Parisians love to spend hours lingering over an espresso at a café catching up with friends. Take part in this social pastime as you hop from one neighborhood café to the next. Fragments, Le 50, and Partisan are three of our top picks.

Before heading to dinner, many Parisians enjoy l'apéro, a gathering with friends for drinks and light bites (typically cheese and charcuterie). The evening ritual is best spent mingling on a terrace as you admire sweeping city views. Locals love Maison Maison (right by Pont Neuf, one of the oldest bridges in the city) and Les Maquereaux. 

There’s no denying that Paris’ two most famous gardens — Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg — are gorgeous. But, in the summer, Parisians flock to Belleville to bask in the sun at the hilltop Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, where a charming, Roman temple-inspired gazebo serves as a prime lookout point over the city. 

Promenade Plantée, the original High Line (and the world's first elevated park) was built in the 1980s along the former Vincennes railway line. The three-mile stretch runs from the Opéra Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes; be sure to pop down to the Viaduc des Arts along the way. Here, over 50 artisans place their wares on display in showrooms and galleries nestled within the old Bastille viaduct’s brick archways.

The game of pétanque, or boules, may have started in Provence, but Parisians have certainly adopted this summer sport. Anywhere from the banks of the Seine to the Canal Saint-Martin can easily double as a pétanque court. The scenic Place Dauphine — which was featured in the Sex and the City finale — is a great place to play. 

The Jardins du Trocadéro may be an Instagram favorite, but for a better vantage point of the Eiffel Tower (sans the slew of tourists) head to the rooftop terrace of The Peninsula Paris’ restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, to enjoy cocktails and postcard-worthy views. Plan your visit around sunset when the iconic, wrought-iron beauty really starts glowing.

Many restaurants and shops are closed on Sundays, so it's best to spend the day exploring the city's galleries and exhibits. It’s hard to play favorites with museums in Paris (which is home to over 100), but one worth the slight trek from the city center is the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Bois du Boulogne: a beautiful public park famous for its manmade lakes, trees, and scenic walking paths.

Canal Saint-Martin, a former working-class neighborhood that dates back to the 19th century, has blossomed into the city’s hipster hub with street art-covered banks and bohemian cafés. Take a seat near the water at one of the area's natural wine hotspots, Le Verre Volé, or post up with a bottle of vino and chunk of fromage by one of the iron footbridges made famous in the French flick Amélie.

Napoléon Bonaparte helped propel Paris into a cabaret capital with the establishment of Paradis Latin (which counted Balzac and Alexandre Dumas as regulars). Now, French cancan has evolved beyond classics like Moulin Rouge to welcome a colorful cast of characters at spots like Pigalle’s drag cabaret, Madame Arthur.

Dedicate a day to antique hunting at the largest market of its kind in the world: the Saint-Ouen Flea Market in the north of Paris. The market is held Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. Here, you'll find true French treasures, from vintage designer fashion to gallery-worthy art.