GO PARIS
BY KATRINE SALOMON
Clichés overwhelm you, when you think of good reasons to go to Paris. A paradise for aesthetes, gourmets and anyone with joie de vivre. A land of milk and honey for shopping, an El Dorado for eating and drinking, and all that the heart and the mind can desire of beauty and intellectual stimuli. The most fabulous fashion, the most delicious food and wine, the best in art. What is the reason not to go to Paris?
OH - NO GO
The Eiffel Tower. Lines as long as the tower is tall.
Mona Lisa. Hard to get a glimpse of among two hundred other people, all trying to get eye contact with her.
Place des Tertres in Montmartre, with all the phony beret-sporting artists.
GO AREAS
The center of Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements, organized in a spiral that starts in the middle. The lower the number, the more central – and the more likely that you will want to visit the area. But all twenty arrondissements constitute the center of Paris. And an area is often referred to by its arrondissement number, rather than by a name.
Les Halles/Montorgueuil/Le Louvre/Beaubourg (1st & 2nd arr.)
Les Halles is a vilified place today. It used to be an enormous food marked for restaurants and retailers, but in the beginning of the eighties the place was razed to the ground in favor of a gigantic subterranean four-level shopping mall and a junction for metros and RERs.
In other words, this is where the masses come in from the suburbs to shop and hang out. The mall does indeed lack charm and oxygen. But you can’t really avoid it. This is where Paris’ most successful movie complex, UGC Ciné Cité, is located. It has twenty-five excellent theaters and a very good choice of films in original language with French subtitles. It is also in Les Halles that you will find the biggest branch of the amazing French superstore chain, la FNAC. They have a HUGE selection of literature, music, films, photo-, computer- and hi-fi equipment. That alone makes several trips to Les Halles worthwhile.
In the surrounding streets, there are a lot of places to please the aesthete. Walk behind the big church, Eglise St Eustache and check out the streets, rue du Jour, rue Montmartre, rue Etienne Marcel, rue Tiquetonne and rue Montorgueuil.
At the opposite end of the first arrondissement, close to the Tuileries gardens, you will find the famous, über-trendy Hotel Costes, with its sought after restaurant and bar. The hotel is located in rue Faubourg St Honoré, where all the big French and international brands like Hermès, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent lie side by side. Closer towards les Halles, at the end of the street, which is just called, rue St Honoré, the mega-trendy concept store, Colette, is situated. The trendsetting store sells everything from clothes to coffee table books, mineral water, shampoo, jewelry, sneakers, CD’s and paper clips! It is the ultimate recognition for a product to be sold in this ultra selective store, where the most stylish people on the planet gather.
Along the Seine, in the 1st arr. is Le Louvre, where you can easily spend half a lifetime, if you count on having a close look at all the artwork exhibited here. However, most people content themselves with entering through I.M Pei-designed glass pyramid in the courtyard, searching for Mona Lisa, and hurrying back out again. If you are too exhausted by this effort, you will be happy to see yet another Costes-restaurant - le Café Marly. It is perfectly situated inside the Louvre edifice and has a terrace under the arcades, from where you have a fabulous view of the glass pyramid and all the conscientious tourists lining up to enter and search for Mona Lisa.
Le Marais (3rd & 4th arr.)
On the border of the 1st arr., close to Les Halles, and the 4th, le Marais, is the Centre Pompidou, which most Parisians call “Beaubourg”. A huge center for culture including a library, a museum with a permanent collection and wonderful changing exhibitions, which are very popular with both visitors and residents. Via a long escalator inside a glass tunnel, you reach the top of the building, from where you have a breath-taking view over the entire city. There is also a large restaurant on top, Le Georges, which is a part of the Costes brothers’ restaurant imperia in Paris.
Le Marais is the oldest district in Paris. Well-kept and restored buildings and streets, great cafés and shops, “bon goût” in the casual and luxurious way. It is a very popular area with visitors, but also with a certain kind of the Parisian bourgeoisie. Until recently, the shops were all clustered around the main artery; rue des Francs-Bourgeois, which is still a busy shopping street. Particularly on Sundays where everything opens in the afternoon – a rarity in Paris. This is the part of the Marais that belongs to the 4th arr. It is also here that you will find the picturesque Jewish street, rue des Rosiers, vibrating with life and falafel-eating young Jewish people on Sundays. The small islands in the middle of the Seine river: Ile de la Cité and the even tinier Ile St. Louis also partly belong to the 4th, and are perfect for a stroll.
But in recent years, the shops and the restaurants have taken over the area north of rue des Francs-Bougeois, which was so far mostly made up of galleries exhibiting modern art; the 3rd arr. It is probably the trendiest neighborhood in Paris at the moment. Particularly the second main artery of the Marais, rue Vieille du Temple, and the streets around the Picasso Museum: rue de Poitou, rue Debelleyme, rue Charlot, where new shops constantly crop up, and where you can shop with your eyes closed and be sure to pick the right stuff!
Quartier Latin & Saint-Germain-des-Près: (5th & 6th arr.)
The principal arteries in this area are Boulevard Saint-Michel, Boulevard Saint-Germain and rue de Rennes. It is mostly in Boulevard Saint-Germain that you will find the kind of Parisian atmosphere most people are looking for. Mainly in the 6th arr. which is called Saint-Germain-des-Près, and not – as many visitors believe – the Latin Quarter. The real “Quartier Latin” is in the 5th arr. around the university, La Sorbonne, and got its name precisely because of the academic milieu here. In the 5th arr. you do however have great possibilities for spending lovely afternoons and evenings in one of the many art-house theatres, which show old movies and retrospectives. The many movie buffs make frequent use of the enormous choice of films that Paris offers, and which is unique in the world. It is one of the city’s main attractions, in my opinion. Buy the weekly city guide; Pariscope, make yourself comfortable in one of the green chairs that are all over the beautiful garden, Jardin du Luxembourg. Circle all the movies you would love to see, and pray for rainy weather, so you can spend your time in the dark with a good conscience, in the company of Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn or Elizabeth Taylor.
Those who would prefer to observe real life in the year 2007, might want to spend their time in the café terraces in the 6th arr. Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore in Boulevard Saint-Germain, by Place Saint-Germain-des-Près, are legendary. Another institution is La Palette in rue de Seine, which has a big area for outside seating as well. But the regulars, who are mostly local art dealers, tend to prefer the beautiful space inside.
The Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides (7th arr.)
The 7th arr. is a posh but quiet neighborhood. The main attractions are Napoleon’s grave at Les Invalides and of course the Eiffel Tower at Champs-de-Mars. Besides that, there is a wonderful museum in rue de Varenne; le Musée Rodin, dedicated to the French sculptor. The building itself as well as the surrounding garden is extremely beautiful and stimulating for your senses.
Champs-Elysées & les Grand Boulevards (8, 9th & 10th arr.)
The Champs-Elysées is the kind of place that it’s in good taste to dislike. Both native Parisians and visitors with a predilection for what’s “special”, loathe anything that is big and popular and full of average people with unsophisticated tastes.
This is where you will find car shows and Louis Vuitton’s enormous headquarters and flagship store. But also the Disney store, Planet Hollywood, Gap, Zara, H&M, Mango and everything that you can find in any other city of the world, have all invaded the boulevard of the boulevards in the city of cities – much to the chagrin of those who want to preserve the “authentic” Paris… And Champs-Elysées is never more scorned than on a Saturday night, where all the suburbans wander back and forth studying one another on the immensely wide sidewalks. Or when all the cars are honking their horns in giant traffic jams in the middle of the even wider street. In my opinion, it is all the beauty of the big city that can be experienced in these masses of people.
I get high from walking from the big, beautiful and busy Place de la Concorde all the way to the Place de l’Etoile with the Arch of Triumph on a late Saturday afternoon. Make a stop for coffee at one of the overpriced cafés with outside seating, from where you can watch the world go by. Then you must pay a visit to one of the big movie theaters, which show films in original language – preferably a big and loud blockbuster in UGC Triomphe.
Continue to the huge Virgin Megastore, which stays open every day until midnight. Their selection is, needless to say, colossal, and you can spend hours listening to music at the listening stands. They offer a decent book department as well. Finish the night off with a late dinner in the restaurant at the top floor with a view of all the store’s levels to one side and the Champs-Elysées to the other. My idea of a perfect night in Paris!
For those who don’t know what’s good for them, there a very good and well renowned restaurants in the side street. Seek out rue Marboeuf, rue Pierre Charron, rue de la Boétie.
Canal St. Martin (10th arr.)
This area north of Place de la République has been totally reborn in the new millennium. An industrial working class area with loft spaces and high ceilings, which has been invaded by the ever growing “BoBo”(Bourgeois Boheme) segment and their funky designer stores, hip cafés and restaurants. It is very pleasant to go for a walk along the canal on weekends. And sit down in the lovely Café Prune and watch all the settlers.
République & Bastille (11th arr.)
Next to Canal St Martin is the big and noisy Place de la République, which doesn’t offer much of interest. At the opposite side of this square, a short walk away, you will find rue d’Oberkampf and some of the streets around it, like rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, where there are lots of restaurants and bars with happy days – particularly at night.
The most popular place in the neighborhood is Café Charbon, a big space with a long wooden bar, high ceilings and a great atmosphere. You can get a decent and cheap meal here. If the line is too long and the bar too crowded, there are numerous other places to eat and drink just down the street.
It was also in rue d’Oberkampf that the tiny Brazilian restaurant, Favela Chic, used to be located. It suffered so much from its popularity, that it was forced to move from its 300 square feet to a gigantic industrial warehouse space right by Place de la République. Even here, the French-Brazilian couple has managed to pack the huge space to the bursting point. You are benched at long tables where you drink Caïpirinhas and eat Brazilian dishes, while the dj pumps op the volume and the energetic patrons shout and dance all around you.
At the other end of the 11th arr. is the well known Bastille area that borders the Marais. Right behind the Place de la Bastille; rue de la Roquette and rue de Lappe are famous streets for a fun night out, with bars and restaurants and the charming little dance hall, Balajo, side by side. But in the last decade, young people to whom fun means trouble, have afflicted the area. There are still a lot of good places to be found, but the atmosphere in the two above-mentioned streets can get pretty tense on weekend nights.
Seek out the surrounding streets instead. And have a drink at Café de l’Industrie in rue Saint-Sabin.
Rue de Charonne at the other side of Place de la Bastille is another charming street. This is where French fashion designer Isabel Marant’s first and biggest shop is located. There are several small designer shops selling furniture and clothes. And a little further up the street is the local hangout, Café Pause, with its big and sunny terrace.
12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th & 17th arrondissements.
It is pretty unlikely that you will spend a lot of time in these parts of Paris. Not because they lack charm or beauty. But the city has so much to offer that unless you have one particular goal in one of these arrondissements, there is too much to be seen and done in the others for you to have the time to visit. However, you should know that the 13th arr. is where the Chinatown of Paris is situated. A big residential and shopping area. In the 14th is Montparnasse, bordering on the 6th arr. The 16th arr. is the most expensive and posh area in Paris, with fabulous apartments, and consequently not too much life in the streets. It is also in the 16th that you can go to Place de Trocadéro and get the most beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower!
The 12th, the 15th and the 17th arr. are first and foremost middle class residential areas.
Montmartre / Pigalle / Barbès (18th arr.)
This area is recognized by the big white domed church, Sacré Coeur, and the small square right behind it, Place des Tertres with all the phony artists who specialize in views of Paris and tacky caricatures. But the square is in itself a caricature, as are the surrounding narrow streets that look like a movie set for a period film – and nothing like the lively city of today.
But if you avoid these landmarks, you can still find life and happy days on the hill. Check out:
The steep stairway-streets.
The textile stores selling fabrics by the meter, at the foot of Sacré Coeur. Amazing for those who want to create their own Parisian couture. The biggest and most overwhelming one is Marché St Pierre, an entire warehouse in several levels selling fabrics of every kind and quality. The service is very French and bureaucratic. You select your materials and find a sales person who will measure and cut and write you a little note with the price and the size. Then you line up at the old wooden counter where you pay and get a stamp on your paper note, which you hand back to the first sales person, who finally entrusts you with your purchase! Same procedure at each level if you want stuff from different departments.
Rue Lepic and rue des Abbesses. This is where the local hipsters live and hang out.
A little further down the hill is Pigalle with all the sex shops, peep shows, tourist busses, cheap hotels, bars, nightclubs and Moulin Rouge.
Close by, at metro Barbès-Rochechouart, a vivid traffic in cell phones, drugs etc goes on under the above ground metro railway. Across the street, you will find the discount warehouse TATI that spreads over several buildings and floors. The characteristic pink-checkered plastic bag with blue letters can be seen all over the area, in the hands of the local African community. But you will recognize the bag all over the city, since prize conscious and well-dressed women brag about getting their supplies of stockings from here. The goods are first and foremost CHEAP, so don’t hope to find the latest trends here. But the cases of lingerie and stockings are indeed worth rummaging through.
Belleville/Ménilmontant (19th & 20th arr.)
It is not very likely that you will spend a lot of your stay in this area – as opposed to a large share of the Parisian population, since it’s an almost strictly residential area. Particularly students and the not-so-well-to-do part of Paris’ many immigrants have their homes here. People of every nationality live here side by side so it really isn’t such a dull area to go exploring, and there’s a great possibility of getting some exotic shopping and eating done.
It is also in this North-Eastern part of the city that you will find Paris’ most beautiful park, Parc des Buttes Chaumont, which has lakes, rocks, caves and even water falls. Very romantic! And unlike other parks, you are allowed to walk and romp about on the grass.
Le Parc des Buttes Chaumont.
Metro: Botzaris or Buttes Chaumont.
Website in English: www.gardenvisit.com/ge/buttes.htm
You will not meet a lot of tourists in this part of Paris, which offers the vibe of a big city as well as first rate Parisian romantic idyll. For those who are really on the look-out for some “authentic” Paris: Look no further!
GO SEE & DO
Take the metro line 4, or the one above ground, line 2, to Barbès-Rochechouart and shop at Tati. Arm yourself with patience; it’s not for those afflicted by claustrophobia!
MUSIC & BOOKS
Spend hours in the FNAC (record and book store), sitting on the floor, reading books.
1st arr.: Forum des Halles, niveau -3, porte Lescot, 75001 Paris
Métro: Châtelet/Les Halles (and all over Paris and France)
CINEMA
Spend an entire day in the dark, watching old movies.
Action Ecoles: 23, rue des Ecoles, 75005 Paris
Le Champo: 51, rue des Ecoles, 75005 Paris
- and many others in the area.
Bois de Boulogne
o to Bois de Boulogne, right outside the city, bordering on the 16th arr. on a Sunday afternoon, just like all the other Parisians trying to get “away” and hence, move the traffic jam out there.
You can rent bikes or boats, go to one of the numerous restaurants and visit the lovely amusement park, Jardin d’Acclimatation, if you go there by day.
If you go by night - which I don’t suggest you do - it is crowded with gorgeous Brazilian “women” - prostitutes who are actually all men! – who pick up their clients along the roadside.
Métro: Porte Dauphine/Porte d’Auteuil
RER: Porte Maillot
FLEA MARKET
Go to one of the flea markets, “les puces”:
Le marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen
(Often referred to as “Clignancourt” as well)
The world’s largest flea- and antique market. Almost an entire town, you can find everything here; from the finest antiques to the tackiest new clothes and plastic bling.
Métro: line 4, Porte de Clignancourt
Open Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.
www.les-puces.com
Porte de Vanves
The most charming and manageable one. A small market that is located on two streets in the lower 14th arr. Lamps, books, vintage clothes, and all sorts of stuff for your home.
Métro: Line 13, Porte de Vanves
Open on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 A.M. to 1 P.M. Certain traders stay open until 3 or even 5 P.M.
www.pucesdevanves.typepad.com
Porte de Montreuil.
The most colorful of the markets. And apparently this market, which looks like it was just set up for the day, has existed since 1860! On the border of the 20th arr. You can find great 70’s vintage clothes, old record collections, spices, tools, brand new sports wear and sneakers, old furniture, driftwood and trash. On approaching the market from the metro station you will even see people who sell discarded toothbrushes, used disposable shavers and single socks off the ground. The clientele is a motley blend of local immigrants and trendy young people.
Métro: Porte de Montreuil.
Open Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays 7 A.M. to 7.30 P.M.
1001 night’s massage under the blue dome in Paris.
HAMMAM
Hidden away from a boring and busy street is a small courtyard that continues in yet another little tree-covered garden. There are mosaic tables and blue wicker chairs matching the blue tiles along the wall in the otherwise white circular courtyard. The tables are set with pastry, chewing gum-tasting thé à la menthe and occasional water pipes. A variety of birds are ready to savour whatever might be left over on the ground.
People are conversing lively, but this is nothing compared to what awaits you inside the hamman; it’s women’s day all day!
The entrance is hot since the air is filled with steam. When you get inside, you are given instructions and handed your personal sponge, tickets for “gommage” (body scrub) and massage, a liquid green soap and a ticket for a glass of mint tea. After derobing, I take my towel and walk along the marble-covered dark walls with high ceilings in blue and terracotta colors. The light hardly enters this cave-like sanctuary.
First, you have to get warm. And you will. As a matter of fact it won’t be long before you are steaming with sweat. I sit on a marble bench with a starry black and white pattern. It is a singularly feminine universe; almost opaque from the steam, but with a sense of intimacy and sharing. The heat is humid and the talk is lively. Loud laughter and soft-spoken voices are thrown back and forth under the cupola-shaped vaults. It feels like walking into a marble maze. The further you get, the hotter it gets and the harder it becomes to see anything. Farthest in is the hottest place. There is so much steam under the ceiling that it burns you if you’re in an upright position. So you have to walk like a crab towards the ice cold round basin, where you can crawl down and cool off your body.
After being properly warmed up, I lather myself in a strange, dark green soap with an indeterminable scent.
I’m ready for my scrub now! It takes place on a plank bed covered with a plastic mat that is rinsed after each client. The little Arabic lady scrubs me so hard with a black glove, that I reckon I must look at least five years younger afterwards, with all the skin that has been removed. You sit or lie down on big mattresses, enjoy your glass of tea and relax while you wait your turn to get a massage.
Lying on the massage bed, covered in anis-scented oil, you can doze off while you look up into a high dome and the small mosaic windows with multi-colored glass. From behind my closed eyes I cannot understand, but nonetheless follow, a vivid conversation in a mix of Arabic and French, taking place between the masseuse and her rather big girlfriend lying on a nearby mattress.
I discovered this place in a wonderful book on Paris written by the Danish journalist Louise Sandager: “Paris mon amour”. As she writes: “We are frequently fed with stories about the abyss between Muslims and Europeans. Here is a breathing space where the cohabitation of these cultures actually works fine!”
Hammam de la Grande Mosquée, 39, rue Saint Hilaire, 5th arr.
Metro: Saint-Marcel / Censier-Daubenton
Tuesdays and Sundays, men only. All other days, women only.
GO EAT
Most working people take their lunch in restaurants between 1 and 2 P.M., so expect it to be busy!
Dinner is never eaten before 8 P.M., and it’s very common to meet for dinner at 9 or 10 or even later. But usually, the French go out for dinner at around 9 P.M. It is very rare for a restaurant to serve food before 7 P.M. – unless it has stayed open all day without interruption.
LES HALLES (1st & 2nd arr.)
Around Les Halles, Montorgueuil and Le Louvre, you should go to rue Etienne Marcel to eat or drink a cup of coffee. A few recommendable spots are Le Café and Le Lézard.
In rue Montmartre, 2nd arr. You'll find a cool café, Café Noir along side an Italian restaurant La Bocca and a bar Le Coeur Fou.
LE MARAIS (3rd & 4th arr.)
Le Georges
For a panoramic view of Paris, you should go to Le Georges
Le Georges, Centre Pompidou
Café Beaubourg
At the foot of Beaubourg, on the square, is another one of the Costes brothers’ places, the eternally popular.
Café Beaubourg, 100, rue Saint Martin, 4th
Rue Vieille du Temple
From the north to the south end of rue Vieille du Temple, you can take in lots of espressos in between the art galleries and the shopping:
Café Le Progrès
A good and cheap old-fashioned café with a young and hip crowd for coffee, lunch and aperitif.
Café Le Progrès. Corner of rue de Bretagne and rue Vieille du Temple. 3rd arr.
La Perle
An awfully modest looking bar which all of a sudden has became THE place to go for the hip crowd in Paris. People are standing in droves on the street at night, in order to drink espressos or wine from, let’s be honest, greasy glasses.
La Perle. Corner of rue de la Perle and rue Vieille du Temple. 3rd
4 in a row
A little string of cafés and restaurants with different design, but similar spirit and the same owner. Small outside terraces and lots of passers-by to look at.
Les Philosophes, no. 28
Le Petit Fer à Cheval, no. 30
La Belle Hortense, no. 31
L’Etoile Manquante, no. 34
- all in rue Vieille du Temple, 4th arr.
Le Trésor
And in a pretty flower decorated alley without any traffic coming from rue Vieille du Temple, Passage du Trésor, you will find a restaurant with a large and quiet terrace. Good Italian and French cuisine, reasonable prices and lots of satisfied customers for both lunch and dinner
Le Trésor, Passage du Trésor, 4th arr.
Next to the restaurant is the Café du Trésor with a similar terrace, if you only need a drink and to rest your feet and mind. And at the bottom of the alley, if you really need reviving, there is a small space, Studio Trésor, which is used by a brilliant Brazilian (and English speaking!) yoga professor, who gives private lessons and teaches small groups in Ashtanga yoga. Her name is Ana Maria, just ask inside the restaurant.
Café Pick-Clops
Café with a long yellow bar and a crowd of hip, young, urban regulars. Great atmosphere. 4th arr.
In the other part of le Marais, around the pretty pink Place des Vosges, you can find some great restaurants. Not the ones on the square itself, but in the streets behind it.
Gli Angeli
Delicious Italian cooking.
Gli Angeli, 5, rue St Gilles, 3rd arr.
Le Petit Marché
Great French food, great atmosphere.
Le Petit Marché, 9, rue Béarn, 3rd arr.
Restaurant Chartier
In Grands Boulevard (9th arr.) you'll find Chartier, it's a huge restaurant, which attracts hordes of ordinary Parisians and tourists. You will get the atmosphere of a classic, beautiful and noisy French brasserie for a modest amount of money. There is slap-bang service. The waiters run around carrying eight or ten dishes at the time, getting the patrons dispatched in a hurry. There is always a line.
Restaurant Chartier, 7, rue Faubourg Montmartre
www.restaurant-chartier.com
Café Charbon
A big café in République & Bastille (11th arr.) with high ceilings and a great atmosphere and a young clientele. You’ll get a decent and reasonably priced meal here.
Café Charbon, 109, rue Oberkampf
Favela Chic
Restaurant, bar & club. Enter through the courtyard.
Favela Chic, 18, rue Faubourg du Temple
www.favelachic.com
Café de l’Industrie
A charming and beautifully decorated café/restaurant, with just as charming and beautiful waitresses. A very popular place. They have a second space across the street.
Café de l’Industrie,16, rue St Sabin
GO SHOP
Opening hours vary. Most fashion shops will not open until 10 or 11 A.M. or maybe even later. They close between 7 and 7.30 P.M. Some department stores close later.
The best of Paris are:
La FNAC
La FNAC – for books, music & films
Forum des Halles, niveau -3, porte Lescot, 1st arr.
Métro: Châtelet/Les Halles
Le Bon Marché
Le Bon Marché – for fashion & food
24, rue de Sèvres & 5, rue Babylone, 7th arr.
Métro: Sèvres-Babylone
Paris is a city with a lot of shopping areas, so most of the stores mentioned in one area, can be found in others as well.
LES HALLES (1er & 2ème arr.)
Rue du Jour
Zadig & Voltaire, Beautiful colors, cuts and materials. Casual, pretty expensive and immensely popular with trendy Parisian women. Several stores all over Paris. Agnès B, classic French discrete minimalism for children, women and men who don’t want to show off. Very popular in Japan. Many stores in France. Comptoir des Cotonniers,
Another chain of small shops with casual and basics in good designs and qualities at reasonable prices.
Rue Etienne Marcel
Barbara Bui, luxurious materials and designs. Kabuki & Kabuki Shoes, a selection of international designer brands, such as Prada, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Costume National and Helmut Lang. Bonpoint, expensive and beautiful children’s clothes. Kiliwatch, huge store with vintage clothes and new young fashion. Paul & Joe, silk, cashmere and pretty prints. Gas, a small store with a boudoir atmosphere and a fine selection of clothes, scarves and shoes. Et Vous, sober and very nice French brand - great pants.
Collette
Collette – to check out what’s hot!
213, rue Saint Honoré, 1st arr.
All of the big designer names in rue Faubourg St Honoré.
LE MARAIS (3rd & 4th arr.)
Numerous great shops. Here is a selection
Antik Batik
Hippie chic style for women and children. Pretty dresses and prints, rabbit fur vests and handbags.
Antik Batik, 18, rue de Turenne, 3rd arr.
L’Eclaireur
Luxurious, innovative designers and gorgeous shop.
L'Eclaireur, 3 ter, rue des Rosiers, 4th - for women
12, rue Malher, 4th - for men
In the upper part of rue Vieille du Temple:
A.P.C.
Cool, French minimalism. A favorite every-day brand among übertrendy Japanese, New Yorkers and Parisians. For those with no need for showing off their bodies. Both men and women.
www.apc.fr
Vanessa Bruno
A French-Danish designer and a very trendy brand. Great qualities and funky designs. Sweaters, dresses and t-shirts that you will find in the closets of many young woman in Europe.
In rue Vieille du Temple, 3rd
KIDS
Cool clothes for kids are all over the place. Not just neat little dresses and suits, but really great fashion and shoes in gorgeous designs, qualities and colors. Check out the following:
BonTon
A concept store for children, with their own great designs as well as books, toys and gadgets, which the trendy parents will throw themselves not even giving the spoiled kids a chance to pester them!
BonTon, 118, rue Vieille du Temple, 3rd
www.bonton.fr
Zef
Trendy fur vests, shirts in Liberty fabrics and velvet knickers at prices that match those for cool women’s wear.
Zef, 15, rue Debelleyme, 3rd
www.zef.eu
Casteneda
Another concept store with furniture and fashion that can make you regret you’re not a size 4 year-old.
Casteneda, 23, rue Debelleyme, 3rd
LATIN QUARTER (5th, 6th & 7th arr.):
The area is overcrowded with clothes shops. Everything can be found here:
Discount bargains on Boulevard Saint-Michel.
Young and not-so-young fashion on Boulevard Saint-Germain, rue du Four, rue des Canettes and rue de Rennes. Exclusive and hip brands in rue Bonaparte, rue Saint-Sulpice, rue du Cherche-Midi and rue de Grennelle. Spend hours and all your money here!
Le Bon Marché
The department store, Le Bon Marché, at Sèvres-Babylone, is a true land of milk and honey. All the best brands in fashion, shoes and make-up can be found under their two roofs. So if you have come to power shop and don’t want to spend your time stepping in and out of each store, this is where you should go! The department store’s size is quite manageable, and they only sell the best in everything. It spreads over two buildings; one with the perfumery, women’s and men’s designer clothes.
The other with an even more trendy women’s fashion department and a fabulous children’s department with toys and clothes in the basement. There is an overwhelming food department on the ground level. You can buy the most delicious products, and even eat a good prepared dish, if your mouth is watering too much and you can’t wait to get home with all your purchases.
Le Bon Marché, 24, rue de Sèvres & 5, rue Babylone, 7th arr.
Iris
If you’re are a shoe fetishist and do not want to be tempted by the selection at Le Bon Marché, go to Iris instead. It is a small boutique with a great selection of the best shoe designers. You are sure to find a few pairs you will fall in love with!
Iris, 28, rue de Grenelle, 7th arr.
At the corner of rue du Four and rue Bonaparte is one of Paris’ countless drugstores. They have good bargains on all brands, which explains the hordes.
CHAMPS-ELYSÉES (8e arr.)
You'll find that alomst every major brand has a flagship store at "les Champs". Among them are Louis Vouitton, Gap, Zara, H&M, Mango. You'll also find Haute couture and prêt-à-porter from: Christian Dior, Marni, Jil Sander, Prada etc.
LES GRANDS BOULEVARDS (9th arr.)
Paris’ two biggest department stores, le Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, lie side by side behind the Opera, spreading over several buildings.
The perfumeries on the ground floor are impressive and very well assorted. And so are their lingerie departments, as well as the rest – if you really have the energy for it!
Le Printemps, 64, Bd Haussmann
Galeries Lafayette, 40, Bd Haussmann, 9th arr.
GO NIGHT
Le Cab
Big club with a funky interior design by Ora Ito.
Le Cab, 2, place du Palais Royal, 1. arr
La Flèche d'Or
Located in an old train station, this nightclub and concert venue hosts the great bands of tomorrow. Musical styles vary, but the line-up is always top quality. Open every night except Thursdays.
La Flèche d'Or, 102 rue de Bagnolet, 20. arr.
www.flechedor.fr
Le Baron
If your name isn’t Helena Christensen or Mick Jagger, it’s hard to get in - unless of course you’re friends with the boss. If spotting a celebrity, (and spending loads of cash in the process) is what makes you tick … go for it. This place is very pretentious, but that’s Paris!
Le Baron, 6, Avenue Marceau, 8. arr.
www.clublebaron.com
Rex Club
The most important club for electronic music in Paris. The world’s best DJs can be experienced here on a regular basis. It’s the favorite spot of the Parisian club kids. Lines are insane, so make sure you get here early or buy your tickets ahead online (and be nice to the doorman). Once you’re inside, let yourself get carried away by the amazing collective energy.
Rex Club, 5, Bd Poissoniere, 2. arr.
www.rexclub.com
L'Alimentation Générale
All-night bar with a preference for world music and the patrons are a motley crew, but this place is the bomb … provided you work in an NGO.
L'alimentation Générale, 64, Rue Jean Pierre Timbaud, 11. arr.
www.alimentation-generale.net
Le Point Éphémère
Art center, restaurant, concert venue, exhibition space, nightclub... le Point Ephémère is all that crammed into one. Located on the bank of the very “BoBo” (bourgeois-bohème) Canal Saint Martin, it’s the meeting spot for hipsters of all ages from the Right Bank. Reasonable prices and free wireless Internet access. The terrace is delightful, so if the weather allows, you can devote yourself to the favorite pastime of the Parisians: Eyeing up people!
Le Point Éphémère, 200 Quai de Valmy, 10. arr.
www.pointephemere.org
Gay
Le Duplex
What the French would qualify as a “champagne socialist” place (meaning with a politically correct crowd), but very appealing. A cosmopolitan crowd crammed together, so after a few beers everybody talks to everyone – or even get to know each other more intimately. A great place for meeting new friends. And one of the best musical line-ups in the city.
Open from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays, Saturdays and before holidays from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Le Duplex. 25, rue Michel Le Comte, 3. arr.
Le cud
Free night club located in medieval caverns. A cosmopolitan and “friendly” crowd of all ages. Open all week until very late (or very early). Watch out, girls are unfortunately not always very well received here. Not too hard to make new “friends” here. If you’re into Madonna and Britney, you’ll be delighted.
Le Cud, 12, rue des Haudriettes,
www.cud-bar.com
Links
www.nightfloor.com to check out what’s happening and the guest lists for all the best clubs in Paris.
GO SLEEP
SAINT-GERMAIN (6th)
Hôtel Montana
Right above the legendary Café de Flore at the corner of Boulevard St Germain and rue St Benoît, is this small hotel with a jazz club on the lower level. I recommend the place because of one of their rooms in particular, “The Hemingway Suite”, on the top floor. It is a spacious and bright room with a long balcony with a view over all of Saint-Germain-des-Près. Don’t go because you want to surround yourself with trendy designer furniture, but because of the unique location, space and good spirit.
Warning: You might not want to leave your room!
Hotel Montana, 28, rue St Benoît, 6th
PIGALLE (9th arr):
Hôtel Amour
Trendy new hotel close to Pigalle. Once a pay-by-the-hour establishment. Now a 20-room theme hotel with iPod connections in each room, but no phone, TV or internet connection in the red rooms. In other words, nothing to distract lovers …
Owned by the ever-present Costes brothers together with the people behind the nightclubs Le Baron and Le Paris Paris. It doesn’t get anymore “branché” (French for “hip”) than this. And it is not even too over-priced…
Hotel Amour, 8, rue Navarin, 9th arr.
www.hotelamour.com
Hôtel Henri IV
A simple old hotel with the most romantic location you will find in Paris. A small quiet square in one of the two islands in Paris. People book their rooms very well in advance!
Hotel Henri IV, 5, Place Dauphine – Ile de la Cité, 6th arr.
+ 33 1 43 54 44 53
Hôtel Tiquetonne
Cheap and simple hotel. Good location in a pedestrian area.
Hôtel Tiquetonne, 6, rue Tiquetonne, 2nd arr.
+ 33 1 42 36 94 58
Villa Mazarin
Villa Mazarin, 6, rue des Archives, 4th
www.villamazarin.com
Hotel de la Bretonnerie
Hotel de la Bretonnerie, 22, rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 4th
www.hotelbretonnerie.com
TRANSPORT
TO and FROM THE AIRPORT
Charles de Gaulle or Orly
Line B stops at Gare du Nord, Châtelet les Halles and Saint-Michel. It takes a little more than half and hour and costs around 9 Euros. The best way to get to the center.
GETTING AROUND IN PARIS
The Metro is fantastic! The trains are fast and frequent and there are stops at every other street corner, it seems. The only problem is that it closes between around 1 A.M. – 6 A.M. The RER trains that go the suburbs and the airports also cross Paris and stop at some of the bigger metro stops. If you are going from one place to another within Paris where the RER stops, choose that option, since it is even faster than the metro.
Only take the bus if you have plenty of time and you find it charming to wait forever or be stuck in traffic without the running meter of a taxicab …
Taxies can be very hard to get. They are not supposed to stop in the street within a certain distance from a taxi stop. But they will do it, if they get a chance to and are not too busy – which is rare. On weekends and late at night, it can become a real nightmare to find a taxi, and the lines at the taxi stops can be frighteningly long