A guide by Explorer456
It’s not easy to escape the crowds in Paris, especially between April and September. Try the Canal St Martin, particularly on Sundays when the roads either side are pedestrianised. You won’t escape the bobo Parisians, granted - but there'll be very few tourists.
This exquisitely built chapel, contains some of the most beautiful and historically important stained glass windows in the world. Architecturally it
gained enormous acclaim for being the first ever building to use so much glass in its structure. People expected it to collapse. yet almost a millenium later it remains one of the most grandiose establishments imaginable. As well as its own merits it gains ironic value for being placed within the police headquarters
of Paris. Providing an interesting juxtaposition of state and church within a secular country.
Sainte-Chapelle is extremely central, only 200m from the ile de Notre Dame on the right bank.
Forget the Odeon, enjoy the MK2. Next to the modern François Mitterand national library, this MK2 cinema is Eden for cinema-goers. Not only you will enjoy French films in the best audio conditions but the MK2 architect designed comfy armchairs he called "fauteuils pour deux"... armchairs for couples! Vive la France! And if you're single, no worry: you can still watch your film while stretching your big legs. What a pleasure!
128/162 avenue de France - 75013 Paris. Phone: 08 92 69 84 84 Métro Line 14: Bibliothèque F.Mitterrand.
This market is situated in southern Paris and takes place on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 in the morning to around 1.30pm.
Selling lots of Parisian knick-knacks, books, old postcards, jewellery, furniture and much more.
A mix of professionals and amateur sellers and, unlike some other markets in Paris which are awash with cheap clothes and tat, this one has a certain charm.
The sellers aren't pushy and are happy for you to look around and root through without hovering over your shoulder. Some are completely oblivious to their customers, I passed four men sitting at a table playing cards while people sorted through fabric!
Although officially it finishes at 1.30, I would advise going early-ish as many start packing up around 12.
All together a lovely place to wander on a weekend morning.
Av Georges-Lafenestre/ Av Marc- Sangnier 14e.
metro. Porte-de-vanves (line13)
Tram. Potre-de-vanves (tram line 3)
In and around Rue Daru is a small Russian community where you can find Russian restaurants and shops to browse around. The grandest feature however is the Orthodox Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky, which is an impressive sight, both outside and in.
Rue Daru
Metro: Courcelles
This walk crosses the east of Paris from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes. You are transported to a space in total contradiction to the urbanity surrounding you. This walk provides a breath of fresh air, but unlike a park, this is a narrow-ish walk-way surrounded by trees and plants that takes you up on viaducts and above buildings (only one storey up) and sometimes in tunnels, for a distance of 4.5 km.
In addition to providing you with some greenery, it allows you to journey among the trees, instead of among cars (as there are numerous access points along the way), and to see houses and apartment blocks in a way that is impossible from street level.
From the Avenue Daumesnil to the Bois de Vincennes (access by staircases and lifts along the way)
Métro : Bastille (Lignes 1,5, and 8)
Fantastic views over Paris from the roof. Take the lift to the 6th floor and stairs up to the roof. The cafe on the 6th floor is very good value too.
Galeries Lafayette
l40 Boulevard Haussmann
It is bigger, quieter and in my opinion the most beautiful park you will find in Paris. Parisians will actually leave central Paris to go to this park in summer- that's saying something!
You cannot help but be impressed by its scale. It has the 'grand canal', fountains, a chateau and huge expanses of immaculately kept lawns. But what is also nice is that you can take smaller plane tree lined paths that guide you through a series of more secluded areas. Both elements work seamlessly together.
Undoubtedly the best place to have a picnic in summer!
Parc de seaux is approx. 15/20 minutes from zone 1 on RER line B
nearest RER stations: parc du seaux & la croix de berny
www.ratp.com
This beautiful Viennese salon serves what can only be described as the greatest hot chocolate in the world. Don't bother ordering any of the delicious pastries - half a cup of this is enough to wipe out the most demanding appetite. Decadent, indulgent and glorious.
226 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris; Metro: Tuileries; www.angelina.fr/
Cheap-as-chips student gaffe. Sorbonne local. The decor is very much student bedsit with a four-poster bed (ok maybe not that), metro sign and ... lazy students. Cheapest coffee in Paris, friendly bulldog and a mix of close-knit locals and students in between lessons. We went in once after an 8am lesson had been cancelled and the barman was all hungover and advised to go and get some croissants while he got the coffee going. Perfect nonchalance and schizophrenic music selection - think 2manydjs.
7 rue Royer Collard, 75005: N/A: RER Luxembourg
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
Before the film 'Amelie', it was just another cafe in Montmartre. It serves perfectly good food and drink, as it always did, and lies on the tourist trail between the Moulin Rouge and Sacre Coeur.
Now it's a stop for a coffee, or lunch, because everyone wants to see the film location. Apart from the tobacco counter, everything is just as it was in the film, including the miniscule 'toilette' where the earth-shaking sex scene took place.
When I made my visit it was full of art students rather than tourists, perhaps you need to go there in the evenings to find out if the locals still actually use it. As a rare example of a real life film set though, it's priceless.
15 Rue Lepic
Metro: Abbesses
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