Walking guide for dDiscovering Paris by Bookletia

PARIS FOR YOU! Walking guide for discovering Paris

(2014/2015)

Walking guide for discovering Paris

PARIS FOR YOU!

2014/2015

Paris for YoU, WelcoMe!

Just how you imagined it … Paris has something for everyone in a multifaceted, magical, mythical and sometimes surprising capital that is always exciting. People come to Paris to admire its exceptional architectural and cultural heritage, which makes it one of the world’s most beautiful cities. This dynamic heritage is constantly being updated and enriched. Paris is also the capital of gastronomy, fashion and shopping – a city where something is always happening. it is committed to the notions of quality of life and sustainable development and offers its inhabitants and visitors a particularly pleasant setting. innovative, audacious and vibrant, Paris is truly a 21st-century metropolis. The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau has created this guide to help you discover the many aspects of the city and the surrounding areas, to accompany you as you visit Paris, all of Paris, according to your time here, your interests or simply your spur of the moment impulses. The What’s on? section features the top events in Paris, month by month. Thirteen walks take you on a discovery tour of Parisian districts, where you can enjoy the many different atmospheres of Paris and the Paris region, at the same pace as their inhabitants. And whatever you are looking for – culture, entertainment, trips, outings, etc. – you will get the most out of the French capital with the address Book at the end of the guide. We are delighted to share the city’s treasures with you. So, here is Paris for you. Have a great stay!

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contents

not-to-be-missed events, 13 walks and an address book get the most out of the french capital. partoBertrand Delanoë,

Maire de Paris

p.7

Paris conVention anD Visitors BUreaU

p.10

WHat’s on? WalKs

p.60

cHic Paris Auteuil (16th) / Bois de Boulogne (16th) / Porte Maillot (16th) / Passy, La Muette (16th) ➔ surrounding area: Hauts-de-Seine

p.66

MYtHical Paris Concorde (8th) / Champs-Élysées (8th) / Tuileries (1st) / Louvre (1st)

p.72

UnDiscoVereD Paris Viaduc des Arts (12th) / Place d’italie (13th) / Bercy (12th), Tolbiac (13th) / Bois de Vincennes (12th) ➔ surrounding area: Val-de-Marne

p.78

cosMoPolitan Paris Canal Saint-Martin (10th) / La Villette (19th) / ButtesChaumont (19th) / Belleville (20th) ➔ surrounding area: Seine-Saint-Denis

p.16

riVer seine Paris Rivers Seine / Bridges / Quays / Ports

p.20

tiMeless Paris Île de la Cité (4th) / Quartier latin (5th) / Île Saint-Louis (4th) / Jardin des Plantes (5th)

p.28

trenDY Paris Marais (4th) / Montorgueil (2nd) / Hôtel de Ville (4th) / Les Halles (1st)

p.34

GlaMoroUs Paris Palais Royal (1st) / Madeleine (8th) / opéra (9th) / Grands Boulevards (9th)

p.40

VillaGe Paris Montmartre (18th) / Pigalle (9th) / Saint-Georges (9th) / Trinité (9th) / Batignolles (17th)

p.84

artists’ Paris Musée d’orsay (7th) / Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th) / Luxembourg (6th) / Montparnasse (14th)

PeoPle’s Paris République (10th) / Bastille (11th) / oberkampf (11th) / Père-Lachaise (20th)

p.88

siGHtseeinG in Île-De-france

p.48

p.54

MonUMental Paris Tour Eiffel (7th) / Champ-de-Mars (15th) / invalides (7th) / Trocadéro (16th)

aDDress BooK p.94 Along the water Culture and museums p.94 p.95 outdoor city life p.97 Parisian nights p.100 Artistic creation p.100 Getting around p.101

inDex 3

toP sites

Pick of landmark places to discover in and around Paris.

par Bertrand Delanoë, Maire de Paris

Hauts-de-Seine (92)

MontMartre Village Paris p.41

ChaMPs-élysées Mythical Paris p.67 Bois de Boulogne Chic Paris p.61 tour eiffel Monumental Paris p.55 inValides Monumental Paris p.56

tour MontParnasse Artists’ Paris p.51

Riv er S

ein e

Musée d’orsay Artists’ Paris p.49

Château de Versailles Sightseeing in Île-de-france p.89

Paris is made up of 20 ‘arrondissements’ (administrative districts).

1 km

Seine-Saint-Denis (93)

la Villette Cosmopolitan Paris p.79 Palais garnier oPéra de Paris Glamorous Paris p.35 Musée du louVre Mythical Paris p.68 Centre PoMPidou Trendy Paris p.29 PlaCe de la Bastille People’s Paris p.85 notre-daMe de Paris Timeless Paris p.21 quartier latin Timeless Paris p.22 doCks en seine River Seine Paris p.17 BiBliothÈque de franCe Undiscovered Paris p.75 Bois de VinCennes Undiscovered Paris p.73 disneyland® Paris Sightseeing in Île-de-france p.90

Val-de-Marne (94)

Paris conVention anD Visitors BUreaU

the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau is your key contact for preparing your trip to Paris, and for helping you to have a wonderful stay when you arrive.

WeBsite Parisinfo.coM

All the latest events, museums, walks, hotels, transport, practical information, and more. Discover the destination and organize your stay with the help of the Bureau’s website (in French, English, German and Spanish). At the online boutique, book your accommodation and purchase all the essential tourist products.

Paris je t'aime @ParisOTC MaPs anD GUiDeBooKs in addition to this guide, the Bureau provides complimentary publications, notably: - the map-guide in ten languages (French, English, German, Spanish, italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean); - the French-English Paris gourmand/Good food guide; - the French-English Paris Shopping Book guide; - the French-English brochure of guided thematic visits Paris se visite/ Visiting Paris. - the French-English brochure Green living in Paris. Ask for these at the Bureau’s information centres!

Available for 2, 3 or 5 days, the Paris city Passport is a package put together by the Bureau; it includes a travel pass, a museum pass, a cruise, a bus tour, etc. Save time and money with up to 20% off the original price! on sale at the Bureau’s tourist information points and on ParisinFo.com.

inforMation centres The Bureau’s reception staff will answer your enquiries and give you advice in your own language, in our offices (see below). At the information centres, you can: - purchase passes for cultural venues or theme parks; - choose a coach tour, a cruise on the Seine, an evening at a cabaret, etc; - book the accommodation of your choice, in Paris or Île-de-France. Main office

Gare de l’Est

25 rue des Pyramides (1st). M° Pyramides, Tuileries and Opéra; RER A Auber. 2 May to 31 Oct: daily, 9am to 7pm. 1 Nov to 30 Apr: daily, 10am to 7pm. Closed 1 May.

Place du 11-Novembre-1918 (10th). On the arrival side of the TGV international – Rue d’Alsace side. M° Gare de l’Est. Daily: 8am to 7pm, except Sun and public hols.

Gare de Lyon

20 bd Diderot (12th). M° and RER A and D Gare de Lyon. Daily: 8am to 6pm, except Sun and public hols.

Anvers

72 bd de Rochechouart (9th). M° Anvers. Daily: 10am to 6pm, except 1 Jan, 1 May and 25 Dec.

Gare du Nord

18 rue de Dunkerque (10th). At the kiosk, under glass roof of train station. M° and RER B and D Gare du Nord. Daily: 8am to 6pm, except 1 Jan, 1 May and 25 Dec.

i i

i i i

Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau information centres

Partner welcome centres

Partner welcome centres • Le Kiosque Théâtre

- Opposite 15 place de la Madeleine (8th). M° Madeleine. - Esplanade of the Gare Montparnasse (15th). M° Montparnasse - Bienvenüe. Tues to Sat: 12.30pm to 8pm. Sun: 12.30pm to 4pm. www.kiosquetheatre.com

• Montmartre tourist office

21 place du Tertre (18th). M° Abbesses. Mon to Fri: 10am to 6pm, except 1 May. Sat and Sun: 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm. Tel: 01 42 62 21 21. www.montmartre-guide.com

• Comité Régional du Tourisme Paris Île-de-France (regional tourist board)

- Paris – Charles de Gaulle Airport: terminals 1, 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F – Arrivals level. - Paris – Orly Airport: terminals Sud and Ouest – Arrivals level. - Versailles: 2 bis avenue de Paris. - Disneyland® Paris: Espace de Tourisme d’Île-deFrance et de Seine-et-Marne – place François-Truffaut. www.visitparisregion.com

DisaBleD PeoPle You can find all the information you need on tourist facilities accessible to disabled people and adapted services essential for an enjoyable stay on ParisinFo.com, in the Disabled access file in each rubric (information available in French and English). in this guide, cultural and leisure sites with the tourisme & Handicap label guarantee a high level of accessibility for disabled people in terms of the amenities and services on offer. A venue bearing this label does not necessarily cater for each of the four main categories of disability (physical, mental, auditive or visual disabilities). You should therefore check the pictograms depicting the type of disability this venue is suitable for. in order to see if you benefit from a special rate for disabled persons, you should bring a medical certificate that has been issued within the last three months. The RATP, SnCF and STiF provide specific facilities and services. For more information: - www.infomobi.com or 09 70 81 83 85 (non-surcharged call). Daily: 7am-10pm (closed: 1 May); - www.ratp.fr or 32 46 (€0.34/min). 7am-9pm weekdays (weekends and public hols: 9am-5.15pm); - www.transilien.com or 08 10 76 74 33 (price of a local call from a landline). Daily: 7am-8pm.

Pictograms

abbreviations

Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau.

+ Tickets on sale in the offices of the Bureau and/or on Parisinfo.com

PMP

Sites included in the Paris Museum Pass (see p.95). Activities for children. Sites with the national Tourism & Handicap label.

M°: metro station. Mon: Monday, Tues: Tuesday, etc. Jan: January, feb: february, etc. RR: reduced rate. W/e: weekend (Saturday, Sunday). Wk: weekday (Monday, Tuesday, etc.). 7th: 7th arrondissement. Sch hols: school holidays. Res: reservation. Public hols: public holidays. info: information. EU: European Union.

WHat’s on?

Calendar of not-to-be-missed Paris events from May 2014 to June 2015.

*free events

Paris JaZZ festiVal* The venues hosting the Paris jazz festival are open every weekend for jazz, blues and world music concerts, etc. Tribute to South Africa with concerts by native artists bearing witness to the vitality of jazz in their country. Parc floral de Paris (12th). from 8 Jun. until 28 July. www.parisjazzfestival.fr

June fÊte de la Musique* The beginning of summer is celebrated with music until late into the night. Professional and amateur musicians take to the streets, squares, gardens, churches, bars and clubs of the city to give free concerts. 21 June. www.parisinfo.com

fÊte nationale (Bastille day)* The popular firemen’s balls are held in Paris on the evenings of 13 and 14 July. The traditional military parade takes place on the ChampsÉlysées on 14 July, as does the fireworks display that attracts large crowds to the Eiffel Tower.

Every evening at nightfall, an area of Paris – a park, garden, square or lawn – is transformed into an open-air cinema, with a film shown on a giant outdoor screen.

early-aug. www.forumdesimages.fr

www.parisinfo.com

July

august

Paris Plages (Paris-BeaChes)* in summer, the banks of the river Seine and the La Villette Canal basin are transformed into a free beach resort with palm trees, deckchairs, sporting activities and cultural events on offer.

from mid-July. until mid-aug. www.paris.fr

arriVée du tour de franCe

(finish of tour de franCe)*

The Tour de France begins in England (Leeds) and finishes three weeks later with the triumphant arrival of the top cyclists on the Champs-Élysées. 27 July. www.letour.fr

CinéMa au Clair de lune*

fÊte du 70e anniVersaire de la liBération de Paris (70th anniVersary of the liBeration of Paris)*

For the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris, numerous events have been organized (exhibitions, shows, etc.) to prolong the celebrations. 25 aug. www.paris.fr

fondation louis Vuitton

Mondial de l’autoMoBile

The opening of the Fondation Louis Vuitton pour l’art contemporain in a glass building designed by Franck Gehry. An exceptional setting housing collections of modern and contemporary art.

(Paris Motor show)

sept. www.fondation louisvuitton.fr

teChnoParade* An impressive parade of floats for all lovers of techno and electronic music and for curiousminded visitors.

The world’s biggest motor show where visitors can admire the power and elegance of concept cars and the ecologicallyminded driver can discover the latest hybrid and electric models. Paris expo Porte de Versailles (15th). from 4 until 19 oct. www.mondial automobile.com

20 sept. www.technoparade.fr

sePteMBer Journées euroPéennes du PatriMoine

(euroPean heritage days)*

The Élysée Palace (official residence of the French president), town halls, backstage of theatres … open exceptionally for free or reduced rate visits.

20 and 21 sept. www.journeesdu patrimoine.culture.fr

MarCel duChaMP Exhibition devoted to the pictorial work of Marcel Duchamp, with a hundred or so works from 1910 to 1923, little-known in Europe, on display.

centre Pompidou (4th). from 24 sept. until 5 Jan. 2015. www.centrepompidou.fr

Christian laCroix Costumes – veritable textile artworks – designed by Christian Lacroix, alongside the museum’s collections of decorative artworks from the 18th century.

Musée cognacq–Jay (3rd). from 19 nov. 2014 until 19 apr. 2015. www.paris.fr

Jeff koons Exhibition tracing 35 years of work by this contemporary artist. Koons questions the glorification of consumer products and popular figures. centre Pompidou (4th). from 26 nov. until 27 apr. 2015. www.centrepompidou.fr

oCtoBer nuit BlanChe (sleePless night)* From 7pm to dawn, interactive works, concerts of images, live shows … give the public free access to contemporary creation. night of 4 to 5 oct. www.paris.fr

niki de saint Phalle

noVeMBer Paris Photo one hundred or so exhibitors make this photography fair the world’s largest. A comprehensive overview of international photographic creation. Grand Palais (8th). from 13 to 16 nov. www.parisphoto.com

A retrospective of the work of niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) – painter and sculptor – author of performances such as Tirs or famous sculptural pieces like the Stravinsky Fountain. Grand Palais (8th). from 8 oct. 2014 until 18 Jan. 2015. www.grandpalais.fr

illuMinations* For the end of year festivities, ‘Paris illuminates Paris’, the City commissions artists to create illuminations for more than 120 streets. The result is a captivating circuit: rivers of garlands and other original creations decorate the night in a magical way. www.parisinfo.com

six nations ChaMPionshiP in their quest to become European champions, the French team will take on the Welsh Red Dragons for the opening match of this great sporting event.

sales in January (and July) for a maximum duration of five weeks, shops sell last season’s stock at 20 to 60% off the original price. Jan. and Jul. 2015. www.parisinfo.com

deCeMBer MarChés de noël

(ChristMas Markets)*

As the year draws to a close, the Christmas Markets are an important family event that attracts visitors from all over the capital with decorations, regional specialties and unusual gift ideas for sale. www.parisinfo.com

nautiC, salon nautique de Paris (Paris nautiCal fair)

This is an event that’s not to be missed for all lovers of water sports from sailing to motorboat racing.

Paris expo Porte de Versailles (15th). from 6 until 14 Dec. www.salonnautiqueparis.com

January

stade de france (93). 6 feb. 2015. www.parisinfo.com

nouVel an Chinois

(Chinese new year)*

Traditional costumes, dragons, masks, folk dances and acrobatic feats to celebrate the Year of the Goat.

13th arrondissement. 19 feb. 2015. www.parisinfo.com

feBruary

Paris faCe CaChée* Discover unusual parts of Paris. The destination is kept secret until your subscription has been confirmed. end-Jan. 2015. www.parisfacecachee.fr

grand Prix d’aMérique* This is the 94th edition of the world championship harness race that fills the grandstands with excited spectators and generates record bets. A very popular event! Hippodrome de Paris Vincennes (12th). end-Jan. 2015. www.prix-amerique.com

salon de l’agriCulture (agriCultural show)

1,300 exhibitors and over 4,000 animals make this fair a not-to-be-missed event. The Salon is also an outstanding showcase for French gastronomy.

Paris expo Porte de Versailles (15th). end-feb. 2015. www.salon-agriculture.com

daVid Bowie is …

Marathon de Paris

After great success in London, the exhibition visits Paris and retraces the 50-year career of this pop icon. Costumes, videos, photographs, personal objects, etc.

one of the world’s five biggest marathons, the Paris event welcomes 40,000 amateur and professional runners on its mythic route through the streets of the capital (42.195 km).

cité de la Musique (19th). from 2 Mar. until 31 May 2015. www.citedelamusique.fr

salon du liVre (Book fair)

The Salon du livre is the annual rendezvous for booklovers and has something to cater to all tastes: novels, comics, manga, cookery books, etc. Paris expo Porte de Versailles (15th). end-Mar. 2015. www.salondulivreparis.com

MarCh

Departure point: av. des champs-Élysées (8th). 2nd w/e of apr. 2015. www.schneiderelectric parismarathon.com

foire du trône A Ferris wheel, thrilling rides, tombola, and attractions for children … plenty of fun guaranteed for children and adults. Pelouse de reuilly (12th). Bois de Vincennes. end-Mar. until end-May. www.foiredutrone.com

aPril

nuit des Musées (MuseuM night)* From 6pm to midnight, the public can visit Parisian museums and cultural sites free of charge. Many establishments vie with each other for unusual ideas in order to come up with a rich programme of special events for the occasion. Mid-May 2015. www.nuitdesmusees. culture.fr

May roland garros

PrinteMPs du CinéMa (CineMa sPring festiVal)

(the frenCh oPen)

With films showing for €3.50 a ticket, this three-day festival makes cinema accessible to everyone. This event is very popular with cinema buffs!

Competition is fierce and some of the greatest champions, including Borg, Connors, Evert and nadal have forged their reputation at the world’s greatest tournament played on clay courts.

Mid-Mar. 2015. www.printemps ducinema.com

CarnaVal de Paris* The Carnaval de Paris (or Promenade du Bœuf gras) is an open-air celebration on the streets of Paris with a festive and musical parade going from the place Gambetta to the Hôtel de Ville.

early-Mar. 2015. www.paris.fr

foire de Paris A place to do business and to sample new products and services guaranteed to make daily life run a little more smoothly, this fair covers a range of areas with everything from gastronomy to world culture and interior design to private swimming pools.

stade roland-Garros (16th). end-May 2015. www.rolandgarros.com

Paris expo Porte de Versailles (15th). end-apr. until earlyMay 2015. www.foiredeparis.fr

• river seine • Bridges • quays • Ports

PARiS

riVer seine

following the seine through Paris is a way of enjoying a thousand different escapades on the river, its bridges and islands. daytime or night time, left Bank or right Bank, you will appreciate the buzz of activity along the quaysides and the lapping of the waves. there are any number of ways to relax – aboard a boat, cycling, walking briskly, sauntering lazily, or working out, dining, dancing on barges, exploring an area between two exhibitions at the Cité de la mode et du design (les docks, Center for fashion and design), taking a post-shopping break, or sunbathing in a swimsuit. you never fail to be filled with wonder at these riverbanks, classed as a world heritage site by unesco, and redesigned for the pleasure of pedestrians in 2013. through the arch of a bridge you’ll catch sight of the grand and Petit Palais, people fishing, mallard ducks circling in the water, the louvre playing hide and seek with a pleasure boat, notre-dame looming up to the sound of a street musician playing a violin and, in the distance, the silhouette of a crane in a naval construction yard between weeping willow trees … Paris owes its motto to the seine, fluctuat nec mergitur – ‘it is buffeted by the waves but does not sink’. the seine tells the story of Paris, from its birthplace on the Île de la Cité to the transformation of the quays at Bercy upstream and the triumphant eiffel tower downstream.

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Sully Morland

Mutualité

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GARE PortRoyal VAL DE GRÂCE Censier D’AUSTERLITZ Daubenton EL H E B C R ST-VINCENT PORT- D DE MA POR H S TT ROY Raspail DE H PAUL ROYAL H AL B D COCHIN Gobelins LA PITIÉ - H L Quai Denfert-Rochereau BD AR AG O SALPÊTRIÈRE URIO de la Gare TA PLACE EN Chevaleret C BIBLIOTHÈQUE N DENFERT-ROCHEREAU VI PLACE NATIONALE BD D’ITALIE DE FRANCE Place d’Italie

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R. J. ZAY

Pernety

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A V.

GARE MONTPARNASSE

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Edgar Quinet

R. D ES

Montparnasse PASTEUR Bienvenüe

Breguet Sabin

HÔTEL Cité PLACE Bastille DE VILLE DES VOSGES St-Paul NOTREIV Y DAME ÎLE NR HE Cluny OPÉRA ST-LOUIS BD La Sorbonne BASTILLE Maubert

Pasteur

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ST-SULPICE MUSÉE DU LUXEMBOURG

Rennes

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St-Germain E R des-Prés MA IN

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St-François Xavier

ÉCOLE MILITAIRE

ID BOULEVARD DES IN VA L

Rue du Bac

ESPLANADE DES INVALIDES

Châtelet

Musée d’Orsay

Solférino

Richard Lenoir

CENTRE POMPIDOU

FORUM Louvre DES HALLES MUSÉE Rivoli DU LOUVRE

JARDIN DES TUILERIES Assemblée Nationale

PARC DE BERCY

DE PO TO N T LB IA

Pont de l’Alma (RER C) • Musée d’Orsay (RER C) • Alma - Marceau (line 9) • Cité (line 4) • Sully - Morland (line 7) • Saint-Michel (line 4) • Quai de la Gare (line 5) B E

seine riverside booksellers for four hundred years, booksellers offering an array of great and less familiar literature have lined the embankment walls on both sides of the river, from the Pont Royal to the Pont de Sully. Each of these small green boxes offers up a marvellous assortment of rare books, original editions, engravings, postcards, illustrated journals, comic strips, novels, or intriguing odds and ends, to passers-by.

PLACE PLACE NATIONALEJEANNE D’ARC

I AC les Docks, cité E TO LB de RUE D la mode et du design

LL BI

BO E

These thirty-seven bridges offer stunning views of the city seen from the river and recount thirtyseven wonderful stories of kings, battles, legends, etc., to discover with the wind in your hair. Since it was built in 1604, the Pont neuf, Paris’s oldest bridge with its 385 sculpted masks and famous half-moon-shaped turrets, has seen the entire history of Paris go by. The Pont Alexandre iii, star of the 1900 Exposition Universelle, is a celebration of franco-Russian friendship with an exuberance of sculpted nymphs and garlands, bronze candelabras and gleaming gold equestrian statuary. The Pont des Arts – the haunt of lovers – is also a favourite place to linger for dreamers and picnickers, as is the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge, which links the Musée d’orsay to the Tuileries gardens. The city’s most recent bridge is the Simone de Beauvoir

wooden footbridge, which links the weighty knowledge of the Bibliothèque nationale library to the gardens of Bercy in a graceful, uplifting arch. That leaves thirty-two bridges: discover your favourite.

Bridges of Paris

TIO NA

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Don’t Miss

DA UG US TE

Bibliothèque Fr. Mitterand

Designed by the architects Jakob+Macfarlane, the Cité de la mode et du design seeks to familiarize the public with all types of fashion, beauty and design. The site includes concept stores, exhibition spaces, the french fashion institute and the Musée Art ludique … The 2,500 m2 terrace, accessible to the public, offers an exceptional view over the river.

on the corner of the pont charles-de-gaulle. 34 quai d’austerlitz (13th). m° Quai de la gare. www.paris-docks-en-seine.fr Daily: 12pm-midnight. www.citemodedesign.fr

Co St-

DiscoVer square du Vert-Galant Henry iV was not considered a Don Juan or a Casanova, simply because they hadn’t been born when he was alive. However, this great king of france was well-known for his amorous exploits. This square, accessible from the steps on the Pont neuf, carries its royal nickname to great effect and forms the western point of the Île de la Cité. The equestrian statue of the monarch dominates the small garden and forms an intimate haven of calm, or romance – if your heart be so inclined – from which to admire the two banks of the Seine, its bridges and monuments.

its head nearby, one would almost think this marina was a seaside harbour. Sheltered from the river’s ebb and flow by a lock, the canal basin of this former mercantile port links the River Seine with the SaintMartin Canal. The port provides 180 mooring spots and a picturesque terraced garden where you can step back onto terra firma.

did you know?

Jardin tino-rossi

Port de l’arsenal The port has everything from landing stages and little boats to a harbour master’s office, gulls, and seafood restaurants. Without the Colonne de Juillet rearing

tHe BerGes De seine the seine riverbanks, classed as a world heritage site by Unesco, now boast a new area for walks. From the musée d’orsay to the Pont de l’alma, the 2.3 km stretch is dotted with sporting facilities and fun play areas for children and adults alike, as well as plenty of places for relaxing. Don’t miss the 1,800 m² floating garden made up of five islands, moored just upstream of the Pont de l’alma. on the right bank, between the square de l’Hôtel de ville and the bassin de l’arsenal, a 1.5 km walkway has been developed. visitors can enjoy entertainment and activities on the boats, a flowered lawn, the newly landscaped square de l’Hôtel de ville with its weeping willows, climbing plants and shrubbery …

Those firemen are everywhere, even near the Pont neuf, on a floating fire station. from here, they can patrol the Seine in dinghies or in light watercraft. Rescue, evacuation, assistance to boats, floods, fire along the waterside – whatever the emergency, they’re on the alert.

The Saint-Bernard quayside on the Left Bank, between Pont de Sully and Pont d’Austerlitz, has been turned into a pleasant garden featuring works by contemporary artists like Brancusi, César and Gilioli. During the day this outdoor sculpture museum is a paradise for joggers and walkers, while on spring and summer evenings, it becomes an open-air dance floor. Aficionados and beginners from all over the world meet up here to dance the salsa, rock and tango by the waterside. Magical moments guaranteed! Joséphine-Baker swimming pool

Maybe you didn’t know, but floating baths were already fashionable in the 18th century. There were once several on the Seine. The Joséphine Baker swimming pool, moored on the Left Bank, reaffirms the genre in a version that is high-tech and ecologically-friendly, with all modern comforts. facilities include a main pool and a 50 m2 paddling pool for children. There are also solariums, saunas, a hammam, a jacuzzi, and a fitness and weights room. Quai François-mauriac (13th). m° Quai de la gare. information (opening times, prices and activities): www.paris.fr

• Île de la Cité (4th) • quartier latin (5th) • Île saint-louis (4th) • Jardin des plantes (5th)

who said that ancient stone wasn’t exciting? in the latin quarter and on the Île de la Cité and Île saint-louis, which form the historic heart of Paris, they are charged with emotion, light and magical shadows. embark on a treasure hunt and discover the impressive sculpted facade of notre-dame or the sublime series of stained-glass windows of sainteChapelle.

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Venture through the labyrinth of alleyways on the left Bank, once bustling with hawkers, charlatans, already rebellious students, and cut-throats. or like Baudelaire and Camille Claudel, opt for a gentle walk past private mansion houses on the Île saint-louis. on this walk, you will pass bishops, rare birds and tulips at a little flower market, a queen, several poisoners, and the girondins assembled for their last banquet at the Conciergerie. you will come across scientists from the Museum, mammoths and Japanese cherry-blossom trees, the jewellery of fine ladies of times gone by at the hôtel de Cluny, gallo-romans at a grand event or the baths, and the patron saint of Paris … Bon voyage.

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Cité (line 4) • Saint-Michel (line 4) • Odéon (lines 4, 10) • Jussieu (lines 7, 10) • Censier - Daubenton (line 7) • Cluny - La Sorbonne (line 10) • Cardinal Lemoine (line 10)

Don’t Miss notre-Dame de Paris The beginning of its long construction coincided with the choice of Paris as a capital and, on the square in front of the cathedral, a bronze star inscribed ‘zero kilometre’ indicates the centre of the country in terms of travelling distances. A symbol of Gothic art, its harmonious layout seems to be the work of just one architect, yet dozens followed on from the 12th to the 19th century, the date of its restoration by Viollet-le-Duc. The cathedral has witnessed Saint Louis, barefoot, wearing the Crown of Thorns in 1239, the coronation of napoleon in 1804, the celebration of the Liberation of Paris in 1944 … and you too, as you climb the 422 steps leading to the top. Like Victor Hugo’s Quasimodo, you will then find yourself face to face with some of its grimacing gargoyles. You will also be able to make the acquaintance of the thirteen-ton bell named Emmanuel, and enjoy

a breathtaking view across the rooftops of Paris.

Parvis notre-Dame. Place Jean-Paul-ii (4th). m° cité. cathedral

archaeological crypt of the parvis notre-Dame PMP tel: 01 55 42 50 10. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, easter sun and Whit sun. €6 – rr: €4.50. Under 14s: free. www.crypte.paris.fr

did you know? tel: 01 42 34 56 10. mon to Fri: 8am-6.45pm. sat and sun: 8am-7.15pm. Limited access on sun due to services. www.cathedraledeparis.com towers + PMP Daily except 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. 1 oct to 31 mar: 10am-5.30pm. 1 apr to 30 sept: 10am-6.30pm. Fri and sat, from 1 Jul to 31 aug: 10am-11pm. €8.50 – rr: €5.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU and 1st sun of the month (from nov to mar): free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

During the Gallo-Roman era, the Cité began to develop around this site, the ruins of which can be seen in the crypt. Île de la cité and Île saint-louis

Despite being the birthplace of Paris, these two neighbouring islands, embraced by the arms of the Seine, are very different. on the Île de la Cité, amid a flurry of uniforms and lawyers’ gowns, you go from one historic site to another: Place Dauphine, the Conciergerie, Sainte-Chapelle, 21

Hôtel-Dieu, notre-Dame … The Pont Saint-Louis marks the boundary – often with music – beyond which lies the tranquility of sumptuous mansion houses. A refuge for artists and poets, the Île Saint-Louis is also a haven for gourmets judging by the profusion of restaurants, cafes, ice-cream makers and confectioners, whose tempting windows line the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île.

access to the colonnade closed during renovation work. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

did you know?

Léon foucault performed his famous pendulum (not visible until 2016) experiment in order to demonstrate the movement or rotation of the Earth. Quartier latin

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its dome dominates the Latin Quarter and gives its name to the similarly solemn square, at the centre of which it stands. This colossal civic temple worthily upholds the motto inscribed on its pediment that honours the nations great men. An irony of history, this monument dedicated to Republican liturgies was commissioned by Louis XV in 1744 to honour Sainte-Geneviève. But with the Revolution underway, the scarcely finished basilica was transformed into a civic temple in 1791 and consecrated as the national Panthéon in 1885, at the funeral of Victor Hugo. A synthesis of neoclassical and Gothic-style architecture, it also houses the tombs of Pierre and Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas, Jean Jaurès, André Malraux … Place du Panthéon (5th). rer Luxembourg. tel: 01 44 32 18 00. summer: 10am-6.30pm. Winter: 10am-6pm. Daily except 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. €7.50 – rr: €4.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU and 1st sun of month (from nov to mar): free.

on the Left Bank, in the vicinity of the University founded in the 12th century, Latin was the language most commonly spoken by professors and students. This tradition seems to have died out but the name remains. Around the Sorbonne, the Collège de france, prestigious schools and the Sainte-Geneviève library, there are still numerous bookshops, publishers, and cafes, where students revise for their exams, as well as tiny art-house cinemas. of course, the Saint-Michel fountain is not only a meeting point for students, many businesses have now moved into the area, but the memory of Professor Abélard and the paving stones of May 1968 still linger here and there. sainte-chapelle +

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next to the Palais de Justice (law courts), Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie are the precious remains of what was once the palace of the kings of france from the 10th to the 14th century. The Sainte-Chapelle, a triumphantly flamboyant example of the Gothic style, was commissioned by Saint Louis. in the lower chapel, dedicated to the Virgin, gilded lilies on an azure-blue starstudded vault are a wonderful

sight. But reserve your praise for the upper chapel, designed to house the relics of Christ’s Passion, dispersed during the french Revolution, and lined with predominantly red and blue stained-glass windows – the largest expanse of 13th century stained glass in the world.

8 bd du Palais (1st). m° cité. Daily except 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. summer: 9.30am-6pm. Winter: 9am-5pm. Wed (mid-may to mid-sept): 9.30pm. €8.50 – rr: €5.50. combined ticket with the conciergerie: €12.50 – rr: €8.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU and 1st sun of the month (from nov to mar): free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

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The Conciergerie was once a royal palace. imagine the enormous Salle des Gens d’Armes with two thousand persons sitting down to eat, and kitchens buzzing with kitchen boys. Above all the Conciergerie was a prison up until the 19th century: the regicidal Ravaillac, Marie-Antoinette and many others, especially during the darker days of the french Revolution, spent their last days here.

Palais de la cité. 2 bd du Palais (1st). m° cité. Daily: 9.30am-6pm. 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec: closed. €8.50 – rr: €5.50. combined ticket with the sainte-chapelle: €12.50 – rr: €8.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU and 1st sun of the month (from nov to mar): free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

DiscoVer institut du monde arabe

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Arab-Muslim civilization is showcased at the centre of timeless Paris in this superb glass and steel building, designed by Jean nouvel and Architecture Studio, and built in 1987. Behind the mobile moucharabiyah screens that regulate the amount of sunlight entering the building, tradition and modern technology work together to set the tone. An ultra-modern oriental gentleness reigns over the museum, exhibition rooms, auditorium, library and media library for young people, language centre, bookshop, restaurant and literary cafe. one can also enjoy temporary exhibitions, mint tea and concerts, dance and cinema, conferences, sugar-covered shortbread crescents, art workshops and more.

did you know?

Before coming back down to earth, you can prolong the enchantment on the terrace and take in all of Paris in one glance! collections of the iMa

The museum’s collections showcase the very essence of Arab-Muslim art, from ancient history to the 20th century and from the far reaches of central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic. Phoenician amphora and Yemenite perfume burners bear witness to the pre-islamic era before the flourishing dynasties of Damascus and Baghdad, and the blossoming of science. And finally, explore the treasures of the golden age: glass, metal, ceramics, wood encrusted with ivory, shell, pewter, and mother of pearl, and the ideal, sacred world of carpets.

1 rue des Fossés-saint-bernard (5th). m° Jussieu. tel: 01 40 51 38 38. tues to thurs: 10am-6pm. Fri: late opening until 9.30pm. sat, sun and public hols: 10am to 7pm. mon and 1 may: closed. www.imarabe.org

Musée de cluny musée national du Moyen Âge

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Since 1843, the musée de Cluny has encompassed two architectural marvels: the Gallo-Roman baths, dating from the end of the 1st century BC, and the Hôtel des Abbés de Cluny, built in the 15th century. The main building and the wings of the hôtel reveal the layout of subsequent centuries, but the Middle Ages is resplendent … and even more so inside. Sculpture, gold and silver plate, ceramics, tapestry, furniture, and everyday objects provide a unique picture of medieval art and society. Between the little chapel sculpted with foliage and the secular sanctuary dedicated to the La Dame à la Licorne (The Lady with the Unicorn) tapestries, there is an extensive collection of golden crowns, Byzantine ivory, daggers and coats of chain mail. of the ancient Gallo-Roman baths, one can see the remains of the tepid baths and caldarium, a kind of sauna. However, the best conserved part is the frigidarium. Here one was sprayed with cold water after passing through the steam baths. See also the impressive fifteen-metre-high vaults and the remains of the sculpted pillars of tritons that pay tribute to the corporation of nautes (Gallic boatmen).

laDY WitH tHe Unicorn Up until the 19th century, this series of six tapestries adorned the walls of a chateau in the creuse region. each represents a lady surrounded by a lion, a unicorn and a monkey on a vermillion background strewn with flowers. the first five tapestries are allegories of the senses with a sweetmeat, an organ, a mirror, flowers and the unicorn’s horn held by the lady. the sixth, entitled À mon seul désir (to my only desire) depicts jewels placed in a casket, symbolising what lies beyond our passions.

6 place Paul-Painlevé (5th). m° cluny - La sorbonne. tel: 01 53 73 78 16. Daily: 9.15am-5.45pm, except tues, 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. €8/€8.50 – rr: €6/€6.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU and 1st sun of the month: free. www.musee-moyenage.fr medieval garden

The museum’s gardens, of medieval inspiration, prolong the journey in the Unicorn forest. Take a walk through the ménagier (a kitchen garden for potted plants), observe the medicinal plants, and admire the inner courtyard dotted with flowers, the Heavenly Garden and the Garden of Love.

This has been one of the favourite walks of Parisians … since 1640! it was in this year that the Jardin Royal des Plantes Médicinales (Royal Medicinal Plants Garden), created by Louis Xiii in 1635, became the first public garden in Paris. Renamed Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in 1793, exhibition galleries were added in the 19th and 20th centuries. The natural History Museum is set within over 23 hectares of plants and trees and harmoniously combines the natural sciences with crêpes and sweets kiosks. But what exactly is there to do here?

greenhouses

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Muséum national d’histoire naturelle

fully renovated and reorganized, the greenhouses of the Jardin des plantes delight the public. They are laid out in such a way that the visitor is guided like an explorer through a discovery of the different environments and learns about their fragility and the current challenges for preserving them. Wed to mon: 10am-5pm in winter; 10am-6pm (6.30pm sun and public hols) in summer. 1 may: closed. €6 – rr: €4. grande galerie de l’évolution

57 rue cuvier (5th). m° Jussieu. tel: 01 40 79 56 01/54 79. www.mnhn.fr Jardin des plantes

Wander peacefully among the statues, lime trees from Russia and twenty or so trees over one hundred years old. The oldest – a Cedar of Lebanon – was planted in 1734. You’ll pass school children out on the trail of dinosaurs or here to learn about gardening. Explore the greenhouses, the botanical school, the Alpine garden, and the rose, rock and peony gardens. Daily: from sunrise to sunset. Free. www.jardindesplantes.net galerie de botanique

This new museum enables visitors to learn more about botany. Discover herbariums, different plant species, mushrooms, seaweed, fruit … collected from various expeditions through history from all over the world. Wed to mon: 10am-5pm. sat, sun and public hols: 10am-6pm (apr to sept). 1 may: closed. €6 – rr: €4. Under 26s: free.

galeries de paléontologie et d’anatomie comparée

in a building dating back to 1900 characterized by girders and metallic sculptures, visitors learn the alphabet of vertebrates and invertebrates. Admire the skeleton of Louis XV’s rhinoceros and hundreds of fossilized exhibits, including dinosaurs, mammoths, etc. Wed to mon: 10am-5pm. sat, sun and public hols: 10am-6pm (apr to sept). 1 may: closed. €7 – tr: €5. Under 26s: free. galerie de minéralogie et de géologie

Plenty to admire with over 600,000 rocks and minerals, gigantic crystals, meteorites and the semiprecious stones from the former royal collection.

in subdued lighting under a huge glass roof, one can see a spectacular parade of stuffed animals – and you would swear that they were about to move! The surrounding permanent exhibition provides an educational journey through our diverse living world, the evolution of organisms and the effect of man on his environment. Daily, except tues and 1 may: 10am-6pm. €7 – rr: €5. Under 26s: free. With the temporary exhibition: €9 – rr: €7. Under 4s: free. With the galerie des enfants: €9 – rr: €7. Under 4s: free. res. advised on www.galeriedesenfants.fr ménagerie

This little zoo is home to Sichuan takins, Seychelles turtles and almost one thousand mammals, birds and reptiles, in a landscape with footbridges and small pavilions. Visitors can picnic here. not to be missed are the monkey house and wild-cat house – major architectural feats from the 1930s – nor the white storks and black-crowned cranes, under the finely netted dome of the great aviary, which dates from 1888.

Daily: 9am-6pm (6.30pm sun and public hols) in summer, 9am to 5pm in winter. €11 – rr: €9. Under 4s: free.

closed for renovation work until autumn 2014.

sainte GeneViÈVe, Patron saint of Paris

rue Mouffetard and Place de la contrescarpe

born in nanterre, geneviève (422-512) was a member of the gallo-roman aristocracy. When the Francs invaded gaul and besieged Paris in 451, she ensured supplies got to the city. Later, she encouraged clovis to be baptised and, so it is said, accomplished many miracles. buried at the top of the hill which carries her name (on the present site of the Pantheon), geneviève was canonized in the 8th century. she is invoked especially whenever any ill threatens the city and she is always the object of the greatest devotion, particularly at the church of saint-Étiennedu-mont, situated behind the Panthéon.

in the small paved Place de la Contrescarpe, restaurant and cafe terraces encircle the ‘village’ fountain. The Pomme de Pin store, still visible at no.1, is a reminder that the area was once filled with cabarets. it is here that the rue Mouffetard, once the only road leading from Lutetia (Paris) to Rome, starts to trace its medieval line; today it is the place to pause for an affordable bite to eat in the lively pubs and cafes. But good food is making its mark again, and under many a sloping façade you’ll find window displays of traditional breads and cakes, stalls of charcuterie, and mounds of fruit and vegetables, leading to the small and colourful market that stretches from the bottom of the street to the Saint-Médard church bell tower.

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ancienne abbaye royale du Val-de-Grâce

Situated a short walk away from notre-Dame and the Panthéon, the Paradis Latin is the oldest of Paris’s cabarets. founded by napoleon Bonaparte, the cabaret fell into ruin but was eventually rebuilt by Gustave Eiffel. it was a gathering place for artists, intellectuals and students … but it wasn’t until the famous singer Yvette Guilbert achieved glory on its stage that the venue became a truly successful and popular one. 28 rue du cardinal-Lemoine (5th). m° cardinal Lemoine. see p.98.

arènes de lutèce in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC, this amphitheatre held up to 15,000 people, who came to see plays, comedies, gladiator combats and wild beasts fighting. Together with the forum and the baths, the amphitheatre constituted the centre of the Gallo-Roman city. Rediscovered in 1870, while building rue Monge, the restored amphitheatre has been reopened, offering its stone terracing and stage to the city – impromptu football matches take place here after school, as well as games of pétanque and just general lazing around in the sun.

59 rue monge (5th). m° cardinal Lemoine. opening times vary according to season. Free.

Anne of Austria, the young queen abandoned by her husband Louis Xiii, vowed to ‘build a magnificent temple to God if he sent her a son’. Her wish was granted with the birth of the future Louis XiV, in 1638, after over twenty years of marriage. She had to wait another seventeen years to see the beginning of the building work, which was completed after her death, in 1669. Magnificently preserved thanks to the military hospital established here since 1796, the royal abbey of Val-de-Grâce is a unique gem of 17th century religious architecture. abbey: rue saint-Jacques (church court entrance) (5th). rer b Port royal. musée du service de santé des armées: 1 place alphonse-Laveran (5th). tel: 01 40 51 51 92. tues, Wed, thurs, sat and sun:12-noon to 6pm. €5 – rr: €2.50.

another Paris – le petit train bleu Another Paris takes you on a visit of the streets of the capital and offers guided cultural tours of different areas of Paris aboard a little blue train with amazing views thanks to its glass roof.

• 1h15 tours: Royal (Marais), Savant (Quartier Latin), artiste (saint-germain-des-Prés), elégant (Louvre opéra garnier). €13. 4-11 yrs: €6.50. • 2hr30 tour: Bohème (Montparnasse – Montsouris Puces de vanves). €19. 4-11 yrs: €9. res. advised: 06 31 99 29 38. www.another-paris.com

• Marais (4th) • Montorgueil (2nd) • hôtel de Ville (4th) • les halles (1st)

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take a gentle stroll between the Place du Châtelet and Place des Vosges to enjoy a spot of shopping, or discover local heritage … in fact, everything is possible as long as you know how to juggle with different styles. the medieval Jean-sans-Peur tower surges out from amongst haussmanian buildings, while the flamboyant gothic architecture of the saint-Jacques tower is just a stone’s throw from the fountain at Châtelet, built in praise of napoleon i. the square in front of the neo-renaissance Paris City hall is also an impromptu venue for beach-volleyball. the church of saint-eustache, where Molière was christened, stands next to the metallic footbridges of the les halles gardens – due to be completely revamped between now and 2016. a few steps away from the renaissance bas-reliefs of the fountain of the innocents is the Pompidou Centre, symbol of 20th-century architecture and home to modern and contemporary art collections. the Marais district combines a whirl of creative design with the delights of the Jewish quarter, around rue des rosiers, and a magnificently preserved historic centre. Busy streets give way to tiny enclosed squares and gardens and numerous museums, including the Carnavalet, Picasso and the national archives, housed in mansion houses that rival each other in splendour.

trenDY PARiS Saint-Paul (line 1) • Hôtel de Ville (lines 1, 11) • Rambuteau (line 11) • Arts et Métiers (lines 3, 11) • Châtelet (lines 1, 4, 7, 11, 14) • Étienne Marcel (line 4) • Les Halles (line 4)

Don’t Miss Place des Vosges and Maison de Victor Hugo formerly known as the Place Royale, this square has remained intact – miraculously so – since it was commissioned by Henri iV in 1604. The thirty-six townhouses have constituted a perfect symmetry from the day they were built, with their brick facades, deep-pitched slate roofs and the ground floor made up of a gallery of arcades for walking. Add a few musketeers and you’d think you were in a swashbuckling adventure film … or back to the splendid carrousel that inaugurated the square in 1612 to celebrate the wedding of Louis Xiii and Anne of Austria. Since then, each house has boasted a rich history of art, literature and many a famous name. Madame de Sévigné was born at the Hôtel de Coulanges; Cardinal Richelieu, Théophile Gautier and the tragic actress Rachel, also lived there, as well

as Victor Hugo, from 1832 to 1848. Transformed into a museum, his apartment in the Hôtel de RohanGuéménée reveals the story of his life, from the antechamber of his youth to his death bed, not forgetting a visit to the Chinese salon, where he played out his love affair with Juliette Drouet. if you look closely, you’ll see their initials in trompe-l’oeil.

Hôtel de rohan-guéménée. 6 place des vosges (4th). m° saint-Paul. tel: 01 42 72 10 16. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, public hols, easter sun and Whit sun. Permanent collections free. www.maisonsvictorhugo.paris.fr

Pompidou centre

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At the heart of Paris, in the Marais district, the resolutely modern architectural style of the Centre Pompidou offers visitors one of the most beautiful views of the capital. Behind its coloured pipe meshing, the building houses six floors dedicated to culture and art, making it the largest museum of modern and contemporary art in Europe. Boasting over 70,000 artworks, the museum displays masterpieces of the key figures of modern art – Picasso, Kandinsky, Matisse, Chagall, Léger, Miró, Dalí, Dubuffet, Klein … as well as important artists from the contemporary scene – Buren, Boltanski, opalka, Twombly, Hantaï, 29

Tallon, Widmer, Garouste … The Centre Pompidou hosts up to 25 temporary exhibitions every year. its rich and varied programme of cinema, theatre, dance, concerts, conferences and seminars, children’s spaces, public reference library, shops and restaurants make it a unique multidisciplinary space.

Place georges-Pompidou (4th). m° Hôtel de ville, rambuteau. tel: 01 44 78 12 33. 11am-9pm, except tues and 1 may. the entrance ticket ‘musée et expositions’ gives access to the musée national d’art moderne, the exhibitions and panoramic terrace. €11 to €13 according to period. rr: €9/10. Under 18s (museum and exhibitions), 18-25 yrs eU (except exhibition) and 1st sun of the month (except exhibition): free. www.centrepompidou.fr

around beaubourg

Beaubourg, which takes its nickname from the name of the district, has blended into the landscape, and is a great success with millions of visitors each year, extending its popularity to the esplanade and the Place Stravinsky that surround it. in the former, which feels rather like a mini Woodstock, you can sit around jugglers, listen to guitar music, and visit the Brancusi workshop. in the second, you can take in the multicoloured mobile fountain by Jean Tinguely and niki de Saint Phalle.

did you know?

it is possible to surf on the Place Pompidou! There is a free Wi-fi connection in and around the Centre and at more than 260 municipal sites (gardens, town halls, etc.). Hôtel de Ville

Do you know the Maison aux Piliers on the Place de Grève? on this square, you can ice-skate in winter, watch top match events on big screens, and take part in free activities every summer when the banks of the Seine turn into Paris-Plages. feeling lost? Well actually, that’s understandable. in the 12th century, the administration of Paris was entrusted to the corporation of water merchants, who controlled navigation on the Seine. Étienne Marcel, the provost of the merchants, transferred the seat of the municipality to the Maison aux Piliers – the current site of the Paris City Hall – in 1357. The square – then Place de Grève – became a spot for popular merrymaking … and public punishment. Crowds congregated to witness all sorts of executions until 1830. Workers also used to wait for work here, giving rise in the 19th century to the expression être en grève (to be on strike). As for the Hôtel de Ville (Paris City Hall), which replaced the Maison aux Piliers, it burnt down over eight days, in 1871, during the events of the Commune. Completed in 1882, the current building reflects the splendor

of the 3rd Republic. A sumptuous interior boasts chandeliers, gilding and wood panelling, while the external neo-Renaissance facades are decorated with a profusion of niches and no less than 378 sculpted works. Paris city Hall (4th). m° Hôtel de ville. tel: 01 42 76 43 43. Free guided tours (French) of the salons of the Hôtel de ville, by prior appointment only, according to official events. rooms accessible to disabled people. www.paris.fr

Musée Picasso

Completed in 1659, and recently renovated, the mansion which houses the museum has retained the cheeky nickname ‘Salé’ (salty) in memory of the ostentatious tastes of its first owner who made a fortune by taxing salt. Here, visitors can admire the world’s biggest collection of works by Picasso including 5,000 works by the artist himself, over 200,000 personal documents and the artist’s own private collection which features approx. 150 works by artists such as Matisse, Cézanne, Le Douanier Rousseau, etc. Hôtel salé. 5 rue de thorigny (3rd). m° saint-Paul. tel: 01 42 71 25 21. closed for renovation work until summer 2014. www.museepicassoparis.fr

Musée carnavalet – histoire de Paris The museum of the history of Paris takes its visitors from the neolithic canoes of the Gallic Parisii tribe to the bedroom of Marcel Proust. Two resplendent adjoining townhouses offer the perfect setting for this fascinating story. The Hôtel Carnavalet, built in 1548, traces the Paris of the Renaissance, the wars of Religion and the city in the 18th century. in the Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-fargeau, it is Paris-Revolution, then napoleon leaving on one of his campaigns with his personal effects in gilded silver. And again it is the Paris of Mucha, art nouveau, a ballroom from the roaring Twenties, etc.

23 rue de sévigné (3rd). m° saint-Paul. tel: 01 44 59 58 58. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, public hols, easter sun and Whit sun. Permanent collections free. www.carnavalet.paris.fr

Hôtel de sully ‘Ploughing and grazing are the two teats of france‘ affirmed Maximilien of Béthune, Duke of Sully and superintendent of the finances of Henri iV. nevertheless, in 1634, he opted for a sumptuous pied-à-terre in the Marais – completed four years earlier – rather than the greenery of the countryside. This archetypal 17th-century Parisian mansion house wowed fashionable society before housing a dairy and a shop for the latest goods in the 19th century. Today, it houses the Centre des monuments nationaux. The public may visit the courtyard and garden only.

62 rue saint-antoine (4th). m° saint-Paul, bastille. information centre for the centre des monuments nationaux. tel: 01 44 61 21 50. mon to Fri: 9am-5.30pm. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

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DiscoVer Place du châtelet

Don’t come here looking for tranquillity – this is one of the busiest crossroads in Paris. There are however many lovely things to see, including the Châtelet or ‘Palm’ fountain, erected in 1806 to commemorate the victories of napoleon i, and two italian Renaissance-inspired theatres, designed by Davioud in 1862. The Théâtre du Châtelet, with over two thousand seats, is devoted primarily to opera and music. The Théâtre de la Ville – almost its twin – was for a long time named after the actress Sarah Bernhardt, who performed there for over twenty years. its programme is divided between drama, dance and music. see p.97.

Musée des arts et Métiers

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The metro station sets the tone. Since the bicentenary of the museum, in 1994, the Arts et Métiers metro station has taken on the appearance of Jules Verne’s submarine the Nautilus, complete with copper walls and portholes. in this faithfully-renovated abbey, the history of technology from the 16th century onwards is split into seven domains: communication, construction, energy, scientific instruments, materials, mechanical engineering, and transport. Visitors will learn all about great inventions and stand in wonder before the automatons and velocipedes, Lavoisier’s late-18th-century laboratory or Clément Ader’s airplane, just a century older.

60 rue réaumur (3rd). m° arts et métiers. tel: 01 53 01 82 00. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, 1 may and 25 Dec. thurs: 10am-9.30pm. €6.50 – rr: €4.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU, 1st sun of the month and thurs: (6pm to 9.30pm): free. www.arts-et-metiers.net

sHoPPinG streets anD latest trenDs From the montorgueil neighbourhood to the busy winding narrow streets of the marais, you will find unconventional fashion, up-andcoming galleries, and small designers rubbing shoulders with big names and richly-coloured boutiques decked out with curious, original, ethnic and poetic objects. in rue montorgueil, market gardeners and delicatessens share this delightful street with gourmet bistros. also in the area, discover the stream of designers and fashionable labels that have moved into the workshops of the former clothing factories on rue montmartre and rue Étienne-marcel. a few minutes’ walk away, the Forum des Halles shopping mall has more affordable stores. in the marais, young designers and artists have opened boutiques and workshops in rues des blancs-manteaux, des Francs-bourgeois, vieille-du-temple, charlot … not forgetting, of course, rue charlemagne and rue saint-Paul. this avant-gardist paradise is also bursting with trendy canteens! .

Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme PMP The culture and traditions of the Jewish community come to life in this rich collection of art objects, such as paintings by Chagall, Modigliani and Soutine that are stunning, popular, religious, everyday, humble, precious, ancestral and near contemporary. Hôtel de saint-aignan. 71 rue du temple (3rd). m° rambuteau. tel: 01 53 01 86 60. Daily: 11am-6pm, except sat. sun: 10am-6pm. closed 1 Jan, 1 may for rosh ha-shanah and Yom Kippour celebrations. €8 – rr: €6. Under 25s: free. www.mahj.org

Mémorial de la shoah opened on the site of the tomb of the Unknown Jewish Martyr, the Memorial is a place of remembrance and documentation about the Shoah and also a ‘museum of vigilance’, designed for teaching, learning and experiencing. A bastion against oblivion, the Wall of names, perpetuates the memory of the 76,000 Jewish victims deported from france with the cooperation of the Vichy government. 17 rue geoffroy-l’asnier (4th). m° saint-Paul. tel: 01 42 77 44 72. Daily, except sat:10am-6pm. thurs: late opening until 10pm. Public hols and certain Jewish holidays: closed. Free. www.memorialdelashoah.org

tour Jean-sans-Peur

Église saint-eustache Built over a century, this church features Gothic and Renaissance influences combined with an 18th-century classical facade, along with traces of a questionable restoration after 1840. nevertheless, Saint-Eustache is truly beautiful and houses treasures like a Rubens painting and a statue of Pigalle. And it has an impressive celebrity line-up, including the baptism of Richelieu, Molière and Mme de Pompadour, Louis XiV’s first communion, the mariage of Lulli, the funeral of La fontaine and Mirabeau as well as Colbert, Marivaux and Rameau, who found their final resting places here. Place du Jour (1st). m° châtelet, Les Halles tel: 01 42 36 31 05. mon to Fri: 9.30am-7pm. sat: 10am-7pm. sun: 9am-7pm.

Let’s step back in time for a moment. During an interlude in the one Hundred Years War, Jean, Duke of Burgundy, took advantage of the situation to order the assassination of his cousin Louis d’orléans and seize power. He ruled from his Parisian mansion, in which, in 1409, he had the tower built – the only remaining vestige of the building today. A magnificent spiral staircase with a vault sculpted in oak, hop, and hawthorn leads to the meeting rooms. Today, a permanent exhibition in the six rooms of the tower portrays the history of early-15th century society and architecture; and temporary exhibitions show daily life in the Middle Ages.

Maison européenne de la photographie Dedicated to contemporary photography, this ‘maison’ includes a thematic bookshop boasting over 12,000 works, a video-library housing films by photographers and film-makers, as well as exhibition spaces presenting the MEP’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. 5-7 rue de Fourcy (4th). m° saint-Paul. tel: 01 44 78 75 00. Wed to sun: 11am-7.45pm. €8 – rr: €4.50. www.mep-fr.org

Musée de la curiosité et de la Magie

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20 rue Étienne-marcel (2nd). m° Étienne marcel. tel: 01 40 26 20 28. apr to nov: Wed to sun. nov to mar: Wed, sat, sun: 1.30-6pm. €5 – rr: €3. www.tourjeansanspeur.com

This labyrinth of vaulted cellars was said to have been as a place of debauchery for the Marquis de Sade. Today, it is a perfectly commendable place for those with a sense of curiosity and lovers of tricks, and recounts the history of magic, illusionists and conjurers from the 18th century onwards. indian mail, automatons, unusual boxes of surprises and secrets, magic wands, distorting mirrors: everything is here! 11 rue saint-Paul (4th). m° saint-Paul. tel: 01 42 72 13 26. Wed, sat, sun: 2-7pm. €9 – rr: €7. www.museedelamagie.com

forum des Halles and its garden

tour saint-Jacques What a history! This curious Gothic belfry is the only remaining vestige of the church of Saint-Jacques-dela-Boucherie, a meeting point for pilgrims journeying to Santiago de Compostela in Spain in the Middle Ages. in the 17th century, Pascal experimented here with gravity. The tower escaped demolition in 1797 and was converted into a meteorological station in 1891, where air quality is measured. The little garden in which it stands is much appreciated by Parisians and visitors. square de la tour saint-Jacques (1st). m° Hôtel de ville.

Musée de la Poupée first, came dolls dressed like perfect little Parisian ladies in the elegant outfits of a marchioness. in 1878 after the Exposition Universelle, came the porcelain doll. in the 20th century, baby dolls in celluloid were all the fashion … until a certain blonde-haired doll with the svelte figure of a model appeared on the scene. Happy day dreaming in the world of little girls! impasse berthaud (3rd). m° rambuteau. tel: 01 42 72 73 11. tues to sat: 1pm-6pm. closed: sun, mon and public hols. €8 – rr: €4/6. Under 3s: free. www.museedelapoupeeparis.com

from the 12th century until 1969, the ‘belly of Paris’ and its colourful population, so well depicted in the novels of Émile Zola, supplied the capital with food. Transferred to Rungis, the covered market was replaced by galleries including a shopping centre with 140 shops, a swimming pool, a tropical hothouse, numerous cinema auditoriums … on the garden side, there are lawns, the Jardin nelson Mandela, fountains, and children’s play areas to enjoy while waiting to discover the completed renovation ‘project Canopy’ of the entire place by the architects Patrick Berger and Jacques Anziutti. 1-7 rue Pierre-Lescot (1st). m° châtelet, Les Halles.

Musée cognacq-Jay The couple Cognacq-Jay, founders of the Samaritaine department stores, devoted part of their great wealth to buying works and objects of art (paintings, sculptures, furniture, etc.) with a preference for those of the french 18th century. 8 rue elzévir (3rd). m° saint-Paul. tel: 01 40 27 07 21. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, public hols, easter sun and Whit sun. Permanent collections: free. www.cognacq-jay.paris.fr

• Palais-royal (1st) • Madeleine (8th) • opéra (9th) • grands Boulevards (9th)

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witness Paris in all its splendour of gold, marble and crystal. admire the dome of the opera house, the rue royale and rue de la Paix, designers, prestigious hotels, bellboys, the diamonds of Place Vendôme, and the gardens of the Palais-royal. it is not just the nearby Comédie-française theatre that puts on a show – the stores in this district are entertainment enough! admire boxes (of the musical and chocolate variety), exhibition rooms hung with silks or artful displays of goat skins, antique engravings, and much more. rumour has it though that these elegant arcades were home to risqué goings-on, where scooters now fly by. and if the truth be told, many a man has been ruined by dancing girls from the opera house. and, of course, there are the grands boulevards, these broad avenues with buzzing music halls, cafe-theatres, and numerous shows with a cheeky edge. like the big department stores, which illuminate the boulevard haussmann, this is the centre of chic with a sprinkling of stardust. everything seems much more refined under the stained-glass art nouveau cupolas! that’s what the belle époque was all about, and it’s alive and well in this part of Paris.

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Opéra (lines 3, 7, 8) • Madeleine (lines 8, 12, 14) • Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre (lines 1, 7) • Grands Boulevards (lines 8, 9) • Pyramides (lines 7, 14) • Tuileries (line 1)

Don’t Miss Palais Garnier – opéra national de Paris + The opera House was inaugurated under the Third Republic, following fifteen years of setbacks, including the nightmarish discovery by the architect Charles Garnier, of an underground expanse of water. This rather deep lake, the stage for executions during the Commune, was the inspiration for writer Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera. But let’s start with the main auditorium, with its ceiling painted by Chagall, its eight-ton crystal chandelier, and purple velvet seats set around an italian-style stage, where operas and ballets are performed. The vestibules and main staircase going up to the auditorium are made of marble and filled with sculptures of harps and lyres leading the dance. outside, Baroque and neo-Renaissance

styles intertwine above a flight of steps that are a popular place for people to meet up.

Place de l’opéra (9th). m° opéra. tel: 0 892 89 90 90 (€0.34/min). Daily: 10am-5pm, except for matinees and exceptional events. €10 – rr: €6. Under 10s: free. www.operadeparis.fr

Place de la Madeleine The square surrounding the church also bears its name. Thoughts turn quickly to the little sponge cakes known as ‘madeleines’, which Marcel Proust made famous many years after having lived at no.9. The square seems to have been given over to gourmet pleasures since 1854 when a certain ferdinand Hédiard opened a delicatessen store here, joined in 1886 by that of Auguste fauchon and followed by chocolate, truffle and caviar houses.

did you know?

fish, fed by the scene shifters, glide through the underground waters of the opera House and bees, from two hives on the roof, collect their nectar in the nearby Tuileries Garden.

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coVereD arcaDes at the beginning of the 19th century, Haussmann redesigned Paris. built for the crowds thronging the cafe terraces and theatres along the boulevards, covered shopping arcades were a huge success with their boutiques of chinese ornaments, curiosities and gifts, along with tea, chocolate and coffee houses. they were the meeting places for the elegantly dressed, a haven from wet weather. then came the department stores. With the magic of electricity and pavements the passageways became less fashionable, and some were demolished.

indulge yourself! these ‘human aquariums’, as the French writer aragon described them, still offer an original shopping experience complete with wonderful wood panelling: discover the exciting creations of Passage vivienne or Passage du grand-cerf, encounter bargains and the ghost of céline at the Passage choiseul, marble, art and knowledge await you in the galeries véro-Dodat and colbert, while the prints, sepia photos and antique toys in passages verdeau and Jouffroy contrast with the kitsch bazaar in the passage des Panoramas …

Église de la Madeleine

Place de la madeleine (8th). m° madeleine. tel: 01 44 51 69 00. Daily: 9.30am-7pm.

The construction of the Madeleine church was fraught with drama. Scarcely had work begun in 1764, than it was stopped. Begun again in 1777, only to be interrupted by the french Revolution, before being restarted under napoleon, who altered the plans to make the building a pantheon to the glory of his armies. The building was designated a place of worship again and the church was completed in 1842. With no bell tower or cross on the outside, it’s more like a Greek temple, with two monumental doors and a forest of Corinthian columns. from the top of the steps is a view worthy of olympia: firstly the rue Royale, with its luxury goods and prestigious addresses, then the obelisk at Concorde and beyond, looking in the same direction, yet another temple, the Palais Bourbon.

Place Vendôme

Louis XiV had desired a grandiose setting to embody absolute power at the heart of Paris. And napoleon was quick to replace the king’s statue, dismantled in 1792, with a bronze column made from 1,200 enemy canons. However, since the Second Empire, the square, an octagonal gem of classic urban design, has changed its affinities. Politics have given way to luxury, and the great names in jewellery have made Place Vendôme and the adjoining rue de la Paix a continuous stream of diamonds, rubies and emeralds.

Place des Victoires Before being given over to the cult of fashion and local fashion designers, this almost perfect circle was an important place for royal adoration. in order to curry favour with the king, the Marquis de la feuillade designed the square to house a triumphant statue of the monarch. Louis was delighted but the courtier died in financial ruin.

did you know?

Behind Place des Victoires, the military successes of Louis Xiii were celebrated in the basilica of notre-Damedes-Victoires on the pretty Place des Petits-Pères.

Palais-royal

les Étoiles du rex – Grand rex

Richelieu started the saga by building his residence here; Louis XiV inherited it and gave it to his brother. Philippe d’orléans and his son extended it. in 1780, the indebted Philippe Égalité opened up the area around the gardens to commerce: sixty buildings supported by arcades were built to house the stores. Prostitution, gambling and scandal took hold of the palace. And as the police were not authorised to operate there, it became a bastion for revolutionary unrest until 1793. The peaceful Palais-Royal now houses the Ministry of Culture and several institutions, some very chic boutiques, gourmet restaurants and a garden planted with four rows of lime trees. Although the striped Buren columns almost reignited the revolution here in 1986.

founded in 1932 on the Grands Boulevards, the Grand Rex, a listed building, is one of the largest cinemas in Europe with its 2,800 seats under a star-studded ceiling, its Mediterranean baroque decor and art deco facade. The 50-minutes audioguided and interactive show Les Étoiles du Rex reveals the behind-the scenes of cinema, from the shooting to the screening of a film: archive images, special effects room, sound effects room and projection room, etc.

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1 bd Poissonnière (2nd). m° bonne nouvelle. visits in French, english, italian, german, spanish and russian. Wed to sun and public hols: 10am-7pm. Daily during sch hols. €11. Under 18s: €9. tel: 0 825 05 44 05 (€0.15/min). international: +33 (0)1 73 03 60 03 www.cultival.fr and www.legrandrex.com

choco-story le musée gourmand du chocolat Place du Palais-royal (1st). m° Palais royal musée du Louvre. tel: 01 47 03 92 16. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

comédie-française Here are two words that inspire respect: Comédiefrançaise. Located on the corner of Palais-Royal, it is here that the theatre’s permanent troupe, originating from the union of two troupes – Molière’s and that of the Hôtel de Bourgogne – in 1680, has performed the french repertory since the end of the 18th century. Candelabras and busts of great writers escort you to the padded doors of the red and gold auditorium. Don’t forget to stop by the shop selling a selection of objects filled with history. The shop is also a veritable place of dialogue and exchange with the artists and performers during book signings.

1 place colette (1st). m° Palais royal musée du Louvre. res: 0 825 10 16 80 (€0.15/min). www.comedie-francaise.fr boutique de la comédie-Française. 2 rue richelieu (1st). tel: 01 44 58 14 30. www.boutique-comedie-francaise.fr

The museum explores the 4,000 years of the history, making and secrets of this delicious product. Smooth creamy chocolate from Costa Rica, fruity from Peru or mild flavours from Vanuatu … tasting essential. 28 bd bonne-nouvelle (10th). m° bonne nouvelle. tel: 01 42 29 68 60. Daily: 10am-6pm. €9.50 – rr: €8.50. www.museeduchocolat.fr

Grévin + Since 1882, the waxworks museum has been producing and displaying wax statues of great historical figures and stars of sport, the arts, science and politics. over 250 personalities! Each new arrival (four to six personalities a year) is elected by the Académie Grévin which is made up of a panel of journalists. Michael Jackson, Einstein, Mozart, and Louis XiV all under the same roof!

10 bd montmartre (9th). m° grands boulevards. tel: 01 47 70 85 05. mon to Fri: 10am-6.30pm. sat, sun, and public hols: 10am-7pm. sch hols: 9.30am-7pm (Feb, spring and summer hols), 9am-7pm (autumn mid-term and christmas). Last admission 1hr before closing time. annual closure: 29 sept to 3 oct 2014 inc. €23.50 – rr: €20.50. 6-14 yrs: €16.50 – rr: €13.50. www.grevin.com

Pinacothèque de Paris

Musée en Herbe

The Pinacothèque de Paris makes art accessible to everyone thanks to a varied and eclectic programme of exhibitions. The first cross-disciplinary Parisian museum, the Pinacothèque houses a permanent collection based on a new vision of the history of art. Rejecting traditional classifications by artist or movement, it offers visitors an ‘imaginary museum’, a veritable cabinet of curiosities that is enriched and brought to life by temporary exhibitions.

for children! Exhibitions are fun and based on games and developing sensibility, curiosity, and creativity in children.

28 place de la madeleine/8 rue vignon (8th). m° madeleine. tel: 01 42 68 02 01. Daily: 10.30am-6.30pm. Wed and Fri: late opening until 9pm. €10 – rr: €8. Under 12s: free. www.pinacotheque.com

Musée Maxim’s Maxim’s was chic and decadent in 1900. During the belle époque, courtesans lounged in the rooms above the restaurant, which have been recreated for this museum with objects from Pierre Cardin’s art nouveau collection. Discover suggestive paintings, Tiffany lamps, a table set for an intimate supper and a bed carved by Majorelle, evoking the rustle of petticoats of the famous beauty otéro. 3 rue royale (8th). m° concorde. tel: 01 42 65 30 47. guided visits Wed to sun: 2pm-5.30pm. Public hols: closed. €15. www.maxims-musee-artnouveau.com

the fragonard perfume museums

21 rue Hérold (1st). m° Les Halles. tel: 01 40 67 97 66. mon to sun: 10am-7pm. thurs: open until 9pm. From 5 yrs: €10 – rr: €9 – adults: €6 – rr: €5. www.musee-en-herbe.com

Paris story ! 2,000 of Parisian history for you to enjoy thanks to an hour-long film on a panoramic screen, and an interactive model that enables you to locate 155 Parisian landmarks, as well as the former walls of the capital. Also fun quizzes on touch screens to test your knowledge of the city, alone or with friends or family. 11 bis rue scribe (9th). m° opéra. tel: 01 42 66 62 06. Daily, every hour (translation in 14 languages): 10am-6pm. €11. 6-18s: €7. www.paris-story.com

Bibliothèque nationale de france – site richelieu The library has retained the departments of Manuscripts, Maps and Plans, Music, Prints and Photography, Theatrical Arts, and Money, Medals and Antiques. Reassuringly, this venerable institution, founded in the distant era of Charles V, and established on the Richelieu site since 1721, has also preserved the throne of Dagobert, the fan of Diane de Poitiers, etc. 5 rue vivienne (2nd). m° bourse. tel: 01 53 79 49 49. guided visits. www.bnf.fr

Bourse de Paris – palais Brongniart in a wonderful napoleon iii town house, the Musée du parfum, offers a fascinating journey tracing 3,000 years of the history and technique of perfume making. The Théâtre-musée des Capucines houses the finest objects of an important private collection of perfume. finally, at the end of a visit, it is impossible to resist products offered at factory prices. musée du parfum. 9 rue scribe (9th). m° opéra. tel: 01 47 42 04 56. mon to sat: 9am-6pm. sun and public hols: 9am-5pm. Free guided tour. théâtre-musée des capucines. 39 bd des capucines (2nd). m° opéra. tel: 01 42 60 37 14. mon to sat: 9am-6pm. Free guided tour. www.fragonard.com

in 1987, after over 150 years of the clamour and shouting of stockbrokers, silence finally reigned under the cupola of the Palais Brongniart. The stock exchange was computerized and today the neoclassical temple encircled with columns opens its marble hall and nave, decorated with wood panelling and frescoes, to curious visitors. Around the famous trading floor, glass cubicles and a blackboard displaying stocks and shares recreate the atmosphere of the trading floor. rue vivienne (2nd). m° bourse. not open to visit.

• Montmartre (18th) • Pigalle (9th) • saint-georges (9th) • trinité (9th) • Batignolles (17th)

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following in the footsteps of a horde of street entertainers, climb the picturesque ‘Butte’ (little hill), crowned by the sacré-Cœur – the second most-visited site in Paris. a leisurely stroll will enable you to enjoy the pleasures of this wonderful Parisian ‘village’. and going from one ‘village’ to another you can venture as far as the popular Batignolles area, a hidden gem, before wandering through the saint-georges theatre district and the little Place gustave-toudouze. surrounded by bell towers, the day begins at the counter of a cafe with a café crème and crusty buttered baguette. one can browse idly, filling one’s shopping basket full of delicious treats in rue lepic, rue des Martyrs, rue Caulaincourt … and also with fabrics in rue d’orsel and the saint-Pierre market, and why not guitars in rue de douai and rue Victor-Massé. lunch is at a bistro offering simple, hot dishes or crunchy salads. and given that the village is a bit of a ‘fashion victim’, there are designer boutiques and galleries to check out amid the charcuteries and dairy shops. in the evening, you can dress up, stay casual, dance the java, enjoy the nouba or a fiesta, or just go to the movies.

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Don’t Miss Butte Montmartre

Venice has its gondolas, Montmartre its steps – physically demanding but Romanesque in the extreme. Countless novels, legends and ‘fabulous destinies’ are set in the Butte, such as the Bateau-Lavoir in Place ÉmileGoudeau, where Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, and the cafe made famous by Amélie Poulain in rue Lepic. The grocery from the film is higher up on rue des Trois-frères. And there’s even more climbing to do – but Montmartre’s well worth it! Walk up rue Tholozé, for example, for a film or a drink in the winter garden of a tiny cinema patronized by Buñuel and Cocteau. Pause at the top of the street under the last

remaining windmills, before continuing on up … Keep going! At the top is Sacré-Cœur, surrounded by a labyrinth of extraordinary little streets, and a vineyard, where the grape harvest is celebrated each year. There is also the flattering bust of Dalida in the square of the same name, breathtaking views over the rooftops of Paris, amazing crowds and hundreds of tranquil spots. from the square de la Turlure or the rue de la Chevalierde-la-Barre, the Sacré-Cœur is just as wonderful from the side, the back or the front! Basilique du sacré-cœur

in 1873, the national Assembly voted for the construction of a

basilica devoted to the Sacred Heart on the butte Montmartre. The site was chosen as much for its altitude (127 metres) as for its symbolism; it was sanctified long before with the martyrdom of Saint Denis and sullied by the violent acts of the Commune, in 1870. Pitfalls, controversies, underground quarries, and 83 buried pillars caused the work to extend over forty years. All these efforts were rewarded! from below, the RomanoByzantine contours take on the appearance of a whipped cream palace set on a hill of gardens and terraces: green and white outlined against swathes of azure. The view from the top of the steps, and especially from the top of the dome, is simply stunning.

Parvis du sacré-cœur (18th). m° anvers. tel: 01 53 41 89 00. basilica: 6am-10.30pm. www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com

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Place du tertre Welcome to picture-postcard Montmartre, with its restaurant terraces and artists’ easels and portrait painters, who share 300 allotted spaces – 1 m2 for two artists working alternately. But the historic village square merits a little tour. The commune of Montmartre established its town hall at no.3, in 1790; no.19 is the headquarters of the Commune libre du Vieux Montmartre, which organizes fun events and was founded in 1920. Another institution is the cafe Chez la mère Catherine where the word ‘bistro’ was said to have originated, in 1814. ‘Hurry’ cried the occupying Russian soldiers, eager to down a

drink before rejoining their ranks. The waitresses thought they were simply asking for something to drink … Standing serenely at the centre of all this activity, the adjoining church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre conceals the Roman vestiges of the Abbaye des Dames. Moulin rouge® + Montmartre hill once bristled with windmills. They closed one after the other, while the Moulin de la Galette became a popular dance hall. in 1889, another opened with just the exterior decor of a windmill. Soon the french Cancan – black stockings, garters and petticoats – created an air of euphoria and stardom for

La Goulue and her fellow dancers. The first revues were staged and, in 1907, a certain Mistinguett began her music-hall career. After the war, a new generation of artists arrived, including Edith Piaf, Montant, Trenet and Aznavour ... Every evening, glitz, feathers and sequins continue to weave their magic at the Moulin Rouge. 82 bd de clichy (18th). m° blanche. see p.98.

DiscoVer

Pigalle

espace Dalí +

from Place d’Anvers to Place de Clichy, night revellers, neon lights and illuminated signs ensure that, almost for as long as Paris has existed, this area never sleeps. in the Paris of yesteryear, wine, taxed at the entry to the city, was more expensive. So, Montmartre was the lively out-of-town place to go with its mix of lower classes, artists, young women and free thinkers. Later, the village was absorbed into the capital but the rowdiness continued. Piano-bars, night clubs, private clubs, concert halls, cafe-theatres, music halls, dinner shows, pubs, cabarets lasted for three seasons or over one hundred years. in the 1960s, Serge Gainsbourg sang ‘les petits gars de Liverpool’ causing a sensation at the Bus Palladium. others followed. When the Paris of Jacques Dutronc ‘awakes’ at 5am, Place Blanche – at the end of turbulent rue fontaine – often looks the worse for wear. But after a short rest, all is well again.

Close to the little Place du Calvaire, this strange underground sanctuary brings together 300 works by the major Catalan artist. Engravings, sculptures and surrealist furniture, including the famous Montres Molles, Alice in Wonderland, the Mae West lip sofa, The Space Elephant and an array of fantastic creatures, recreating the phantasmagorias of Salvador Dalí. on certain dates, workshops initiate children into the playful creativity of the great surrealist. 11 rue Poulbot (18th). m° abbesses, anvers. tel: 01 42 64 40 10. Daily: 10am-6pm. July and aug: 10am-8pm. €11 – rr: €7/€6. Under 8s: free. www.daliparis.com

cimetière de Montmartre Lovers of Montmartre come to the cemetery to admire the outdoor art, catch a glimpse of the sun, watch the squirrels hopping between maple trees or to make the acquaintance of a string of poets, generals, thinkers, inventors and the Lady of the Camellias. Discover Vigny, nijinsky or Guitry in a labyrinth of mossy rows and irregular stone steps. Cross the path of stray tomcats, a bust of Rodin, the bridge of Caulaincourt and finally, Alexandre Dumas, Zola, Degas and Dalida. Then, it’s off again

to look for Poulbot, Truffaut and feydeau. Up above the statues and carved chapels, and the tombs of Stendhal and Berlioz, a brood of young sparrows chirp high in the chestnut trees. Eleven enchanting hectares. Musée de Montmartre and Jardins renoir

Jardin sauvage saint-Vincent for a long time, this sloping parcel of land was overgrown with alders, foxgloves, brambles, ivy and wildlife. one day the city’s landscape gardeners decided to make it into a garden again. But impressed by the wild natural beauty of the site, spades and secateurs were put to one side. The decision was taken to preserve this fragile and poetic site as a place for observing the ecosystem and biodiversity, the trees, the charm of wild flowers, etc. Limited access. www.paris.fr

numerous personalities – including Renoir, Suzanne Valadon, Raoul Dufy or Poulbot – lived here in Montmartre’s oldest house. The heyday of this independent and bohemian area attached to Paris is displayed here: Toulouse-Lautrec, le Chat noir, le Lapin agile, le Bal du Moulin Rouge … the glory days of Montmartre … A visit to the museum includes a walk in Jardins Renoir surrounding the museum, overlooking the Montmartre vineyard. it’s a little bit of the countryside in the heart of Paris.

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Promotrain + les petits trains de Montmartre

At a time of world-stage museums, here is the exclusive domain of an artist, laid-out by himself, in his family home. At the end of his life, Gustave Moreau assembled precious memorabilia in a ‘little sentimental museum’ on the first floor. in 1895, he had two huge glazed workshops built on the upper floors, linked by a fine spiral staircase of wrought iron. Visitors can admire the italian-style, symbolist and fauvist drawings, watercolours, photographs and engravings that occupy the plum-pink walls from floor to ceiling.

Give the steps a miss with Promotrain. Children will be delighted, and parents too. for the price of a metro ticket, but without a commentary, the funicular will take you from the bottom to the top of Sacré-Cœur and the Montmartrobus makes the ascent from Place Pigalle to the 18th arrondissement city hall, in Place Jules-Joffrin.

Musée de la Vie romantique

12 rue cortot (18th). m° anvers, Lamarck - caulaincourt and funicular. tel: 01 49 25 89 39. Daily: 10am-6pm. €9 – rr: €7, under 10s: free. www.museedemontmartre.fr

131 rue de clignancourt (18th). m° simplon. tel: 01 42 62 24 00. Departs place blanche (m° blanche) and place du tertre. Daily: 10am-6pm. Jul and aug: 10am-12am. €6. Under 12s: €4. www.promotrain.fr

Musée Gustave Moreau

14 rue de la rochefoucauld (9th). m° trinité. tel: 01 48 74 38 50. mon, Wed, thurs: 10am-12.45pm and 2pm-5.15pm. Fri, sat, sun: 10am-5.15pm. tues: closed. €5 – rr: €3. Under 26s and 1st sun of the month: free. www.musee-moreau.fr

A tree-lined path, a rectangular flower garden, a little mansion far from the buzz of the city: this is where the painter and sculptor Ary Scheffer lived from 1830 to 1858. Delacroix, George Sand, Chopin dropped in as neighbours; the whole of the intellectual and artistic world of Paris (Liszt, Rossini, Turgenev, Dickens, etc.) frequented his workshop-salon. Even today, as you go from room to room, Chopin will accompany you with his piano as you discover George Sand, and the paintings of Ary Scheffer and his contemporaries.

Parc clichy-Batignolles Martin-luther-King

VillaGe PARiS

16 rue chaptal (9th). m° saint-georges. tel: 01 55 31 95 67. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, public hols, easter sun and Whit sun. Free permanent collections. www.vie-romantique.paris.fr

This park which is still being laid out will be the biggest green area in the north-west of Paris. it will need 624 trees, 5,600 shrubs, 200 climbing plants, 51,000 perennial plants and aquatic plants, 47,000 bulbs, 8,400 m2 lawned areas, 25,000 m2 of gardens, 2,900 m2 of ornamental ponds, and 3,460 m2 of play areas for children and adolescents to embellish it. The park’s three themes will be sport, water and the seasons.

147 rue cardinet (17th). m° brochant.

did you know?

Around 1820, neoclassical houses were built in and around rue Chaptal. Grecomania was all the rage, and the architecture was nicknamed ‘nouvelle Athènes’ (new Athens). Painters, writers, poets and actors were attracted to the area and soon the whole neighbourhood of Saint-Georges – the epicentre of artistic life – took on the new name. Musée de l’Érotisme

Eroticism is an art and it needed a showcase. Pigalle was the obvious home for these statuettes, amulets, saucy photos, satirical sketches, little tantric totems, painted, modelled, sculpted and engraved idols. Two rounded Buddhas form the entrance to this arousing but never shocking world, where 2,000 objects displayed over seven exhibition floors and from all over the world, explore popular, contemporary and sacred erotic art.

72 bd de clichy (18th). m° blanche. tel: 01 42 58 28 73. Daily: 10am-2am. €10 – rr: €6. www.musee-erotisme.com

Quartier des Batignolles Considered a quiet neighbourhood, with its market, church, garden and brand new Clichy-Batignolles park. Batignolles was annexed to Paris in 1860. At the time, this ancient hamlet between the city and fields, close to Montmartre, offered cheap living for artists. impressionism took form here in a cafe frequented by Manet, Degas, Cézanne, Monet and Renoir. This was not just a centre for artists, and writers Zola, Verlaine, Max Jacob, Éluard and Simenon also lived here. And as you stroll down the rue des Dames and rue des Batignolles, something tells you that these windows, tables and welcoming cafe counters are still a refuge for tamed bohemians and a slower pace of life. square des Batignolles its grotto, waterfall and a miniature lake, where black swans ruffle their feathers, make this English-style garden appear much larger than it is. Among the things to see are a Turkish hazel tree, swings, a sweets kiosk, a lemon tree, carp, a sequoia, a skate area, a sculpture in black stone from Volvic and table-tennis tables.

Windmills of the past While the Moulin Rouge is only there for decoration, of the fifteen windmills that used to dot Montmartre, only two now remain – the Moulin de la Galette and the Moulin Radet. Their grinding stones ground grain, plaster of Paris and grapes from the Montmartre vineyard, of which a few slopes remain.

Place des abbesses There are lifts for passengers at the deepest underground station in Paris – it is thirty metres below ground – but hale and hearty walkers are encouraged to climb the fresco-painted steps before emerging exhausted into the little square to catch their breath on one of the benches. in a glance, one takes in the art nouveau metro entrance by Hector Guimard, the merry-go-round, the cast-iron 45

street lights and the Wallace fountain. in the adjoining Square Jéhan-Rictus, kids play at the foot of a wall in enamelled lava, where ‘i love you’ is declared in 311 languages. opposite, the church Saint-Jean l’Évangéliste, nicknamed notre-Damedes-Briques (our-Lady-of-Bricks) since 1904, mixes Byzantine and art nouveau influences. on both sides of rue des Abbesses, rue Durantin, and rue de la Vieuville, and rue Yvonne-le-Tac … trendy local boutiques rub shoulders with cafe terraces, where it is nice to do nothing more than watch the world go by.

This is also the place to come for shows and concerts in the auditorium, activity trails for children and, of course, for the 600 items in the Max fourny collection, representing naive art from the 1970s.

2 rue ronsard (18th). m° abbesses. tel: 01 42 58 72 89. mon to Fri: 11am-6pm, sat: 11am-7pm, sun: 12pm-6pm. closed: 1 Jan, 1 may, 14 July, 15 aug and 25 Dec. aug: 12-noon to 6pm, except sat and sun. temporary exhibitions: €8 – rr: €6.50. www.hallesaintpierre.org

did you know?

At number 21, Place du Tertre, the tourist office of old Montmartre will tell you everything there is to know about the Butte, and offers a programme of guided visits and events. avenue Junot and Villa léandre Still on the hillside of the Butte, but beyond the sculpture of the Passe-Muraille – in the square where its creator Marcel Aymé once lived – is the start of avenue Junot with its cubic art deco unfussy architecture, the beauty of pure forms, and harmony of volumes, as at no.15, the house built in 1926 for the dada poet Tristan Tzara. further on, there is a new change of scene at Villa Léandre, where you can wander around in a fairytale setting between two rows of red and white brick Anglo-norman pavilions with painted shutters, arbors and chocolate-box London-style gardens.

21 place du tertre (18th). m°abbesses. tel: 01 42 62 21 21. mon to Fri: 10am-6pm, except 1 may. sat and sun: 10am-1pm and 2pm-6pm. www.montmartre-guide.com

Marché Barbès

on Saturday mornings under the overhead metro, the boulevard de la Chapelle is home to a colorful market, where Africans in boubous, dazed night-owls and Arabs in burnous rub shoulders with mothers and their young children looking for a watch, a headscarf or fruit and vegetables. Wed: 8am-1pm. sat: 7am-3pm.

Halle saint-Pierre – art Brut – art singulier – art contemporain Populaire

Musée de la franc-Maçonnerie Hôtel du Grand orient de france

Below the Sacré-Cœur, the Saint-Pierre fabric market is gaily-coloured and its neighbouring covered multicoloured market offers popular, naive and unusual art. Built in 1868 by a disciple of Baltard, this ancient covered market houses a cheerful cultural centre. Stop by for a snack or a coffee, amidst the canvasses and works exhibited by the gallery or to flick through the colourful art books in the bookshop, under the circle of the mezzanine.

Although it has been established in france for almost three centuries, freemasonry continues to raise many questions. The aim of this museum is to answer these questions by allowing visitors to discover its origins, rituals and the contribution of its lodges to the history of france. 16 rue cadet (9th). m° cadet, grands boulevards. tel: 01 45 23 43 97. tues to Fri: 10am-12.30pm and 2pm-6pm. sat: 10am-1pm and 2pm-7pm. closed: sun, mon and public hols. €6 – rr: €4. www.museefm.org

• Musée d’orsay (7th) • saint-germain-des-Prés (6th) • luxembourg (6th) • Montparnasse (14th)

PARiS

artists’

welcome to the left Bank, the Babylon of beautiful things, where browsing through the pages of a fashion magazine or an art revue is an art in itself. this elegant world is sprinkled with chic and shock fashion designers, art galleries, antique galleries, literary cafes, and publishing houses with a whole string of prizes. not surprising when you consider what the muses have given it – the académie française, the théâtre de l’odéon, the Beaux-arts, the Musée d’orsay, not to mention, Montparnasse which, during the roaring twenties, was a Mecca for artists from all over the world, before drawing them to saint-germain. so much to see! everywhere, art spills over the threshold of museum-workshops and boutiques. there is the Centaure by César at the Carrefour de la Croix-rouge, 17th-century wrought-iron balconies in rue de Buci and rue saint-andré-des-arts, the fontaine des quatre Parties du monde, on avenue de l’observatoire. and if the urban scene sets your head spinning, then go for greenery in the luxembourg gardens, the parks of Montsouris, georges-Brassens and the Jardin atlantique.

artists’ PARiS Odéon (lines 4, 10) • Assemblée Nationale (line 12) • Sèvres - Babylone (lines 10, 12) • Montparnasse - Bienvenüe (lines 4, 6, 12, 13) • Saint-Germain-des-Prés (line 4)

Don’t Miss Musée d’orsay +

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There is no draught in this train station, just art and light! inaugurated during the Exposition Universelle of 1900, the orsay train station resembled ‘a fine arts palace’ to the painter Édouard Detaille … which was what it was to become 86 years later. Unsuitable for modern trains, its deserted platforms finally closed in 1979. Plans to demolish it in 1970 were overturned just in time and it became a listed building. its immense volumes were transformed into a museum whose canopy, nave, cupolas, pillars, iron girders and stucco decors draw unanimous praise. The huge clock in the glass roof of the central alley dominates a chronological layout over three main levels, focussing on the major artistic movements in Western art from 1848 to 1914: painting, sculpture, graphic arts and art objects, as well as

furniture, architecture and photography. The period was so productive, the collections so rich in wonderful works (and in –isms: expressionism, fauvism, etc.) that it seems impossible to cite one unique masterpiece.

1 rue de la Légion-d’Honneur (7th). m° solférino. tel: 01 40 49 48 14. tues to sun: 9.30am-6pm. closed: mon, 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. thurs: late opening until 9.45pm. €11 – rr: €8.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU and 1st sun of the month: free. Passeport orsay/orangerie: €16. www.musee-orsay.fr

saint-Germaindes-Prés The area is bound by the Seine, the Luxembourg gardens, the boulevard Saint-Michel and rue des Saints-Pères. its name comes from the church, the first stones of which date back to 557. from the 1920s, the frenzied literary and art cliques gravitated towards the cafes of Saint-Germain. During the Liberation, existentialism took off, led by Camus and Sartre, while basement jazz shook the foundations with Sidney Bechet on the clarinet and the writer Boris Vian on the trumpet. Saint-Germain remains an oasis of ancient streets full of wonderful places for art, books and the latest must-have little items.

cUlt cafes

the café de Flore, the Deuxmagots and the brasserie Lipp make up the golden triangle of the boulevard and Place saint-germain and were once the ‘headquarters’ of sartre and beauvoir, Éluard and breton, Fargue and Faulkner, as well as an antechamber for politics and a second ‘office’ for publishers. What’s more, all three are listed.

Jardin and musée du luxembourg

Children love the Luxembourg gardens for their wooden horses, their model yachts to push along with a cane on the ornamental pond, for their refreshment kiosks, puppet theatre, ponies, etc. The wrought-iron chairs are perfect for a delightful nap below the Dames de france which form a circle of statues. What would Marie de Medicis think of the success of the palace and garden commissioned by her? At the time, the widow of Henri iV had sought to recapture a little of her native florence. The fontaine Médicis with all its niches and nymphs is all that remains of the italianate grotto that she had built in 1630. The palace has become the seat for the Sénat (the upper house of the french parliament). it oversees the 50

running of the garden and the museum, which stages exhibitions on modern art and the Renaissance, of course, in memory of the florentine queen.

19 rue de vaugirard (6th). m° odéon, rer Luxembourg. tel: 01 40 13 62 00. Daily: 10am-7.30pm. mon and Fri: late opening until 10pm. 24 and 31 Dec: 10am-6pm. closed: 25 Dec. €11 – rr: €7.50. Under 16s: free. www.museeduluxembourg.fr

did you know?

The Luxembourg may also be admired from the outside: the park’s railings showcase exhibitions of large-scale photographs to great effect. odéon

Meet up in front of Danton! The statue stands firm amongst the wave of passers-by at the Carrefour de l’odéon, some in a hurry, others sauntering along, traffic, cafe lights and snaking queues in front of cinemas keep this neighbourhood buzzing at all hours. The entrance to the Cour du Commerce Saint-André opens onto the crossroads. This cobbled pedestrian street houses the remains of the ancient city wall of Philippe-Auguste, and amidst the profusion of old-style shop and restaurant signs stands the Procope. opened in 1688, it is perhaps the oldest cafe in Paris. it was the first to serve ice creams to its clients, who included Diderot, Rousseau and Voltaire. The Théâtre de l’Europe – Théâtre de l’odéon until 1990 and temple from the Enlightenment period – is the stunning centre piece of Place de l’odéon. its programme of events represents an important part of European artistic heritage.

fondation cartier pour l’art contemporain Under the auspices of a Cedar of Lebanon planted by Chateaubriand in the 19th century, the glass arch envisaged by Jean nouvel has, since 1994, revived the artistic tradition of the area. The Theatrum Botanicum lies behind a glass screen, which extends the perspective of boulevard Raspail. This wild-looking garden surrounds the building, whose entrance is adorned with a wall of plants. inside, a space of steel and glass provides the perfect showcase for contemporary creation.

261 bd raspail (14th). m° raspail. tel: 01 42 18 56 50. Daily: 11am-8pm, except mon, 25 Dec and 1 Jan. tues: late opening until 10pm. €10.50 – rr: €7. Under 13s and under 18s (Wed): free. www.fondation.cartier.com

fondation Henricartier-Bresson The lens on the 20th century, Henri Cartier-Bresson photographed colonial Africa, the Spanish Civil War, the Liberation of Paris, etc. His portraits captured Camus, faulkner, Mauriac and a hundred other contemporary figures. in a workshop dating back to 1910, the foundation displays the work of the photographer, as well as showing works by other artists. 2 impasse Lebouis (14th). m° gaîté. tel: 01 56 80 27 00. tues to sun: 1pm-6.30pm. sat: 11am-6.45pm. Wed: late opening until 8.30pm. closed mon and between each exhibiton. €7 – rr: €4. www.henricartierbresson.org

institut de france The Académie française, founded by Richelieu in 1635, rather overshadows the smaller Académies – Belles-Lettres, Sciences, Beaux-Arts, Architecture, Sciences Morales and Politiques, as well as the Mazarine library. But each has its members, ‘immortals’, seated around the famous cupola. The institute promotes cultural heritage.

artists’ PARiS

DiscoVer 33 av. du maine (15th). m° montparnasse - bienvenüe. tel: 01 45 38 52 56. Daily: 1 apr to 30 sept: 9.30am11.30pm. From 1 oct to 31 mar: sun to thurs, 9.30am10.30pm and Fri, sat, pre-public hols: 9.30am-11pm. €14.50; 16-20 yrs: €11.50; 7-15 yrs: €9. Under 7s: free. www.tourmontparnasse56.com

Musée des lettres et Manuscrits

23 quai conti (6th). m° odéon. visits for groups only. www.institut-de-france.fr

Jardin atlantique To keep to the high ground and take in the wide open spaces, the Montparnasse ‘traveller’ can climb up to the Jardin Atlantique – a garden on top of the train station. Yes, a roof garden! An amazing feat with an undulating wave-like floor surface, evergreen pines, the Bassin des Miroitements, a fountain from the island of Hesperides, tennis courts and fantastic ocean-inspired kids play areas. m° montparnasse - bienvenüe (15th). access by lifts or steps.

tour Montparnasse + When it was constructed in 1973, its 59 floors of steel and smoked glass provoked cries of indignation, as is often the case with ambitious city planning projects. Since then, the tower has become a familiar landmark, visible from all over Paris. Visitors have an exceptional 360° view from a height of 210 metres of all of Paris and its surroundings within a circumference of 40 km.

in this museum, literary, historical and scientific documents, as well as musical scores and antiquarian books are on display. Relive some of the finer moments of french history in the company of napoleon Bonaparte, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Balzac, Mozart, etc. 222 bd saint-germain (7th). m° rue du bac. tel: 01 42 22 48 48. Daily: 10am-7pm, except mon, 25 Dec and 1 Jan. thurs: late opening until 9.30pm. €7 – rr: €5. Under 12s: free. www.museedeslettres.fr

Musée eugène-Delacroix

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open the door of this ‘decidedly charming’ home, in the very words of Delacroix himself. The portrait of Jenny Le Guillou, the faithful governess, is displayed beside the Madeleine dans le désert, which Baudelaire marvelled at. from the lounge to the workshop opening onto the garden, there are other paintings and travel albums. 6 rue de Fürstenberg (6th). m° saint-germain-des-Prés. tel: 01 44 41 86 50. Daily: 9.30am-5pm. tues, 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec: closed. €6/7.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU, 1st sun of the month and 14 July: free. Louvre-Delacroix joint ticket: €12. www.musee-delacroix.fr

Musée Bourdelle At the beginning of the 20th century, artists’ studios filled Montparnasse. Today, that of Émile-Antoine Bourdelle numbers 500 sculpted works in marble, plaster and bronze, along with canvases and watercolours. The Centaure mourant stands in the great hall. The exhibition continues in the studios and then in rooms and out to the winter garden of ivy and acacias. 51

18 rue antoine-bourdelle (15th). m° montparnasse - bienvenüe. tel: 01 49 54 73 73. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, public hols, easter sun and Whit sun. Painting studio closed until 2015. www.bourdelle.paris.fr

Église saint-sulpice The church has the dimensions and majesty of a cathedral. its construction began in the 17th century on the site of a previous building dating back to the 13th century and lasted over 135 years, due to a lack of funds, giving it treasures from each period: a choir decorated with statues by Bouchardon, a Vierge à l’Enfant and two fonts in the shape of shells sculpted by Pigalle, the Chapelle des Saints-Anges whose frescoes, filled the last years of Delacroix’ life. Place saint-sulpice (6th). m° saint-sulpice. tel: 01 42 34 59 60. Daily: 7.30am-7.30pm.

Mémorial du maréchal leclerc de Hautecloque et de la libération de Paris – Musée Jean Moulin focus on the action of two emblematic figures of WWii: one a leader of the free french units, the other a french resistance leader. A wall of images from audiovisual archives plunges the visitor into ‘occupied Paris’, ‘insurgent Paris’, and finally ‘liberated Paris’. 23 allée de la 2e Db. Jardin atlantique – covering the gare montparnasse (15th). m° montparnasse bienvenüe. tel: 01 40 64 39 44. Daily, except mon, public hols, easter sun and Whit sun: 10am-6pm. Permanent collections: free. www.ml-leclerc-moulin.paris.fr

cimetière du Montparnasse Since 1824, the cemetery in the south of Paris has been a green campo santo of artists and men and women of letters: Bartholdi, Baudelaire, César, Duras, ionesco, Maupassant, Sartre and Beauvoir, Zadkine. Gainsbourg, the Lilas ticket-puncher, collects metro tickets (in reference to the song he wrote). Brancusi placed a cubist Kiss and niki de Saint Phalle a cat in mosaic to brighten the grave 52

of a friend. But those who enjoy something really original will find it at the grave of Monsieur and Madame Charles Pigeon!

Parc Montsouris Like the Buttes-Chaumont, this landscaped garden of the Second Empire takes its inspiration from the parks of London. The grotto, artificial mounds and valleys are so convincing that even the crested tit and the serin are duped. on the island, they nest close to turtles from florida, male mallard ducks and their female companions. Around the lake, there are rolling lawns, play areas, a ginkgo biloba and 1,399 other trees, and even a weather station. 14th. rer b cité-Universitaire.

did you know?

The graffiti and little messages covering the walls at no.5 bis rue de Verneuil (7th) are a reminder that the singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg once lived in this private town house, now a mythical place for admirers. m° rue du bac.

Jardin de l’Hôtel Matignon

following the example of the Jardins de l’Élysée, the garden of the residence of the prime minister is open to the public. According to tradition, each head of government plants a tree of their choice here: amongst those growing in the gardens, the public will find a silver maple, an ironwood tree and a Virginia tulip poplar. 36 rue de babylone (7th). m° sèvres - babylone. nov to mar: 1pm-5pm. apr to oct: 1pm-6.30pm.

Parc Georges-Brassens A brief tram ride will take you from the Cité Universitaire to Georges-Brassens park for further bucolic adventures amongst the beehives, Pinot noir grapes, and honeysuckle and jasmine in the scented garden; playful adventures too with table tennis, merry-go-round, ponies and climbing;

rue des morillons (15th). m° convention.

did you know?

La Petite Ceinture is a 36 km-long railway track around Paris, constructed during the Second Empire to link Parisian stations. Today, it is a favourite walk for Parisians who eagerly await the future link between Place Balard and Georges Brassens park. Place Denfert-rochereau and catacombes

At the intersection of a constellation of avenues, the bronze lion by Bartholdi faces West so as not to offend the Prussian enemy, defeated at Belfort in 1870. Around the perimeter stand the two unpopular tax pavilions that punctuated the wall encircling Paris until the 19th century. Denfert is also the entrance to the ‘Land of the Dead’ or catacombs – the underground tunnels used as the ossuary of the cemetery of the innocents in 1785. A wall of skulls and a rotunda of tibias isn’t for sensitive souls, so you might prefer to get away to the area in and around rue Daguerre with its attractive small shops and eateries.

Monnaie de Paris

PMP

artists’ PARiS

intellectual adventures can be found at the book market, each weekend, under the covered Halle aux Chevaux of the former Vaugirard abattoir.

La Monnaie de Paris has committed to an ambitious renovation project ‘MétaLmorphoses’ of its Parisian site that will enable the public to enjoy its heritage. This project will make the former Mint, now a museum, will have a new cultural programme offering art workshops, as well as displaying never-before-seen treasures from the collection of the Monnaie de Paris. Hôtel de la monnaie. 11 quai conti (6th). m° Pont neuf. tel: 01 40 46 56 66. closed for renovation end 2014. www.monnaiedeparis.fr

observatoire de Paris ‘Your majesty’s glory depends on it’, scientists assured Louis XiV when they pleaded for an astronomical observatory. Eight years later, in 1672, the building was completed according to the plans of architect Claude Perrault, brother of the story writer. There are guided visits of the Moon, the phases of Venus and some Sunspots by appointment. 61 av. de l’observatoire (14th). m° Denfert-rochereau. tel: 01 40 51 22 21. visits the 1st Wed of the month, at 2pm. res. necessary. www.grandpublic.obspm.fr

chapelle notre-Damede-la-Médaille-Miraculeuse in 1830, the Virgin ordered Catherine Labouré, a novice at the Couvent des filles-de-la-Charité-deSaint-Vincent-de-Paul, to have a medal minted that would protect its bearers. The first miracles were indicated when cholera ravaged Paris. The medal’s favours spread across the world, Catherine was canonized and pilgrims flocked to the chapel. 140 rue du bac (7th). m° sèvres - babylone. www.chapellenotredamedelamedaille miraculeuse.com

Musée Zadkine

catacombes de Paris. 1 av. du colonel-Henri-rol-tanguy (14th). m° Denfert-rochereau. tel: 01 43 22 47 63. tues to sun: 10am-5pm. cash desks close at 4pm. closed mon, easter sun and Whit sun. €8. rr: €4, €6. www.catacombes.paris.fr

The museum houses the home and workshops where ossip Zadkine (1890-1967), the french sculptor of Russian origin and a major figure of the École de Paris, lived and worked from 1928 to 1967.

100 bis rue d’assas (6th). m° notre-Dame-deschamps. tel: 01 55 42 77 20. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, and public hols, easter sun and Whit sun. Permanent collections: free (except during temporary exhibition periods). www.zadkine.paris.fr

PARiS

MonUMental

• tour eiffel (7th) • Champ-de-Mars (15th) • invalides (7th) • trocadéro (16th)

the area around the eiffel tower is on a fitting scale to the tower itself. on a clear night, its beam sweeps through the sky in a radius covering 80 kilometres. the spectacle is awesome and one feels so small in this grandiose area with its massive buildings and vast green spaces! Just opposite, for example, are the gems of the 1937 exposition universelle: seventy-one artists decorated the Palais de Chaillot and a quartet of architects designed the Palais de tokyo and its white colonnade. on show in the latter is the acclaimed fresco La Fée Électricité by dufy and the monumental La Danse triptychs by Matisse. for La Porte de l’Enfer, see the Musée rodin. and what spectacular perspectives! one stretching from the esplanade des invalides to beyond Pont alexandre iii. another between the equestrian statues of the two marshals, foch in Place du trocadéro and Joffre in the Champ-de-Mars, in front of the école Militaire. did you know that this institution trained a young Corsican, who was ‘an excellent sailor’, and who was none other than napoléon Bonaparte? today, his imperial remains lie beneath the golden dome of the invalides.

MonUMental PARiS Invalides (lines 8, 13) • École Militaire (line 8) • Trocadéro (lines 6, 9) • Iéna (line 9) • La Tour-Maubourg (line 8) • Bir-Hakeim (line 6) • Varenne (line 13) • Rue du Bac (line 12)

Don’t Miss champ de Mars and the eiffel tower +

The vast park laid out below the famous tower has nothing warlike about it! its name, borrowed from the god of war, relates to its early history as an exercise area for the young cadets of the military school. Later, as the centre point of the Expositions universelles, it was chosen as the site of the biggest attraction of 1889, the Eiffel Tower, celebrating its 125th birthday in 2014. Stop to gaze up at all of its 324 metres! The tower was saved from demolition after twenty years because of its scientific utility. A few more figures: 10,100 tons, 2,500,000 rivets, 1,665 steps, two years of relentless work for

the 50 engineers and 132 workers directed by Gustave Eiffel, and more than 250 million visitors since its construction. The tower is a special landmark symbolizing Paris and france throughout the world and it sparkles every evening for the first five minutes of every hour until 1am.

champ-de-mars (7th). m° bir-Hakeim. tel: 08 92 70 12 39 (€0.337/min). From 1 Jan to 14 Jun and from 2 sept until 31 Dec: 9.30am-11pm. From 15 Jun to 1 sept: 9am-midnight. Lifts: €9 – rr: €4.50/€7.50. stairs: €5 – rr: €3/€4. summit by lift: €15 – rr: €10.50/€13.50. Under 4s: free. www.tour-eiffel.fr

trocadéro The elevated ‘Troca’ has a privileged viewpoint of the Eiffel Tower on the opposite bank of the Seine. Between the curved

wings of the vast Palais de Chaillot – emblem of the 1930s – are gently sloping terraces and gardens, bordered by century-old Caucasian wingnut and hazel trees, and dotted with gilded bronze statues. Skaters and rollerbladers weave alongside the fountains beneath the gaze of Apollo and Hercules, sculpted on the pediment of the pavilions.

did you know?

The Wall of Peace, erected at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars, is similar to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

did you know?

The 1913 merry-go-round with its original wooden horses is activated by a crank handle. Located in the parc du Champ de Mars, it is a source of much joy to children! m° École militaire. Daily: 9am-8pm or 11pm. www.manege1913paris.com

invalides

musée des Plans-reliefs PMP 129 rue de grenelle (7th). m° La tour-maubourg, invalides. tel: 01 45 51 95 05. 1 oct to 31 mar: 10am-5pm. 1 apr to 30 sept: 10am-6pm. 1st mon of the month, 1 Jan, 1 may, 1 nov and 25 Dec: closed. €9.50 – rr: €7.50 (inc. access to the musée de l’armée and napoleon’s tomb). Under 26s: free. www.museedesplansreliefs. culture.fr

did you know?

in 1671, Louis XiV decided to build ‘a royal hostel that would be large and spacious enough to house all officers, crippled, old and retired alike’. The ‘pensioners’ began arriving in 1674. The Église Saint-Louis – or ‘Soldiers Church’ – and the Église du Dôme (transformed into a military pantheon) were built afterwards. This magnificent ensemble, with its wonderful green lawn, today houses cannons, the Musée de l’Armée and the Musée des Plans et Reliefs. The Musée de l’Armée houses the tomb of napoleon i, the department of arms and ancient armoury and that of the two world wars and the Charles de Gaulle History Museum. As for the modern department (17th-19th centuries), it has reopened following restoration work.

Hôtel national des invalides 129 rue de grenelle (7th). m° La tour-maubourg, invalides. tel: 0 810 11 33 99 (price of a local call). Daily: 7.30am-7pm. tues: late opening until 9pm (apr to sept). musée de l’ordre de la Libération PMP closed until June 2015. www.ordredelaliberation.fr

Under the golden dome, the remains of the emperor lie in five successive coffins set into a block of red quartzite from finland!

musée de l’armée tomb of napoleon i PMP Hôtel national des invalides. 129 rue de grenelle (7th). m° La tour-maubourg, invalides. tel: 0 810 11 33 99 (price of a local call). 1 apr to 31 oct: 10am-6pm. 1 nov to 31 mar: 10am-5pm. 1 Jan, 1 may, 25 Dec and 1st mon of the month (except from July to sept): closed. €9.50 – rr: €7.50 (inc. access to the musée de l’armée and napoleon’s tomb). Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.invalides.org

Musée national rodin PMP

Auguste Rodin took up residence here in 1908, surrounded by a park teeming with brambles and rabbits. The museum opened in 1919, two years after his death.

Sculptures in marble, bronze, and terracotta alternate with drawings by the master, works by Camille Claudel (his muse), paintings by his friends Carrières, Monet, Van Gogh and others. in the garden, roses and statues have replaced the rabbits.

Hôtel biron 79 rue de varenne (7th). m° varenne. tel: 01 44 18 61 10. thurs to tues: 10am-5.45pm. Wed: late opening until 8.45pm. mon, 1 Jan, 1 may, 25 Dec: closed. www.musee-rodin.fr

Musée du quai Branly

PMP

in a green setting, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and on the banks of the Seine, the Musée du Quai Branly showcases the arts and civilizations of Africa, Asia, oceania and the Americas. Visitors can discover over 3,500 objects, international temporary exhibitions, stunning architecture, an unusual plant wall, an excellent bookshop, restaurant Les ombres and the café Branly. 37 quai branly (7th). m° alma - marceau. tel: 01 56 61 70 00. tues, Wed, sun: 11am-7pm. thurs, Fri, sat: 11am-9pm. €9 – rr: €7. Permanent collections and temporary exhibitions: €11 – rr: €9. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU, 1st sun of the month: free. www.quaibranly.fr

Musée national des arts asiatiques Guimet PMP Wonderfully renovated with modern design, it is the biggest museum in Europe devoted entirely to Asian art. from Buddhas from Afghanistan to Zen monks from Japan, indian fabric, Samourai weapons, treasures from Angkor, and refined art from China, the museum’s collections are outstanding and a wonderful way to get to the heart of Asian culture.

MonUMental PARiS

DiscoVer 13 av. du Président-Wilson (16th). m° iéna. tel: 01 81 97 35 88. Daily: 12pm-12am. tues, 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec: closed. €10 – rr : €8. Under 18s : free. www.palaisdetokyo.com

Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris

6 place d’iéna (16th). m° iéna. tel: 01 56 52 53 00. Daily: 10am-6pm, except tues. €7.50 – rr: €5.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.guimet.fr

Palais de tokyo, contemporary creation The spacious dimensions brightened with acid tones are a showcase for emerging contemporary art. from midday to midnight, experimental, irreverent, international, and often interactive exhibitions and events brighten the line-up. The shop is stocked with amusing objects in limited series and under the luminous pink and green saucers of the Japanese restaurant, one can enjoy peas with mint and clementines en gratin.

JUst aroUnD tHe corner the museum’s Panthéon bouddhique displays pieces brought back from Japan in 1876 by Émile guimet, an industrialist from Lyon, a fervent admirer of the culture of the Far east and founder of the museum that bears his name. 19 av. d’Iéna (16th). M° Iéna. Tel: 01 40 73 88 00. Daily: 9.45am-5.45pm. Closed Tues. Free.

it shows the pure tones of the fauvists, the deconstructed shapes of the cubists and Les Disques by fernand Léger. it features all the trends in non-figurative art, from the École de Paris, Modigliani, Soutine, and Giacometti’s search for the absolute to photos by Brassaï. it also covers the 1950s and the following decades with new Realism, Arte Povera, Support/Surface, fluxus, and more. it honours great contemporary figures, such as Boltanski, Bourgeois, and Buren, and supports the most outstanding trends in new design. The City’s museum of modern art illuminates the east wing of the Palais de Tokyo! 11 av. du Président-Wilson (16th). m° iéna. tel: 01 53 67 40 00. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, public hols, easter sun and Whit sun. thurs: late opening until 10pm. Permanent collections free. www.mam.paris.fr

Musée de l’Homme Even its name will change! Currently closed for renovation work, the Musée de l’Homme will reopen in late 2015 as a brand new wonderful museum of mankind. on the programme: a great journey through time from man’s appearance – 150,000 years ago – to the present day, in a totally new laid out museum. Palais de chaillot. 17 place du trocadéro (16th). m° trocadéro. www.mnhn.fr

the american church Built in 1931, this was the first American church built outside of the United States. Believers, students, expatriates … of all nationalities and all faiths are welcome at this Gothic-inspired cathedral where mass is said in English. 65 quai d’orsay (7th). m° alma - marceau. tel: 01 40 62 05 00. www.acparis.org

Musée national de la Marine

PMP

Discover more than 1,000 extraordinary objects retracing 300 years of maritime history: models of ships and machines, figureheads, paintings, sailors’ souvenirs, weapons, navigation instruments, etc.

Palais de chaillot. 17 place du trocadéro (16th). m° trocadéro. tel: 01 53 65 69 53 (info and res). mon, Wed, thurs, Fri: 11am-6pm. sat, sun: 11am-7pm. tues, 1 Jan, 1 may, 25 Dec: closed. museum: €8.50 – rr: €6. Under 18s and 18-25 yrs eU: free. museum and exhibition: €10 – rr: €8/€5/€2. audioguide included. 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.musee-marine.fr

Musée Maillol – fondation Dina-Vierny

Palais Galliera – musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris in the course of temporary exhibitions showcasing a part of its invaluable and fragile collections – 100,000 costumes and accessories from the 18th-century to today – the museum offers an insight into past and contemporary fashion.

10 av. Pierre-ier-de-serbie (16th). m° iéna. tel: 01 56 52 86 00. tues to sun: 10am-6pm. thurs: late opening until 9pm. mon and public hols: closed. www.galliera.paris.fr

les égouts de Paris

PMP

Underground Paris, what an adventure! 2,400 km of pipes; some 31,600 manhole covers for easy access; 500 sewer workers responsible for the upkeep … and 1 underground visit to find out everything there is to know about the water cycle. opposite 93 quai d’orsay (7th). m° alma - marceau. tel: 01 53 68 27 81. Daily except thurs, Fri and 2 weeks mid-Jan. 1 may to 30 sept: 11am-5pm. 1 oct to 30 apr: 11am-4pm. €4.30 – rr: €3.50. Under 6s: free. www.paris.fr

cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine PMP Housed in a wing of the Palais de Chaillot, this cité – open to all – devotes its 23,000 m2 to the urban environment. The museum’s galleries present architectural moulds, medieval and Renaissance wall paintings and an architectural panorama from 1850 to the present day.

Dina Vierny was the muse and friend of the painter and sculptor Aristide Maillol. The foundation and the museum reveal the work of the artist and offer a panorama of 20th-century art through his collection and that of Dina: B for Bonnard, D for Duchamp, K for Kandinsky … S for seductive!

Fondation Dina-vierny. 61 rue de grenelle (7th). m° rue du bac. tel: 01 42 22 59 58. From tues to thurs and from sat to sun: 10.30am-7pm, except 25 Dec and 1 Jan. mon and Fri: late opening until 9.30pm. €13 – rr: €11/€7. Under 11s: free. www.museemaillol.com

Palais de chaillot. 1 place du trocadéro (16th). m° trocadéro. rer c champ de mars - tour eiffel. tel: 01 58 51 52 00. mon, Wed, Fri, sat, sun: 11am-7pm. thurs: 11am-7pm. closed tues, 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. €8 – rr: €6. Permanent collections and exhibitions: €12 – rr: €8. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU, 1st sun of the month: free. www.citechaillot.fr

• auteuil (16th) • Bois de Boulogne (16th) • Porte Maillot (16th) • Passy, la Muette (16th)

this elegant district grew from two small villages – Passy and auteuil. fine houses line the quiet avenues, concerts are regularly given by the radio france Philharmonic orchestra, horse riders trot along the sandy pathways, the hamlets are shrouded in foliage, and birds chirp above the tennis courts.

cHic

PARiS

in the past, people came here to enjoy the thermal springs and pleasures of the countryside away from Paris. Boileau, la fontaine, Molière, racine and ninon de lenclos were regular visitors to the auberge du Mouton Blanc, rue d’auteuil. formerly the parade ground for carriages and fine clothes, people now come to the Bois on sunday to enjoy the open air, jog, or row on the lake. several mansion houses were built here, along with some rather crazy-looking villas. today, the district makes for surprising architectural tours. looking for guimard, one comes across the studio Building by sauvage, rue d’agar, and the sandstone building by the Perret brothers, rue franklin. Visiting le Corbusier, square du docteurBlanche, one discovers the nearby light and cubic Cité Mallet-stevens, built in the 1920s … Chic, simple, and peaceful.

cHic PARiS Porte Maillot (line 1) • Porte Dauphine (line 2) • La Muette (line 9) • Passy (line 6) • Porte d’Auteuil (line 10) • Alma - Marceau (line 9)

Don’t Miss Bois de Boulogne

A part of the forest that once surrounded ancient Paris, the Bois (Wood), a place of debauchery in the 18th century, became a fashionable promenade in the belle époque period thanks to the wide lane linking it to Paris, the creation of lakes and little rivers, the Pré-Catelan in 1855, along with racecourses in 1857 and 1873. A green 845 hectare ‘lung’, whose paths are a favourite place for joggers, horses and cyclists; the great waterfall attracts photographers, while rowing boat fans enjoy the lake, and children have fun in the play areas. 16th. m° Porte maillot.

Jardin d’acclimatation Since 1860, the Jardin d’Acclimatation has been a paradise for children with its Enchanted River, little train, fairground rides, farm and vegetable garden, museum, puppet theatre, and workshops (cooking, calligraphy, magic, etc.) for children aged 3 to 10. There is something for parents too with chocolate, perfume, and dance workshops.

bois de boulogne (16th). m° Les sablons. tel: 01 40 67 90 82. oct to mar: 10am-6pm. apr to sept: 10am-7pm. Park: €3 – rr: €1.50. train (return trip): €2.90.

Park + train: €5.90 – rr: €4.40. Under 3s: free. www.jardindacclimatation.fr

Hippodrome d’auteuil and Hippodrome de longchamp Do you have a preference for steeplechases or flat racing? The former take place on the eastern side of the Bois de Boulogne, at the 33-hectare Auteuil racecourse, with 18 hectares of track, hedges and steeplechase. for cheering on the jockeys and thoroughbreds in flat racing, the 57-hectare Longchamp racecourse in the western part of the Bois is the place to go. You don’t have to be a betting fan to enjoy a day out here! Around the track and stands, you have the choice of panoramic restaurants, brasseries, picnic areas, free children’s play areas, ponies and behind-the-scenes visits. 61

Musée Marmottan Monet A former hunting lodge devoted to several passions. from the Middle Ages, there are illuminated manuscripts, while under the Third Republic, the art historian Paul Marmottan reconstituted the grandeur of the first Empire with a bronze and mahogany bed belonging to napoleon, a backgammon table and pieces of Sèvres biscuit porcelain. Also, over a hundred impressionist paintings by Degas, Manet, Berthe Morisot, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley and especially Monet. The Nymphéas (Water Lilies) are here, as well as the Cathédrale de Rouen, and the Pont Japonais. 2 rue Louis-boilly (16th). m° La muette. tel: 01 44 96 50 33. tues to sun: 10am-6pm. thurs: late opening until 8pm. mon, 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec: closed. €10 – rr: €5.

did you know?

in 1874, Monet exhibited Une chose faite au Havre (something done at Le Havre), which he did not know how to name. ‘Put impression’, he said. The thing known as Impression, Soleil levant (Sunrise) gave its name to the movement that revolutionized painting at the end of the 19th century – impressionism. Under 7s: free. www.marmottan.com

Parc de Bagatelle

city of Paris Botanical Garden

The result of a bet wagered between Marie-Antoinette and the Comte d’Artois, this AngloChinese bagatelle nestling in the Bois de Boulogne was created in just 64 days! The garden has a renowned rose garden,

peacocks, little bridges, water lilies, pagoda, waterfalls, a restaurant, classical concerts, and temporary exhibitions! bois de boulogne (16th). m° Porte-maillot. tel: 01 53 64 53 80/82. contact for information.

Musée Dapper Since 1986, ancestral and contemporary African arts have been showcased here with exhibitions, shows, meetings, and film screenings. With time, the scope of the collections has been extended to include the culture of the Caribbean and the diasporas of sub-Saharan Africa. 35 bis rue Paul-valéry (16th). m° victor Hugo. tel: 01 45 00 91 75. Daily: 11am7pm, except tues and thurs. €6 – rr: €4. Under 26s, and last Wed of the month: free. www.dapper.com.fr

DiscoVer Mona Bismarck american center for art & culture The Mona Bismarck American Center for art & culture bears the name of its generous benefactor and aims to showcase the wealth and diversity of American art and culture through a vibrant programme of exhibitions and artistic performances. 34 av. de new York (16th). m° alma - marceau. tel: 01 47 23 38 88. Wed to sun: 11am-6pm. sch hols: closed. €7 – rr: €5. Under 12s: free. www.monabismarck.org

stade roland-Garros – Musée de la fédération française de tennis and behind-the-scenes tour Borg, Connors, McEnroe, noah … What tennis champion has not played on the centre court or no.1 court? The stadium was built in 1928 to create a venue worthy of defending the Davis Cup (won on American soil). Since then, Roland-Garros has staged 62

the french open each year welcoming 500 players and 400,000 spectators! The museum offers permanent and thematic exhibitions. Also, discover the players’ area, press centre, famous centre court, and memorable anecdotes on a guided tour (french/English).

2 av. gordon-bennett (16th). m° Porte d’auteuil. tel: 01 47 43 48 48. Wed, Fri, sat, and sun: 10am-6pm. museum: €8. Under 18s: €4. behind-the-scenes visit. res. necessary: €10.50. Under 18s: €8.50. museum and behind-the-scenes visit: €15.50. Under 18s: €10.50. http://fft.fr/roland-garros/musee/le-musee-de-la-fft

Photos: © OTCP / M. Bertrand, A. Dupont ; Thinkstock.

Sorties, loisirs, musées, hôtels, restaurants, shopping, excursions : tout Paris est sur PARISINFO.COM Events, walks, museums, hotels, restaurants, shopping, tours: all Paris is on PARISINFO.COM

Jardin des serres d’auteuil city of Paris Botanical Garden

This garden is a world of surprises: classic and regular, then winding and hilly in the English style; Japanese here, Mediterranean there, rich in art – with its Dalou fountain and Rodin mascarons –, and in botany – with its 230 varieties of trees and flowers. And so exotic too, in the tropics of the 19th-century hothouses! Palm trees, birds in an aviary, banana trees, hibiscus, carp and passion flowers thrive. 16th. m° Porte d’auteuil. tel: 39 75.

fondation le corbusier The foundation which watches over the work of this famous architect has its headquarters at the Jeanneret and La Roche maisons (houses), built in 1923. only the latter is open to visitors, as is Le Corbusier’s apartment-studio – where he lived from 1933 to 1965 – located on the last floor of the Molitor building.

maison La roche. 10 square du Docteur blanche (16th). m° Jasmin. tel: 01 42 88 75 72. mon: 1.30pm-6pm. tues to sat: 10am-6pm. €8 – rr: €5. Under 14s: free. Le corbusier’s apartment-studio. 24 rue nungesser et coli (16th). m° Porte d’auteuil. tel: 01 42 88 75 72. sat: 10am-1pm and 1.30pm-5pm. €8 – rr: €5. Under 14s: free. Joint ticket maison La roche and apartment-studio: €12. www.fondationlecorbusier.fr

Musée Baccarat The magic of this mansion, founded in 1764 and transformed into a crystal palace by the designer Philippe Starck, operates on three levels. Everything begins with monumental rooms and candelabras Folie des Grandeurs. next is Alchimie, where some of the secrets of crystal glass are unveiled. finally, Au-delà de la Transparence, presents the facets of prolific expertise with masterpieces.

GUiMarD facaDes the castel béranger was completed in 1898, in rue La Fontaine. given the nickname ‘castel dérangé’ (crazy castle), this apartment block is representative of Hector guimard’s artistic style. He became the prominent exponent of the art nouveau style. see his work in the 16th arrondissement at numbers 14, 17, 19 and 21 rue La Fontaine, numbers 8, 10, 40, 60 rue agar, Hôtel guimard, 120 and 122 avenue mozart, etc.

11 place des États-Unis (16th). m° Kléber, iéna. tel: 01 40 22 11 00. mon to sat: 10am-6pm, except tues, sun and public hols. €5 – rr: €3.50. Under 18s: free. www.baccarat.fr

fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves saint laurent The foundation organizes fashion, painting, photography and decorative arts exhibitions every year … Another mission of the foundation’s is the conservation and promotion of Yves Saint Laurent’s work. 3 rue Léonce reynaud (16th). m° alma - marceau. tel: 01 44 31 64 31. During temporary exhibitions: from tues to sun: 11am-6pm. closed: mon and public hols. €7 – rr: €5. www.fondation.net

Musée du Vin former wine cellars in rue des Eaux are a delightful place to find out more about the history of wine, wine regions, and utensils. oenology courses and tasting sessions are also offered as an option. rue des eaux. 5 square charles-Dickens (16th). m° Passy. tel: 01 45 25 63 26. tues to sun: 10am-6pm. €10 – rr: €9. Under 14s: free. www.museeduvinparis.com

Maison de Balzac on the run from his creditors, Balzac took refuge in the village of Passy in 1840. He spent seven years of intensely productive writing on the garden level of the house, rented in the name of M. de Breugnol. The writer corrected La Comédie humaine here, and wrote La Cousine Bette, etc. 47 rue raynouard (16th). m° Passy. tel: 01 55 74 41 80. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon and public hols. Permanent collections: free (except during temporary exhibition times). www.balzac.paris.fr

rue de Passy A good place to browse for a fashionable new wardrobe. for something to eat, stop off at Place de Passy, with its covered market leading on to rue de l’Annonciation and the church past delicatessens, greengrocers, wine shops …

thousands of wonderful moments await you in the Hauts-de-seine area. Within easy reach of Paris by metro or bus, you will discover famous people and fall in love with havens of greenery and their inhabitants … you’ll be amazed at what there is!

sèvres – cité de la céramique

PMP

Unique in Europe, the porcelain factory has been conserving and passing on its expertise since the 18th century. its collections include works from all countries and all periods.

2 place de la manufacture. 92310 sèvres. m° Pont de sèvres. tel: 01 46 29 22 00. Factory visit by appointment. €6 – rr: €4.50. Under 25s and 1st sun of the month: free. www.sevresciteceramique.fr 2

Musée du château de Malmaison

PMP

Acquired in 1799 by Joséphine Bonaparte, the Château de Malmaison became the residence of the future emperor and his wife and the seat of the french government.

3 Maison des Jardies – Musée léon Gambetta

This former wine-grower’s house, boasting the label ‘Maison des illustres’, was transformed in the 18th century into a country house and was home to Balzac in 1838, who was fleeing his creditors, then to Léon Gambetta in 1878, who came here to relax. 14 av. gambetta. 92310 sèvres. tel: 01 41 12 02 90. contact for opening times. €5.50 – rr: €4. 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

Hauts-de-seine

Paris

5 1

10 km

Domaine départemental de sceaux

Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a minister of Louis XiV, commissioned the greatest artists of the time to make his residence fit for a king. Since 1937, the chateau has housed the Musée de l’Île-de-france.

rer b Parc de sceaux. museum: tel: 01 41 87 29 50. Daily, except tues. €3 – rr: €1.50. Park: free. www.domaine-de-sceaux.hauts-de-seine.net

Domaine national de saint-cloud

on this estate there is no chateau but 460 hectares of greenery for walking and cycling and also a museum retracing its history.

m° boulogne - Pont de saint-cloud. tel: 01 41 12 02 90. Daily. Free for pedestrians. contact for opening times and admission prices (cars). 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.saint-cloud.monuments-nationaux.fr 6

av. du château. 92500 rueil-malmaison. m° or rer a La Défense - grande arche, then bus 258. tel: 01 41 29 05 55. Daily except tues. contact for opening times. €6.50. Under 18 to 25 yrs: €5. 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.chateau-malmaison.fr

a taste for luxury

sUrroUnDinG area

albert-Kahn, museum and gardens

The banker Albert Kahn laid out wonderful gardens and created an exceptional collection of 183,000 metres of film footage and 72,000 autochromes between 1909 and 1931.

10-14 rue du Port. 92100 boulogne-billancourt. m° boulogne - Pont de saint-cloud. tel: 01 55 19 28 00. Daily except mon. contact for opening times. €4 – rr: €2.50. Under 12s and 1st sun of the month: free. www.albert-kahn.hauts-de-seine.net

contact Comité départemental du tourisme des Hauts-de-Seine

immeuble reflet – Défense. 14 rue François arago. 92000 nanterre. tel: 01 46 93 92 92. contact@tourisme92.com www.tourisme92.com

• Concorde (8th) • Champs-élysées (8th) • tuileries (1st) • louvre (1st)

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MYtHical

there is no escaping the fascination of this legendary district, starting of course, with the smile of Mona lisa and the hieroglyphs at the Place de la Concorde. then, at the louvre, there is The Wedding Feast at Cana, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, discovered on the banks of the aegean sea and The Lacemaker by Vermeer. there’s the Cour Carrée, the grande galerie, and the 175-metre colonnade – a brief history tour that continues up to the gates of the élysée Palace. and beyond, the voluted columns of the grand and Petit Palais, the seine from the railings of the tuileries gardens, town houses in avenue gabriel, fashion designers in avenue Montaigne, a few Picassos at the orangerie. Visitors will fall under the spell of the silky bedroom of Jeanne lanvin at the decorative arts museum and the palace of the courtesan Païva, a few steps from the rond point des Champs-élysées. at the top of the avenue, the futuristic vessel-like drugstore is quite impressive too. the 1918 and liberation parades, the cycles of the tour de france, the tanks of the 14 July, the celebrations following the 1998 football world Cup all contribute to the making of a myth!

MYtHical PARiS

i MUSÉE DU JEU DE PAUME

Charles de Gaulle - Étoile (lines 1, 2, 6) • Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau (lines 1, 13) • Concorde (lines 1, 8, 12) • Tuileries (line 1) • Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre (lines 1, 7)

Don’t Miss arc de triomphe and the tomb of the Unknown soldier + PMP

At the top of the Champs-Élysées, directly in line with the Arc du Carrousel and the Arche de la Défense, is napoleon’s triumphant antique arch. Commissioned in 1806 to celebrate the victories of the Great Army, it was completed in 1836. its huge proportions – 50 metres high and 45 wide – are decorated with fine sculpture by Cortot and Étex, along with Rude’s famous Marseillaise. The arch became a national symbol. A flame is rekindled each evening at 6.30pm and the inscription ‘Here lies a french soldier, who died for his country’ is written on the tomb of an unknown soldier laid to rest here in 1921.

Place du général-de-gaulle (8th). m° charles de gaulle - Étoile. tel: 01 55 37 73 77. Daily. From 1 apr to 30 sept: 10am-11pm. From 1 oct-31 mar: 10am-10.30pm. open after the parades on 8 may, 14 Jul and 11 nov. 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec: closed. €9.50 – rr: €6. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU, 1st sun of the month (nov to end mar): free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

did you know?

from the roof dominating Place de l’Étoile, twelve avenues radiate outwards, some with the names of victories (friedland, iéna, Wagram) and generals of the Empire (Carnot, Hoche, Kléber, Marceau). When the sun sets under the Arch directly in line with the Champs, it really is a spectacular sight!

champs-Élysées

Between Concorde and Étoile, is the emblematic section of a perspective that extends from the Louvre Pyramid to La Défense. The first steps of this ‘glorious way’, an obligatory passage for patriotic parades, were however modest. Lined with undergrowth, the avenue reached the current site of Place de l’Étoile in 1724. A fashionable place to walk, the gardens were devastated at the fall of the Empire. They regained their splendour around 1840: candelabras, fountains, creamy pavilions, landscaping with flowers and copses date from this period of balls and theatres. it was one hundred years later that rapid development occurred when affluence spread to the west of 67

the capital. The avenue was then adorned with prestigious palaces, cafes and restaurant terraces and cinemas – joined today by ready-to-wear fashion stores and high-tech showrooms. Everything can be found on the ‘Champs’: films, dresses, lunch, cotton and compresses, racing cars, yoghurts and fresh vegetables, books, CDs, perfume … from morning to midnight, sometimes 24 hours a day, often 7 days a week. Musée du louvre

PMP

The biggest museum in Paris, and home of the Mona Lisa, The Raft of the Medusa, Venus de Milo and The Winged Victory of Samothrace was, first and foremost, the jewel in the crown of the kings, emperors and republics of france. from the sombre late-12th century fortress to Peï’s glass pyramid, inaugurated in 1989, many have reigned here and practically everyone has left their mark – Renaissance, Classic, first and Second Empire, contemporary … The Louvre, a museum since 1793, houses collections of Western art from the Middle Ages to 1848, and collections of ancient oriental, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman civilizations which preceded and influenced them, graphic arts and islamic arts in the museum’s new spaces.

main entrance via the pyramid (1st). m° Palais royal musée du Louvre. tel: 01 40 20 53 17.

Daily: 9am-5.45pm, except tues, 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. Wed and Fri: late opening until 9.45pm. €12. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU, under 26s (Fri late opening, except exhibitions Hall napoleon) and 1st sun of the month (oct to mar): free. exhibitions Hall napoleon: €13. Joint ticket: €16. multimedia guide (commentary of works according to profile of visitor): €3/€5. www.louvre.fr

four years to travel from Luxor! Two fountains, embellished with golden mermaids and fish, enliven the grey, green and golden decor of the square. Jardin des tuileries Statues populate the terraces, the lawns and flowerbeds laid out in the french style, the copses and the areas around the ornamental ponds: an academic Spartacus on a marble pedestal and the contemporary Welcoming Hands, by Louise Bourgeois, plus classical allegories and Tinguely’s tricolor. The green Maillol bronzes emerge from the labyrinth of hedges that connect the Tuileries to the Louvre. At the other end, in a direct line with the great axis, the garden opens out spectacularly onto Concorde. Lush greenery, games, refreshment chalets, and farniente lie between the two.

did you know?

Uncovered by archaeological excavations in 1985, the foundations of the donjon and the moat of the castle, built at the gateway to the city, under the reign of Philippe Auguste (1180 to 1223), can be visited in the medieval part of the museum. Place de la concorde

Work began on Place Louis XV in 1755. it broke with the tradition of enclosed royal squares, to open up the perspective to the Tuileries gardens. The fine mansion houses – the Hôtel de la Marine and the Hôtel Crillon underlined the axis of the statue of the monarch – were demolished after thirty years. Place de la Revolution is where Louis XVi, Marie-Antoinette, Danton and Robespierre were guillotined. However, Place de la Concorde spells reconciliation. Louis-Philippe sought a monument that would cool revolutionary and royalist passions, which he found in the 3,300-year-old obelisk, a gift from the pasha of Egypt. Erected in 1836, its 23 metres and 230 tons of pink granite took

1st. m° concorde.

lido de Paris + The Clerico brothers bought the Lido from Léon Volterra in 1946. They renovated it and decorated it in the most luxurious fashion. They created the dinner-show concept which has been copied all over the world and every revue is a roaring success. Eventually, the Lido became known the world over.

116 bis av. des champs-Élysées (8th). m° george v. see p.98.

Grand Palais This impressive stone building, crowned with a splendid metallic-framed glass roof, was constructed for the Exposition Universelle in 1900. Architecturally daring in its time, the Grand Palais hosts diverse events under the great nave and four exhibitions per year in the Galeries nationals. it also houses the Palais de la découverte. entrance to galeries nationales du grand Palais: avenue du général-eisenhower (8th). entrance to nave: avenue Pdt-Winston-churchill (8th). m° champs-Élysées - clemenceau. tel: 01 44 13 17 17. opening times and rates vary. www.grandpalais.fr

Petit Palais – musée des Beauxarts de la Ville de Paris Like its ‘Grand’ neighbour, the Petit (little) Palais is an example of the eclectic splendour of the Exposition of 1900. The building alternates white and coloured marble, moulding and garlands, painted ceilings, mosaic flooring and opal stained-glass windows around an interior garden. The city’s fine Arts museum since 1902, the Petit Palais displays collections of painting, sculpture and art objects from antiquity to 1918. Amongst other marvels, visitors will admire Greek amphora, orthodox icons, Gothic ivories, italian Madonnas, paintings by Rubens, Saxe porcelain and blown-crystal glass vases.

Musée de l’orangerie +

PMP

Built in 1852, the orangery of the Tuileries soon lost its fruit trees to become a storehouse, and a room for examinations and dog competitions. its destiny became clearer when Clemenceau and Monet chose it to house the complete cycle of the Nymphéas (Water Lilies) on which he worked from 1914 until his death, eight years later. Since its renovation, the panels of a landscape filled with water lilies, weeping willows, reflections of trees and clouds – 2 metres high, almost 100 long – have regained their beauty and meaning in daylight. This exceptional venue also does justice to the collection of Paul Guillaume and Domenica Walter of whom it was said ‘the paintings and statues whispered in her ear’. Here, visitors may admire works by Renoir, Cézanne, Rousseau, Modigliani, Marie Laurencin, Matisse, Derain, Picasso, etc. Jardin des tuileries, seine-side (1st). m° concorde. tel: 01 44 77 80 07. Daily: 9am-6pm, except tues, 1 may, 14 Jul (am) and 25 Dec. €9 – rr: €6.50. + €2 for temporary exhibitions. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU, 1st sun of the month: free. www.musee-orangerie.fr

did you know?

for 30 years, Monet placed his easel opposite his water garden to capture the changes in nature: the Nymphéas cycle numbers some 300 paintings! studio Harcourt Paris

av. Pdt-Winston-churchill (8th). m° champs-Élysées - clemenceau. tel: 01 53 43 40 00. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, public hols, easter sun and Whit sun. thurs: open until 8pm during temporary exhibitions. Permanent exhibitions free. www.petitpalais.paris.fr

MYtHical PARiS

DiscoVer

Established in 1934, the studio soon became a place not to be missed for Paris’s in-crowd. famous writers, painters, singers, sportsmen and actors such as Marlene Dietrich, Salvador Dalí, Brigitte Bardot, Zinédine Zidane and Laetitia Casta have all come here to be photographed. 10 rue Jean-goujon (8th). m° champs-Élysées clemenceau. tel: 01 42 56 67 67. visit with commentary, res. necessary. www.studio-harcourt.eu

Musée Jacquemart-andré

nélie Jacquemart was commissioned to paint the portrait of Édouard André, the heir of a banking family. They were to remain inseparable and devoted their fortune to the collection exhibited in their mansion, built in 1875. The magnificent reception rooms, winter garden and private apartments are decorated with Louis XV and Louis XVi furniture, paintings by Boucher, Chardin and fragonard and treasures of the italian Renaissance. The smoking room is English with Hoppner, Lawrence and Reynolds. The flemish and Dutch masters of the 17th century, led by Rembrandt, are displayed in the library. 158 bd Haussmann (8th). m° miromesnil. tel: 01 45 62 11 59. Daily: 10am-6pm. €12 – rr: €10. Under 7s: free. www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com

Palais-Bourbon The Palais Bourbon, which has housed the Assemblée nationale (the lower house of the french parliament), was built in 1726 for Louise-françoise, daughter of Louis XiV and Madame de Montespan, the widow of the Duc de Bourbon.

musée des arts décoratifs

PMP

A stroll through the nave and galleries is a wonderful experience. The setting is all whiteness and airy spaces with calligraphy quotations in red on the walls. The riches of the Medieval and Renaissance periods embellish the residence and testify to its grandeur. from Henri iV to Louis XVi, it is pure magnificence. Ebony and rosewood, classical ideals, useful objects and philosophy all contribute to the rich pomp of the salons. Bourgeois splendor triumphs in the 19th century. Then come the sinuous curves of art nouveau, the geometry of art deco, and the industrial logic and functionalism of the 1950s, before plastic and anti-conformism give way to individualism and the desire for an understated, natural comfort.

musée de la Publicité

PMP

The collection of posters (some of which date from the 18th century), and press, film, and radio advertisements showcase advertising in all its forms, including a retrospective of Chinese posters, a tribute to the pioneers of the advertisement, displays of logos, the power of images from Man Ray to Jean-Paul Goude, the epic story of the ‘nantais’ biscuit and a Senegalese soldier on a box of cocoa. These works cannot be on permanent display due to their fragile nature and are thus presented in temporary exhibitions only. However the multimedia library is open to everyone. musée de la mode et du textile

33 quai d’orsay (7th). m° assemblée nationale. tel: 01 40 63 56 00. reservations recommended. Proof of identity essential. Free. www.assemblee-nationale.fr

les arts décoratifs This institute pursues the objectives it was given at the outset, ‘to promote what is both beautiful and useful’ and groups together the Musée nissim-de-Camondo and the Musées des Arts décoratifs, de la Publicité, de la Mode et du Textile. 107 rue de rivoli (1st). m° Palais royal musée du Louvre. tel: 01 44 55 57 50. tues to sun: 11am-6pm. thurs: open until 9pm. €9.50 – €8. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr

PMP

Silks, embroidery, printed fabrics, lace, tapestry – 31,000 pieces in total – present the history of textiles from the 14th century onwards. fashion is showcased with a collection of outfits and accessories from the 17th century to creations by Balmain, Chanel, Courrèges, Dior, Lanvin, Lacroix, Poiret, Saint Laurent, etc. These works cannot be on permanent display due to their fragile nature and so appear in temporary exhibitions only. musée nissim-de-camondo

PMP

in the first decade of the twentieth century, the banker Moïse de Camondo, a passionate collector of 18th-century decorative arts, had a magnificent mansion built on the edge of Parc Monceau, inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles but equipped with all modern comforts. in his wood-panelled apartments,

63 rue de monceau (8th). m° villiers. tel: 01 53 89 06 50. Wed to sun: 10am-5.30pm. closed mon and tues. €7.50 – €5.50. 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr

chapelle expiatoire

av. Franklin-D.-roosevelt (8th). m° champs-Élysées - clemenceau. tues to sat: 9.30am-6pm. sun and some public hols: 10am-7pm. mon, 1 Jan, 1 may, 14 Jul, 22 Jul and 25 Dec: closed. €9 – rr: €6. Planetarium: (over 6s): €3 supplement. www.palais-decouverte.fr

MYtHical PARiS

he artfully displayed his collection. from the blue salon to porcelain collections, he takes us from Versailles to the table of Catherine ii of Russia. in 1936, the mansion became a museum. A wonderful opportunity to visit an exceptionally refined family residence.

PMP

Musée cernuschi

Guillotined in 1793, Louis XVi and Marie-Antoinette were hastily buried in the Madeleine cemetery, on the actual site of square Louis XVi. During the Restoration, their remains were exhumed and transferred to the Basilique de Saint-Denis. Louis XViii erected a funerary chapel, completed in 1826, on the site of their first tomb. Laid out as a Greek cross, it is decorated inside with angels, fleurs-de-lis, an altar in white marble, and a sculpture of Marie-Antoinette soutenue par la Religion, by Cortot. 29 rue Pasquier (8th). m° saint-Lazare. tel: 01 43 28 15 48. contact for opening times. €5.50 – rr: €4. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU and 1st sun of the month (from nov to may): free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

Philanthropic financier and aesthete traveller, Henri Cernuschi (1821-1896) bequeathed the works of art he had collected on his long travels together with his mansion, at the edge of Parc Monceau to the City. Rooted in the art and archaeology of ancient China, from the neolithic period to the 13th century, the museum gives centre stage to a huge bronze Buddha. Around this sage meditating opposite a bay window inundated with light, are jade necklaces, ceramics and much more. 7 av. velasquez (8th). m° villiers. tel: 01 53 96 21 50. Daily: 10am-6pm, except mon, public hols, easter sun and Whit sun. Permanent collections free. www.cernuschi.paris.fr

Parc Monceau

Palais de la découverte How does a light bulb light up? Do animals speak? What is out there in space? To answer these questions, scientist-mediators carry out spectacular experiments before the public on four themes (the Earth and the Universe, matter and energy, mathematics, and living things), which provide the focus for the permanent and temporary exhibitions. And the planetarium is an invitation to travel through the universe.

This 18th-century Anglo-Chinese ‘folly’ was one of the first irregular gardens designed like a cabinet of outdoor curiosities. Amongst the lawns and play areas, there remain some extravagances: the mock antique ruins surrounding the ornamental pond, a little bridge, a grotto, rocks and even an Egyptian tomb covered with moss! The last folly of note was the capture of a wolf, in 1972. 8th. m° monceau.

• Viaduc des arts (12th) • Place d’italie (13th) • Bercy (12th), tolbiac (13th) • Bois de Vincennes (12th)

PARiS

UnDiscoVereD

the south-east of Paris is undergoing a renaissance. the disused former railway line has been landscaped, and benches and skater ramps installed. the futuristic portico of the Ministry of finance straddles the quay and is reflected in the water. artistic creation and rehearsals take place at the frigos, the former Paris-ivry refrigerator station. the tramway is back in service. the diderot university is open to students on the site of the former grands Moulins flour mills. a shopping centre now flourishes on the paving stones of abandoned covered markets, and pagodas dot 1970s tower blocks. you won’t believe your eyes! flowering palisades, workers’ housing blocks standing shoulder to shoulder with skyscrapers, organic vegetable gardens on the waste ground of warehouses that back on to smoked-glass offices. and to go from one side of the seine to the other, there are lush green tunnels, bridges of spindle-shaped steel, and an undulating footbridge between the four book-shaped towers of france’s national library – the Bibliothèque nationale de france – and the contemporary cinema … since the time of the medieval tanners on the banks of the river Bièvre, nothing has been lost, everything has metamorphosed!

ReuillyDiderot

Quai de la Rapée

Jussieu

Gare d’Austerlitz

Place Monge

Gare de Lyon

Montgallet

Censier Daubenton

PARC ZOOLOGIQUE DE PARIS

Bercy

St-Marcel

PALAIS OMNISPORT DE PARIS-BERCY

Quai de la Gare

MUSÉE DE L’HISTOIRE DE l’IMMIGRATION

Gobelins

AQUARIUM TROPICAL

CampoFormio Chevaleret

Nationale

Cour St-Émilion

Bibliothèque Fr. Mitterrand

Place d’Italie

Place d’Italie (lines 5, 6 ,7) • Gobelins (line 7) • Gare de Lyon (lines 1, 14) • Cour Saint-Émilion (line 14) • Bercy (lines 6, 14)

Don’t Miss Parc zoologique de Paris The new zoo was designed with animal well-being, the preservation of endangered species and biodiversity conservation in mind. Discover the five biozones and a whole host of wonderful animals: lemurs, Grevy’s zebras, giraffes, wolves, lions, wolverines, manatees, etc.

intersection of avenue Daumesnil and the route de la ceinture du Lac (12th). m° Porte Dorée. tel: 01 40 79 56 01. mid-oct to mid-mar: 10am-5pm. mid-mar to mid-oct: 10am-6pm (wk), 9.30am-7.30pm (w/e, public hols and school hols). €22. 3-11 yrs: €14. Under 3s: free. www.parczoologiquedeparis.fr

Bois de Vincennes

995 hectares of trees, lakes, islands and grass! This royal hunting ground, now Paris’s largest green space, is crisscrossed with 32 km of car-free roads, some 20 km of cycle paths and a similar number of bridle paths. And what’s more, the wood also has a zoo, a race track, an ornithological reserve, a theatre, a Buddhist temple, and more.

Parc floral de Paris city of Paris botanical garden

in summertime, jazz and classical music concerts fill the air of the park, with its little vales, water features, patios, pine wood, cedars and beeches. in the orchard, the Jardin insolite cultivates exotic species and vegetables from the past, while the hothouses of the Butterfly garden are mostly home to cocoons and chrysalises. Don’t miss the Dahlia garden, the Valley of flowers, etc.

12th. m° Porte Dorée.

did you know?

This working organic farm enables young city-dwellers to explore country life through the seasons. La Ferme de Paris. route du Pesage (12th). www.paris.fr

esplanade du château (12th). m° château de vincennes. tel: 01 43 28 41 59. sept to June: free. June to sept, Wed, sat and sun: €5.50 – rr: €2.75. www.paris.fr

UnDiscoVereD PARiS

château de Vincennes PMP

The Capetian kings established their hunting manor in the surrounding forest in the 12th century. Two centuries went by, Charles V had a keep built here along with ramparts and a Holy Chapel. in the 17th century, Louis Xiii grew up here and Louis XiV stayed here. Half fortified castle, half classic palace, it is a wonderful ensemble! av. de Paris. vincennes. m° château de vincennes. tel: 01 43 28 15 48. 21 may to 22 sept: 10am-6pm. 23 sept to 20 may: 10am-5pm. Daily, except 1 Jan, 1 may, 1 and 11 nov and 25 Dec. €8.50 – rr: €5.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU and 1st sun of the month (nov to mar): free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

Viaduc des arts and promenade plantée The walk begins in mid-air, on avenue Daumesnil. A staircase leads up to the viaduct of a former railway line. Brick mansions

arts anD crafts over 50 craft workers and designers have their ateliers under the vaults of the viaduc des arts. Wood, leather, copper, bark, thread, gouache, marble, moss, straw, clay, paper, pigments, and glass … are transformed before your eyes. 1 to 129 av. Daumesnil (12th). M° Ledru-Rollin – Gare-de-Lyon. Tel: 01 44 75 80 66. www.viaducdesarts.fr

eventually give way to the former residence of the Merovingian kings, now the Jardin de Reuilly, with its half-moonshaped lawn. A footbridge, a tunnel, and that just about sums up this stretch of greenery that was once Paris’s circular railway line. in total, 4.5 km of pure delight. 12th. m° bastille.

DiscoVer la Butte-aux-cailles

This churchless village, which witnessed popular uprisings in 1871, owes its name to a certain Monsieur Caille, who planted vines here around 1540. Although the libertarian spirit has disappeared with time, good humour remains among the little houses with flowers, and the small, cobbled alleyways such as the rues de l’Espérance, des Cinq-Diamants, and de la Butte-auxCailles. Discover its small and co-op run cafes with walls tattooed with poetic Miss.Tic stencils. 74

Bercy Village

Like the neighbouring Bercy Park, the village is reserved for pedestrians. Themed restaurants, cinema, shops for good wine and good living, Zen culture for the mind and body occupy these former 19th-century wine storehouses with their pointed roofs and stonework.

cour saint-Émilion (12th). m° cour saint-Émilion. tel: 0 825 166 075 (€0.15/min). Daily: 11am-9pm. restaurants: 11am to 2 in the morning. www.bercyvillage.com

did you know?

This village is 6,500-yearsold! in 1990, the building site for the renovation of the storehouses and creation of the park unearthed three piogues and artefacts from the neolithic period.

Manufacture nationale des Gobelins, de Beauvais et de la savonnerie Around 1440, Jean Gobelin, a ‘scarlet dyer’ came to live on the banks of the River Bièvre. Later in 1667, Colbert grouped together tapestry, ebony, gold and silversmith workshops to form the Manufacture Royale des Meubles de la Couronne. At the rate of 1 m2 of tapestry per year and using the high warp technique, tapestry-making goes on with respect for this traditional art. 42 av. des gobelins (13th). m° gobelins. tel: 01 44 08 53 49. Daily during temporary exhibition periods: 11am-6pm. closed: mon, 25 Dec, 1 Jan and 1 may. €6 – rr: €4. Free: 1st sun of the month. www.mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr

cHinatoWn in Paris

UnDiscoVereD PARiS

cinémathèque française – musée du cinéma PMP optical instruments, cameras, magic lanterns, legendary costumes, posters, documents from film shoots and cult objects all make up the collection of this museum. film buffs will find the greatest names in cinema including Charlie Chaplin, fritz Lang, Buñuel and Alfred Hitchcock. 51 rue de bercy (12th). m° bercy. tel: 01 71 19 33 33. mon to sat: 12-noon to 7pm. sun: 10am-8pm. tues, 1 Jan, 1 may, 25 Dec: closed. €5 – rr: €4. Under 12s: €2.50. www.cinematheque.fr

Bibliothèque nationale de france – site françois-Mitterrand once upon a time, there were four towers in the shape of open books, dominating the Seine on a wooden square and set around a garden. Since 1996, they have been the repository for books while the Haut-de-jardin and Rez-de-jardin levels devote their reading rooms – red carpet, steel and natural wood – to all fields of knowledge, printed material as well as multimedia and many fine exhibitions. Quai François-mauriac (13th). m° bibliothèque François mitterrand. tel: 01 53 79 49 49. guided tours: tues to Fri, 2.30pm; sat and sun, 3pm. €3. www.bnf.fr

les frigos A city of artists. This is the name given by its tenants to the former Paris-ivry refrigeration station built in 1921. An industrial wasteland, due to be demolished, it was transformed into workshops for artists as part of the Paris Rive Gauche project. Contact for information and then go and visit them!

19 rue des Frigos (13th). m° bibliothèque François mitterrand. www.les-frigos.com

les Pavillons de Bercy This site boasts one of the world’s biggest collections of merry-go-rounds, fairground stalls and attractions, which have been completely restored and are now fully functioning. Visitors in small groups can

neon lights flash in chinese ideograms. even Uncle sam’s fast food restaurant has a pagoda roof! below the tower blocks on the olympiades paved area, you’ll find guavas, silk tunics, tonkinese soups and karaoke DvDs in the shopping arcades. and here, new Year is celebrated a good month after 1 January! since the 1970s, dragon dances, kites, gongs and flowers have been parading in the triangle of avenue d’ivry, avenue de choisy and boulevard massena, which form the heart of this asian quarter in the 13th arrondissement.

discover the Musée des Arts forains, the Théâtre du Merveilleux, the Salons Vénitiens or the Théâtre de Verdure. Quite simply magical! 53 av. des terroirs de France (12th). m° cour saint-Émilion. tel: 01 43 40 16 22. guided visits by appointment only. www.pavillons-de-bercy.com

Palais de la Porte Dorée – Musée de l’histoire de l’immigration – aquarium tropical The Palais de la Porte Dorée, a listed building, was built for the 1931 international Exposition Coloniale. A symbol of art deco style, it houses a tropical aquarium with clown fish, turtles, crocodiles, rockfish and piranhas … The Musée de l’histoire de l’immigration shows the role played by immigrants in the economic development, social changes and the cultural life of the country. The permanent exhibition Repères allows visitors to discover accounts and personal stories of immigrants, video or film excerpts, ancient and contemporary works of art. 293 av. Daumesnil (12th). m° Porte Dorée. tel: 01 53 59 58 60. tues to Fri: 10am-5.30pm. sat and sun: 10am-7pm. mon, 1 may, 25 Dec and 1 Jan: closed. aquarium: €5/7 – rr: €3.50/5. museum: €6/4.50. Under 26s and 1st sun of the month: free. www.palais-portedoree.fr

sUrroUnDinG area there are plenty of ideas for places to go in the Val-de-Marne area. its proximity to Paris means you can easily spend a day exploring museums and losing all sense of time in wonderful gardens …

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The garden devised by Jules Gravereaux and landscaped by Édouard André in 1899 boasts 3,177 varieties of old roses. A work of art that has received the label of Remarkable Garden and been included in the list of historical monuments.

rue albert-Watel. 94240 L’Haÿ-les-roses. m° Porte d’italie, then bus 184. tel: 01 43 99 82 80 (local council parks and gardens department). From 6 may to 21 sept 2014: 10am-8pm. €3 – rr: €1.50. Under 5s: free. guided visits: sun at 2.30pm (additional admission fee €0.75). www.roseraieduvaldemarne.fr 2 Musée fragonard de l’École Vétérinaire de Maisons-alfort

Situated in the park of the prestigious École nationale Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort, this cabinet of curiosities presents a unique collection devoted to pet animals: skeletons, moulds, natural anomalies and the famous Écorchés of Honoré fragonard (1732-1799). 7 av. du général-de-gaulle. 94700 maisons-alfort. m° École vétérinaire de maisons-alfort. tel: 01 43 96 71 72. Wed, thurs, sat and sun: 2-6pm. €7 with audioguide. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU: free. http://musee.vet-alfort.fr/ 3

the Marne river bends

There is nothing like a trip along the river for discovering the exceptional natural beauty of the Marne riverbanks. The guinguette (open-air cafes with dancing) – synonymous with local popular culture and merriment, and Sundays at the water’s edge during the belle époque – combine well with water sports activities for nature enthusiasts. 76

exploradôme

A museum for exploring the sciences, multimedia and sustainable development and where it is prohibited … not to touch! You can start a tornado, stick your shadow to the wall, etc.

18 av. Henri-barbusse. 94400 vitry-sur-seine. m° villejuif - Louis aragon, then bus 172. tel: 01 43 91 16 20. contact for opening times. €6 – rr: €4.50. Depending on availability: workshop, €7; workshop and visit: €9. www.exploradome.com

Mac/Val

This amazing museum of contemporary art boasts a rich collection of over 2,000 artworks that presents the art scene in france from the 1950s to the present. it is also a vibrant arts venue with exhibition spaces, a cinema, a documentation centre and art workshops.

Place de la Libération. 94400 vitry-sur-seine. m° Porte de choisy, then bus 183. tel: 01 43 91 64 20. tues to Fri:10am-6pm. sat, sun and public hols: 12pm-7pm. closed: mon, 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. €5 – rr: €2.50. Under 26s, students, 1st sun of the month: free. www.macval.fr 6

Marché international de rungis

The leading fresh-food market in the world, Rungis can be visited on the second friday of each month (except Aug), departing from the Place DenfertRochereau (Paris), at 4.30 in the morning.

1 rue de la tour. bP 316. 94152 rungis cedex. tel: 03 83 50 10 85. €80 (entrance fee, coach and brunch). www.visiterungis.com

contact Val-de-Marne Tourisme & Loisirs 16 rue Joséphine de beauharnais. 94500 champigny-sur-marne. tel: 01 55 09 16 20. cdt94@tourisme-valdemarne.com www.tourisme-valdemarne.com

• Canal saint-Martin (10th) • la Villette (19th) • Buttes-Chaumont (19th) • Belleville (20th)

PARiS

cosMoPolitan

taking flight from the end of rue des envierges, on the high terrace of Belleville Park, above Maison de l’air, you fly over four-storey Chinese restaurants, city gardens and a schoolboy’s huge blackboard on which the artist Ben has written that we shouldn’t trust in words. next stop, the saint-Martin Canal, where a blue barge passes through a green lock – it’s a lengthy process. on the ourcq, a rowing boat races a kayak, and a graffiti-covered van overtakes them on the quay. Call in at the Centquatre, rue d’aubervilliers, for a novel cultural adventure. next stop, a 3,000 m2 bamboo plantation, surrounded with lawned areas – you are in la Villette Park. Zigzagging your way through the Jardin des Voltiges then the Jardin des dunes and Vents, you’ll find pedal-driven windmills, weather vanes, kites … before you reach an enormous ball that reflects the clouds – the géode! a spatial odyssey on a giant screen – it definitely gives you an appetite. Choose your menu: mafé in Place sainte-Marthe and a technicolor film? a slam session, soup and kebabs at ‘Ménilmuche’? Curry, capoiera dances and ragga hip hop performances? Chilli with bird’s beak pepper and a theatre bar? tagine and a pop-electro concerto and more.

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The Centquatre makes art accessible to everyone thanks to a resolutely popular, contemporary and demanding programme of events. The venue is a lively one, with shops and spaces devoted to amateur artistic activities and children’s events. 5 rue curial (19th). m° riquet. tel: 01 53 35 50 00. tues to Fri: 12pm-7pm. sat and sun: 11am-7pm. closed: mon. www.104.fr

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Belleville (lines 2, 11) • Pyrénées (line 11) • Buttes-Chaumont (line 7 bis) • Botzaris (line 7 bis) PL. DE LA • Porte rde la Villette (lineRÉPUBLIQUE 7) • Porte de Pantin (lineMénilmontant 5) • Jaurès (lines 2, 5, 7 bis)

Sentier Réaumu

211 av. Jean-Jaurès (19th). m° Porte de la villette, Porte de Pantin. tel: 01 40 03 75 75. www.villette.com

Parc de la Villette cité des sciences et de l’industrie PMP

The park’s wide lawns crossed by the ourcq Canal and dotted with red pavilions are a popular place to play ball, read or enjoy the sounds of live percussion … in fine weather, people gather to picnic and enjoy open-air concerts and films. Scattered around the four corners of the perimeter: the Grande Halle,

Behind its steel and glass exterior, this futuristic giant, surrounded by water offers a multitude of activities that make science and technology fun and accessible. Permanent and temporary exhibitions, cités des enfants, planetarium, aquarium, 3-D cinema, workshops … it is difficult to fit everything in at one go! 30 av. corentin-cariou (19th). m° Porte de la villette.

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Château Rouge

individual reservations: 0 892 69 70 72 (€0.34/min). group reservations: 01 40 05 12 12. tues to sat: 10am-6pm. sun: 10am-7pm. 1 Jan, 1 may, 25 Dec and mon: closed. explora exhibitions: €9 – rr: €6. Under 6s: free. Planetarium (from 3 yrs): €3 supplement. www.cite-sciences.fr the cité des enfants

it offers two exhibitions (2-7 yrs and 5-12 yrs) in the form of interactive learning activities: building a house, playing with water … Even parents will love it! €9 – rr and over 2s: €6. www.cite-sciences.fr

cité de la musique – Musée de la musique PMP Situated in the south of the Parc de la Villette, the Cité de la musique provides the widest access to musical culture for all, with concerts, a museum, temporary exhibitions and educational activities and publications. The museum showcases a collection of almost 1,000 instruments and art objects from the 17th century to the present. 221 av. Jean-Jaurès (19th). m° Porte de Pantin. tel: 01 44 84 44 84. tues to sat: 12-noon-6pm. sun: 10am-6pm. €7 – exhibitions and permanent collections: €9. rr: contact for information. Under 26s: free entry to the permanent collection. www.citedelamusique.fr

Belleville the argonaute

A real 1950s naval submarine. tues to sat: 10am-5.30pm. sun: 10am-6.30pm. €3. From 3 yrs. audio guide visits. www.cite-sciences.fr the géode

Another way of experiencing cinema on this giant hemispheric screen. 26 av. corentin-cariou (19th). m° Porte de la villette. €12 – rr: €9. Under 3s: not allowed. www.lageode.fr

in the beginning there were the sources, hence the names of the streets rue de la Mare (pond), rue des Rigoles (rivulets), and wine fresh from the vines, called piquette (cheap local wine). in 1730, the Grand-Rue of the village (rues de Belleville and du faubourg-du-Temple) were paved. Carousing took place under shady trees. from cheap eating houses to popular dance halls, every carnival was rounded off with an extravagant parade down the Courtille. in the 19th century, people of modest means flooded into the factories: misery

and workers movements went hand-in-hand. The Armenians arrived in 1918, Greeks in 1920, German Jews in 1933, Spaniards in 1939 … in ‘Babelville’, the whole world mixes, except perhaps the blackbird and song thrush nesting in the heights of the park. saint-Martin canal

Extending over 4.5 km, of which two are underground, it has linked the Port de l’Arsenal to the La Villette canal basin since 1825. its course across working class areas, punctuated with locks, swing bridges, Venice-style footbridges, and lined with chestnut trees and squares, inspired Georges Simenon, Léo Malet and Marcel Carné in the film Hôtel du Nord. Yes! it was from the little iron bridge at the Grange-aux-Belles – Vinaigriers crossroads – reconstructed in the studio – that Arletty famously quipped to Louis Jouvet ‘Atmosphère…’. not surprising, serenading by the water and supper have become an institution here.

did you know?

from Port de l’Arsenal, as well as from Port de Solférino (below the orsay museum) to Parc de la Villette, or the other way round, cruises with a commentary will take you on a peaceful voyage through the 4th, 10th, 11th and 19th arrondissements.

Bassin de la Villette and ourcq canal Until the industrial decline of La Villette, after the Second World War, wood, coal, fodder, and sugar passed in transit along its long quaysides. Today, they are the location for attractive cinemas, pétanque players, cosy cafes to warm up in, benches in the fresh air looking on to the lapping water, fishermen, barge-theatres, a water sports centre in a reconverted 19th-century warehouse, etc. in the background you’ll hear the cries of gulls and the referee’s whistle.

Ménilmontant of all the Belleville hamlets this one is the most famous, with its rough wine and guingette dance halls that played host to Piaf, Chevalier, Trenet and others. The old songs can still be heard in its winding streets mixed with contemporary melodies: informal bars, groovy apéros, gypsy jazz or philosophical debates at the cafe, colourful bazaars and tropical stalls, trompe-l’oeil and artistic graffiti at the bend in rue des Cascades or on rue de l’Ermitage, rickety small houses and the red citadels of the affordable housing built in the 1920s.

cosMoPolitan PARiS

DiscoVer views across the horizon or down to the balletic black swans and moorhens below. 19th. m° Pyrénées, buttes-chaumont.

Manoir de Paris The first haunted house in france, the Manoir de Paris enables visitors to relive 17 Parisian urban legends (the Jardin des Tuileries skinner, the bloodthirsty patissier, the phantom of the opéra …) in the prestigious setting of a listed building that has been classified as a historical monument. Thrills guaranteed!

18 rue de Paradis (10th). m° gare de l’est. tel: 06 70 89 35 87. Fri: 6pm-10pm. sat and sun: 3pm-7pm. €25 – rr: €22.50. Under 16s: €18.50. www.lemanoirdeparis.fr

Quartier Jourdain

Quartier de la Mouzaïa

Also known as Haut-Belleville, the area around the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, built in the Gothic style in 1859, and a patisserie that’s almost as old, in rue du Jourdain, offers typical Parisian dishes and quiet walks past hidden courtyards and artists’ workshops opening onto flower gardens.

it is a working-class housing estate built between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century! Running down the side of the hill are some twenty pedestrianized little streets, with delightful ‘villas’ laid out in a star shape from rue de Mouzaïa and rue Michel-Hidalgo. Red brick dominates but each of the houses has its own character – a pink facade here, yellow tiles there, shutters with heart-shaped cut-outs, tidy yards and wild gardens. le Plateau – centre d’art contemporain

Parc des Buttes-chaumont in 1860, the buttes (little hills) of the mont chauve were still quarried for gypsum and blasted in the open air. Seven years later, on the orders of napoleon iii, the steepest and most picturesque of the landscaped parks was inaugurated. in the interval, titanic work was carried out using dynamite to terrace and reshape the landscape, creating waterfalls, a lake, a grotto with fake stalactites, and an island of rocks 30-metres-high, crowned with the fanciful little temple of Sibyls. from here, there are sweeping

immaculate walls display contemporary art for the public with exhibitions and an experimental space that presents the works of artists in residence in Paris. 50 metres away at 22, cours du 7e Art, the Antenne organizes contemporary creation-related educational events. Place Hannah-arendt. corner of rue des alouettes and the rue de carducci (19th). m° buttes-chaumont. tel: 01 76 21 13 41. Wed to Fri: 2pm-7pm. sat, sun: 12-noon-8pm. Free (except events). www.fracidf-leplateau.com

sUrroUnDinG area

seine-saint-Denis

Just north-east of Paris the seine-saint-Denis area possesses many treasures. there is something for all tastes: sporting adventures, relaxing shopping, a full programme of artistic events, great outings with the family. take your pick!

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1 Basilique cathédrale de saint-Denis PMP

The basilica is a cradle of Gothic architecture. A royal abbey in the Middle Ages, it became the official burial place for Merovingian aristocrats, then Carolingian and Capetian kings. from its illustrious past, the basilica retains a unique ensemble of recumbent statues and more than 70 sculpted tombs, including those of Clovis, françois i and Catherine de Medicis, etc.

1 rue de la Légion-d’Honneur. 93200 saint-Denis. m° basilique de saint-Denis. tel: 01 48 09 83 54. From 1 apr to 30 sept: 10am-6.15pm. From 1 oct to 31 mar: 10am-5.15pm. closed: 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. €7.50 – rr: €4.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr 2

Musée de l’air et de l’espace

PMP

150 planes bring the history of aviation alive for you, from the epic adventures of Louis Blériot, or Saint-Exupéry to the high-tech Mirage and Ariane rockets. Climb aboard a Boeing 747 or Concorde. aéroport de Paris – Le bourget. 93350 Le bourget. rer b Le bourget. tel: 01 49 92 70 00. contact for opening times. closed: mon. Free (except exhibitions). www.museedelair.org

Puces de Paris-saint-ouen

The flea market brings together more than 1,700 second-hand and antique dealers spread over 14 markets and the surrounding streets, and attracts several million visitors each year for its inimitable atmosphere and the quality of its old furniture, faience, bronzes, records and other unusual objects for bargain hunters! m° Porte de clignancourt, garibaldi. tel: 01 40 12 32 58. sat: 9am-6pm. sun: 10am-6pm. mon: 11am-5pm.

cité du cinéma

Located in the former Saint-Denis power plant with its distinctive 1930s art deco style, the Cité brings together of all aspects of film-making, from script-writing to distribution, sets and shooting, etc.

20 rue ampère. 93210 saint-Denis. m° carrefour Pleyel. tel: 01 49 15 98 98. €15. visits upon res. on www.tourisme93.com 5

stade de france

The stadium boasts 6 hectares of roofing, 45 km of terraces and 9,000 m2 of turf, and hosts a round of sporting events, concerts and shows. A visit and museum trail recount all these great moments, the behind-the-scenes and public areas. 93216 saint-Denis-la-Plaine. m° saint-Denis Porte de Paris. tel: 0 892 700 900 (€0.34/min). 10am-6pm. tours daily, except during events (from 1 sept to 31 mar; closed: mon): 10am-5pm. access gate g. contact for times. €15 – rr: €10/€12. Under 5s: free. www.stadefrance.com

contact Seine-Saint-Denis Tourisme 140 av. Jean-Lolive. 93695 Pantin cedex. tel: 01 49 15 98 98. info@tourisme93.com www.tourisme93.com

• république (10th) • Bastille (11th) • oberkampf (11th) • Père-lachaise (20th)

Mix accordion, a musette waltz and the oompahpah-pahs of the firemen’s Ball. take a tightrope walker in midair from under the cupola of the Cirque d’hiver. throw in a sandwich and liqueurs from a pre-war cafe on rue de la Main-d’or, some shiny souvenirs of oldtime trades – boiler makers, scrap-metal merchants, and matchstick sellers – and that’s the first third.

PARiS

PeoPle’s

next, take a parade of demonstrators marching and chanting from the column at the Bastille to the statue with its Phrygian bonnet at république. incorporate several revolutions, powder and canons. finally, the last third: spice with a pinch of Brazil, lemon, cane sugar, Cap Vert, salsa and tapas, one after the other. sprinkle with showrooms and fashionable spots, soup stores, wi-fi, fruit juice, and make-up. season with plush sofas, silver dance floors, moleskin wall seats and the soft lighting of inner-rooms and glean some glam rock, jungle, disco remix, high-spirited dJs, and alternative labels. do not shake – the cocktail is self-activating!

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Don’t Miss Place de la Bastille

in the 14th century, an eighttowered fortress was built here to defend the royal city. However, the city quickly expanded and the Bastille lost its military role. it became a prison with dank, dark cells. Six hundred rioters, mostly from the faubourg Saint-Antoine, stormed it on 14 July 1789, and at the cost of one hundred deaths, they set free … six prisoners. The fortress was demolished soon afterwards, and the legend built. in the centre of the square, the Colonne de Juillet, crowned by a winged figure of Liberty, commemorates the revolutionary days of 1830 that also set alight this rebellious neighbourhood.

opéra Bastille opéra national de Paris inaugurated in Place Bastille on 14 July 1989, it has brought ballets and orchestras to the industrial East, to form the opéra national de Paris in tandem with the Palais Garnier. This imposing building by Carlos ott has a modern elegance about it: state-of-the-art acoustics and technology, integrated décor and costume workshops, etc. Performances or guided visits provide the perfect opportunity to marvel at the blue granite, pear wood from China, and 2,745 black velvet seats in the great auditorium, the Monde by niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely at the bottom of the central staircase.

Place de la république The square’s huge dimensions were drawn up in 1854, at the convergence of the new Haussmanian boulevards. its creation severed the boulevard du Temple from its most lively section, nicknamed the ‘boulevard of crime’ in reference to the melodramas played out in its many theatres. Among the allegories of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, a nine and a half metre-high bronze Marianne was erected at the centre of the square. Since its makeover in 2013, young and old have appropriated the new-look square as a place to have fun, relax and party.

Place de la bastille (12th). m° bastille. tel: 0 892 89 90 90 (€0.34/min). www.operadeparis.fr

PeoPle’s PARiS

République

cimetière du Père-lachaise This huge ‘city of the dead’ owes its name to Père de La Chaise, the confessor of Louis XiV, who lived on this hill. opened in 1804, the cemetery retained the little pathways, undulating topography, lime trees and chestnut trees of the former Jesuit domain. But that did not entice Parisian families to bury their dead in this disreputable area. it took the transfer of Héloïse and Abélard, and Molière and La fontaine in 1817 to reverse the trend. from then onwards, a fashionable craze was to transform it into a mossy hillside museum of funerary art.

Countesses, black cats, Gothic chapels and famous people – Apollinaire, Chopin, Colette, Éluard, Kardec (the father of Spiritism), Jim Morrison, Musset, Piaf, Proust, oscar Wilde … weave a thousand tales that will capture your imagination and set you dreaming.

did you know?

in May 1871, at the end of Bloody Week, the Communard rebels from working class areas, entrenched in the cemetery, launched their last offensive on Versaillais. The 147 survivors were shot onsite and thrown into a ditch. Around the federalists wall, several monuments – built with stones from the original walls – pay tribute to the victims of nazi concentration camps.

16 rue du repos (20th). m° Père Lachaise. Daily, except public hols.

DiscoVer areas for fashion and streets for partying around bastille in rue de Charonne and rue Keller, the shop windows of fashion designers vie with each other in colour: orange, turquoise blue, candy pink ... the neighbourhood is also a favourite of neo-punk Lolitas, fans of vintage, mangas and tattooing. At the end of the day, bars ring the bell for ‘happy hour’. Towards rue de la Roquette, there is a concentrated cocktail of Latino apéro bars, pulsing restaurants, lounge cafes and euphoric dance floors.

a few steps away from république The bustling crossroads of rue oberkampf and rue Saint-Maur, as well as rue Jean-Pierre-Timbaud, teem with big crowded bistros and bars with live music and with dancing. in this little area, you’ll find music and everything you could want to nibble, sip, whistle and mix right through the night.

Pavillon de l’arsenal

information, documentation and exhibition centre for urban design and architecture in Paris and Metropolitan Paris

The permanent exhibition Metropolitan Paris and its projects is a multimedia, bilingual display that’s also suitable for children. images, landmarks, interactive terminals, and a giant computerized model present the capital from the origins of the city to projects for the future. The decor on the first floor changes … three times a year! Under the aegis of architectural experts, the centre adapts completely to the theme exhibited. And as it is always a fine show, visitors enjoy prolonging their visit in the bookshop. 21 bd sully-morland (4th). m° sully - morland, bastille. tel: 01 42 76 33 97. tues to sat: 10.30am-6.30pm. sun: 11am-7pm. admission free. www.pavillon-arsenal.com

this has been a traditional area for woodworking crafts since the 15th century! Furniture shops are still scattered along rue du Faubourgsaint-antoine. in and around a maze of poetic names – the Étoile d’or and bel air courtyards, the alleyways of cheval blanc and bonne graine – lacquerers, gilders and upholsterers carry on traditional savoir faire. some of the workshops are now occupied by new professions under the old shop signs.

la Gaîté lyrique The Gaîté lyrique explores digital culture in all its forms: music, cinema, theatre, dance, the visual arts, design, etc., through a varied and eclectic programme of concerts, shows, film screenings and talks.

Sacred, diabolic, and refined, the history of smoking is recounted through short briar pipes, rustic snuff boxes, Chinese opium pipes, and posters by Mucha.

PeoPle’s PARiS

faUBoUrG saint-antoine

7 rue Pache (11th). m° voltaire. tel: 01 46 59 05 51. Daily: 12.30-7pm, except sun, 1 may, 8 may and 25 Dec. Free. www.museedufumeur.net

la Maison rouge – fondation antoine-de-Galbert Contemporary art collector Antoine de Galbert set up the headquarters of his foundation in a former factory. He named it maison (house) so people would feel at home. it offers three major monographic or thematic exhibitions each year, complemented with talks, a bookshop and a restaurant. 10 bd de la bastille (12th). m° bastille, gare de Lyon. tel: 01 40 01 08 81. Wed to sun: 11am-7pm. thurs: open until 9pm. 1 Jan, 1 may, 25 Dec: closed. €8 – rr: €50. Under 13s: free. www.lamaisonrouge.org

la Dalle aux chapiteaux

3 bis rue Papin (3rd). m° réaumur - sébastopol. Wed to sat: 2pm-8pm. sun: 12pm-6pm. tues: late night opening until 10pm. closed: mon. www.gaite-lyrique.net. see p. 97.

Marché d’aligre Already in the 18th century, the market supplied the faubourg Saint-Antoine with vegetables and pork products. it is one of the most lively and mouth-watering markets. The covered Beauveau market boasts regional products like tomatoes from Provence, beef from the Limousin, goats’ cheese from the Charolais, and much more. The surrounding outdoor market offers shellfish and seafood, exotic products, second-hand goods, light-hearted songs, and fruit and flowers at unbeatable prices at the end of the morning. rue d’aligre and place d’aligre (12th). m° Ledru-rollin. tues to Fri: 7.30am-1.30pm. sat and sun: 7.30am-2.30pm.

Musée du fumeur from the cigars of the Maya gods to peace pipes, from Dutch smoking dens to oriental hookas, the smoking museum presents a practice as old as mankind.

A short walk from the Jardin Serge Gainsbourg, the circus arts have moved into the Porte des Lilas, an area undergoing urban redevelopment. A circus school offers classes for adults and children and shows are also held here. Have a look at their programme!

Place du maquis du vercors (20th). m° Porte des Lilas. tel: 09 54 54 47 24. www.mairie20.paris.fr

la Maison des métallos

city of Paris cultural establishment

originally a musical instrument factory, then the headquarters of the CGT national federation of Metal Workers Unions, the Maison des métallos has been transformed into a venue dedicated to artistic practices dealing with social issues or topics. 94 rue Jean-Pierre-timbaud (11th). m° couronnes. tel: 01 47 00 25 20. €14 – rr: €10/€5. www.maisondesmetallos.org

Pavillon de l’ermitage The only Regency-style Parisian folly, built by the Duchess of orléans, the daughter of Louis XiV. 148 rue de bagnolet (20th). m° Porte de bagnolet. tel: 01 40 24 15 95. contact for opening times. €3 – rr: €2. www.pavillondelermitage.com

95 78

siGHtseeinG in

ÎLE-DE-FRAnCE

Paris

• seine-et-Marne (77) • yvelines (78) • essonne (91) • hauts-de-seine (92) • seine-saint-denis (93) • Val-de-Marne (94) • Val-d’oise (95)

tempted by an excursion? then leave Paris behind for a moment to visit the surrounding Île-de-france region. with nine royal towns, the Île-de-france is a land of chateaux – a tapestry of brick and slate titles, interlacing of stucco, intricate hedging and elaborate garden water features. whether historic or artistic, these trips are always a delight for the eyes. in the 19th century, steam trains offered painters luminous landscapes on the outskirts of Paris. follow them! renoir set up his easel at Chatou, Van gogh at auvers-sur-oise, and other no less-famous painters passed along the banks of the Marne. it is still a place for art. events and festivals, music, dance and theatre attract an ever larger public. and the region has something for everyone with theme parks and entertainment all year round.

siGHtseeinG in ÎLE-DE-FRAnCE

Don’t Miss château de Versailles +

PMP

This symbol of the absolute power and glory of Louis XiV was nothing more than a ‘modest hunting lodge’ built for Louis Xiii, until Louis XiV had it renovated in 1661 by his architect Le Vau. Still not sufficiently grand, the Sun King commissioned further extensions and embellishments, notably the Grand Appartement du Roi, and the fabulous Hall of Mirrors. The Queen’s Bedroom can be seen just as Marie-Antoinette left it in 1789. Visitors can also discover her ‘private estate’ – a haven of intimacy and simplicity compared to the baroque splendours of the chateau – and which includes the Théâtre and Hameau de la

Reine (a mock farm), the Petit Trianon, the dairy, an English garden, and more. The inventory of the chateau’s treasures is innumerable, and extends to the french-style gardens designed by Le nôtre and the Grand Trianon built for Madame de Maintenon. rP 834. 78000 versailles. tel: 01 30 83 78 00. Daily except mon, 1 Jan, 1 may, 25 Dec and official ceremonies. 1 apr to 31 oct: 9am-6.30pm. 1 nov to 31 mar: 9am-5.30pm. two-day pass: chateau and park and gardens: €25 in high and low seasons. €30 during the grandes eaux musicales or Jardins musicaux days in high season. chateau: €15 – rr: €13 (including access to temporary exhibitions). Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU: free. marie-antoinette’s estate and châteaux de trianon: €10 – rr: €6. www.chateauversailles.fr

did you know?

A visit to Versailles is more than just a visit to the chateau … Special events and shows are also on the agenda: Grandes Eaux Musicales, Grandes Eaux nocturnes, contemporary art exhibitions … not forgetting the Bartabas Equestrian Show Academy! château de fontainebleau

PMP

fond of hunting here, the kings of france built a manor house, which was embellished by thirty-four successive kings over eight centuries, to become the grandiose Château de fontainebleau in the midst of a huge forest. Between the Cour d’Honneur and the Jardin de Diane, one goes from Renaissance rooms to the apartment of napoleon i, from state apartments to the Chinese 89

museum of the Empress Eugénie. ornately decorated and boasting exceptional pieces of furniture, the Château de fontainebleau is today one of the few french chateaux to be entirely furnished. 77300 Fontainebleau. tel: 01 60 71 50 70. Daily, except tues, 1 Jan, 1 may and 25 Dec. apr to sept: 9.30am-6pm. oct to mar: 9.30am-5pm. €11 – rr: €9. www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr

Disneyland® Paris + Share magical moments and family fun at this park where Disney works its magic all year round to give unforgettable memories. Two Disney parks® offer more than 50 rides and attractions in imaginary worlds, together with shows and parades for endless entertainment. With the lively Disney Village® full of shops and restaurants, and the PanoraMagique air balloon for discovering the park and its surroundings from the sky, Disneyland® Paris is pure delight. 77777 marne-la-vallée. rer a marne-la-vallée - chessy. tel: 0 825 305 300 (0.15 €/min). Daily. www.disneylandparis.com Parisinfo.com

ballon Panoramagique 77777 marne-la-vallée. tel: 01 60 45 70 52. 1 apr to 31 oct: 9am-11pm. 1 nov to 31 mar: 10am-8pm. €12. 3-11 yrs: €6. Under 3s: free. www.panoramagique.com

Disneyland Paris express Disneyland Paris Express transports you to the very heart of magical Disneyland® Paris for a very reasonable price. Travel on board an air-conditioned coach from the Gare du nord, opéra, Madeleine or Châtelet and benefit from a fast-pass ticket allowing entry to the park(s).

tel: 0 826 285 500 (€0.15/min) 1 park: €87 – rr: €77. 2 parks: €94 – rr: €84. www.disneylandparis-express.com

château d’auvers-sur-oise

Just 30 minutes from Paris, the multimedia tour at the Château d’Auvers ‘Voyage au temps des impressionnistes’ takes you on the trail of the great impressionist painters, who marked the history of this village: Daubigny, Pissarro, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh. rue de Léry. 95430 auvers-sur-oise. tel: 01 34 48 48 48. tues to sun. 1 apr to 30 sept: 10.30am-6pm. 1 oct to 31 mar: 10.30am-4.30pm. €14. 6-18 yrs: €9.90. Under 6s: free. www.chateau-auvers.fr

did you know?

in the oise, less than one hour from Paris, the Chantilly estate with its chateau, Musée Condé, park, gardens, grand Stables – home to the Musée vivant du cheval (Horse museum), etc. is open to the public and is one of the jewels of french heritage. Domaine de chantilly PMP tel: 03 44 27 31 80. Daily, except tues. www.domainedechantilly.com

château de Vaux-le-Vicomte Vaux-le-Vicomte is the creation of three men commissioned by nicolas fouquet, financial advisor to Louis XiV: landscape gardener Le nôtre, architect Le Vau and painter and sculptor Le Brun. immediatly after its inauguration, Vaux-le-Vicomte aroused the envy of the Sun King and became an architectural model of influence throughout Europe. for a truly memorable experience, take the candlelit visit on Saturday evenings from May to october! 77950 maincy. tel: 01 64 14 41 90. Daily: From 9 mar to 11 nov, every w/e in Dec and from 21 Dec to 5 Jan 2014. closed: 25 Dec and 1 Jan. €16.50 – rr: €13.50. candlelit visit: €19.50 – rr: €17.50. Under 6s: free. garden: €8. shuttle service from Paris and melun. www.vaux-le-vicomte.com

DiscoVer Villa savoye

PMP

This villa revolutionized the traditional conception of a house. White and smooth on a green lawn, it applies the main principles of Le Corbusier: free-standing pillars, roof garden, free facade, and long windows. 82 rue de villiers. 78300 Poissy. tel: 01 39 65 01 06. Daily except mon, 1 may, 1 nov, 11 nov, 25 Dec to 1 Jan. From 1 mar to 30 apr, from 1 sept to 31 oct: 10am-5pm. From 2 may to 31 aug: 10am-6pm. From 2 nov to 28 Feb: 10am-1pm and 2-5pm. €7.50 – rr: €4.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU: free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

Domaine de chamarande invited each year to the (17th century) chateau and its 98-hectare landscaped park, contemporary creation is revealed in all its forms, with exhibitions, dance, music and more. 38 rue du commandant-maurice-arnoux. 91730 chamarande. tel: 01 60 82 52 01. Free. www.chamarande.essonne.fr

Medieval city of Provins Visitors come here to admire the ramparts of the medieval city, the former capital of the counts of Champagne and a market town, which is today a Unesco world heritage site. one goes away dazzled by the falconry and cavalry demonstrations and by the fantastic battles between knights. office de tourisme de Provins. tel: 01 64 60 26 26. www.provins.net

château de Maisons

PMP

Listed since 1914, this chateau, built by the architect françois Mansart between 1632 and 1646, is a model of the french style of architecture: magnificent facades, elegant proportions, high chimneys, etc. in 1777, the Comte d’Artois – brother of Louis XVi – became the owner of the estate. After the Revolution, the chateau was sold and bought many times before being purchased by the State in 1905 to save it from demolition. 2 av. carnot. 78600 maisons-Laffitte. tel: 01 39 62 01 49. From 16 may to 14 sept: 10am-12.30pm and 2-6pm. From 15 sept to 15 may: 10am-12.30pm and 2-5pm.

Daily, except tues, 1 Jan, 1 may, 1 and 11 nov and 25 Dec. €7.50 – rr: €4.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU and 1st sun of the month (nov to may): free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

château de champs-sur-Marne

PMP

it regularly plays host to the shooting of period films. This example of classic architecture boasts refined interiors: rocaille decor, fine furniture, as well as, painted wooden panelling by Christophe Huet – the painter of animals admired by the marquise de Pompadour. The french-style formal gardens are wonderful. Domaine national de champs-sur-marne. 31 rue de Paris. 77420 champs-sur-marne. tel: 01 60 05 24 43. opening hours: contact for information. €7.50 – rr: €4.50. Free admission to park. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

château de rambouillet

PMP

Situated in the middle of a wonderful estate of woodland, water features, islands and gardens, the Château de Rambouillet was originally a royal residence, before attracting several french presidents who organized hunting parties here or summer holidays. françois i, who loved to hunt died here, Louis Xiii, like Louis XV and Louis XVi (and many others …) commissioned major work here. for example, the Queen’s Dairy – under Louis XVi for Marie-Antoinette – the Ermitage or the Shell Cottage.

78120 rambouillet. tel: 01 34 83 00 25. From 1 apr to 30 sept: 9.50am-12-noon and 1.50-6pm. From 1 oct to 31 mar: 9.50am-12-noon and 1.50-5pm. Daily, except tues, 1 Jan, 1 may, 1 and 11 nov, and 25 Dec. €8.50 – rr: €5.50. Under 18s, 18-25 yrs eU, and 1st sun of the month (nov to may): free. www.monuments-nationaux.fr

For half-day sightseeing-trips outside Paris – in the Hauts de-seine, the val-de-marne or seine-saintDenis départements – see p.65, p.76 and p.82.

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tips and addresses for visiting Paris à la carte.

alonG tHe Water

cUltUre anD MUseUMs

Don’t miss the river Seine! There are lovely long walks along its banks. But even better is a boat trip on the water. for navigating the Seine and the picturesque canals in the north-east of Paris, you have a choice of vessels: barges, panoramic boats, paddle boats, shuttle boats, small yachts and more. You also have a wide choice of tours: trips with commentaries translated into numerous languages to ensure you learn everything about the history of the french capital, lunch cruises or even a candlelight dinner cruise and for those who are not keen ‘sailors’, there are some thirty or so boats and barges transformed into cafes, restaurants, discos and entertainment venues. These floating establishments welcome the public aboard for exhibitions, theatre plays, concerts … and are a complete change of scene! check out our Visiting Paris and Paris Good Food guides and visit Parisinfo.com for more information.

Museums, good to know They open at 10am, close at 5pm or 6pm, and sometimes open late one evening each week. Most are closed on Monday or Tuesday, and on some public holidays. for guided visits, contact museums for information.

sHUttle Boat + batobus is a transport service on the seine with 8 stops (tour eiffel, musée d’orsay, saint-germain-des-Prés, notre-Dame, Jardin des Plantes, Hôtel de ville, Louvre, champs-Élysées). tel: 0 825 05 01 01 (€0.15/min). www.batobus.com. Daily, every 10 to 25 min depending on the season. 1-day ticket: €16; under 16s: €8. 2-consecutive-day ticket: €18; under 16s: €9.

city of Paris museums

Art, history, literature … the City of Paris presents the second most important collections after those of the State! 14 sites and museums belong to the Paris City Council: the Musées d’Art Moderne, Bourdelle, Carnavalet – histoire de Paris, Cernuschi – arts de l’Asie, Cognacq-Jay, Galliera – musée de la Mode, Vie Romantique, Zadkine, the house of Balzac, the Catacombes, the Crypte Archéologique du parvis de notre-Dame, the Mémorial du Maréchal Leclerc de Hauteclocque et de la Libération de Paris – the Musée Jean-Moulin, the Petit Palais – musée des BeauxArts and the house of Victor Hugo. n.B.: admission to these sites is free for everyone, except for temporary exhibitions, the Catacombes, the Crypte de notre-Dame, and Galliera – Musée de la mode. www.paris.fr national museums and monuments There are 37 national museums and monuments in Paris, the objective of which is to enrich national collections, welcome the public and organize temporary exhibitions. See ‘free’ opposite. see the complete list of national museums and monuments on Parisinfo.com, rubric ‘visit’.

Paris Museum Pass + This pass gives you free and unlimited access without having to queue to over 60 museums and monuments in Paris and the Paris region (except temporary exhibitions). Three different passes (2, 4 or 6 consecutive days for €42, €56 or €69) are on sale at the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, on Parisinfo.com, Book rubric, and at participating sites (www.parismuseumpass.fr). The places included in the pass are indicated in this guide by the pictogram PMP

oUtDoor citY life Public gardens, parks and woods from the small public gardens that dot each neighbourhood to the huge woods of Boulogne and Vincennes, one is never far from an area of greenery in Paris. Closed in the event of bad weather, parks have different opening hours which also vary according to the time of year. Some lawns are prohibited to the public, and intruders are whistled off the grass by park personnel!

choose your park: modern at André-Citroën, Bercy and Clichy-Batignolles (see p.45), romantic at Bagatelle (see p.62), Monceau (see p.71) and Montsouris (see p.52), the lively parc de la Villette (see p.79) and Parc floral de Paris (see p.73) …

other parks and gardens to discover: Jardins d’Éole – champions of ecology –, Luxembourg and Acclimatation, with their play areas for children (see p.50 and 61), Atlantique on the roof of the Montparnasse train station (see p.51), the busy les Halles (see p.33) or the tranquillity of Palais-Royal (see p.37), the Jardin des Plantes and its zoo (see p.25), the hothouses at Auteuil (see p.64), Trocadéro with its fountains (see p.55), etc.

aDDress BooK

free The permanent collections of national museums and monuments are free for young Europeans aged 18 to 25 as well for currently employed french teachers. The places concerned are indicated in this guide. Admission is free on the first Sunday of each month at national museums. And free all the time for under 18s, art history students, journalists and teachers (www.rmn.fr). on presentation of proof of status, reductions or free admission will be given to young people aged under 18, or under 26, students, disabled people, unemployed people, teachers, etc. Contact each site for details.

VÉliB’ or aUtoliB’? Why not take the plunge and get around like a Parisian? Depending on your whim, choose one of the 23,500 self-service bicycles available 24/7, provided by the Paris city council, and cycle through the city and its surrounding suburbs at your own pace. another option is to rent one of the self-service, fully-electric cars available in Paris and the 46 towns of the Île-de-France region. www.velib.paris.fr www.autolib.eu

Pedestrianized areas These traffic-free areas are great favourites with pedestrians. The main pedestrian thoroughfares are rues Daguerre (14th), de Lappe (9th), de Lévis (17th), Mouffetard (5th), Montorgueil (2nd) and cour SaintÉmilion (12th). Some areas are also closed to traffic on Sunday and public holidays (as part of the initiative ‘Paris respire’ – Paris breathes), neighbourhoods of the Sentier (2nd), Mouffetard (5th), Luxembourg (6th), la Roquette (11th), Montmartre (18th), rues des Martyrs (9th) and Poteau (18th).

Paris resPire (Paris ‘BreatHes’) the riverside expressways are closed to motor vehicles on sunday and public hols, from 9am to 5pm. Walkers have 11 different areas of Paris (including the bois de boulogne and vincennes), as well as the voie g.-Pompidou, from the entrance to the tunnel at the tuileries (1st) to the charles-de-gaulle bridge (12th), and from the entrance quai a.-France (7th) to the exit quai branly (7th). www.paris.fr

in the sky Paris and its surrounding areas can also be admired from a height! Experience a memorable moment aboard a helicopter, airship, air balloon, or the simulator of a Boeing 737. Admire the layout of the capital’s main avenues connecting its most beautiful monuments, the grey zinc roofs, the green spaces, the curve of the Seine ... the spectacle is a truly amazing one. And you’ll want to fly again over the chateaux in the Paris region, the Hurepoix region or the Chevreuse Valley. check out our Visiting Paris guide and visit Parisinfo.com for more information.

rollerBlaDinG triPs every week, free skating trips are organized in the capital. the rando-rollers on sunday is for families and beginners and starts from Place de la bastille at 2.30pm (www.rollers-coquillages.org). the Friday evening tour is more energetic and is for experienced skaters. Unless the weather is rainy, it starts at 10pm from Place raoul-Dautry, below the tour montparnasse, and returns around 1am in the morning (www.pari-roller.com).

Jardin d’acclimatation Bois de Boulogne (16th). See p.61. ménagerie du Jardin des plantes See p.25. Parc zoologique de Paris See p.73. on the outskirts of Paris aquarium sea Life Centre commercial international Val-d’Europe. 14 cours du Danube/Les Terrasses. 77700 Serris. RER A Val-d’Europe. Tel: 01 60 42 33 66. Daily: 10am-5.30pm. €17.50. Under 12s: €13.90. Under 3s: free. www.sealife.fr Discover the richness of marine life and the importance of protecting it. Disneyland Paris + See p.90.

in Paris

Évasion verte Parc floral de Paris. Esplanade du Château de Vincennes. Route du Champ de Manœuvres. M° Château de Vincennes. Tel: 06 21 69 81 77. from 2 to 30 Mar and 1 to 26 oct: Wed, Sat, Sun, school and public hols, 12pm-4pm. from 31 Mar to 30 Sept: Wed and school hols, 12pm5.30pm; Sat, Sun and public hols: 10am-5.30pm. from 27 oct to 30 nov: Wed, Sat, Sun, school and public hols, 12pm-2.30pm. €16 - RR: €10/€12/€14.50. www.evasion-verte.fr forest aerial adventure park.

aquaboulevard de Paris 4-6 rue Louis-Armand (15th). M° Balard. Tel: 01 40 60 10 00. Daily: 7am-1am. €22/€28. 3 to 11 yrs: €15. Under 3s: not allowed. www.aquaboulevard.fr Leisure pool with water slides, saunas, Jacuzzis … for children and adults.

L’Île de robinson 50 rue du Sergent Bobillot. 93200 Montreuil. M° Croix de Chavaux, Vincennes. Tel: 01 48 51 56 90. Wed: 10am-6pm. Sat and Sun: 10am-7pm/6pm. 4 to 12 yrs: €15 (3rd child +: €12). Under 4s: €7.50. Accompanying adult: €5. www.ilederobinson.com on the theme of holidays and escape, this indoor park offers adventure games and activities.

theme parks, zoos, aquariums

aquarium tropical Palais de la Porte-Dorée (12th). See p.75.

gaîté lyrique (La) 3 bis rue Papin (3rd). M° Reaumur - Sébastopol. www.gaite-lyrique.net See p.87.

Parisian niGHts

olympia 28 bd des Capucines (9th). M° opéra, Madeleine. Tel: 0 892 68 33 68 (€0.34/min). www.olympiahall.com

With 208 theatres and cafe-theatres, 3 opera houses, 120 show and concert halls, and the conservatories and venues of associations, Paris has a highly-charged agenda of shows and concerts, etc. All year round, artists from all over the world come to perform on legendary, intimist, alternative, permanent or improvised stages. There is something for everyone. revues and musicals, ballets, operas, one-man comedy shows, contemporary theatre and more. The music is also eclectic. international stars, rising stars or amateurs fill the stadiums, auditoriums … or tiny back-rooms of local bars, for classical or contemporary concerts. Young people also have their own programme. Circus, magic and puppet shows, theatre and stories for children can be found everywhere, especially during the school holidays.

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Parc astérix + 60128 Plailly. Tel: 0 826 46 66 26 (€0.15/min). June, July, Aug: daily. Apr, May, Sept, oct, nov, Dec: contact for information. €46 - 3 to 11 yrs: €37. Under 3s: free. www.parcasterix.fr An unusual mix of 32 attractions and fun shows with a humorously Gallic feel.

La bellevilloise 19-21 rue Boyer (20th). M° Gambetta, Ménilmontant. Tel: 01 46 36 07 07. www.labellevilloise.com

opéra bastille – opéra national de Paris Place de la Bastille (12th). M° Bastille. Tel: 0 892 89 90 90 (€0.34/min). www.operadeparis.fr See p.85. Palais garnier – opéra national de Paris + Place de l’opéra (9th). M° opéra. Tel: 0 892 89 90 90 (€0.34/min). www.operadeparis.fr See p.35. théâtre du châtelet 1 place du Chatelet (1st). Tel: 01 40 28 28 28. www.chatelet-theatre.com

show and theatre venues, and circuses cirque national alexis gruss Carrefour des Cascades. Porte de Passy (16th). M° Ranelagh. Tel: 01 45 01 71 26. www.alexis-gruss.com cité de la musique 221 av. Jean-Jaurès (19th). M° Porte de Pantin. Tel: 01 44 84 44 84. www.cite-musique.fr See p.80.

théâtre mogador 25 rue de Mogador (9th). M° Havre - Caumartin. Tel: 01 53 33 45 30. www.stage-entertainment.fr théâtre national de chaillot 1 place du Trocadéro (16th). Tel: 01 53 65 30 00. www.theatre-chaillot.fr théâtre de la ville 2 place du Châtelet (4th). M° Châtelet, Les Halles. Tel: 01 42 74 22 77. www.theatredelaville-paris.com

Zénith 211 av. Jean-Jaures (19th). M° Porte de Pantin. www.zenith-paris.com cabarets

Penthouse club 13-15 rue de Berri (8th). M° George V. Tel: 01 53 53 86 00. www.thepenthouseclubparis.com Zèbre de belleville (Le) 63 bd de Belleville (11th). M° Belleville. Tel: 01 43 55 55 55. www.lezebre.com Jazz

crazy Horse Paris (Le) + 12 av. George-V (8th). M° Alma - Marceau, George V. Rés : 01 47 23 32 32. www.lecrazyhorseparis.com Le Double Fond, le café-théâtre de la magie 1 pl du Marché Sainte-Catherine (4th). M° Saint-Paul. Tel: 01 42 71 40 20. www.doublefond.com Lido de Paris (Le) + 116 bis av. des Champs-Élysées (8th). M° George V. Tel: 01 40 76 56 10. www.lido.fr See p.68. moulin rouge (Le)® + 82 bd de Clichy (18th). M° Blanche. Tel: 01 53 09 82 82. www.moulinrouge.com See p.42. mugler Follies Le comédia 4 bd de Strasbourg (10th). M° Strasbourg Saint-Denis. Tel: 01 42 38 22 22. www.theatrecomedia.fr Paradis Latin (Le) + 28 rue du Cardinal Lemoine (5th). M° Cardinal Lemoine. Tel: 01 43 25 28 28. www.paradislatin.com See p.26.

caveau de la Huchette (Le) 5 rue de la Huchette (5th). M° Saint-Michel. Tel: 01 43 26 65 05. www.caveaudelahuchette.fr Duc des Lombards (Le) 42 rue des Lombards (1st). M° Châtelet. Tel: 01 42 33 22 88. www.ducdeslombards.com new morning (Le) 7-9 rue des Petites-Écuries (10th). M° Château d’Eau. Tel: 01 45 23 51 41. www.newmorning.com Petit Journal montparnasse (Le) 13 rue du Commandant-René-Mouchotte (14th). M° Montparnasse - Bienvenue. Tel: 01 43 21 56 70. www.petitjournalmontparnasse.com Petit Journal saint-michel (Le) 71 bd Saint-Michel (5th). M° Cluny - La Sorbonne. Tel: 01 43 26 28 59.

cultival 42 rue des Jeûneurs (2nd). M° Bourse. Tel: 0 825 05 44 05 (€0.15/min). www.cultival.fr idéal cabaret 132 av. de Villiers (17th). M° Pereire. Tel: 01 45 72 07 14. www.idealcabaret.fr Paris eventicket Tel: 0 811 720 604. www.pariseventicket.com Bars There are ‘lounge’ atmospheres and velvet settees, the lively irish pubs, bars of top hotels, live music performances and more. Except in the case of special dispensation, bars close at 2am in the morning. information at Parisinfo.com, going out rubric.

ParisniGHtlife.fr in Paris, the night belongs to those who go to bed late! Parisnightlife.fr, devised by the Paris city council in collaboration with the federation of cabarets and night clubs, is a unique bilingual (French-english) information resource about the Paris nightlife scene. it combines a map-guide – available at art, music and entertainment venues, the Paris convention and visitors bureau information centres, train stations, youth hostels, etc. – and an innovative website, www.parisnightlife.fr, offering multiple search criteria (dates, hours, arrondissement, type of music and public …) and a map of places and events for nightlife in the capital. everything you need to know about Parisian nightlife at your fingertips!

Discos

aDDress BooK

Programme and tickets Programmes of events are given in the general and cultural press, and by the Pariscope and the L’Officiel des spectacles. Tickets can be purchased at ticket desks at the venue on the day of the show, or, preferably, in advance. Tickets may also be purchased from specialist agencies, from the fnac or even on Parisinfo.com, Book rubric. The bimonthly Paris-Mômes (free supplement with the Libération newspaper) lists entertainment for children.

fans of house and techno, as well as tango, mambo and disco will find clubs for dancing from 11pm to dawn, in atmospheres that cover all the ranges: select, off-beat, musette, electric, tropical, etc. Many nightclubs organise theme nights, or afternoon dances that are sometimes free for ladies. A few addresses: arc Paris (L’) 12 rue de Presbourg (16th). M° Charles de Gaulle - Étoile. Tel: 01 45 00 78 70. www.larc-paris.com showcase Port des Champs-Élysées. Under the pont Alexandre iii. M° Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau. Tel: 01 45 26 04 58. www.showcase.fr bus Palladium 6 rue fontaine (9th). M° Blanche. Tel: 01 45 26 80 35. www.lebuspalladium.com machine du moulin rouge (La) 90 bd de Clichy (18th). M° Blanche. Tel: 01 53 41 88 89. www.lamachinedumoulinrouge.com Gay discos and bars Paris is an open and tolerant city, where everyone can be themselves. There is a vast number of gay or gay-friendly addresses, often situated around Châtelet, the Hôtel de Ville, and especially in the Marais district. information at Parisinfo.com, going out or Practical Paris rubric.

cinema Paris loves cinema and film shoots regularly take place in the streets and apartments of the capital. The capital has almost 110 cinemas. in addition to mainstream films, many cinemas screen art-house films, documentaries and films for children.

artistic creation You’ll find artistic design everywhere in Paris. not just in museums but in haute couture, design, jewellery, objects and works of art – all very much in the present. The capital of fashion is a breeding ground for young stylists. This avant-garde current runs through the area in and around Place des Victoires, Palais-Royal, and in the Marais. Discover contemporary creation at one of the seasonal fashion events (the Biennale de Paris, the festivals d’automne et Émergences, the fiac, the mois de la photographie, etc.). But also in galleries, specialist markets, museums of course, art foundations (la Maison rouge, les foundations EDf-electra, Cartier, etc.), cultural centres: Swedish (rue Payenne) or Swiss (rue des francs-Bourgeois), the institutes: du Monde Arabe (Place Mohammed-V), Goethe (avenue d’iéna), finnish (rue des Écoles) or Mexican (rue Vieille-du-Temple). And on a smaller scale, there are workshops, and alternative scenes like artists in residence as well as authorized squats, like the Point éphémère (quai de Valmy), the squat 59 Rivoli-Électrons libres (rue de Rivoli) or La Générale (rue du Général-Lassalle). see the Paris Shopping Book guide and visit Parisinfo.com for more information.

GettinG aroUnD Paris Visit card Paris Visite is a travel card, valid for 1, 2, 3 or 5 consecutive days, to visit Paris and its surrounding areas by metro, bus, RER and mainline trains as far as Disneyland® Paris, Versailles and airports (depending on the validity of the card). More than €100 worth of discounts and special offers. on sale in all metro/RER/mainline SnCf train stations, Paris airports and the PCVB. www.ratp.fr or Parisinfo.com Métro – rer The Paris metro system, operated by the RATP, is made up of 14 lines, each identified by a number, colour and start/end destinations. The RER (Réseau Express Régional), comprising lines A, B, C, D and E, serves Paris and the surrounding region. These trains link up with the urban metro network and certain SnCf lines. The ‘ticket t+’ (€1.70) allows you to make a journey by metro and bus and take certain connections within a time limit of 1hr30. Tickets can be purchased at RATP stations and certain tobacconists. outside zone 2, the RER is subject to a different pricing system. tel: 3246 (€0.34/min). www.ratp.fr Bus Bus lines are numbered and operate from 6.30am to 8.30pm (some until 12.30am or later). over 45 night buses ‘noctilien’ operate between 12.30 and 5.30am. tel: 3246 (€0.34/min). www.noctilien.fr tramway Paris and its inner suburbs are served by three tramlines: 1. Asnières-Gennevilliers-Les Courtilles – noisy-le-Sec RER. 2. Pont de Bezons – Porte de Versailles. 3a. Pont du Garigliano – Porte de Vincennes. 3b. Porte de Vincennes – Porte de la Chapelle. taxis Taxis can be picked up from the 470 taxi ranks at stations, airports and close to main roads. if the taxi’s green light is on, this indicates that the taxi is free to be hailed. Pick-up charge: €2.50. Minimum fare: €6.60. Additional charges: each extra adult as of the 4th person (€3); luggage: €1 as of the second item in the boot. taxis g7 – www.taxisg7.fr

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each monument, theme or place mentionned is listed alphabetically.

A Abbaye royale du Val-de-Grâce ................................26 Air et de l’Espace (musée de l’) ................................82 along the water ....................................................94 American Church (The) .............................................58 Another Paris – Le petit train bleu ............................26 Aquaboulevard de Paris ...........................................96 Aquarium Sea Life ...................................................96 Aquariums ...............................................................96 Arc de triomphe .......................................................67 Architecture et du patrimoine (cité de l’) ..................58 Arènes de Lutèce .....................................................26 Argonaute (The) .......................................................80 Armée (musée de l’) .................................................56 Arsenal (port de l’) ...................................................18 Art et d’histoire du judaïsme (musée d’) ...................32 Art moderne de la Ville de Paris (musée d’) ..............57 artistic creation .................................................100 Arts asiatiques – Guimet (musée national des) ...............................................57 Arts décoratifs (Les) ................................................70 Arts et Métiers (musée des) .....................................31 autolib’ .................................................................95

Baccarat (musée) ....................................................64 Balzac (maison de) ..................................................64 Ballon PanoraMagique .............................................90 Barbès (marché) ......................................................46 bars .......................................................................99 Bassin de la Villette ................................................81 Bastille ...................................................................85 Beaubourg ...............................................................30 Belleville .................................................................80 Bercy Village ...........................................................74 Berges de Seine .......................................................18 Bibliothèque nationale – site françois-Mitterrand ....75 Bibliothèque nationale – site Richelieu ....................38 Bois de Boulogne .....................................................61 Bois de Vincennes ...................................................73

Booksellers .............................................................17 Bourdelle (musée) ...................................................51 Bourse de Paris (palais Brongniart) ..........................38 Bridges of Paris .......................................................17 bus ......................................................................100 Butte-aux-Cailles (la) ..............................................74 Butte Montmartre ....................................................41

C cabarets ................................................................98 Cafes ......................................................................50 carnaval de Paris .................................................13 Carnavalet – histoire de Paris (musée) .....................31 Cartier-Bresson (fondation Henri-) ...........................50 Cartier pour l’Art contemporain (fondation) ...............50 Catacombes ............................................................53 Cenquatre (Le) .........................................................79 Cernuschi (musée) ...................................................71 Champ-de-Mars ......................................................55 Champs-Élysées ......................................................67 Chapelle expiatoire ..................................................71 Château d’Auvers-sur-oise .......................................90 Château de Champs-sur-Marne ................................92 Château de fontainebleau ........................................89 Château de Maisons ................................................92 Château de Malmaison (musée du) ..........................65 Château de Rambouillet ..........................................92 Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte ....................................90 Château de Versailles ..............................................89 Château de Vincennes .............................................74 Châtelet (théâtre du) ....................................... 31 – 97 Chinatown ...............................................................75 Choco-Story – Le musée gourmand du Chocolat .......37 christian Lacroix (exhibition) ..............................11 Cimetière de Montmartre .........................................42 Cimetière du Montparnasse .....................................52 Cimetière du Père-Lachaise .....................................86 cinema ................................................................100 cinéma au clair de lune .......................................10 Cinémathèque française – musée du Cinéma ...........75

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circuses ................................................................97 Cité de la musique ...................................................80 Cité du cinéma .........................................................82 Cité des enfants ......................................................80 Cité des sciences et de l’industrie ............................79 Cluny (musée de) – musée national du Moyen Âge...........................................................24 Cognacq-Jay (musée) ..............................................33 Comédie-française ..................................................37 Conciergerie ............................................................22 Covered Arcades ......................................................36 culture and museums ..........................................94

Dalle aux chapiteaux (La) .........................................87 Dapper (musée) .......................................................62 David bowie is (exhibition) ..................................13 Delacroix (musée Eugène-) ......................................51 Disabled people ......................................................9 Discos ...................................................................99 Disneyland® Paris ........................................... 90 – 96 Disneyland Paris Express ..........................................90 Docks, Cité de la mode et du design (Les) .................17 Domaine de Chamarande .........................................92 Domaine de Chantilly ...............................................90 Domaine départemental de Sceaux ...........................65 Domaine national de Saint-Cloud .............................65

E Égouts de Paris (Les) ...............................................58 Eiffel Tower .............................................................55 Érotisme (musée de l’) .............................................45 Espace Dalí .............................................................42 Étoiles du Rex (Les) – Grand Rex (Le) .......................37 Évasion verte............................................................96 Events......................................................................10 events programme ...............................................99 Exploradôme ...........................................................76

F ferme de Paris .........................................................73 Fête nationale (bastille Day)................................10 Fête du 70e anniversaire de la Libération de Paris (70th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris) ....................................10 Foire de Paris ........................................................13 Foire du trône .......................................................13 Fondation Louis vuitton .......................................11 fragonard (Perfume museums) ................................38 fragonard – École Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort (musée) .......................................76

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franc-Maçonnerie (musée de la) ..............................46 Free .......................................................................95 french open (The) ....................................................13 frigos (Les) .............................................................75 fumeur (musée du) ..................................................87

G Gainsbourg (Maison de Serge) ..................................52 Gaîté lyrique (La) .............................................. 87 – 97 gardens .................................................................95 gay discos and bars .............................................99 Géode (The) .............................................................80 getting around .....................................................100 Gobelins, de Beauvais et de la Savonnerie (manufacture nationale des) ....................................74 Grand Palais ............................................................69 grand Prix d’amérique .........................................12 Grévin .....................................................................37 Guimard (facades) ...................................................64

Halle Saint-Pierre – Art Brut – Art Singulier – Art contemporain Populaire ......................................46 Halles (forum des) ..................................................33 Harcourt Paris (Studio) ............................................69 Hauts-de-seine area ............................................65 Herbe (musée en) ....................................................38 Hippodrome d’Auteuil ..............................................61 Hippodrome de Longchamp ......................................61 Histoire naturelle (Muséum national d’) ...................25 Homme (musée de l’) ...............................................57 Hôtel de Ville ..........................................................30 Hugo (maison de Victor) ...........................................29

Île-de-France ............................... 65 – 76 – 82 – 88 Île de la Cité ............................................................21 Île de Robinson (L’) ..................................................96 Île Saint-Louis .........................................................21 illuminations ........................................................12 institut de france ....................................................51 institut du monde arabe ..........................................24 invalides (hôtel des) ................................................56 in the sky ...............................................................96

Jacquemart-André (musée) ......................................70 Jardin Atlantique .....................................................51 Jardin d’Acclimatation ............................. 61 – 95 – 96 Jardin de l’Hôtel Matignon .......................................52 Jardin des Halles .....................................................33

Kahn (Albert-), departmental museum and gardens ..65 Kiosque Théâtre (Le) (the Theatre Kiosk) ....................9

L La Villette ...............................................................79 Le Corbusier (fondation) ..........................................64 Léandre (villa) .........................................................46 Lettres et Manuscrits (musée des) ...........................51 Libération (musée de l’ordre de la) ...........................56 Lido de Paris ................................................... 68 – 98 Louvre (musée du) ...................................................68 Luxembourg (musée du) ..........................................50

M MAC/VAL .................................................................76 Madeleine (église de la) ..........................................36 Magie (musée de la Curiosité et de la) .....................33 Maillol (musée) – fondation Dina-Vierny ..................58 Maison des Jardies – musée Léon Gambetta ............65 Maison des métallos (La) .........................................87 Maison Rouge – fondation Antoine de Galbert ...................................87 Manège 1913............................................................56 Manoir de Paris .......................................................81 marathon de Paris ................................................13 marcel Duchamp (exhibition) ..............................11 Marché d’Aligre .......................................................87 marchés de noël (christmas markets) ...............12 Marché international de Rungis ...............................76 Marine (musée national de la) ..................................58 Marmottan-Monet (musée) ......................................62 Marne River bends ...................................................76 Maxim’s (musée) .....................................................38 Médaille-Miraculeuse (chapelle notre-Dame-de-la-) ................................................53 Mémorial du maréchal Leclerc de Hautecloque et de la Libération de Paris – musée Jean Moulin .....52 Ménagerie du Jardin des plantes ...................... 25 – 96

Ménilmontant ..........................................................81 metro ........................................................ 100 – 106 Mode et du Textile (musée de la) ..............................70 Mona Bismarck American Center for art & culture ......................................................62 mondial de l’automobile (Paris motor show) ......11 Monnaie de Paris .....................................................53 Montmartre and jardins Renoir (musée de) ...............44 Moreau (musée Gustave-) ........................................44 Moulin de la Galette ................................................45 Moulin Radet ...........................................................45 Moulin Rouge® ................................................ 42 – 98 Mouzaïa (quartier de la) ...........................................81 museums ...............................................................94 musique (fête de la) .............................................10 Musique (musée de la) ............................................80

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Jardin des plantes ...................................................25 Jardin des serres d’Auteuil .......................................64 Jardin des Tuileries .................................................68 Jardin du Luxembourg .............................................50 Jardin sauvage Saint-Vincent ...................................44 Jardin Tino-Rossi ....................................................18 Jazz .......................................................................98 Jeff Koons (exhibition) .........................................11 Jourdain (quartier) ...................................................81 Journées européennes du patrimoine (european Heritage Days) ....................................11 Junot (avenue) ........................................................46

N nautic, salon nautique de Paris (Paris nautical Fair) .............................................12 niki de saint Phalle (exhibition) .........................11 nissim-de-Camondo (musée) ...................................70 noctilien ............................................................... 100 nouvel an chinois (chinese new Year) ................12 notre-Dame de Paris ...............................................21 nuit blanche (sleepless night) ...........................11 nuit des musées (museum night) .......................13

observatoire de Paris ..............................................53 odéon .....................................................................50 opéra Bastille – opéra national de Paris ..................85 orangerie (musée de l’) ............................................69 orsay (musée d’) .....................................................49 ourcq Canal .............................................................81 outdoor city life ....................................................95

Palais Bourbon (Assemblée nationale) .................... 70 Palais de la Découverte ............................................71 Palais de la Porte-Dorée – Musée de l’histoire de l’immigration – Aquarium tropical ................ 75 – 96 Palais de Tokyo – contemporary creation .................57 Palais Galliera – musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris ..................................................58 Palais Garnier – opéra national de Paris .......... 35 – 97 Palais-Royal ............................................................37 Panthéon ................................................................22 Panthéon bouddhique ..............................................57 Paradis Latin .................................................... 26 – 98 Parc Astérix .............................................................97

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Parc Clichy-Batignolles – Martin-Luther-King ..........45 Parc de Bagatelle ....................................................62 Parc de la Villette ....................................................79 Parc des Buttes-Chaumont ......................................81 Parc floral de Paris .................................................73 Parc Georges-Brassens ............................................52 Parc Monceau .........................................................71 Parc Montsouris ......................................................52 Parc zoologique de Paris .................................. 73 – 96 Paris city Passport .................................................7 Paris convention and visitors bureau ..................7 Paris face cachée .................................................12 Paris Jazz Festival.................................................10 Paris museum Pass ..............................................95 Paris Photo ...........................................................11 Paris Plages (Paris beaches) ..............................10 Paris respire (Paris ‘breathes’) ...........................95 Paris Story ! ............................................................38 Paris visit card ...................................................100 Parisian nights ......................................................97 Parisnightlife.fr ....................................................99 Parks .....................................................................95 Pavillon de l’Arsenal ................................................86 Pavillon de l’Ermitage ..............................................87 Pavillons de Bercy (Les) ...........................................75 Pedestrianized areas ............................................95 Petit Palais (musée des Beaux-arts de la Ville de Paris) .................................................69 Petite Ceinture .........................................................53 Photographie (Maison europénne de la) ....................33 Picasso (musée) ......................................................30 Pigalle ....................................................................42 Pinacothèque de Paris .............................................38 Place de la Bastille .................................................85 Place de la Concorde ...............................................68 Place de la Contrescarpe .........................................26 Place de la Madeleine .............................................35 Place de la République ............................................85 Place Denfert-Rochereau .........................................53 Place des Abbesses .................................................45 Place des Victoires ..................................................36 Place des Vosges ....................................................29 Place du Châtelet ....................................................31 Place du Tertre ........................................................42 Place Vendôme ........................................................36 Plans-Reliefs (musée des) .......................................56 Plateau – centre d’art contemporain (le) ..................81 Pompidou (Centre) ...................................................29 Poupée (musée de la) ..............................................33 Printemps du cinéma (cinema spring Festival) .....................................13 Promenade plantée .................................................74

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Promotrain ..............................................................44 Provins (medieval city of) ........................................92 Publicité (musée de la) ............................................70 Puces de Paris-Saint-ouen ......................................82 Pyramide du Louvre .................................................68

Quai Branly (musée du) ............................................56 Quartier des Batignolles ..........................................45 Quartier latin ...........................................................22

République ..............................................................86 rer ......................................................................100 Rodin (musée national) ............................................56 Roland-Garros (stade) – Tennis (Musée de la fédération française de Tennis and behind-the-scenes tour .............................13 – 62 rollerblading trips ...............................................96 Roseraie du Val de Marne ........................................76 Rue de Passy ...........................................................64 Rue Mouffetard .......................................................26

S Sacré-Cœur (basilique du) .......................................41 Saint-Antoine (faubourg) .........................................87 Saint-Denis (basilique cathédrale) ...........................82 Saint-Eustache (église) ...........................................32 Saint-Germain-des-Prés ..........................................49 Saint-Laurent (fondation Pierre-Bergé – Yves-) ........64 Saint-Martin Canal ..................................................80 Saint-Sulpice (église) ..............................................52 Sainte-Chapelle ......................................................22 Sainte-Geneviève .....................................................26 sales .....................................................................12 salon de l’agriculture (agriculture show) ..........12 salon du livre (book Fair) ....................................13 seine-saint-Denis area ........................................82 Sèvres – Cité de la céramique ..................................65 Shoah (mémorial de la) ............................................32 shopping ...............................................................32 show and theatre venues ....................................97 shuttle boat ..........................................................94 six nations championship ...................................12 squares .................................................................95 Square du Vert-Galant .............................................18 Square des Batignolles ............................................45 Stade de france .......................................................82 Sully (hôtel de) ........................................................31 Swimming pool (Joséphine-Baker) ...........................18

Taxis ..................................................................... 100 technoparade .......................................................11 theatres ................................................................97 theme parks .........................................................96 tickets ..................................................................99 Tomb of napoleon i ..................................................56 Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ...................................67 tour de France (arrivée du) (tour de France Finale) ........................................10 Tour Jean-sans-Peur ...............................................32 Tour Montparnasse ..................................................51 Tour Saint-Jacques ..................................................33 Tourist office of old Montmartre ........................9 – 46 tramway ..............................................................100 Trocadéro ................................................................55

val-de-marne area ...............................................76 vélib’ .....................................................................95 Viaduc des Arts .......................................................74 Vie romantique (musée de la) ..................................44 Villa Savoye ............................................................92 Vin (musée du) ........................................................64

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W What’s on? ............................................................10 Woods .................................................. 61 – 73 – 95

Zadkine (musée) ......................................................53 Zoos .......................................................................96

Paris conVention anD Visitors BUreaU

25 rue des Pyramides, 75001 Paris – France. ParisinFo.com

Publication Director n. Lefebvre – Publication manager S. Petit – editor C. Jean-Louis – english translation D. Lindsay-Mc Geown, E. Lingwood. contributors to this guide: E. filliot (Val-de-Marne Tourisme & Loisirs), o. Gangnard and A. Epeche (Paris City Council), J. M. Grégoire (PCVB), H. Guillon (PCVB), A. Jacquemart (CDT des Hauts-de-Seine), V. Chartier (Seine-Saint-Denis Tourisme), i. Vignaud (PCVB). advertising System Media – Design Publicis Consultants Verbe – Photo (cover) V. Kham – author V. Vidalou, PCVB – Production L. Augereau – maps AfDEC – metro map Altiplano – Photogravure RVB Éditions – Production follow-up Graphic Prod’ Conseil – Printed by imprimerie Vincent. Photos Pcvb: M. Bertrand, R. Casal, f. Charaffi, A. Dupont, J. H3D, f. Jousselin, L. Lammerhuber, J. Lebar, D. Lefeuvre, D. Lefranc, A. Potignon, S. Querbes, S. Rivoal, J. Serur Yedid, A. Terrier, D. Thierry. A. Veldman. Moulin Rouge: H. Smadja, Musée de la Marine – Grande galerie des modèles historiques: A. fux, Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Pavillon de l’Arsenal, Manoir de Paris, Musée Jacquemart André: C. Recoura. Parc zoologique de Paris: f-G. Grandin – MnHn, fragonard, musée de Montmartre, Mondial de l’automobile, Paris Photo: J. Bouillon, Stade Roland Garros: ffT, E. Della Torre. cDt Hauts-de-seine: Musée du château de Malmaison – f. Watbled. val-de-marne tourisme & Loisirs: La Roseraie. seine-saint-Denis tourisme: Cité du Cinéma. Île-de-France: Grandes Eaux musicales de Versailles: C. Milet; Disney/DR – Château d’Auvers sur oise. Paris city council: J. Blachas, E. Boucher, C. Boyer, G. Bruneel, R. Casal, A. Clément, H. Garat, S. Krauss, Laurent, D. Lefeuvre, E. Lefeuvre, M. Lemonnier, R. Mesnildrey, A. Moreau, J.-M. Paz, f. Perrot, C. Pignol, W. Ripka, S. Robichon, B. Ruggeri, T. Sanson, C. Thiebault, M. Verhille. Please note: the PCVB may in no way be held responsible for any possible errors or omissions in this guidebook. Some changes may occur during the year. The PCVB remains at your disposal for any additional information or clarifications. This guidebook lists tourism professionals who were members of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau on 2 December 2013 and tourism professionals with the Tourisme & Handicap label on 31 December 2013. June 2014

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PARIS FOR YOU! Walking guide for discovering Paris

(2014/2015)

Walking guide for discovering Paris

PARIS FOR YOU!

2014/2015