10 Ways to Know You’re Completely Obsessed with Paris

As the saying goes, “though you may leave Paris, Paris never really leaves you.”

After seeing “Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain” more times than you’d like to admit, and dreaming of buttery croissants, cheese and wine, you’ve finally made it to Paris. It’s got your heart and you keep coming back. 

But each time you visit, you feel a bit more…Parisian? Is it possible to fall in love with a place? If you find yourself nodding in agreement to any of the signs below, you might just be obsessed with Paris.

1. You have been to all the arrondissements

You know that each of the 20 Parisian neighborhoods is worth a visit, so you make a point of getting to know them all. 

No trip is complete without a visit to the 10th arrondissement, packed with cozy restaurants and cafés. You spend hours admiring modern art at the Fondation Cartier in the 14th. And you regularly venture into the 13th for a stroll through the bustling Chinatown.

2. You know that the best view of Paris is not from the Eiffel Tower

A photo of the Eiffel Tower might be on your phone’s home screen, but it is not where you head for the best views of the City of Light. 

Your pick: the top-floor terrace of the chic Galeries Lafayette department store. This is the perfect spot to soak up the stunning panorama of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower itself. And of course, to do some shopping on the side. 

3. You buy baguettes only from your favorite bakery 

You refuse to buy your bread just anywhere. Like every Parisian, the only bakery you frequent is your beloved neighborhood boulangerie. 

You expertly choose between la tradition (the hearty traditional baguette), la campagne (the hand-crafted baguette with sourdough) or la ficelle (a thin baguette), smiling to yourself as you proudly leave with your favorite bread underarm.

READ MORE: The 5 Best Baguettes to Try in Paris Before You Leave

4. You consider eating cheese a fine art 

You have cheese after dinner, either before or instead of dessert. Your favorite French saying is “a meal without cheese is like a day without sun.” 

With 400 or so cheese varieties, France is obsessed with cheese, and so are you. Whether we’re talking Camembert, Brie de Meaux, Roquefort, Boursin, Reblochon, Munster, Epoisses or Tomme De Savoie, you excel in cheese etiquette and certainly know where to find the absolute best cheese in Paris.

5. You take two-hour lunch breaks 

The only right way to have lunch in Paris is to take your time and enjoy each bite of your meal. A sandwich on the go is out of the question. Instead, you insist on having a proper déjeuner in one of the neighborhood bistros, along with your fellow Parisians. 

6. Your embrace the art of flâner 

Your idea of a perfect day is flânerie—a leisurely walk—through the pretty Parisian streets. This is an essential part of the city’s culture, and there is no better way to savor its beauty than by being a passionate flaneur. 

7. You spend your Sundays at the Louvre 

You are a proud owner of the Ami du Louvre card that gives you free access to the museum. Because if you looked at each work of art for only 30 seconds, it would still take you more than a hundred days to see everything. 

You’ve become a master of avoiding the crowds at the main entrance too: you head straight to the underground Le Carrousel du Louvre (or Richelieu for the card holders) instead. 

8. Bonjour is your favorite word

You say bonjour all the time. And that’s not because you don’t speak any French—on the contrary. 

Obsessed with etiquette, you realize that this lovely word is much more than a simple greeting. It is the most important word in the French language. If you have a bonjour up your sleeve, you’ll fit right in wherever you go—be it your favorite Parisian bakery, at the Saturday market or even in the elevator. 

9. You always wear black 

You adore the Parisian chic and effortless style. Like a true local, you only wear black. After all, as Yves Saint Laurent used to say, “there’s not one black, but many blacks.”  

10. You think Paris is perfect just the way it is

By now you realize that Paris is not quite what you imagined it to be before you first visited: fashionable bicycle-riding macaron-eating Parisians happily living on cheese and wine. Paris is wonderful, but like any other big city, it is also crowded, polluted and exhausting. 

And that’s okay. It’s all part of the charm, n’est pas? You know that Paris is just that sort of amazing place you never want to leave.