Category Archives: Paris tips

Insider information for Paris tourists

Snow, rain, sunshine in Paris

18 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by in Paris guide, Paris In The Rain, Paris photos, Paris tips, Paris travel, Paris Walks

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March weather can be iffy. If you’re planning to visit make sure you’re equipped for the chill. Bring a second pair of shoes, an umbrella, water repellant gear. You can wake up to sun and be drenched by 3 p.m.

When all else fails, duck into a cafe, or better yet, a place like Le Fumoir. You don’t even have to smoke, just chill and have a martini or two.

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Energized, head for the Picasso Museum, a safe dry elegant place and take it all in,  5 Rue de Thorigny, closes at 6.  

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Here’s the view from the back window. Another nice place to chill. Hope you get to see:

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Until next time. Hope you’re designing your own Paris itinerary with the city’s best walking guide, No Worries Paris. Merci!

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A Paris pique-nique en plein air

20 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by in French food and wine, Paris guide, paris patisseries, Paris shopping, Paris tips, Paris travel

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picnicRenoir

No doubt about it, the French love weekend meals outdoors in the fresh air.  The ritual can last hours and depending on consumption of wine, even longer. Picnic spots are numerous. I like Bercy, Parc Montsouris, Champs de Mars, Parc Monceau, Place des Vosges, Square du Vert-Galant, Bois de Boulogne, Quai de Valmy, just to name a few.

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Buying your picnic food can be a challenge. Finding central locations where everything is available can save time and frustration. Your neighborhood charcuterie probably carries most of what you’re looking for but you’ll have to add on a trip to the boulangerie, cheese and wine store.

Happily there are places that offer gourmet cold delicacies and all the trimmings, even dessert. Here are some addresses:

Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, 35 boulevard Haussmann

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GLG occupies two floors and offers a home delivery service. A feast for the eyes and the taste buds, cases of mouth-watering delicatessen will have you buying more than you can eat. Fresh produce and specialities from the best international and regional food brands abound. Tasting bars dot the first floor.

 

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Le Bon Marché, 38, rue de Sèvres

A temple of good taste, La Grande Epicerie de Paris sells 30,000 gourmet products.
It’s located on the ground floor of Le Bon Marché, Paris’s oldest department store, where its bakery, patisserie, butcher’s and cheese shop will all urge you to give in to gourmet temptation. Prices depend on the age and origin of the product, so you can just as easily enjoy a delicious lavender macaroon for two euros as bankrupt yourself for a bottle of olive oil.

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Marché Bastille

One of the biggest markets in Paris, the Marché Bastille’s food stalls sprawl up the Boulevard Richard Lenoir twice a week. It’s a great source of local cheeses, free range chicken and excellent fish. The piles of fruit, vegetables, saucisses, olives and quiches  are interspersed with stalls offering African batiks, cheap jewelery and bags, discount scarves and linens.

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Marché Mouffetard, 139 Rue Mouffetard
A wonderful, narrow crowded market street cobblestones and all. Charcuterie, creperies, cheeses, fruit, flowers, rotisserie chicken, pates, seafood shops wind down the hill. A moveable feast, you’re guaranteed a peek at how it used to be before le supermarche.

 

In Paris this summer? Celebrate Rodin.

14 Sunday May 2017

Posted by in Paris guide, Paris museums, Paris News, Paris tips, Paris travel, Paris Walks

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To mark the centenary of his death, the Musée Rodin and Réunion des musées nationaux Grand Palais are joining forces to celebrate Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). The exhibition reveals Rodin’s creative universe, his relationship with his audience and the way in which sculptors have appropriated his style.

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Featuring over 200 of Rodin’s works, it also includes sculptures and drawings by Bourdelle, Brancusi, Picasso, Matisse, Giacometti, Beuys, Baselitz and Gormley, shedding new light on this giant of sculpture.

Where: Grand Palais, Paris, France
Metro: Champs-Elysées Clémenceau (Lines 1, 13)

Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays from 10 am to 8 pm / Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am to 10 pm / Closed on Tuesdays

And if you’re looking for things to do after the show consult your No Worries Paris guide.

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“I literally read it cover to cover, which should be an indicator of its goodness. I really like this guide– it is detailed enough to provide weeks of new and exciting things to see, even for an extended stay.”  – J. A. Phillipi

 

Easter egg hunting in Paris

15 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by in French holidays, Paris tips, Paris travel

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In France, offering eggs as Easter gifts began in the 4th century A.D. Church law dictated that Christians must abstain from eating meat or eggs during the 40 days of fasting that preceded Easter. On Easter Sunday, surplus eggs from hens that continued laying during the period were used to make an omelette. Legend had it that if on Easter Day, the first thing eaten was an egg that had been laid on Good Friday, you would be protected from illness until the following Easter.

To find the ‘chasses aux oeufs’ around Paris consult the list below:

TOUR EIFFEL

There will be more than 20,000 eggs scattered on the Champs de Mars vast lawn. Children aged 3-10, are welcome to retrieve eggs. Organised by the Secours Populaire, this Easter egg hunt ends with a delicious chocolate tasting.
Sunday 16 and Monday 17 April 10am-5pm.
€5 per child
Metro: Champ de Mars

SACRE COEUR

Two giant easter egg hunts lie waiting. Kids between ages 3-12 are invited to gather as many eggs as they can beneath the impressive Montmartre icon.
April 16 2017, 12.30pm-3pm
Metro: Abbesses
Obligatory reservation: 01 42 62 21 21

VINCENNES ZOO

Vincennes Zoo welcomes anyone between the ages of 7-77 to hunt. A 150,000 chocolate egg hunt is planned.  Perk: 8kg egg – jackpot of the day competition.
April 16 and 17
Activities are accessible through the entrance ticket to the park.  €22 for adults, €16.50 for 12-25, €14 for 3-11.
Metro: Porte Dorée

BERCY VILLAGE

Over a 1,000 chocolate eggs and rabbits have been hidden in the corner of Saint-Emilion court. When the count down begins kids will have only 20 minutes to fill their baskets. The most observant hunters will be offered a surprise by The Gourmande Cure.
April 16 from 2pm – 6pm.
Registration required on site. Free. Metro: Cour Saint-Émilion

 

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MUSEE de MONTMARTRE

Bring a basket or sack and enjoy the egg hunt in the Jardins Renoir. Reserved for kids 2-12. Reservations obligatory 01 49258941.

April 16, 17, 11:30 to 5:00, 12 rue Cortot, Paris 75018

CHAMPS ELYSEES

Atelier Renault Café des Champs-Elysées is organizing several hunts beneath the hoods. For kids from 6 to 14, the hunts are accompanied by culinary workshops where the children, under the leadership of a famous chef, will be invited to customize a chocolate Renault Sport RS01 with endless sugary toppings.
Sunday, April 16. Mini-hunts at 11am, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm.
Extras: Hunting for the big ones from 10.30am. Two workshop sessions at 2pm and 3pm. All the activities are free.
Metro: Franklin Roosevelt

 

If you’re in Paris March 3-April 15

20 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by in Paris guide, Paris tips, Paris travel, Paris Wanderings

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**PRESS IMAGE - USAGE MUST BE CLEARED**

If you’re a b+w fan and gravitate towards reading the celebrity news while waiting in the grocery line, don’t miss the Paparazzi photo exhibit at Galerie ArtCube, Rue de Furstenberg {metro Saint-Germain-des-Prés}.

On tap: Ron Galella, Jean Pigozzi, Sébastien Valiela, Christopher Makos and Alison Jackson, the outlaws who have been looking for the ultimate shot of a rock star, movie idol or socialite for the past 50 years. You’ll recognize quite a few. Sometimes seeing them framed and grouped is something special.

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Irreverent, cunning and intrusive as well as experts in mise en scène, the gaggle end up shining as documentarists of their time.

**PRESS IMAGE - USAGE MUST BE CLEARED**

Photos courtesy of courtesy of Galerie ArtCube

Paris: Get out of town day trips

19 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by in Paris Day Trips, Paris sidetrips, Paris tips, Paris travel

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versaillSometimes it’s refreshing to break up hustle and bustle metropolis days with a break to the country. I’ve found some of the bus tours cheaper than hiring a guide, private car or taking the train. From my own experience, Paris City Vision has always delivered a first-class experience (and I’m not getting kickbacks), just my personal opinion. Here’s a rundown of the creme-de-la creme:

Versailles small group
$108
Half-Day Tour: Select either a morning or afternoon tour and depart from your Paris hotel bound for Versailles. Your host for the trip will give you recommendations about planning your Versailles visit and provide you with an audio guide for a tour of the palace and gardens.

Weekend visitors from April to October can see the famous fountain shows.

Versailles and Giverney
Guided $206 (all day)
• Skip the line ticket
• Entrance fees to the gardens
• Lunch with drinks

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Economy Versailles: RER from Paris:  A round trip ticket to Versailles by train costs 7,1€ per person. It takes less than 1-1/2 hours to get there. It’s the cheapest way to reach the chateau. Choose RER C; buy your tickets to Versailles-Château – Rive Gauche. The Palace of Versailles is only a 13-minute walk away from the train station. Be prepared to wait in line and spend all day wandering.

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Loire Valley Castles Day Trip  Chambord, Cheverny and Chenonceau.
Guided, all day $176. (such a deal)
Skip the line tickets, leave at 7:15 from a central Paris location. Guests traveling between November 1 and March 31 will receive a traditional lunch and drink.

Chateaux de Chambord, Chenonceau and Loire Valley Wine-Tasting Day Trip. $180
Wine-tasting at Nitray Vineyards
Eat a gourmet French lunch sourced from fresh, local ingredients

VauxVic

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Fontainebleau & Vaux le Vicomte. $75
Skip the line tickets
Full day excursion to Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte châteaux from Paris by luxury coach. Explore the imperial château in the heart of the forest of Fontainebleau. Visit the stunning Vaux le Vicomte château that inspired Versailles. Audio guide tour of the châteaux and free time to explore the magnificent French-style formal gardens. Leave Paris 9:15

Happy tripping!

 

 

 

 

Paris: an open book

09 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by in French holidays, Paris guide, Paris museums, Paris photos, Paris tips, Paris travel, Paris Walks

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No Worries Paris, a photographic walking guide brings the city to life. A look inside:

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“So many memorable walks at our own pace. Good maps, directions,  and the accompanying text is concise enough to read while on the walk.”  

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“A great help for me to plan my trip. I’m glad I’m prepared for what’s in store in the next two weeks.”

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“We had four full days to spend in Paris in September. We had never been there and wanted to make the most of our time. We decided to use the No Worries Paris guide, and it was a very good decision.”

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“Everything was beyond amazing!! I will never travel to Paris without using this guide again. Especially loved walking tours through the neighborhoods of the Marais and Latin Quarter.”

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“The experience, sights and information provided by our NWP was first class. I would happily recommend reading it cover to cover before your stay.”

Illustrated by hundreds of color photographs, NO WORRIES PARIS takes readers on a visually luscious journey along the city’s striking monuments, as well as into crannies of its villages and the full-on glamour of the fashion districts. Virtually all of Paris is covered in 10 Walking Tours, each with its own map. Walks take from a half-day to a day to complete, starting at one Metro stop and ending at another. The tours are complemented by 10 Walk Arounds, which are shorter in length, taking in the sights of a single attraction more on the fringes of the city’s arrondissements.

Practical travel tips and get-around information is included. Newcomers will most likely want to begin with monumental strolls. Francophiles may choose something more edgy and out-of-the-way. The common thread is that each walk is along a visually aesthetic pathway that has a story of its own to tell. Readers who want to get to know Paris by seeing it on foot—pausing occasionally for a gourmet taste, park bench timeout or perfumed sniff along the way— have found the right book.

No Worries Paris is available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s Books,  directly through the publishers (signed + discount) at Trailblazer Travel Books as well as your friendly independent bookstores nationwide.

Soldes (Sales), 6 weeks of them

19 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by in Paris Fashion Week, Paris guide, Paris photos, Paris shopping, Paris sidetrips, Paris tips, Paris travel, Paris Walks, Paris Wandering

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Paris’s “Winter Sales” began on January 11 and continue through February 21. It’s not just department stores that are having them. The big fashion houses are also in on the discount extravaganza and there are bargains to be had.

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The discounts are deep, 50 to 70% on selected items. Get there when the doors open, when everything is neatly piled and lines less long at the cash register. Some designers have to limit the number of shoppers in their department store boutiques. You’ll always see a queue of just-off-the-jetters who go for the big brand names.

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Values are waiting in the triangle d’or (Avenue Montaigne, Ave George V, and Rue Francois 1er),  where the finest Haute Couture shops in the world are located. The prestigious houses include: Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, Dolce e Gabbana, Max Mara, Christian LaCroix, Valentino, Prada, Ungaro, Joseph, Bonpoint, Jean Louis Scherrer, Gucci, Pucci, Loewe, Krizia, Bulgari, Calvin Klein, Nina Ricci, Ines de la Fressange, Donna Karan, Celine, Yves Saint Laurent (headquarters), Bulgari, S.F. Dupont, Porthault Linens, Caron, Hermes, Gianfranco Ferré, Givenchy,  Kenzo. Rochas, Courreges, and Balmain. Be prepared to have your purse searched before entering.

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Tired just reading the list? The Georges V (31, avenue George V) to the rescue with a time-out drink at Le Bar or light meal in the L’Orangerie restaurant. The staff are always gracious and welcoming; the flower arrangements will take your breath away. Sidenote: If you’re a guest, free flower arranging classes are offered by their world-renowned flower magician ($200 for non-guests); the staff offer guests  a special morning hour-long jog at 7:30 along the Seine, through the Tuileries (free, once a week), room rates start at $800 a night.

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At 50-70%, even the couture prices may well be beyond your means. Depot-vente (secondhand boutiques) present another choice. Dive into the piles for some amazing bargains all year round:

Mistigriff, 83-85, rue Saint-Charles  75015, https://www.mistigriff.fr 

Chercheminippes, 124 rue du Cherche-midi 75006, http://www.chercheminippes.com.

Didier Ludot,  24 Galerie Montpensier – Jardin du Palais Royal  75001     http://www.didierludot.fr

Kiliwatch, 64 Rue Tiquetonne, 75002 http://www.kiliwatch.fr

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The Rooftop Igloos at Galeries Lafayette

15 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by in French food and wine, French holidays, Paris guide, Paris tips, Paris Wanderings

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Paris is very cold in January and it would be unheard of to venture to the open-air top floor of a department store for tapas and a cocktail. BUT, Paris’s innovative department store, Galeries Lafayette has come up with a unique idea by plopping a few heated see-through geodesic domes over the rooftop bar.

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The concept, brilliant, the view, magnifique. They call it a “cocooning vibe where serenity and tranquility reign supreme”.  Who wouldn’t want that?

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Here’s the menu:

Champagne, cocktails
Soft drinks, fruit juices
Hot drinks
Savoury and sweet tapas
Oysters
Foie gras
Regional French products
Seasonal dish of the day

Continuous service from 11.00 am to 8.00 pm. When they will be removed to make way for spring, I’m not sure.

Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, 40 boulevard Haussmann – 75009 Paris

No Waiting: Make a Paris dinner reservation online

03 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by in French food and wine, Paris guide, Paris nightlife, Paris tips, Paris Wanderings

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Not a new concept, but not everyone is aware that you can book ahead at certain restaurants all over the world. Paris is no exception and the options for each restaurant vary. A very slick service that has a very comprehensive list of establishments is thefork.com (lafourchette.com). They make it easy, just fill in the date and time you’d like to arrive.

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Il était un square, 54 Rue Corvisart, 75013 Paris

reservations: https://www.thefork.com/restaurant/il-etait-un-square/36296 or https://module.lafourchette.com/fr_FR/module/36296-5d91d/9283-1da?tracking_id=WGrn9QoQHHcAAKLPSckAAABP#/1042543/dhp

Lunch: de 12h à 15h (sauf dimanche)
Dinner : de 19h30 à 22h30 (sauf dimanche)

Charolaise beef, cooked or tartar, cheeseburger Montagnard, artisanal buns and original recipe small plates.bougn

Au Bougnat, 26, rue Chanoinesse 75004

reservations: http://aubougnat.com or http://aubougnat.com/reservation/

Wednesday – Sunday, 12h à 22h. Monday – Tuesday de 8h à 19h.  Located on the île de la Cité.

Bougnat’s burger is served on homemade bread.  Charolais beef, bacon & Cantal cheese, homemade fries
Panfried beef fillet (7oz), potato galette, foie gras sauce
Roast duckling fillet, sauted mushrooms
Sauteed tiger prawns with pesto sauce, creamy parmesan risotto

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Plaisir Gascon
16 Rue Grégoire de Tours 75006

reservations: http://plaisirgascon.com/reservations-plaisir-gascon.html

Small, cozy, intimate. Beef from Gascony is their specialty.  Superb croustade de pomme with more than a splash of Armagnac

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Boutary
25 Rue Mazarine 75006, metro: Odeon
reservations: https://module.lafourchette.com/fr_FR/module/200520-47ce4#/1337910/pdh

Puréed and smoked potatoes, seaweed butter, cream, caviar.
Crispy basmati rice with Comté , prawn kadaïf, Vermouth Carpano sauce.
Wild cod, seaweed butter & green peas, apricots, verbena-infused foam.
Rib-eye steak, home-made crisps, shiitaké powder, peppered cherry paste.

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Le Versance
16, rue Feydeau 75002
reservations: https://www.thefork.com/restaurant/le-versance/3388

Think lobster curry, calf’s sweetbreads and spiced pears. Elegant dining room.

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Le Christine
1, rue Christine 75006, 33 1 40 51 71 64
http://www.restaurantlechristine.com
reservations: http://www.restaurantlechristine.com/reservations/

Located between Saint-Michel and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Excellent seasonal produce. Indulge in foie gras cooked au torchon [in a cloth], accompanied by delicious stewed red onions with grenadine or fillet of beef. Don’t miss the sweet notes of the tiramisu, a real treat!

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Bel Canto
72, quai de l’hôtel de ville 75004
http://www.lebelcanto.com/en/
reservations: http://www.lebelcanto.com/en/bel-canto-restaurants/booking-for-the-bel-canto-restaurant/

Opera is invited to your table at Le Bel Canto. Every evening, a quartet of young opera singers (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone), accompanied by piano, participates in the service of the restaurant by interpreting great arias of opera. The opportunity for you to have dinner with Verdi, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini… You’ll either hate it or you’ll love it.

Dinner & show, without drinks: 85 € fixed price.

Under the category named “cabaret”,  the Paris tourist office recommends the Bel Canto as one of the best live venues for a night out in Paris: a unique show combining opera and French haute cuisine.

The restaurant is located on the banks of the Seine in the 4th arrondissement. Magnificent view from the dining room of Notre-Dame la Seine, île Saint-Louis. Inside, the decor with warm red and gold colors, is dedicated to opera.

After all the eating and drinking you’ll be ready for a nice long walk: No Worries Paris, your best friend.

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