Paris Travel Tips
Our monthly Paris recommendations
10 things to do in Paris
1. Rent a Vélib bike
To
live a true Parisian experience, nothing like renting a Vélib bike to
discover the city! Use the bicycle paths wherever possible, and careful
with those shared with buses. Most locals don’t stop at red lights or
wear helmets, but you need not be THAT local. Instead, enjoy the ride
crossing the river Seine, watching monuments from a different angle and
be part of the flow. Website
2. Shop at Le Bon Marché @ La grande Epicerie
Le
Bon Marché the world’s first department store in the chic left bank. is
the most luxurious in Paris and boasts the most amazing fine foods and
gourmand grocery department 'La Grande Epicerie' on the bottom floor,
you have ever seen. Thousands of rare hard to find ingredients and
brands from the world over make this a foodies paradise. Grab some
goodies for a picnic in the park, it's Spring!! p.s the building is
worth a glimpse also for its architecture. MAP
3. Le Jardin du Luxembourg
Le
Jardin du Luxembourg with its gorgeous gardens offers an ideal place
for walking in the Spring sun, admiring the colourful fleurs, statues
and fountains. Grab a chair and watch the strollers, hiding behind a
good book and your shades and/or enjoy yourself a little picnic. See
above tip 2. MAP
4. La Butte aux Cailles
One
of the less known Paris hills La Butte aux Cailles (quail hill) is
definitely worth a visit with its bars and restaurants. Picturesque
small streets climbing up and down, graffiti art and student life take
you away from the traditional sightseeing tracks. Rue des Cinq Diamants
and rue de l’Espérence are my personal favourites. MAP
5. Chinatown
Not
far from there, le Quartier chinois (Chinatown) with the exotic
supermarkets Paris Store and Tang Frères, colourful streets, authentic
Asian restaurants… Grab a Vietnamese sandwich with beef and coriander or
sit down on a terrace to enjoy a Tiger beer with a bo-bun noodle salad
with fried springrolls. Enter the supermarkets with a huge choice of
most peculiar greens and spices but also kitchenware and wacky
decoration items MAP
6. Bercy Village
After
all these left bank destinations, time to cross the river Seine. Bercy
Village and its most well known alley Cour Saint Emilion have replaced
the old wine warehouses of Bercy – thus named after the famous wine.
This cosy shopping area specializes in restaurants with terraces, cafes
and the stunning tranquil Bercy Park is right across the way. MAP
7. Viaduc des Arts
Viaduc
des Arts, beneath an abandoned 19th-century railway viaduct. A number
of arts and crafts workshops are great for windowshopping and on top of
the viaduct you can take a “walk with the trees”, an elevated park of
several kilometers with surprising plants and garden decorations. MAP
8. Passages
The
covered arcades aka “passages” of Paris were the shopping malls of the
19th century. You can walk through a whole bunch of them, breathe the
nostalgic atmosphere and sip a cup of tea away from the noisy traffic.
There exist maps of these arcades and you can choose between three
different itineraries of “passages et galeries”. MAP
9. Enjoy Canal Saint Martin
Go
on a cruise along the Canal Saint Martin or just walk up and down quai
de Valmy and quai de Jemmapes. Trendy boutiques and cafés line the banks
and on Sundays cars are not allowed alongside the canal and the quay’s
invaded by pedestrians, bicycles and rollers, and if you are lucky
there’s a flea market or street artists and live music. MAP
10. Sacre Coeur
And to finish with a great view of the city, follow in the wake of
Amelie to Montmartre. Avoid the touristic cafés at Place du Tertre and
take a walk in the small streets behind. Some of the most charming
buildings hiding in the back streets of the hill off the avenue Junot. MAP
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