Neat places just to walk around

The Marais. The marais (marshland) is almost as old as the oldest inhabited parts of Paris, having first been settled in the 13th century. It's especially noted for its old hotels particuliers, private mansions built by wealthy aristocrats (many are used as museums or other official buildings today). Beginning about 1880, this area was settled by Jewish immigrants, and it retains a great deal of that character today. It is also Paris' premier gay neighborhood, and home to trendy restaurants and night spots. You should note that if the weather's nice, it's especially appealing to walk around the marais on a Sunday afternoon, because lots of people head over there, and most of the shops are open, which isn't generally the case in a lot of other parts of the city. Take the metro to Saint Paul. Get off. Head east on the rue Saint Antoine about 200-300 yards, and turn left on a little street named the Rue de Birague and into the Place des Voges. This is real neat. Walk around and wish you could own an apartment here (the most expensive apartment ever sold in Paris (as of June 2005, anyway) is located on the two floors spanning the central arches in the photo at right). Then wander around, in general slightly west. I recommend exiting the Place des Vosges at the northern end, and heading west on the rue des Francs Bourgeois. Take a left on the rue Vieille du Temple, then another left on the rue des Rosiers (and get some falafel at the As du Falafel, pictured here). then right on the rue Malher. Another right on the rue du Roi de Sicile, and keep heading down that street for quite a while--it'll turn into the rue de la verrerie. There's a lot of interesting stuff to look at around here. If you want to check out a bakery where they have, um, obscene bread, take a right on the rue du Temple, then another right on the rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie. The bakery--which is very good, by the way--will be on your right. Walk around as many of the little tiny streets in the marais as you can and just look at the neat old buildings. Other good streets to check out are the Rue des Blancs Manteaux (Street of the White Coats), the Rue du Plâtre, and the Rue des Mauvais Garçons (Street of the Bad Boys). Also cruise the rue Vieille du Temple. The restaurant list in Tom's Guide names some interesting places in the marais to eat, and if you just walk around that area you'll find plenty of places to chow down, to have a meal, or to dine in high style. If you feel bold as you're strolling through the neighborhoods, go into one of the myriad courtyards and marvel at the old buildings. The marais has all kinds of interesting (and, alas! expensive) shops that will have things you won't find elsewhere. If you're a watch enthusiast (I am, so shut up), you must go to La Montre du marais, at 20, rue de la Verrerie. It's a small shop, but they have an absolutely incredible selection of watches, and the owner is a very amiable chap who will help you find exactly the right watch. He may even cut you a deal if you're nice.

The Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. Metro of the same name. This is how everybody dresses there, so make sure you observe proper protocol. You may have seen the poster in the living room on Friends with the name of this park on it. A lovely park, way up high, with nice trails. Some folks are miffed at me for spoiling this secret, so don't tell anyone about it.

Ile St-Louis. This is the little island in the Seine. Metro Pont-Marie or Sully Morland. My favorite way to get here, though, is by walking along the little street that runs to the right side of Notre Dame (as you're facing the cathedral). This is the rue du Cloître Notre-Dame, and there are some tourist shops that can be interesting, actually, along there, as well as a completely fantastic museum dedicated to Notre Dame (which is very, very interesting, but only if you're as obsessed with the place as I am). When you get to the end of the street, take a left across the pont St. Louis and onto the island. That bridge, by the way, is closed to traffic and it very often has strange and sometimes wonderful entertainment there during the summer. Someone might bring a centuries-old band machine and play it, a concert violinist might show up, you'll get those people who pretend to be statues (this just escapes me completely) or, my favorite, the kids on rollerblades doing absolutely amazing jumps and other death-defying feats. Go the the Berthillon ice cream shop at the north end of the island. It's beyond good. Then, stroll down the street that bisects the island length-wise (rue St Louis en l'île) and look at all the cool shops and restaurants. You'll find some really nice stuff here. You should also walk the entire perimeter of the island, looking at the fabulous buildings. Check out the plaques that identify previous residents of these buildings (you'll be impressed if you know anything at all about French history and culture). If you're here on a Sunday afternoon, this is a good place to start before you walk on over to the marais (see above). The best way to get there from the Ile St Louis is to cross the Pont de Sully at the far east end of the island, go up the sprawling Avenue Henri IV to the Bastille, and then turn left onto the rue St. Antoine. Turn right onto the rue de Birague and go into the Place des Vosges. See above for further info. While on the Ile St Louis, make sure also to check out the "point," especially on a nice summer day (you'll see what I mean if you head over to the far western end of the island. Bring something to eat and drink... If you're as fascinated by the Ile Saint-Louis as I am, consider taking a walking tour for only 10 euros through Paris Balades. I especially recommend the one conducted by Pierre-Yves Jaslet (but you have to be able to speak French to follow this fascinating and knowledgeable man).

On Sunday afternoons, around 3:00, go over to the north side of Notre Dame (or to the pont St Louis--they move around a bit) and listen to René Miller's Wedding Band. (You can find their link here.) These guys generally set up and play on the streets on nice Sunday afternoons, and they're a truly amazing dixieland band. Rene himself is extremely captivating, and they do a large number of American and French classics more than justice (they played "Formidable" for me once). They also often play at Nomad's (12-14, rue du Marché Saint Honore), and that's a nice place to hang out, so check them out. You'll be glad you did.

Luxembourg Gardens. A giant park at the top of the Latin Quarter (just walk up the boulevard Saint Michel to the top of the slope), where locals and tourists spend Sunday afternoons (and other times) promenading, sailing toy boats in whimsical fountains, and listening to concerts in octagonal covered bandstands. The flower gardens, surveilled by severe classical sculptures, are pretty but somewhat turgid, and the whole park is lovely, orderly, and calming. There are these great metal chairs that you can drag to wherever you want and sit on them for as long as you like and read or watch people passing by or listen to a concert, but beware: there are two kinds of these chairs, and you must get the kind with the arms. It's not so much a matter of which kind of chair is more comfortable--rather, it's about status. Sitting on one of the armless chairs is very déclassé, and if you're going to be in the Luxembourg Gardens, part of the thing is to be seen. How horrible would it be to be seen in one of the low-class chairs? You might find that you have to maneuvre somewhat to get the highly coveted chairs, especially on a nice Sunday afternoon when they're at quite the premium. Sometimes you'll see someone getting up to leave out of theirs, and several people will make a mad dash for the chair, but the thing here is that you have to make your mad dash without appearing to. You have to look somewhat nonchalant as you do this or else you lose even more status. When there's a band concert in the gardens, people over a certain age (i.e., not you) will sit in the chairs, listen to the music, and conduct. It's weird. 

At the risk of ruining a perfectly nice, quiet little neighborhood by causing it to be overrun with the throngs of folks who read Tom's Guide, I'm going to turn you on to a corner of the city you probably otherwise wouldn't choose to visit: la Butte aux Cailles ("quail hill"). This is one of Paris' seven hills (can you find the others?), and it's situated in a part of town that 20 years ago many (alright--me) would have considered out in the sticks. This area just southwest of the Place d'Italie is a totally charming blend of quiet village and 1990 Seattle, only populated by people in their early thirties with slightly more refined taste. Get off the metro at Place d'Italie and head down the rue Bobillot; then turn right onto the rue de la Butte aux Cailles. Check out the other streets in the neighborhood, especially the rue des Cinq Diamants and the rue Martin Bernard. There are some really nice, cozy, and sophisticated little restaurants and cafés here, along with the odd little shop selling stuff you never saw before. There's also a live theater, and people who will smile at you on the street as you pass by. It's sort of being in a little village when you're in this neighborhood.

Like going to the beach? There's a beach in Paris--really. Well, sort of, and only sometimes. From mid-July through August they set up the Paris Plage, which is something you really have to see. It's set up along the northern side of the Seine, with its center of activity mainly situated around the stretch along the two islands, but the whole beach goes further than that. This is a really strange thing: the city spends millions on it, trucking in sand, palm trees and other beach-like things. They set up floating stages in the Seine, there are all sorts of concession stands, and you can even borrow books to read while you're sunbathing in your nice comfortable deck chair. They also set up those water misters at strategic points along the river so you can cool off. They have climbing walls, complete with safety belts, nighttime entertainment, and really pretty much anything you might expect to see in a real beach community. You can't swim, of course, unless you're really anxious to get whatever diseases the Seine has waiting for you, and the really fascinating aspect about this whole thing is to look at the way the various beach-goers relate to the entire enterprise: some people treat it like a regular beach, and others approach it with tremendous amounts of irony. They have beach volleyball courts set up on the giant place in front of the Hotel de Ville, and I have to say, I find the whole thing utterly cool, charming, unique, and not a little unnerving. That didn't stop me from going all the time during the record-breaking heat wave of 2003 (remember, when all those people died?). I'm not even sure why I went, because it certainly wasn't any cooler there. But there's something cool about it nevertheless. Go; you'll find it interesting, even, or maybe even especially, if you find it odd.

If you like dead people, you'll love the Père Lachaise cemetery. This enormous park-like cemetery in the 20th arrondissement (métro Père Lachaise) is the final resting place to something like 75,000 people, including a great many notables and near notables. The cemetery was opened for its first burial in 1803, and you'll find the French manner of burying the dead interesting--if you've been to any of the cemeteries in New Orleans, you'll see the influence right away. It's extremely pleasant to walk around in here, and you'll probably want to go see Jim Morrison's grave. Watch for little hand-written indicators saying things like "This way to the end"; when you get there, you'll be treated to a little crowd of people who are way too young to remember Morrison, keeping a sort of vigil by the grave. In the past people did so much damage to the surrounding graves that the management of the cemetery had to post a guard by Morrison's grave to help maintain order. There's a fabulous website for the cemetery, where you can look up where famous people are buried. My favorites are the 12th-century lovers Abélard and Héloïse, who have this large and lovely gazebo-like grave. Look for cats in the cemetery; some will let you pet them.

Strange and Interesting Walk #1

[Note: the Strange and Interesting Walks are going to be moved to their own page soon; they'll be here for a while, though, until I can get it together to make a new page]

Here's a really strange an interesting walk to do. It's a little long, so if you're tired or out of shape, you can divide this into two sessions. Have a meal on the way; stop for a drink. Just whatever you do don't whine. If you have to, you can make this a multi-day thing. But trust me: you'll enjoy doing this.

Start at the sickening Forum des Halles, but don't go inside (if you want the closest thing to an American shopping mall experience, go inside. But trust me--it's sickening). Instead, head across the park space that extends to the west of the structure, recognizing that this is all on the site of the old central marketplace, first established at the end of the 12th century. That's right--the twelfth century. It was demolished in 1971, ostensibly because it was no longer large enough to serve the city's needs, but many say it was because of all the prostitutes and rats that had accumulated there. Head to the northern edge of the park over to the eglise St. Eustache. This is the parish church of the Halles area, founded in the thirteenth century. It's a pretty impressive structure, but make sure to go inside. Even if you don't like churches very much, it has one really extraordinary thing inside: Masson's famous "Départ des fruits et des légumes" (The Depart of the Fruits and Vegetables). This sculpture is a tribute to the closing of the central market (actually, it was moved out to the suburb of Rungis), and it's a strange and oddly moving sculpture. The merchants trudge joylessly away with their merchandise, and when you remember that when the market was closed in 1971, it finished off roughly 800 years of folks doing business in the same place. For centuries folks--including some of the most famous restauranteurs in the city--maybe even in the world--got their produce and meats, etc. here. Now it's gone, and you never even got to see it. But you can check out the sculpture. Even if you can't see the market anymore, you can still participate in one of its rituals (OK, maybe it's not as old as the market was, but still) by getting a bowl of soupe à l'oignon just nearby in the famous pied de cochon (see the Restaurant page). The place is open 24 hours, and despite its somewhat formal appearance, don't hesitate to roll on in at 3:30 am merely for a bowl of the delicious stuff. Now, go back over to the back of St. Eustache, and take the the rue Montorgueil, which begins right at the back of St. Eustache. The rue Montorgueil is a thirteenth-century street, recently renovated (no, not for the first time since the 13th century, smartass), and it's got an interesting mix of slightly upscale places and real down-to-earth shops and eateries. Check out the boulangerie Stohrer, which has been around since 1730 and is reported to be the oldest still operating bakery in Paris. Wander around the side streets that connect to the rue Montorgueil, but be certain to have either (a) lunch or (b) a drink at one of these places. There's some absolutely fantastic people-watching here.

For the next part of the walk you take a left on the rue des jeuneurs and head over to the rue Montmartre (that's just a street name--you're not in the Montmartre district [yet]). Turn right onto Montmartre, and up to the busy grands boulevards. Now you have a choice to make: (a) head on up and down the grands boulevards (a collective name for the long, long string of boulevards that stretches from the Opera to the west on over to the place de la république to the east--the names change, but you're essentially on the same street); or (b), you can continue straight ahead, up the rue du Faubourg Montmartre.

If you choose (a), the grands boulevards, you'll probably want to head primarily to your left (east)--to the west things just get a little seedy a ways down, and you'll wind up heading toward the rue Saint Denis, and if you've been reading Tom's Guide carefully, you'll know that that's an area you might want to avoid (hookers). To the left--east--on the grands boulevards, however, you get into one of the ritziest areas of the right bank: upscale clothing stores, chic cafés (the elegant Café de la Paix, for example, below right), the spectacular Garnier Opéra, the classic Church of the Madeleine, and, if you take a slight detour, the grands magasins, the giant department stores Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.

When you get to the point on the grands boulevards where the bouldvard des Italiens diverges off to the left, take that route if you want to see the Opera and the Café de la Paix, and continue on to the Madeleine (the surrounding area of which, by the way, also has some great shopping). If you want to go to the grands magasins, keep going straight on the boulevard Haussmann (named after the man who is the principal archictect of modern Paris's wide streets, such as the one you're walking on right now). You'll want to check out the Opera, because it's so beautiful and so excessive (and click the link to get more info on that edifice). From here, you can either continue down the boulevard des Capucines on toward the Madeleine, or turn left and head down the Avenue de L'Opéra, for more upper-crust excesses. Those of you hell-bent on checking out the Champs Elysées can keep going down the Avenue de l'Opéra and head smack into the Jardin des Tuileries (which is something you should see anyway), head to your east (you'll be able to see the Arc de Triomphe, and just continue on, if your feet aren't killing you by now, up the sickening Avenu des Champs Elysées. But remember: I warned you.

All of this is if you've made choice (a) and gone along the grands boulevards. Now you're free to do whatever you like: talk amongst yourselves, buy something, sneak off to the Champs-Elysées (just as long as I don't have to find out about it), or whatever... Or, if you're up for it, you can backtrack, and then do the second part of this walk, which begins here:

If you've taken choice (b), which is perfectly legitimate, you're going to head straight up the rue du Faubourg Montmartre. This is your funkier choice, and probably the perfect antithesis of choice (a). As soon as you cross the busy grands boulevards you'll feel the difference as you enter the narrow and hectic street. First thing to see, even if it's not meal time, is the famous Restaurant Chartier, at 7, rue du Faubourg Montmartre. Directly across the street is the site of the famous "Palace," a giant music mecca in the 80's and 90's, now fallen into considerable disrepair. Continue on up the street and just take in (or go in) the various strange and wonderful shops and purveyors of food. Keep going straight and cross the busy rue Lafayette and the equally busy rue de Chateaudun until you see a church directly in front of you (that's the églist Notre Dame de Lorette). Turn right up the tiny rue Fléchier and then straight on head up the rue des Martyrs, staying on the left side of the street.

You'll want to time this for around 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening, because the rue des Martyrs is an interesting market street, with butchers, bakers, green grocers and the like, and it's busy and fun and interesting. As you approach roughly half way up the hill, look straight ahead of you and you'll get this really wonderful view of the top domes of Sacré Coeur, which is where you're headed, but keep on checking out the things around you. After you get to the rue Victor Massé things aren't that interesting, so keep going straight to the boulevard de Clichy, cross over to the center strip in the middle of the boulevard and hang a left. Now you're in the land of the Pigalle sex clubs and life shows, and even if you're here at night it's not especially dangerous or sinister. In fact some really big and cool night clubs are right here, so you're probably pretty much OK. Keep going straight on the boulevard de Clichy until you get to the Place Pigalle. If you want to check out the famous Moulin Rouge, keep going straight to number 82, bd de Clichy. Along the way you can check out the glitz and the garbage of Pigalle, and what always tickles me is to see those giant tourist buses full of folks from the Netherlands, Japan, or where have you oggling the sin. The thing to keep in mind, though, if you haven't been there is that it's not as bad as all that, and unless your threshhold for shock is really low, you won't find this all that strange.

After you've had your fill of this do a 180 and head back toward the rue des Martyrs where this all started. Head up the steep hill (c'mon, you've been walking around a lot and in you're in shape) and go all the way to the top and turn left (I think it's the rue Tardieu). Straight ahead you'll see the extremely picturesque Place des Abesses. There you'll find one of the only two remaining fully covered metro entrances. This is a charming little square; you should have a glass of champagne at the corner café--Au Baroudeur--you can see just behind the woman leaving the metro in the picture (just order "une coupe de champagne" and they'll bring you something nice). Wander around here a little bit, looking at the little cafés and shops. Montmartre has a whole different feel to it, and you're going to see more. Here's the official website of the butte Montmartre.

Back on the place des Abbesses, look up the slope and to your right (there may even be a little sign directing you to Sacré Coeur). Go up that little street, follow the bend around to the left (and there are some nice little restaurants up here, including a relatively famous vegetarian one called Au grain de la folie at 24 rue la Vieuville, and it's really tiny), and then turn left on the Rue des Trois Frères (Street of the Three brothers). At number 56 is the grocery store from the Amélie Poulain movie (and if you're as obsessed with this movie as some people seem to be, go here to take a stroll that will let you stalk the poor girl). Keep goin up the rue des Trois Frères until you see some steps on your right. Go up the stairs, all the while remembering not to whine, take the bend round the corner to the right, and head straight on the rue Gabrielle. Keep going straight. Now you'll run smack dab into some more steps, but take a look around here and you'll recognize this stairway as the one that all those famous photographs depict, usually with some old person carrying a baguette or something. Go the rest of the way up the steps, and if you can't find Sacré Coeur on your own by now you probably shouldn't be reading this anyway.

In the evening, a little before sunset, all kinds of people gather on the steps of Sacré Coeur, the beginnings of which you see here. People bring beer and wine, food, guitars, and it turns into a whole party atmosphere. By the time it gets dark the stairs are almost impassable. Sometimes this can be fun, but sometimes as the evening rolls on it can get a little weird--it really all depends on the crowd and the night, but it's certainly never dangerous or anything: there are way too many people around here for that.

As you're walking around, you'll no doubt get hungry, and you'll be tempted to bop into one of the many, many pâtisseries (bakeries) that you see all over Paris. Do it. You'll quickly learn that most of the stuff is even better than it looks. Tom's absolute favorite thing in this domain is the pain au chocolat, which is often described as a chocolat croissant by people who are idiots. A pain au chocolate is, rather, a pastry that consists of more or less the same pâte brisée (although ever so slightly sweetened) you find in a croissant, and it's got a few morsels of real, good, bittersweet chocolate in it. It's not sickeningly sweet, because there isn't that much chocolate in it--there's just exactly enough. I'm still trying to find the best one in the world, so we're taking nominations here.

Now take a break before the next strange and interesting walk, to be posted shortly. Keep watching...gorgeous 

For the next strange and interesting walk, you're going to start in the middle of the city, walk through some of the oldest parts of the capital, head through some touristy areas that are nevertheless fun and interesting, and then cross some bridges and go into the marais. If you've seen the movie Before Sunset, which is a sequel to Before Sunrise, you're going to trace some of their steps (and by the way, they weren't true to geography in Before Sunset, because those guys should have crossed the river to be in the various neighborhoods they were in as they were walking around, but somehow they never made it to a bridge; what'd they do? fly?). You'll get to see the city's narrowest street--the rue du chat qui pêche (the street of the fishing cat, seen here at right). There's nothing on this street, but it's tiny tiny tiny; it simply leads between the rue de la Huchette and the quai St. Michel. Legend has it that its name comes from a sign that once adorned a shop here in the middle ages (since so many people couldn't read, merchants used graphics to mark their locations, and there area whole lot of these signs preserved in the musée carnavalet, where you should also go, and which I will add soon to the guide, now that I think of it, because for some reason it's not in here. More to come...

Strange and Interesting Walk #2

You're going to start at Notre Dame. You know how to get there, right? OK. Now, the thing you might not know is that , which is kind of hard to imagine.

 

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Readers Chime In...

Michelle from Sydney suggests the gardens of the Palais Royal. "We used to go here at dusk with cheese, champagne, paté and biscuits for a meal sitting in the gated gardens on the delightful seats. We shared our little garden space with a Parisian family one evening. The parents took our photo for us; they were having champagne and salad for dinner, too. We stayed there till dark then walked around the adjoining arcades...Sarah Turnabal mentions it in her book Almost french."

Ellen writes very enthusiastically about the Jardins et Musée Albert Kahn (14 rue du Port, 92100 Boulogne Billancourt 01-46-04-52-80 [Métro : Boulogne Pont de Saint-Cloud]): Just outside of Paris and easily accessible by metro and bus, the gardens (there are 5 in total) and the museum were the creation of Albert Kahn, a rich industrialist who made a fortune in diamonds in the early part of the 20th century. Kahn was interested in photography, so he personally paid to send photographers throughout the world to visually document life as it existed at that time. The Archives de la Planète, as this image collection is called, is housed in the Musée, and there are sometimes special exhibits highlighting a particular topic. The gardens are beautiful - particularly the Japanese garden. I know this is a little bit off the beaten track, but it is just a wonderful place to visit on a beautiful day.

Steven from Long Island has this to say about the rue St Denis: "Whatever you do, do not walk down St Denis at night with a video camera. In fact do not go down that street in the daytime with a camera. Nor should you ride a bicycle down that street, especially the wrong way! You will be asking for trouble. I unknowingly went down that street and did all of the above on a Sunday when everything was locked up. The police were going to lock me up! What did I do you ask? The first chance I got I hopped on my bike and pedaled as fast as I could to the furthest arrondissement that I could find!" Tom pretty much agrees with Steven.

OK. You've heard these readers' favorite places and interesting stories; now it's your turn to add something to the guide. Do you have a favorite place that you always go to? Whether it's some Champs-Elysée promenade, or a really good bench to sit on and read, Tom's Guide wants to know about it. Click here to suggest a neat place of your own.