History in High Heel’s Paris Map

Outside of Italy, Paris will always be my favorite city. I love visiting Paris, and I go whenever I can. I was fortunate enough to visit three times last year, and with each trip I fell even more in love with the city. My last trip in November was especially meaningful, as it was just six days after the terrorist attacks. But Parisians are resilient, and we joined them in their refusal to be terrorized.

Since returning home, I have finally been able to put together a (somewhat) comprehensive custom Google map of Paris. I love creating custom Google maps, it is the best way to share information on a particular place. The best part is that you can save the map and reference it while traveling. I am particularly proud of my efforts to map as many gorgeous Parisian doors as I could, and tracking down some amazing (but often kept secret) photo spots.

Click here to see my map of Paris. Bookmark/save this link to access the map while traveling.

And here is a great blog post that walks you through creating, accessing, and saving custom google maps.

Feel free to comment with suggestions to add to the map, or things I overlooked.


More of my posts from Paris:
Six Things to do on a Rainy Day in Paris
Postcards from Paris
A Stroll Through Montmartre
Lots of Dots in Paris
Where to Find the Best Parisian Doors
Two Gardens in Paris

Where to Find the Best Parisian Doors

It is no secret that I love the bright and colorful doors of Paris. And I am not the only one, just a couple weeks ago I stumbled across dozens of Parisian door pins on Pinterest as I was researching for this trip. Probably the most prolific pin or image of a Parisian door is this amazing set of pink doors.

Yet for all of my door stalking in Paris, I had never managed to find this particular door. Not one to give up, I spent hours one night studying and researching the image (I was definitely avoiding doing something productive). It was clearly number 64 and with enough internet sleuthing, I was able to identify one of the companies listed on the name plate. That plus the street number led me straight to the actual address - 64 Rue de Turenne.

Thanks to Google street view, I didn’t have to wait until I arrived in Paris, I could confirm the location right then and there. I was so sad when I realized these doors are actually blue! And on top of that, this is what they looked like when we strolled by them a couple days ago:

But that is ok, there are plenty of gorgeous and brightly colored doors in Paris! Many of theses doors, however, are hidden away on little side streets. So to help you find them, I made a map of all of my favorite doors! Of course, there are many more than what I have mapped, but this should get you started if you ever find yourself in Paris and want to admire these gorgeous gems. If you remember the location of your favorite Parisian door (or doors) please comment below with the address and I will add it to the map!

You can access the map here.

Happy door hunting!

A Colorful Tour of Notting Hill

coat // sweater // scarf (similar) // jeans // boots (purchased in Florence, similar here and here) // bag // sunnies (on sale!) // hat


After a long day of sightseeing in the historic center of London Saturday, Mike and I opted for a more relaxed stroll through one of London’s most beautiful neighborhoods, Notting Hill, on Sunday. With so many amazing things to do in London, I had never made it out to this part of town, but it has always been on my must-see list. It was so nice to finally have the time to explore this colorful neighborhood.

You can easily spend an entire day strolling through Notting Hill's peaceful residential streets, sipping cappuccinos in cute cafes, reading in one of the many gardens, antiquing on Portobello road, and indulging in some fine dining.

I am sure you have seen lots of pictures of the adorable and colorful houses of Notting Hill online. And it truly does not disappoint in person. Since the neighborhood is quite large, I tried to do some research online before I left. I was frustrated, however, to find lots of pictures of the pink, blue, and candy-colored houses I was hoping to see, but no one revealed where to actually find these colorful gems. I tried to do some Google street-view detective work, and I did end up locating some of the houses I had seen online, but I felt like I couldn't find a good guide or walking tour... So I made one!

Thanks to my new obsession with creating custom Google maps, I mapped out a delightful walking tour of Notting Hill that highlights, what are in my opinion, the cutest and most colorful streets (that I could find), in addition to my favorite (or highly recommended) cafes, restaurants, and gardens. You can view and download the map here. And don’t worry, I made sure that the location of every colorful photo pictured in this post was marked on the map. Enjoy!