A guide by helbelle
Brilliant little restaurant in the 7th arrondissement on Rue Cler. Kind on the pocket, packed with locals and regulars. Brilliant.
Rue Cler, 7th arrondissement, Paris
A beautifully decorated, trendy, yet unpretentious bar just off the well-trodden Rue Oberkampf. Great music, delicious cocktails and arguably the most beautiful man in the world works behind the bar towards the end of the week. Wonderful local atmosphere, but completely welcoming. Paris doesn't get any sweeter than this.
4, Rue Neuve Popincourt; Metro: Parmentier or Oberkampf; Bus: 96
Simply the loveliest department store in Paris or anywhere else, with a beautiful selection of fashion and homeware (even the haberdashery is stunning). The food hall is wonderful.
Rue de Sevres, Paris 7e; nearest metro: Sevres-Babylon; www.lebonmarche.fr/
Old station beautifully converted into a museum of art on the banks of the Seine, taking the place of the old Jeu de Paume where the Impressionist paintings used to be.
Fantastic cafes and restaurant too.
Quai d'Orsay
Old square in the Marais district . Stylish cafes, restaurants and shops (lèche vitrine!).
Marais 1 arrondissement
Contemporary art gallery with great exhibitions - opens from noon to midnight and has a nice bar and restaurant and a great book shop. In summer there are seats outside and you can sip beer and look straight across at the Eiffel Tower. Sometimes bongo-players and fire blowers converge provide impromptu and frantic dancing opportunities.
Nearest metro: Iena
Two hour lunch cruise on Bateaux Parisiens, wine included, €50-70 per person. We chose the €70 option and had a table at the front of the boat, good quality food, good wine, excellent service and serenaded. What more do you want?
Quai below the Eiffel Tower; www.bateauxparisiens.com/english/fr_dejeuner.html
So hip, it's bordering on tragic. Decor-wise it's all Philipe Starck transparent chairs with Hello Kitty-esque faces printed on them, huge geisha print on the ceiling, and a panoramic roof-top view of Paris from this ultra-stylish restaurant on the top floor of the Kenzo building by the Pont Neuf. My foie gras and steak were both superb, however you're more likely to be won over by the cool factor than anything else. Cocktails are very good, and yes, it was THAT restaurant in Sex & The City!
1, rue du Pont Neuf; nearest metro: Chatelet or Pont Neuf
Traditional bar/restaurant. Atmospheric and reliable - immortalised by Juliet Binoche in Kieslowski's Trois Couleurs. Open every day from 8.30 (great coffee and croissants) and all day and evening.
Corner of rue Mouffetard and rue de l'Arbalète; nearest metro: Censier-Daubenton
Many hotel deals in Paris don't include breakfast, but breakfast may be available at extra cost. The charge is often extortionate and the quality poor, so why not breakfast with the locals at a patisserie? It's a perfect excuse to try the delicious croissants and pastries when they're freshly baked, and could save you a fortune. Don't be afraid to try one of the patisserie chains, as the food is still delicious and set price menus with pastries and hot drinks are often available (saving even more money).
All over Paris
The appearance of this chain of restaurants can be a little off-putting to tourists looking for the 'authentic' Paris, but if you can get past the American-style decor and the packed tables you'll be pleasantly surprised. I can't vouch for all branches, but the restaurant in the Opera district was a real eye-opener; the quality of the food was excellent (the fantastic creme brulee is especially recommended). Very reasonable fixed-price 'menus' add to the appeal.
1 Blvd. des Capuchines, Metro: Opera
www.hippopotamus.fr/accueil/ (website content in French)
This place is an oasis for 'picky eaters'. In a city where organic and vegetarian options are extremely limited, Le Jardin is invaluable. Specialising in unusual and often vegetarian or vegan pasta dishes, it's ideally placed for a meal after a day out in the Latin Quarter.
The only downside is that, like many in Paris, this restaurant is likely to be closed between 2.30pm and 7.00pm.
4 Rue Lacepede, 5th Arr. (Near the Jardin des Plantes)
This bar is on the 33rd floor of the hotel and overlooks the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Fantastic views. You can watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle while having a glass of your favourite wine.
The hotel is near to the Porte Maillot metro station, you can't miss it
With a set menu at 19euros for 3 courses, the quality of this restaurant’s food is surprisingly good, with fresh ingredients and a lovely mix of herbs and sauces. Last night we went there. I had the salade landaise which comes with duck and mushrooms and a lovely seasoning and the lambchops as a main dish, seasoned with herbs. Dinner for 2, including a bottle of Buzet was a very reasonable 68euro. The service is incredibly good, fast and friendly. The clientele is a mix of locals and tourists but the food is authentic French.
If you can't stand small Parisian restaurants because there is no clear separation for smokers and non-smokers, this might not be the place for you. The perfect place to end an evening after having visited the Invalides or the Musee Rodin, both nearby. Oh, yes: make a reservation.
56, Boulevard de Latour-Maubourg, 7th arrondissement, close to les Invalides;
metro: Invalides;
tel: 01 45 51 93 08;
e-mail: bistrot7@wanadoo.fr;
Open every evening, closed Saturday and Sunday lunchtime
If you are staying in or near the Latin Quarter and are looking for a budget restaurant, with great atmosphere serving really excellent food, then look no futher than Le Petit Prince.
It is very popular with the locals so booking is pretty essential. I ate there on a wet Tuesday evening in February: by 8:30 the place was full and I saw a number of disappointed people turned away.
The fixed-price menu is imaginative, using quality ingredients, and the food is beautifully presented. For a good, reasonably priced bottle of wine, search the 'Coup de Coeur' section of the list.
The only slight drawback with the restaurant is that some of the tables are very close together which may bother those who like a bit of privacy - but, being France, everyone else just minds their own business and concentrates on enjoying the good food and drink!
Rue de Lanneau, off Rue St Jacques, near the Sorbonne.
Nearest Metro station is Maubert Mutualite.
Small covered market off rue de Bretagne in 3rd arrondissment. Excellent quality and variety of fruit & veg, cheese, deli goods and even wine stalls - everything you need for a perfect picnic.
39 rue de Bretagne;
Open: Tuesday to Saturday, 8.30am to 1pm and 4pm to 7.30pm (until 8 pm on Friday and Saturday);
Sunday, 8.30am to 2pm
Metro : Filles-du-Calvaire
This is a gorgeous bistro in the Latin Quarter. Very romantic and it has lovely food and wine. Highly recommended.
3 rue des Grands-Degrés
tel: 01 44 07 04 24
Sail down the Seine in a bateau mouche. Have your camera ready for some night time shots of the Eiffel Tower when you pass and it's all lit up.
Adults: €8,5/person (before 8 p.m.), €9/person (after 8 p.m.) ; Children (under 12 years of age): €4,1/person.
www.discoverfrance.net/France/Transportation/Water/Bateaux-Mouches.shtml
If you’re at all into impressionism or Monet in particular, then this is an essential day trip. The house is restored, along with original furniture and décor and you can look around most of it – the kitchen is a delight. But it’s the water garden (or Japanese garden as it’s often called) that steals the show. Here you can imagine Monet creating his lily canvasses among the huge, draping willows that surround the ponds. The village has other places of interest, not least the churchyard where the artist is buried, and lies in an attractive rural corner of Normandy.
Fondation Claude Monet, rue Claude Monet 27620 Giverny. Giverny village is 1.5 hours drive north-east of Paris. Guided tours available from the city;
Open: Daily except Mondays, 9.30am to 6pm, from April 1 to November 1;
giverny.org/gardens/
I really like the Pompidou Centre as a building. It's so unusual and high-tech it's worth visiting just to walk around the outside. Also home of the Beaubourg Museum. There's always something interesting on there.
Place Georges Pompendeau, Paris 75004.
Telephone: +33 01-44-78-12-33
Open every day from 11am to 10pm, except Tuesdays and May 1.
Prices : 10 euros - Free of charge for under 18s, members, disabled visitors, unemployed people . Proof of status required.
Metro/Bus : M° Rambuteau (lines 11), M° Hôtel de Ville (lines 1 et 11) - RER Châtelet les Halles (lines A et B) - Bus: 21, 29, 38, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 81, 85, 96
Search Been there
