- Paris
- (840)
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France
This hotel is very convenient and very friendly. I stayed there when I went to Paris for a concert and wanted to stay near the venue. The hotel is near La Cigale and the Elysée Montmartre concert venues and a few steps aways from main Paris attractive sites.
If you don't know where to book your hotel in Paris. I suggest you to visit a blog that I found, it's very helpful.
www.originalstayinparis.com/blog/where-to-go/how-to-choose-your-hotel-in-paris
This is a great hostel – pretty new and just ten minutes on the Metro from the Eurostar at Gare du Nord. They’ve got private rooms, dorms, free WiFi, an internet café, a bar, a sauna and a soundproof nightclub in the basement too!
The guys on reception told me it’s on the same canal where they filmed Amélie and that the building’s a remake of the old nineteenth century warehouse - Magasins Généraux, which burnt down in 1990.
The location is right on the Bassin de la Villette - Paris’ biggest artificial pool of water which hooks up to the Seine via the Canal St-Martin. Because of this spot’s popularity the builders had to bring in the famous architects, Chaix et Morel - the same guys who were behind the restoration of the Petit Palace.
On foot you can reach the Buttes Chaumont Park in no time and also the Parc de la Villette, which includes the Science Museum.
The routes into the city are pretty easy too. Crimée Station on Metro Line 7 is only 200 meters away and takes you straight to the department stores around Opéra, the Louvre, Le Marais and the Latin Quarter.
The Laumière station on Metro Line 5 is about 400 meters away and will take you to the Bastille, the Oberkampf night spots and the Latin Quarter.
Also there’s the Jaurès Station on Metro Line 2, again only 400 meters away. This goes to the Arc de Triomphe, Pigalle, the Père Lachaise cemetery and Montmartre.
From the hostel itself you can organise bike tours, walking tours, a Paris induction, basic French language classes and day trips to places like Versailles, and Giverny.
St Christopher's Inn
159 rue de Crimée
75019
Paris
Phone: 00 44 207 407 1856
Website: www.st-christophers.co.uk/paris-hostels
Metro: Crimée, Laumière or Jaurès.
Now, I work there, so I am rather bias. That said, we have a great book section for kids - it even has small chairs for the little ones.
37 rue de la Bucherie, Paris.
(opposite Notre-Dame, metro stop: Saint-Michel)
For lovers of vintage film posters and stills going back to the early days of cinema, Cinedoc is the place to head to. Drawers of amazing french vintage film posters vie for your attention competing with scene stills and photographs of the stars of all nationalities. The shop is crammed from floor to ceiling - a treasure trove. Cinedoc is in the Passage Jouffroy, a wonderful almost secret network of covered glazed shopping arcades dating from the nineteenth century. Each of the 30 passages has its own architectural style - some like the Galerie Vero-Dodat are very grand with black marble columns and painted shopfronts. Others such as the Passage des Panoramas are a little run down but contain delightful bric-a-brac shops and stamp dealers. The Passages of Paris are hidden gems well worth discovering away from the traffic clogged boulevards.
Cinedoc
45-53 Passage Jouffroy
7500 Paris
France
T: 01 48 24 71 36
www.cine-doc.fr
Located off Boulevard Montmartre
Metro: Grandes Boulevards
Three clothes shops which stock an incredible array of vintage clothes with plenty of designer labels. All piled high and ready to rifle through. And in a popular tourist area, so very easy to find.
www.mouton-a-cinq-pattes.info/adresses.html
(6th arrondissement)
One of my favourite ways of spending a Sunday morning (not too early though) is to hit, what I consider, the best market in Paris. It is similar to a carboot sale in the UK (or a yard sale in the States). The market at “Porte Montreuil” is not chic or filled with expensive antiques like “Les Puces de Saint-Ouen” - it’s pretty grimy and grotty. Just anybody can rock up and put some stuff on the ground and sell it (although, beware the police do come by now and again and “move people on”).
There are plenty of the expensive vintage/retro clothes and furniture stalls plus lots of cheap/fake perfume, branded clothes at the beginning. But as you get towards the back you can find the real gems, vintage 1950’s petticoats for 5€ (I shouldn’t really be telling you this, now it’ll get expensive), vinyl records for 50 cents, retro crockey - you name it you can find it. You just have to have a real rummage and do some hardcore haggling. Try and not look like a tourist as this will result in an instant doubling of the price.
Saturday and Sunday 8am - 2pm
Metro Porte de Montreuil, line 9
khookie.com/2007/12/07/knick-knacks/
Brocante at 2 rue Eugène Spuller by Square du Temple, (Temple Métro)
If your timing is lucky, twice a year approximately mid to end of May (start looking from mid-May, this year it is 29 - 31 May), and near the beginning of December, the Comité des Fêtes organizes a huge fleamarket which spills onto the surrounding streets Eugene Spuller, de Bretagne, Perrée, Debelleyme and Dupetit-Thouars, Place Turenne, Carreau du Temple and the Cour de la Mairie in the 3rd. Arr. It is like a smaller Clignancourt and other flea markets before they became too well known. It runs Friday morning until Sunday night and is where you can find everything and amazing vintage; trinkets, clothing, furniture, toys and treasures starting from one euro. A tip is to be the first to buy something in the morning, the vendor will usually accept any reasonable offer as it is a good omen for the rest of the day. The other brilliant thing is to be there near the close as after 7pm as you can get things that are left for free - it helps to speak French! The atmosphere is good and generally the people are very nice, as it seems this is a one off for them and they are doing it for fun. The Christmas Brocante is perfect for getting one of a kind gifts.
Also as an additional tip to NookandSpoon's for Free 'P' Star: look in the low bin along the wall to the right under the hanging clothes, you can find amazing things, all priced at three euros. I got a spectacular 70's dress the last time.
Brocante at 2 rue Eugène Spuller by Square du Temple, (Temple Métro)
Nestled in the Marais Free 'P' Star is a treasure trove of all things vintage. From 70s dresses, to denim waistcoats, 80s t-shirts, chunky knits and a tangled mountain of leather belts and bags, you're guaranteed to stumble across a second-hand fashion jewel on any visit. Compared to Paris's other vintage boutiques, Free 'P' Star miraculously manages to keep its prices low, whilst not scrimping on quality. What the shop lacks in floor space it makes up in quantity, and you can enjoy a good rummage whilst sandwiched between Paris's hippest boys and girls. Access to the equally well-stocked basement floor is via a spiral staircase, and entertainment provided by a suitably retro playlist. The best part comes afterwards when you can enjoy re-examining your purchases over a cafe creme in any of the eateries on its doorstep in the Marais.
8 Rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie
75004 Paris
Metro: Hotel de Ville
Literally meaning 'The Prince's Orchard', this boutique certainly lives up to its name (Princesses do not be down hearted, this store will be fruitful for you too!)
Located in the hippest part of Paris, the Marais provides the perfect backdrop for this funky store. Le Verger du Prince is always busy, but if you have the patience to delve through the overflowing shelves and gently elbow some people out of the way, you will find some fantastic pieces. Leather jackets, sparkly fabrics, 60's & 70's dresses, accessories, jackets, the list of treasures is endless. Once you are exhausted by this store, you are advised to nip down the road to Falafel Alley (aka Rue des Rosier) for a delicious, rejuvenating bite to eat.
33 Rue de Sicile, 75004, Paris.
Tel - 01 42 78 33 72. 7/7, mon - sun.
11am-9pm. Metro Saint-Paul
Great little treasure trove hidden away in the Bastille area. Top designer names and fab colourful gear at low prices. Make sure to visit all three floors!
Come on Eileen
16/18 rue des Taillandiers 75011
Metro: Bastille
Mon-Thur 11.30am-8.30pm, Fri 11.30am-7.30pm, Sun 4-8pm
Aux Comptoirs du Chineur is a small shop where you can find absolutely everything, from toys to jewels, shoes to old records, comic books to items of decorationb - what the French call "un joyeux bazar" (a real mess)
So if you once threw away your favourite childhood doll and regret it, if you decide to start a fancy shoe collection, or simply feel nostalgic of the good old days, that's the place to go, with everything dating back from the 50s-80s.
49 rue St Paul,75004 Paris: right in the centre of Paris, in the lovely area of the Marais (4th arrondissement)
Nearest metro station: St Paul or Bastille
This Marché de la Gare is 10 minutes from Chatelet on RER A (station - Nanterre Ville, direction St Germain en Laye). Nanterre is just to the west of la Défence and is home to a huge plethora of different cultures, many west and north African. The market has its fair share of cheap household tat outside but venture inside the big hall to bustle and hassle with all the others. Veg, meat, spices, smells noises, indefinable languages, and bargains galore and not a tourist in sight. No need to stay nearby. The market is right next to the station and is open 08h to 13h30 wed and sat. Great fun, great food and something a bit different. Oh, and prices at a half of the centre of Paris!
Train RER A from Chatelet/Auber to Nanterre Ville (direction St Germaine en Laye. Station is next to market.
This little boutique in the Marais is a favourite among fashion-forward Parisiens. It sells a mix of first and second hand clothes, shoes and accessories, and is a great antidote to the sometimes suffocating Bo-Bo style (bourgeouis-bohemian) with its mix of androgynous punk, 80's and early 90's style. Prices vary but are consistently reasonable and the shop itself is worth a visit just to see the changing rooms which are hollowed out red British phone boxes, complete with BT adverts and a dogging smell of urine!
22 Rue Roi de Sicile 75004
Metro Saint-Paul
www.noirkennedy.fr
This tiny vintage shop in the Marais is always packed with girls who know that it sells the cheapest, most on trend clothes in central Paris. The man who owns it sells his clothes for absurdly low prices (50 euros for a fur coat) and therefore gets new stock once or twice a week. The problem of stale items clogging up the racks for months is certainly not an issue here and you rarely see the same thing twice. This is probably the most famous vintage shop that i know of in Paris and the title is well deserved. You know when you see french girls gliding around in those perfect low heeled black leather boots nonchalently playing with the sleeve of their timeless breton striped shirt; they shop at Coiffeur. If all that shopping has made you hungry grab a falafel from next door, they are the best in Paris.
32 Rue de Rosiers, 75004
Metro Saint-Paul
The second hand clothes section of the flea market at Porte de Montreuil is how vintage shopping on a budget should always be. Go on a Monday morning when it's just the locals and most things are 2 euros or under. You won't find high fashion here, although i got a great chunky knit lacoste jumper last time, it's more other people's cast aways, which i think is just as interesting. If you are into grungy california cool t-shirts, interesting prints, or just some really amazing bargains, this is the one for you.
Avenue de la Porte de Montreuil, 75020
Metro Porte de Montreuil
This vintage shop, as well as being hidden away in a back street of Bastille, was completely unknown to all of my Parisian friends. During the many hours i have spent in the surprisingly large and satisfyingly musty basement it has come to be one of my favourite fail-safe places in Paris. Some of my most exciting finds include patent Chanel 'bovva boots', a grungy men's Missoni jumper and a plethora of Doc Marten shoes and brogues in girls sizes. Prices are not dirt cheap so if you're looking for a 5 Euro breton stripe t-shirt then try Coiffeur instead, these are serious labels so cost a bit more. As memory serves me, the Missoni was around 60 euros and shoes are all about 40. If you have an interest in fashion and the time and patience to look, this shop will unearth you some absolute treasures. Not open on Saturdays.
16 Rue Taillandiers, 75011 Paris.
Metro Bastille
Excellent value vegetarian Indian food.
I often visit Paris with friends from England and the US and like to show them around. Whenever I do so, I book all museum, travel and entertainment tickets in advance just because I absolutely hate queueing.
Recently I've been using Hello Paris, who sell everything from metro tickets to popular show tickets (Lido de paris, Moulin rouge, Crazy Horse) and river cruises etc. They are a small friendly company in England and I can pay for it all in Pounds or US Dollars and they know Paris really well.
I really recommend to anyone who is planning on going to Paris to at least buy their Paris Visite Travel Card in advance as they will struggle with the French metro ticket system when they get there. One of my favourites is also the Paris museum pass which gives you access to all museums across the city. Really saves you time and gives you the freedom to do what you feel like.
London to Paris in just over two hours? Yes we can with Eurostar departing from the newly redeveloped London's St Pancras station. The grandiose building solicits great thoughts of the history and romanticism that is linked with a train travel. Train travel for this popular route is recommended over air travel as it is quicker, cheaper and all the more comfortable. There are different classes of service available depending on your desires and travel times. My personal recommendation is to double check the price of leisure select ticket - the business class travel for leisure travellers. It often is available for just a small supplement and adds to the journey experience with food and a shorter minimum check-in times. The great thing about the Eurostar is that it goes straight into Gare de Nord, right in the heart of Paris. Here you can join the metro system and get to wherever you want in Paris.
My top tips would include being flexible with times to get the best deals and consider visiting some other of France's cities like Lille which offer an interesting alternative to Paris. Also try and avoid restaurants near the station, they tend to be more catered for tourist but as a result more expensive and less authentic.
Book tickets on www.eurostar.com but also look out for special offers.
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
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