- Paris
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France
You’ve seen the Moulin Rouge, now go and have a look at a proper windmill and get a little exercise at the same time. This windmill and the nearby but less visible Moulin de la Galette were originally flour mills, but are now transformed into restaurants – though both are still considerably more picturesque than their famous cousin.
Rue Lepic
Nearest Metro: Abbesses
Though climate change may alter the situation quite soon, this is the only vineyard to be found in the city and, by all accounts, the wine it produces isn’t that great.
Once a year, however, it’s sold for charity and therefore you can’t get hold of a cheap bottle just for the experience. Going to see the vineyard however will take you into the hinterland of Montmartre which is much more interesting than the touristy bits. On the opposite corner to the vineyard is the Lapin Agile tavern, a well known artists’ haunt.
Rue des Saules
Metro: Lamarck Caulaincourt
Citadines Bastille Marais is an apart'hotel centrally located in the interesting Bastille neighbourhood.
Its apartments are big and fully furnished, there's free high-speed internet in the hall and Place De Vosges in Le Marais is a five-minute walk.
Prices are, well, remember that you're in Paris! But they're not too high compared to hotels, and you can save money cooking meals in the kitchen.
37 Boulevard Richard Lenoir, 75011 Paris France, www.citadines.com
Updated daily, a hip guide to Paris in English and French, written by Parisian anglophones and francophones. Gives you good insider tips on restaurants, shopping, art, gigs, clubs and especially, nice hotels. It's got an eye-catching graphic, too.
As seen in the film Amelie, Canal St Martin is good for a wander away from the busier, more touristy areas of Paris.
Beautiful in spring when the trees are in leaf, this area provides a welcome retreat any time of the year.
Canal St Martin can be found running parallel-ish to Blvd Magenta (between Place de la Republique and de la Bastille).
In Paris with two boys, one our cheerful seven-year-old, the other our stroppy 15-year-old "Little Englander" who was determined to be unimpressed by anything French (it was just a phase - he is now studying international relations at Bradford University's Department of Peace Studies). The Eiffel Tower was "OK", the Pompidou Centre was "torture". Paris in the company of a teenage grump was turning out to have been the trip from hell when we saw the posters for tours of Le Stade de France. Ok, about the last place I would choose out of all the many places and sights in Paris which I may never see, but hey, this was supposed to be a treat for all of us.
We found our way to Le Stade in an uninspiring suburb. It was a comprehensive tour, taking in changing rooms, stands, pitch and presidential box and loads more. It felt like we got to look in every storeroom.
Most of it bored me silly but it was worth every minute to see the transformation in the boy. He was so appreciative that his uplifted mood lasted for the rest of the trip. That afternoon, he sat patiently watching his little brother playing for two hours and more in the childrens' playground in the Luxembourg Gardens. Later on we wandered round the local streets and found a great pizza restaurant. And so home to hotel, all of us content and well fed. It was a special day.
Organic bar and restaurant. Excellent vegetarian and non vege food. Good if you are a vege and non vege couple. Very reasonable for centre of Paris too. Also organic grocer next door.
47 bd St Germain, 75005, Paris. M. Maubert-Mutualite.
Tel: 01 44 07 36 99
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
If you're a first time traveller to Paris, I highly recommend this waling tours company. The "classic walk" is a great tour for beginners. It'll take you to all the major sites giving you an idea of what you'd like to see in more detail later.
Most tours are 4 hrs long and cost about 20 euros. Tour guides are young and full of interesting tid-bits. The office itself is a great source of English language info plus there's free internet.
24, rue Edgar Faure
75015 Paris
www.classicwalksparis.com
Monet originally arranged to have his huge, broad water lily canvasses here in 1921, being one of the few buildings that could accommodate them. The building also offered the facility of seeing them in mainly natural light, having been constructed originally as a giant greenhouse for orange trees, hence its name.
Now the canvasses are back on a more permanent basis, and the building has been customised specifically for the purpose, showing them, quite literally, in the best possible light. There are eight canvasses in two rooms and you can enjoy them at your leisure once inside.
Don’t go in the morning if you’re visiting as an individual as you won’t get in until at least 12.30 pm. Expect queues to start forming from midday – it’s probably better to go in the late afternoon or early evening.
Musée de l’Orangerie, Jardin des Tuileries. Metro: Concorde
www.musee-orangerie.fr
ParisDailyPhoto is a blog that I found which shows us a photo a day of the city of lights, without being too touristy. I love the insight the author gives to things as basic as a traffic light, a cafe, or even the little green men responsible for cleaning the streets. Well worth a visit before your next trip.
ParisDailyPhoto
www.parisdailyphoto.com
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
A cubed shaped arch that’s 106 metres wide. Take a lift to the top for excellent views, have a pint in the bar and visit the exhibitions on show inside. The business park also has sculptures surrounding it (one is a giant thumb!). Take plenty photos. There are some shops surrounding it but I didn't get a chance to see them!
Place de la Défense, La Défense business district;
www.aviewoncities.com/paris/defense.htm
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
I have just come back for my unforgettable and romantic stay in Paris. But let me explain from the beginning: I didn't know where to look for a romantic hotel or bed and breakfast in Saint Germain. After surfing on the net I discovered this parisby.com, which has lots of beautiful properties (and pictures of them).
Finally, I found Hotel d'Aubusson, a cozy hotel in the right location. I asked the travel assistant of the website, Elena, to help me with some things (flowers and wine in the room) for our anniversary, and she suggested I write to the owner of the property, and everything went perfect.
Hotel d'Aubusson: 33 Rue Dauphine;
tel. : 33(0)1 43 29 43 43
fax : 33(0)1 43 29 12 62
email : reservationmichael@hoteldaubusson.com
www.aubusson-paris-hotel.com
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
It is a budget hotel, yet very clean and with very helpful staff. Decent size rooms and good bathrooms, and it also has a breakfast room.
11, rue Juge, 75015 Paris;
tel: 01 45 78 2929;
www.timhotel.com/hotels/us/eiffel.html
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.
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
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
Is this your business?Search Been there
