebanese restaurant (5-10 minute walk from champs elysees) that is halal however they serve alcohol: must try items if you do go is the truffle manakeesh, pomegranate sausages, Hummus and chicken sheesh.
• Le 1818 is French Cuisine and FULLY halal. I never tried this cuisine before but it was amazing and a must try because its the best place to start with french cuisine. Must order is their burrata starter which is creamy mozzarella and tomato, mains (lamb shank and truffle gnocchi), dessert you have to get the creme brulee it was the best I ever tried.

Best Halaal (Halal) Lunch/dinner:

• GOMU burger FULLY halal (short metro ride from the city): they have amazing burgers. I especially enjoyed their pulled steak burgers & bulgogi beef burger, and I love that they had boba so we got the litchi & passion fruit one which was delicious.
• Le butcher FULLY Halal (5 minute walk from champs elysees): they are the best burgers you can find in central paris, everyone recommends them. You have to order the Champs-Elysées burger and mint mojito.
• LUKS kebab FULLY halal (short metro ride from the city). The best donors I have ever tried are really so flavorful and different. It is as good as they look on their Instagram trust me. Must order is the popular tartufo in the triangle bread & we also enjoyed the fuego which is a spicy one.

Best Hot chocolate in Paris: 

CARETTE is a must visit and we walked to it but you can take a metro to it (they have one close to the Eiffel Tower & other one close to the louvre) please go there and order a Hot chocolate and plain croissant. It’s a bit on the pricey side but worth it out of all the other places.

I also visited Angelina (the french say its more of a British cafe) but it’s overrated and carrete (Parisian for sure) is so much better.

-Designer cafes that are popular are Dior cafe & Ralphs cafe aka Ralph Lauren but I didn’t manage to try them out.

Shopping in Paris

I didn’t really do any shopping as I am coming from Dublin and they have everything there. I just went to tour and eat food. But designer items in France are generally cheaper as you get tax back, they also have a designer outlet close to Paris and apparently its amazing its called ‘ La Vallee Village’: check out their website to see what brands they have: https://www.thebicestercollection.com/la-vallee-village/en

Meeting locals and experiencing Paris in Hijab

I haven’t really met any locals per sé but either way I had a great experience and didn’t have any issues Alhamdulillah.

Multiple locations to view the Eiffel Tower:

1. Trocadero gardens which is across the river to the Eiffel Tower (most popular spot), by the river siene was my favourite as it was 5 minutes from my hotel so I would go almost everyday, another location is on the Eiffel Tower side like on specific streets: rue Saint-Dominique & Rue De l’universite.
2. We went to the louvre are to see it but we did not go in, however we visited the park before it called Tuileries garden and in winter they have  a market and ferris wheel thats a view point for paris it cost about 15€ to ride the ferris wheel. 
3.  Please go on Metro Line 6 for fun, as you get the view of the eiffel tower and river seine. Also, it’s very popular as a lot of people go on it for pictures.
4. We went to Versailles palace which we booked the tickets online 2 days before ( we booked the 11am slot as its very busy in the morning and that time was perfect, minimal queues ( 20€ per person but thats for the palace as the gardens are free) and we went by using the RER metro which cost 3,65€ one way and it runs every 30 minutes so make sure to check the schedule as they are on time. 

What do you think is the best area to stay in Paris?

For me the best area to stay in is walking distance from the Champs Elysees as it’s probably the safest.

How long do you think is a good amount of time to spend in Paris?

I think 3-5 days max is perfect for Paris depending on what you want to do.

Any advice or other recommendations for others planning to visit Paris?

I recommend using the metro more than the bus as its more reliable and on time. A new one comes every few minutes. Basically it doesn’t matter where you stay as long as you next to a metro line then everything is close by metro (one way ticket cost €1.90) but metro is not suitable for pram/wheelchair as there is a lot of stairs to get in and out as its underground. So we had to take our kid out of the pram and carry separately but it was worth it.

How to be safe in Paris?

Be aware of your surroundings as pickpocketing is very common. Make sure you keep your phone in your bag zipped up at the front and not in your coat pocket. Especially in the metro as it’s crowded.

It’s popular in Paris for con artist to try and stop you and talk to you so just be careful as some may try to pickpocket you. 

I used to live in South Africa so be as vigilant just to be safe but otherwise you should be fine.

Personal tips and recommendations for others planning a trip to Paris?

Avoid booking hotels on the same side of the eiffel tower or close to it as it’s very quiet, that’s what a lot of locals told me.

Get a sim card in Paris as data is cheap and it will come in handy to find your way around as we used google maps to use the metro/bus or walking. When using the metro make sure you load your destination before going down to the metro because there is no signal.

About the author:

My name is Iman Khamissa, I am a lifestyle (Fashion/beauty/travel/food) content creator, chiropractor and mom to a little boy. I am Canadian and currently living in Dublin, Ireland. To know more about my trip and future ones follow me on Instagram/Tiktok/Youtube:

Instagram: @imankhamissa

TikTok: @imankhamissa

YouTube: @imankhamissa

I also have my full Youtube VLOGS of what we did every day in Paris.

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