Yianni’s Definitive Guide to Paris
Ah, Paris. Europe’s sometimes elegant, sometimes flighty, sometimes angry/scorned mistress. If you don’t find this city romantic, then you’re not romantic... enough said. In a nutshell, being in Paris is like watching a film about you, walking through Paris. You will constantly imagine a scene where you buy a croissant at a boulangerie, and you suddenly realize that you are, in fact, buying that croissant.
Paris is also about shopping, sightseeing, eating, generally walking around and finding little hidden gems, and most of all, doing nothing at all, sitting on the patio at a cafe, facing outwards to the street, watching the unbelievably lovely people of Paris promenade by, while enjoying a bottle of wine and some cheese, or a coffee and croissant. To maximize the “I’m in a movie” experience, it probably helps if you smoke in Paris (though I don’t recommend it).
All that said, there are several neighbourhoods that I would focus on, especially to get the ‘definitive’ feel for the city.
Neighbourhoods of Note
St. Germain de Pres – This is probably the coolest part of Paris. Apart from a few galleries, this neighbourhood (5th, 7th, 8th Arrondisements) is really a walking/shopping/eating part of Paris.
Le Marais – the more avant garde part of Paris, but with great little galleries and shops (it’s also the gay part of gay Paris, so it’s very ‘stylish’).
L’Opera/Madeleine/Boul. Haussmann – this is where the major department stores are, as well as some great wine stores. Boul. Haussmann is really great to walk from end to end – a classic Paris walk.
Ile St. Louis. – this is an island within the island of Paris. It starts just behind the Notre Dame cathedral – when you pass over the Pont St. Louis bridge, you’ll see a lovely ice cream shop called Le Flore en l'Isle. The patio here offers an amazing view of the Seine/Notre Dame, and the sunset (season-permitting). Walk further along and you’ll see a lovely street – la Rue St. Louis en L’ile – which has amazing little shops, creperies, and some great restaurants, including one of my favourites’ L’Ilot Vache. Finally, on this street (if you haven’t had enough ice cream or crepes) there is Berthillon, which is also famous, and as a result usually has a huge queue...
Montmartre – All around the cathedral there are many lovely galleries and cafes. A nice walk, however NOTE that you should be very careful when you approach the cathedral, as there are many dodgy-looking vendors trying to scam you. They’ll give you a string or a feather or something and when you try and give it back they hassle you for money. They are very aggressive. Just don’t take anything from them and walk around them without speaking.
Obviously there are other arrondisements – just haven’t spent enough time to consider them definitive! More to follow here.
Hotels
Beware of value hotels in Paris. The French do NOT know how to host people, and the rooms can be horrible/unclean, etc. I would spend a little more and be in or near the nicer neighbourhoods (i.e. single digit arrondisements). That said, here’s some ideas.
Luxury (300-600 Euros)
- Pershing Hall is great, central, but expensive. It’s perfectly situated.
- Hotel Plaza Atheneé – if you can’t stay at the Georges V or the Ritz, this is uber luxury.
Mid-Level (which is still kind of expensive, but reachable) – (180-300 Euros).
- Hotel Costes. This isn’t cheap, but it’s incredibly funky/trendy. You can impress your trendy friends, who will be seriously jealous you stayed here. The bar is VERY famous (see Hotel Bars).
- Hotel Odeon Saint-Germain. In the great little square where Les Editeurs cafe is in.
- Hotel Keppler – funky, new hotel with amazing service. Near Pershing Hall/Georges V, and Arc de Triomphe.
Economy (but I’ve stayed there and acceptable!) (100-200 Euros)
- K+K Hotel Cayre (St. Germain). If you spend a lot of your time in St. Germain de Pres (and I recommend you do, it’s an awesome part of Paris), then this is a relatively inexpensive place that has good modern look/feel.
- Mercure Paris Royal Madeleine – Surprisingly cheap for Paris, but really close to a lot of things and good quality (Mercure is I believe the higher end of the Accor chain – which is mostly value hotels). It’s on the border of the 9th and 2nd Arr. Yianni Exclusive: Ask for the top floor room with the terrace – this is a quite small but clean room, but it has a really great terrace that makes you feel like you’re in a movie! You can bring a bottle of champagne to the room, and bring out a chair and enjoy the Paris night sky. http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-1271-mercure-paris-royal-madeleine/index.shtml
Cafes/Restaurants
Paris is probably the #1 city in the world in terms of restaurants, so I’d be daft to even rank them. However, here are just a few I’ve been to which have been lovely or which provide you with a ‘definitive’ impression of Paris.
- Le Fumoir – a very good cafe or restaurant for great breakfast/brunch right next to the Hotel de Ville (which is featured on that Robert Doisneau photo: http://www.sauer-thompson.com/junkforcode/archives/003154.html , and the Louvre... http://www.lefumoir.com/
- Les Editeurs – an amazing place for afternoon drink/wine/lunch. Get a window seat inside, or on the patio if it’s sunny. http://www.lesediteurs.fr/
- Cafe les Patios – in the Place de la Sorbonne. If you are walking south from Saint-Germain des Pres, this is a lovely stop in the student area. The square is really nice and the cafe has OK food, but a great local/student atmosphere.
- Le Fouquet. This is arguably the most famous cafe in Paris. It is crazy expensive, but it’s RIGHT on the Champs Elysees, one street down from the Arc de Triomphe, and next door to the Louis Vuitton store, so it’s a nice start to your Paris visit. Clearly you need to be on the patio, facing the street, and just order a drink or maybe an appetizer (DO NOT GO INTO THE MAIN RESTAURANT – unless you don’t mind the 100Euro lunch!). The cost of the expensive coffee/drink/appetizer is worth it, especially when you just order a drink and watch the annoying waitstaff become even more annoyed! If you want to placate them, use a bit of French, otherwise speak with a southern US accent to ensure they spit in your drink!
- Brasserie Flo – as a brasserie, this is sort of classic Paris. It’s really meant for full meals, though you can just get something small as well (Cafe Flo is a small chain of 4-5 of them around Paris). Great dinners/lunches, and not seriously expensive.
- Le Boeuf sur le toit – (The Beef on the Roof). This is a high-end brasserie (also owned by Cafe Flo). I’ve been here and it’s really good (not just beef, but seafood, etc. as well).
- Brasserie Nord – OK, OK, this is yet another in the Cafe Flo collection, and I only mention it because it is right across from Gare du Nord, and they have a great Soupe de Poisson.
- L’Ilot Vache – “The Crazy Cow”... sounds weird, but it’s my favourite restaurant in Paris. It’s on the Ile St. Louis, which is also my favourite little area to visit. There is nothing bad on the menu, and they have the world’s best Chocolate Mousse.
Bars/Clubs
At this point, I’m probably too old to understand which bars are the “it” places to be. However, there exist a few places which, I would suggest, are classic and not likely to go out of business – one of the ideals of a ‘definitive’ guide, non? Oui!
- Le Cabaret (known as Le Cab), it’s a dance bar, and though it’s very upscale, it’s easy to get in (just say you were sent by the concierge at George Cinq Hotel...). http://www.cabaret.fr/
- Buddha Bar. This place may be old and done by now, but from my recent friends’ visits it’s still popular (and easy to get into – a major factor for me!).
Hotel Bars are the best here, and they are free and always easy to get into.
- Four Season Georges V. – apart from the Ritz (which you can’t get into!), this is most luxurious hotel bar in Paris, you should be dressed to go out somewhere else to enjoy this.
- Hotel Costes. A very popular place, with chill-out music etc. and live band. Very trendy, but you should definitely go if only to people-watch.
Shopping/Things to Do
The Big Department Stores:
- Gallerie Lafayette – just cool to see the main central atrium. Looking up at the stained glass roof is fantastic. Also, the highlight for me is to get onto the roof as there is a patio with a classic view of the eastern part of the city.
- Le Printemps. Same concept as Gall. Lafayette, with another (better) roofdeck view of Paris.
- Le Bon Marche – this is in Saint-Germain, and nestled with other good shops.
- Samaritaine – Another grand department store, it’s right across the Pont Neuf from
Antique Market
- Porte de Clignancourt, officially called Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, but it’s called Les Puces (The Fleas). This is an AMAZING antique market, and it’s not the usual thing people see in Paris, but it’s cool. You will be close to Montmartre as well, so do this first or second.
Wine shopping
- Le Caves Auge. This is the oldest wine store in Paris. They offer good prices, and a really good selection (and MOST IMPORTANTLY tastings as you shop!), all in a mid-1800’s setting. It’s up the road from Gallerie Lafayette, on 116 Boul. Haussmann). http://www.cavesauge.com/
- Lavinia. A very modern, and HUGE wine store with probably better prices and selection, albeit not as much of an historic atmosphere. All wine shops will box your wines up and wrap them so you can check them through the airport http://www.lavinia.fr/LaviniaFR/
Museums
- Le Louvre (not on a Tuesday – closed for cleaning!). This will take you half a day at the minimum, so do it only if you like art!
- Musee D’Orsay – a smaller version of the Louvre, with slightly more modern collection (in a beautiful setting of an old train station).
- Centre Georges Pompidou – the MOMA of Paris. It’s both interesting, and they have a lovely outdoor roof restaurant with a patio (great views of Paris).
- Rodin Museum – small museum in a garden and an old house. Very intimate.
- Des Invalides – this is where Napoleon’s Tomb is placed – there’s a circular balcony around it, and you peer down into it. It’s lovely, but takes a while to get through.
- The Palace of Versailles – I put this in the Museum section, as it’s a full half-day at least (if you go on an official tour from your hotel, which allows you to get past the huge queues!). Lovely palace obviously, and the best garden in the world, arguably.
Yianni’s Exclusive Additional Suggestions:
Wine
- Check out the Paris wine shops BEFORE you go to the wine regions. You can therefore pick-up the wines you tasted along the way but don’t have to lug them around (and they’ll be packed for shipping). You can also leave room in your luggage to stow away some wine – I’ve brought back 3-4 bottles in my suitcase, stuffed into a sock and surrounded by t-shirts, etc. That way you won’t have to
Baguettes
- Here, there is amazing debate. However, I’ve been to many non-descript places and they tend to be the best (above something that looks like a chain). The exception is Poilane. This is a great bakery, so check it out early in the morning... http://www.poilane.fr/
Croissants.
- Try and find the most obscure place to buy croissants. My rule of thumb is that a true croissant should be, well, crescent-shaped! Here’s a great review of croissant places – a good walking tour, if I do say so myself! Map out the locations and see if you can find one or two... http://www.alifewortheating.com/paris/a-croissant-tour-of-paris
