Paris

50 things to do in Paris

Billiards and brasseries, catacombs and cocktails, 50 ways to enjoy the perfect Paris trip

41. Samedi night and Dimanche morning
Take a night off from London clubbing and head over to Paris instead. Eurostar (08705 186 186/www.eurostar.com) runs the Night Clubber special for £35. To take advantage of this deal, you must leave London after 4.30pm on Saturday and return before 10.30am on Sunday. Tickets are like gold dust, though, so you’re advised to book well in advance. For those who already have, check out this list of the French capital’s current best nights out, as chosen by French DJ and producer Bob Sinclar, whose single ‘World Hold On’ is out July 3.


Le Paris Paris
Tiny and trendy – think red velvet and ’80s post punk and Colette clientele – with an infinite playlist.
Le Paris Paris, 5 avenue de l’Opéra, 2nd (00 33 1 42 60 64 45) Métro Palais Royal.


Le Baron
The hottest spot in Paris right now. Expect to come across Sofia Coppola and the like among the hip crowd.
Le Baron, 6 avenue Marceau, 8th (00 33 1 47 20 04 01) Métro George V.


Gli Angeli
DJs spin tunes while you eat excellent Italian food and chic cocktails at this friendly, spacious restaurant-bar.
Gli Angeli, 5 rue Chemin Vert, 4th (00 33 1 42 71 05 80) Métro Sully Morland.


Djoon
Names like Quentin Harris, Master Kev, JoVonn and Timi Regisford and Aaron Ross take their turns on the decks at Dance Culture. Bizarrely for Paris there’s no smoking.
Djoon, 22-24 boulevard Vincent Auriol, 13th (00 33 1 45 70 83 49) Métro Quai de la Gare.


The Supernature Party
Excellent dance tunes means the monthly club night from Sylvie Chateigner is always jam-packed. Next dates are May 13 and June 10.
The Supernature Party at Maxim’s, 2 rue Royale, 8th (00 33 1 42 65 27 94) Métro Concorde.


42. After-hours art
In a drive to lure more people into museums, the French authorities created the nationwide Nuits des Musées – biannual events at which museums allow visitors in for free and stay open until late. As some 35 venues are taking part in Paris alone, it’s a fantastic opportunity to cram in as much culture as possible without parting with any of your hard-earned Euros. Check the website for full listings: Paris is hidden under the title Ile-de-France.
Nuits des Musées (www.nuitdesmusees.culture.fr).


43. Have a hammam
There’s no mixing at the hammam of the Grande Mosquée de Paris: it’s either women or men only, depending on the day. That’s because this 1920s traditional hamman, attached to a mosque, is an authentic journey east. Once your kit is off (you can wear a one-piece, but your fellow Parisians will be happily lounging around with the tiniest bikini bottoms or au naturel), you can start sweating it out in the exquisite tiled surroundings of the differently temperatured steam rooms. Then (from around €15) get brutally scrubbed down (gommage) by robust Arabic women, before being oiled up for a fantastic massage.
Grande Mosquée de Paris, 2 bis place du Puits de l’Ermite, 5th (00 33 1 45 35 97 33) Métro Place Monge.


44. Dig le rock chic
Nouveau Casino is a gem of a venue
with its reasonably priced bar and upstairs chill-out area that lets you
look down on the leftfield line up (post-rock, dub, garage) of French people in
silly trousers.
Nouveau Casino, 109 rue Oberkampf, 9th (00 33 1 43 57 57 40/www.nouveau casino.net) Métro Parmentier or Ménilmontant or St Maur. Opening times vary.

Red sandals at APC

45. Step out at Apc
Get metrosexual at this at this cool boutique. Girls should head here for sexy red wedges, belted yellow jumpers and perfect jeans. And men don’t slope off to the bar; check the Frenchified monochrome striped jumpers and sharp moleskin jackets.APC, 3-4 rue de Fleures, 6th (00 33 1 42 22 12 77/www.apc.fr) Métro St-Placide. Mon-Sat 11am-7.30pm.


46. Leaf through literature
Browsing through Parisian bookshops is a real pleasure, even if you lack language skills. The literary Left Bank is the obvious place to start, with veteran store La Hune boasting a global selection of art and design books, and a fine collection of French literature and theory. Galignani stocks fine and decorative art books and French and English literature, while the super cool Librairie 7L proffers a mixture of fashion, architecture, design, contemporary art and poetry titles plus every magazine worth reading.
Galignani, 224 rue de Rivoli, 1st (00 33 1 42 60 76 07) Métro Tuileries. Open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm. La Hune, 170 boulevard St Germain, 6th (00 33 1 45 48 35 85) Métro St-Germain-des-Prés. Open Mon-Sat 10am-11.45pm, Sun 11am-7.45pm. Librairie 7L, 7 rue de Lille, 7th (00 33 1 42 92 03 58) Métro rue du Bac. Open Tue-Sat 10.30am-7pm.

47. Cycle through the Bois de Boulogne
Covering 865 hectares, Bois de Boulogne provides plenty of scope for open air activities. Wander through the Jardin de Bagatelle with roses, waterlilies and orangery, hire a bike and see it all astride the saddle or check out the action on the park’s two racecourses.
Bois du Boulogne, 16th. Métro Porte Dauphine or Les Sablons.

La Cinémathèque Français

48. Catch a screening at La Cinémathèque Française
Paris is a cinephile’s dream city, and its equivalent of our National Film Theatre moved into its new, Frank Gehry-designed home in Bercy last autumn. La Cinémathèque Française celebrated its reopening with seasons dedicated to Jean Renoir and Michael Caine. Until July, the Cinémathèque is running a major season and an exhibition dedicated to the work of Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar. This summer, keen film fans can catch two major exhibitions dedicated to cinema at the Pompidou alone: one curated by Jean-Luc Godard (until August 14) and another, ‘Le Mouvement des Images’, looking at the interplay between film and art in the twentieth century (until January 29 2007).
La Cinémathèque Française, 51 rue de Bercy, 12th (00 33 1 71 19 33 33) Métro Bercy.

49. Get your skates on
The Friday Night Skate has come a long way since its 1993 inception. It’s now a city institution with some 20,000 participants gathering weekly at Tour Montparnasse for the 10pm departure. It’s free to join in and the 30km route varies every week, finishing around 1am.
Friday Night Skate (www.pari-roller.com).

Canal St Martin

50. Hang out by Canal St Martin
There’s no better area to people watch than along the Canal St Martin in the 10th. The first area you reach, near Pont Morland, is best for lounging with its shady trees, iron footbridges and locks. It’s a favourite spot on Sundays when the quays are traffic-free and pedestrianised. Many of the remaining canalside warehouses have been snapped up by artists and designers and nearby streets have been colonised by trendy bars. Strangely, not a supermarket trolley to be seen.
Canal Saint Martin. Métro Château Landon.

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