50 things to do in Paris
Page 4
31. Hit the beach
If
you’re in Paris between mid-July and mid-August, combine city
sophistication with the charm of the seaside. For the sixth consecutive
year in 2006, one of the city’s most cosmopolitan areas, the
gay-friendly Right Bank, will be home to a month-long, two-mile beach
party. Palm trees, 200 loungers, 40 hammocks, a trampoline and 2,000
tonnes of fine sand will transform the stretch, typically a haven of
culture and museums, into a seaside idyll. Be warned: the French make a
point of looking very good,
even on city beaches.
Paris
Plage, Pont des Arts to Pont de Sully, 4th. (00 33 8 20 00 75
75/www.paris.fr) Métro Sully Morland, Louvre Rivoli, Châtelet, Hotel de
Ville or Pont Marie. Adm free. Date mid July-Aug 7am-12midnight.
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| Marché aux Puces d’Aligre |
32. Rummage at Marché aux Puces d’Aligre
You
may have to sift through some tat, but it’s worth it. Marché d’Aligre
is one of the few remaining flea markets where you can uncover true
gems at bargain prices on the antiques and bric-à-brac stalls. It’s
where all the serious dealers go when on the hunt for original
antiquities from around the country. Watch out for overpriced books,
kitchenware and knick-knacks. Stock up on fresh fruit and veg, flowers,
meats and groceries at the adjoining popular and down-to-earth Marché
Beauvau.
Marché Beauvau, place d’Aligre, 12th. Métro Ledru-Rollin. Open Tue-Sat 8.30am-1pm, 4-7.30pm, Sun 8.30am-1.30pm.
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33. Rattle skeletons at the Galeries
This
is possibly Paris’s most macabre exhibition. The second you set foot
inside you are confronted by a hall filled with monsters. Giant bird
and insect skeletons have been arranged to stare menacingly at
visitors. The visual impact is so stunning that some city-breakers
regard the Galerie as an art exhibition rather than a scientific
showcase. Even if you’re squeamish, you’ll find something among the 500
million years of animal anatomy to intrigue. From the layout, the
stress on ‘comparative’ anatomy is clear. Specimens separated by
millions of years of evolution sit side by side. The most impressive
prehistoric pieces include the diplodocus and mammoth, yet these
skeletons are only a short step from a perfectly preserved modern-day
blue whale.
Galeries d’Anatomie Comparée et de Paleontologie,
Jardin des Plantes, 2 rue Buffon, 5th (00 33 1 40 79 56 01/54 79) Métro
Austerlitz. Open Mon, Wed-Sat 10am-5pm. Adm €5.
34. Get louche on the literary trail
Surely
no spot on the planet has as many literary associations in so small an
area as St-Germain-des-Prés? The myth of the struggling writer in a
garret might have died now that Louis Vuitton is next to Les Deux
Magots, but the ghosts are still there. Though suffused with tourists,
Les Deux Magots (Sartre and de Beauvoir’s favourite hangout) is still
an essential stop-off, if only to see the walls lined with photos of
Hemingway and the surrealists. The best time to visit Café de Flore is
on Mondays and the first Wednesday of every month at 8pm when readings
and philosophy discussions in English are held respectively. For
something a tad more authentic head to Le Pré-aux-Clercs. Hemingway’s
favourite restaurant is still an unpretentious art deco café where
locals prop up the bar. Les Editeurs is a café where you might meet a
living writer: it’s packed with editors marking proofs, runs its own
literary prize and has an extensive library.
Les Editeurs, 4
carrefour de l’Odeon, 6th. (00 33 1 43 26 67 76) Métro Odéon. Open
daily 8am-2am.Café de Flore, 172 St-Germain, 6th (00 33 1 45 48 55 26)
Métro St-Germain-des-Prés. Open daily 7.30am-1.30am.Les Deux Magots, 6
place St-Germain-des-Prés, 6th (00 33 1 45 48 55 25) Métro
St-Germain-des-Prés. Open daily 7.30am-1am.Le Pré-aux-Clercs, 30 rue
Bonaparte, 6th (00 33 1 43 54 41 73) Métro St-Germain-des-Prés. Open
daily 6.30am-2am.
35. Catch Camdenon the Seine
A
grungy antidote to stuffy Parisian chic, the Pop In is a little bit of
Camden in the 11th arrondissement. It’s a labyrinthine bar and live
venue that gets packed to the rafters on most nights and regularly
hosts various bands, DJs and open-mic nights. The music and fashion
crowd that fills this place is quite international: expect Swedes and
Brits as well as bona fide Parisians. The couple who run the place are
friendly and committed to their loyal punters. If you dare to venture
down to the Pop In’s tiny basement dance floor, be prepared for a
sweaty session.
Pop In, 105 rue Amelot, 11th (00 33 1 48 05 56 11) Métro St-Sébastien Froissart. Open Tue-Sun 6.30pm-1.30am.
36. Jump on board le merry-go-round
A
much more wholesome destination for kids than chez Disney, the Jardin
du Luxembourg is the biggest and best play area on the Left Bank. Put
your little darlings on the old-fashioned merry-go-round, sail toy
boats across the lake or ride ponies. This is also a good place for
Jarvis Cocker-spotting, if stalking’s your thing: he sometimes hangs
out here with his son. The only drawback is that you have to pay for
everything – even to get into the playground (€2). Parisians… so
bourgeois.
Jardin du Luxembourg, place Auguste-Comte or rue de
Vaugirard, 6th (00 33 1 42 34 23 89) Métro Odéon or St-Sulpice or RER
Luxembourg. Open in summer daily 8am-dusk.
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| Académie de Billard |
37. Pot the black in Clichy
A
large part of the Académie de Billard’s charm is its unlikely location.
Set amid the neon and bustle of Clichy, stepping into this snooker hall
is like crossing into a late-nineteenth-century gentleman’s salon.
Spread over two high-ceilinged rooms, it’s sumptuously spacious and
kitted out with period features. By day, an enormous stained-glass
ceiling bathes the tables in a lagoon of light, while at night, vintage
lamps radiate a warm yellow glow. Staff in waistcoats and bow-ties dart
elegantly between tables to deliver your drinks, but despite the
grandeur, a relaxed atmosphere prevails. The crowd range from young
Montmartre pool sharks to older regulars with their own mahogany
lockers. There are plenty of options ,with full-size snooker and a good
number of British and American pool tables, but the pièce de résistance
has to be the five beautifully maintained French billiard tables – yes,
they have no pockets, but that’s the real challenge. Waiting times are
usually short and the prices are reasonable (though you’ll need photo
ID). The Elbow Rooms will never seem the same again.
Académie de
Billard, 84 rue de Clichy, 18th (00 33 1 48 78 32 85) Métro place de
Clichy. Open 11am-6am. Price from €5-€11 per hour.
38. Walk the Green Miles
La
Promenade Plantée is an idea that London would do well to adopt. The
defunct railway tracks atop the Viaduc des Arts have been replaced by a
pathway planted with roses, shrubs and rosemary. Several miles long, it
gives high-level views over the whole area – even into people’s
apartments for a glimpse of Parisian home life. Underneath, at the
avenue Daumesnil end, the craft showrooms in the arches are worth
looking into. Walk the promenade from east to west you’ll end up close
to Bastille and all the bars along Rue Charonne.
La Promenade Plantée, avenue Daumesnil, 12th. Métro Ledru-Rollin or Gare de Lyon.
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| Parc de Belleville |
39. Take the chance to uncover hidden Paris
As
well as being home to a thriving Arabic community, Belleville, on the
boundary of the 10th, 19th and 20th arrondissements, is the latest
neighbourhood to start climbing up the style ladder. Head to Place
Sainte-Marthe for cool bars and tiny eateries, notably the louche and
arty Le Sainte Marthe bar. If you’re there in late spring then take
advantage of Portes Ouvertes, when local painters, sculptors,
photographers and performers throw open their atelier doors between May
12-15 to display their work. One of the best vantage points in the area
is at the summit of the Parc de Belleville. It’s well worth the climb…
and, fancy that, there’s a bar at the top of the hill.
www.ateliers-artistes-belleville.org
40. Check out Colette
When Colette opened nearly a decade ago with its weird expensive clothes, stark gallery-like interior and Prada-clad staff,
it
injected a much-needed dose of avant-garde glamour into the
conservative rue St-Honoré. Despite a handful of imitators, it’s
managed to stay one step ahead of the competition by doing its own
thing – hence the appearance throughout May of work by graphic tattoo
artist Mike Giant in the shop’s gallery. Of course, it’s covering skin
rather than decorating it that the shop excels at, and you’ll find
Chloé, Lanvin and Marc Jacobs as well as fresh names like Tao and
Isabella Capito for women and Tom Brown for men. On the ground floor
there’s a range of offbeat homeware and hard-to-get beauty brands;
those who can’t afford the fancy frocks can pick up Colette musk oil
(about £15) or a Colette CD.
Colette, 213 rue St-Honoré, 1st (00 33 1 55 35 33 90/www.colette.fr) Métro Tuileries or Pyramides. Open Mon-Sat 11am-
