Les Bains du Marais

Paris has loads of public baths. Both luxurious spas and Arabian hammams. Here is a small handful of my favorites.

It was never a conscious decision, but for some reason I always stayed out of the 13th arrondissement. I only went here if catching a movie on Place d'Italie or if I had to buy dried noodles or erotic drinking glasses in the Chinese area (the ones where you see naked women at the bottom when you pour alcohol in!).

The 13th arrondissement has no distinctive reputation. There are some ugly high-rises inhabited by thousands of Chinese immigrants and the hospital where Lady Diana passed away. But I’ve never bumped into anything memorable here.

That is, until I discovered Butte aux Cailles. A tiny neighborhood in the 13th arr. concentrated around a few streets on a hill behind the metro station Corvisart. I’ve never felt so far from Paris inside of Paris. Narrow streets and town houses, small court yards with cabinetmaker’s workshops and bars with peeled paint on the walls and crochet curtains. Like a small village, where time hasn’t changed and you can still get sausage from Montbéllard with lentils and bacon for 8,50 Euros. Here some of my favourite adresses.

There are days where everything just falls into place. Like the Saturday morning not long ago when I had invited my husband to a surprise lunch at Chez Janou. I’d read about the place: Lovely terrace and good olives, down-to-earth atmosphere and small fried fish like in Marseilles. We just had to try it.

The restaurant was humbly placed on a corner behind Place de Vosges and our spirits were raised already when we saw the front. Sort of like a garden pavilion with green twining plants, sunblind, colored lamps and lots of people closely seated drinking rose wine in the sun.

Photo Helle Moos

We got the last table outside. The waiter, a big, happy strapping fellow, was joking with everybody and before we knew it we were chatting away with the American archaeology professor and his assistant at the table next to ours on one side and the two young Parisian women on the other side.

All around, people were commenting on each others food, toasting, smiling and laughing. A wholly uncomplicated atmosphere, which is otherwise rare in Paris.
Vi had sword fish on skewers with lemon rice, the special of the day, and even the chef must have been an easygoing man, because, oh, it was so light and delicious. Simple, honest food.

Inside, a fine old bistro with mosaics on the floor, yellow walls and shelves full of good wine emerged. So even on a winters day, it’s nice to be Chez Janou.

Chez Janou, 2, rue Roger-Verlomme, 3. arr. Metro: Chemin-Vert

By Louise Sandager, extract from the travel guide PARIS mon amour!, published by Gyldendal.

Paris is home to the world’s largest amount of movie theaters within one city. Huge multiplexes where Hollywood blockbusters can be seen on gigantic screens and tiny art house theaters where you can rediscover old movies. Any week of the year, 200 different films are shown in this cinema city.

If you want to go for a drink or a stroll on the waterfront before or after the film experience, go to MK2 at the Villette bassin. One of the city’s most wonderful movie houses is located here, in a centenarian warehouse with a café terrace on the quay.The building is an experience in itself.  Ancient iron and modern glass panes decorated with painted words like amour, democratie, femmes and verité.

This is where I saw a dead body for the first time in my life. He was lying on the sidewalk as the police was sketching him on the ground and people were rushing by. Just like in the movies. Later, I read that he had been stabbed in a drug encounter. But just to reassure you: I’ve been there many times without seeing any dead people!

On summer nights, hanging out along the floodgates all the way from the 10th arrondissement, arriving early, sipping a green mint sirop, watching the boats go by.

The theater mainly shows European films, so this is not the place to catch the latest Rambo flick. MK2 on the Seine is very quality conscious – or snobbish, if you will - and a short film is often screened before the actual movie. And there are lots of great French, Spanish, British and more exotic films to be discovered here.

The wine that is being served in the restaurant and the bar has been selected by the director Claude Chabrol. I don’t know whether he is a wine connoisseur. But it’s fine.

By Louise Sandager, exctract from her book PARIS mon amour!, published by Gyldendal.

Go further: Watch movie in the old-style DDR Kino International in Berlin.

Dear traveller, dreamer, vagabond, backpacker and luxury animal,

Welcome to a new momondo.

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Louise Sandager, Travel Editor