Friday, November 8, 2013

Travel to Paris, France

Paris is unique in that it is a major global city -- home to more than 10 million people in the greater region -- yet it manages to synthesize the rhythms of village life with those of a cosmopolitan world capital. Although the city is a center of European commerce, many shops are closed on Sundays, leaving time for lazy brunches or shopping excursions at a local market. Paris is the capital of fashion, art, and people-watching; a city where Chanel-clad ladies walk poodles along grand boulevards; a place where the waiters might be rude but the food is délicieux. Paris is all of that and more. Your love affair begins once you look beyond the Eiffel Tower, explore the backstreets, and make Paris your own.

Things to Do
Comfy shoes are essential for this city of a thousand walks, landscaped gardens, and cavernous galleries. Reserve your ticket for speedy access to the Louvre, which sidles up to the sculpture-dotted Jardin des Tuileries. Across the Seine on the Left Bank, take your pick from Impressionist hangout Musée d'Orsay, Notre-Dame's Gothic grandeur and Musée Rodin's Kiss sculpture. Okay, you really can't leave without seeing Paris light up from the Eiffel Tower, open till midnight.

Restaurants and Dining
Good food is a birthright and its appreciation a rite of passage in Paris, where a meal -- sometimes even coffee -- can last hours. For a memorable splurge, book one of the city's opulent three-star palace restaurants, like Le Plaza Athenée or L'Astrance, or book ahead for a table at one of the trendy bistronomiques that combine gastronomy with bistro pricing -- Frenchie, Le Chateaubriand, Rino, and Spring are all hot right now.

Shopping
Parisians luxuriate in shopping -- bidding shopkeepers bonjour and pausing to lèche-vitrines ("lick the windows," or window shop). Saunter the boutiquey Marais for home-grown fashion, or voguish rue Saint-Honoré, home to concept store Colette, for more high-end labels. Where else can you find such palatial department stores as chic Bon Marché, Art Nouveau Printemps, or monumental Galeries Lafayette? Antiques, bric-a-brac, vintage Chanel -- it's all at the charming Porte de Vanves weekend flea market; arrive early for bargains and stay for brunch.

Nightlife and Entertainment
Ballet and opera at the glittering Opéra Garnier, Molière classics at the Comédie Française, and cancan at the (in)famous Moulin Rouge -- Paris nightlife reaches from sublime to borderline sleazy. A young, trendy crowd parties around the Bastille, gay Marais, and the effortlessly hip bars in Oberkampf, where DJs play at industrial-chic Nouveau Casino. Dress to the nines to slip past picky doormen in clubs around Champs-Élysées like celebrity-magnet Le Baron, and rock the Seine dancing to techno on moored party boat Batofar.

Best Authentic Experiences in Paris, France

The Best Authentic Experiences

  • Picnicking on the Canal St-Martin: On a nice day, pack a picnic lunch and head to the banks of the charming Canal St-Martin, where you'll find bohemian Parisians relaxing under the shady plane trees and dining with friends.
  • Feasting on Oysters and Chablis: During oyster season (Sept-Apr), take the time for a briney lunch of fines de claire oysters washed down with a glass -- or two -- of Chablis, a white wine from Burgundy. Many bistros and brasseries serve oysters during this period -- you'll know by the heaping mounds of oysters set up on tables in front of these establishments.
  • Eating Asian in Chinatown: While most visitors don't associate Paris with Asian food, the city has an important Asian community originating primarily from China, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. There are three different Chinatowns in the city; the two most important Chinatowns are located at Metro Belleville and in the 13th arrondissement near Metro Porte d'Ivry. Here you can eat well (and cheaply) while seeing a different side of the city.
  • Riding a Bike: The city's small size and predominantly flat terrain make it ideal for cycling. The city government actively encourages bike riding: you'll see bike paths around the city, and there's even an efficient municipal bike rental system, the Vélib (www.velib.paris.fr). It's an invigorating way to see the city.
  • Bathing in a Hammam: Bathhouses are common in Paris; this custom was imported by Paris's important communities from Maghreb, where hammams are prevalent. The best known and perhaps most beautiful hammam is the one inside the La Grande Mosquée de Paris. Strip down (it's women or men only) and relax in the succession of increasingly hot steam rooms, before plunging into a cold pool. Finish off the experience with a cleansing mint tea.
  • Perusing the Local Food Markets: Possibly everything there is to say about the charm of the city's local food markets has already been said -- it's a delight for all the senses. Get inspired by the variety of fresh French produce, from its cheeses to charcuteries to fruits, vegetables, seafood, meats, and world-class bread.
  • Hitting the Sales: Twice a year Paris shops sacrifice their current collections, with up to 75% reductions, to make way for new stock. Summer sales start in the last week of June, and winter sales start in early January. Parisians stock up on everything from clothes to home goods to electronics at these city-wide sales.
  • Taking an Aperitif: The apéro (predinner drink) is a common ritual in Paris, where Parisian meet in their favorite local bars and bistros for a chat and a drink, usually around 7pm. The aperitif is meant to open the appetite, and classic examples include white wine, champagne, pastis, or vermouth.

Best Hotel Bets in Paris, France

Best Hotel Bets

  • Best for a Romantic Getaway: Who doesn't take a deep sigh then murmur yes when he first pushes open this hotel's heavy wooden gate and lays his eyes on the Pavillon de la Reine, an enchanting ivy-covered mansion opposite the Marais' Place des Vosges?
  • Best for Families: You'll find all the comfort of home at the stylish Hotel Arvor St Georges. Three suites include an extra single bed, and rooms can also take an extra cot. Kids will also appreciate the homemade cake in the relaxed downstairs lobby.
  • Best Splurge: This new Philippe Starck-designed gem has the whole city talking. The Royal Monceau offers absolute luxury for contemporary jet-setters, including a Clarins spa, an indoor pool, a state-of-the-art cinema, edgy fashion, and a mobile sound studio that can be set up in any of the soundproofed rooms.
  • Best Value: The Mama Shelter might be off the beaten track, but this new Starck-designed hotel nonetheless attracts the in-crowd with its buzzing downstairs restaurant/bar space, high-tech setup, and low-cost rates.
  • Best-Kept Secret: The Villa Mazarin provides elegant and spacious rooms in the thick of the lovely lower Marais, just minutes from the Pompidou Centre, the river, and Notre-Dame.
  • Best Service: Of all the palace hotels in Paris, the Hotel Meurice has perhaps the most warmth and contemporary style. The service here is welcoming and humorous, and not at all stuffy.
  • Most Rejuvenating: The chic Gabriel Paris Marais is the city's first "detox" hotel, and is devoted to the well-being of its guests. After getting a good night's sleep with their revolutionary NightCove system, wake up to an organic breakfast.
  • Most Trendy: The one-of-a-kind Hotel Amour is run by a couple of the city's nightlife barons. Each of the 24 rooms boasts a unique, edgy, contemporary design, and you'll run into many of the city's trendsetters at the raucous downstairs bar and restaurant.
  • Best Views: Of the 33 rooms at the Hotel du Quai Voltaire, 28 open onto views of the Seine. This 17th-century abbey was transformed into a hotel in 1856 and has been welcoming guests -- including Oscar Wilde, Charles Baudelaire, and Wilhelm Richard Wagner -- ever since.
  • Most Charming: In the heart of the Latin Quarter, and set within a luxuriant and peaceful little garden, the delightful Hotel des Grands Ecoles is a budget option boasting a unique, provincial charm.

Most Unforgettable Food and Drink Experiences in Paris, France

The Most Unforgettable Food and Drink Experiences
  • Eating illicit cheese: Many varieties of French fromage (cheese) are actually illegal in the United States because they're made with raw, unpasteurized milk -- this adds depth of flavor to the cheese. While in France, sample the oozy Brie de Meaux (or Brie de Melun, if it's available), the pungent washed rind cheese Epoisses, or a very young and tangy snow-white chèvre. Our favorite cheese shop is Androuet (37 rue de Verneuil; tel. 01-42-61-97-55; www.androuet.com) in the 7th arrondissement, though there are other locations around the city.
  • Pairing that cheese with a warm baguette: Just across the street from the Androuet cheese shop in the 7e is the Eric Kayser bakery. Run by an acclaimed Alsatian who has patented several bread-making techniques, this bakery sells at least four different types of baguette, all chewy and delicious.
  • Filling a box of chocolates: It's impossible to walk into a chocolatarie and not be tempted to take home a box. Choose the size of the box, and then begin the fun task of pointing out whatever pralinés and ganaches you'd like to try. Our favorite chocolatiers are Jacques Genin (133 rue du Turenne, 3e; tel. 01-45-77-29-01) and Patrick Roger (108 boulevard Saint-Germain, 6e; tel. 01-43-29-38-42; www.patrickroger.com).
  • Going au naturel: Natural wines, which are made from organic grapes and use few preservatives or stabilizing agents, are all the rage in Paris right now. The best place to learn about these (by drinking, of course) is Vivant, a restaurant in the 10th arrondissement that's run by a leader in the vins naturels movement named Pierre Jancou.
  • Surrendering control: Tasting menus that offer no choices are becoming increasingly popular in Paris's restaurants. If you're ready to put yourself in the hands of a talented chef, try Le ChateaubriandLa Bigarrade, or Spring.
  • Having a picnic: When the weather is nice, the banks of the Seine River and the Canal St-Martin and the city's many parks become lined with Parisians enjoying a picnic in the open air. Bring a baguette, some cheese, and a bottle of wine, and join the locals for some of the cheapest fun to be had in Paris.

Best Restaurant Bets in Paris, France

Best Restaurant Bets
  • Best for Romance: Lasserre, with its over-the-top opulence and retractable ceiling, is an obvious setting for romance. A more affordable romantic option is La Crèmerie, an old milk shop-turned-wine bar on the left bank, with beautiful tiles and an intimate atmosphere.
  • Best for Families: For kids who are tired of tasting new things, Breakfast in America is a haven of recognizable favorites like hamburgers, milkshakes, and all-day breakfast. Set inside the city's biggest park, Rosa Bonheur allows parents to sample various tapas on a large, outdoor terrace while their kids play in the park.
  • Best Splurge: Passage 53, inside the city's oldest covered passageway, is bursting with postcard charm -- it also has delicious, yet modern, cuisine, and it just received its second Michelin star. Among the three-star Michelin splurges, we're most taken with L'Arpège.
  • Best Value: Located just a few blocks from each other in the Marais, the Breizh Café and the Café des Musees, are the places to go when you want to fill up on authentic French comfort food for under 20€ a head.
  • Best Service: Of all the lavish three-star restaurants in Paris, Guy Savoy is widely thought to have the most warm and gracious service. On the other side of town, and the other end of the gastronomic spectrum, the restaurant Fish is always a warm and friendly place to go, and the largely expatriate waitstaff are a great help for those who don't speak French.
  • Best Classic Bistro: In a city with so many excellent bistros, it's difficult to choose a favorite, but we'll narrow it down to Le RegaladeLe Bistrot Paul Bert, and Chez L'Ami Jean. Book in advance for any of these three.
  • Best for Sunday Dinner: Many restaurants in Paris are closed on Sundays, but L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon is open every day of the year, and Goumard, also open on Sundays, is a fun place to indulge in some fresh oysters.
  • Best Steak Frites: Run by a former butcher, Le Severo serves some of the city's best steak frites, along with côtes de boeuf, and other massive cuts of beef. Le Relais de L'Entrecôte is a fun dining option that serves multiple refills of steak and fries.
  • Best for Young, Inventive Chefs: The top restaurants for innovative and modern French cuisine are Le ChateaubriandFrenchie, and Saturne. Book a few weeks in advance if you want a taste of what's new in Paris.
  • Best for Wine Enthusiasts: If what's in your glass is just as important as what's on the plate, we recommend a visit to Le Verre VoléLes PapillesVivantLe Chapeau Melon, or Le Baratin -- all of these places take wine seriously.

Favorite Experiences in Paris, France

Favorite Experiences

  • Whiling Away an Afternoon in a Parisian Cafe: The cafes are where passionate meetings of writers, artists, philosophers, thinkers, and revolutionaries once took place -- and perhaps still do. Parisians stop by their favorite cafes to meet lovers and friends, to make new ones, or to sit in solitude with a newspaper or book.
  • Taking Afternoon Tea à la Française: Drinking tea in London has its charm, but the Parisian salon de thé is unique. Skip the cucumber-and-watercress sandwiches and delve into a luscious dessert such as the Mont Blanc, a creamy purée of sweetened chestnuts and meringue. The grandest Parisian tea salon is Angélina, 226 rue de Rivoli, 1er (tel. 01-42-60-82-00).
  • Strolling Along the Seine: Such painters as Sisley, Turner, and Monet have fallen under the Seine's spell. On its banks, lovers still walk hand in hand, anglers cast their lines, and bouquinistes (secondhand-book dealers) peddle their mix of postcards, 100-year-old pornography, and tattered histories of Indochina.
  • Spending a Day at the Races: Paris boasts eight tracks for horse racing. The most famous and the classiest is Hippodrome de Longchamp, in the Bois de Boulogne, the site of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Grand Prix. These and other top races are major social events, so you'll have to dress up.
  • Calling on the Dead: You don't have to be a ghoul to be thrilled by a visit to Europe's most famous cemetery, Père-Lachaise. You can pay your respects to the resting places of Oscar Wilde; Yves Montand and Simone Signoret; Edith Piaf; Isadora Duncan; Frédéric Chopin; Marcel Proust; Jim Morrison; and others. Laid out in 1803 on a hill in Ménilmontant, the cemetery offers surprises with its bizarre monuments, unexpected views, and ornate sculpture.
  • Window-Shopping in the Faubourg St-Honoré: In the 1700s, the wealthiest Parisians resided in the Faubourg St-Honoré; today, the quarter is home to stores catering to the rich, particularly on rue du Faubourg St-Honoré and avenue Montaigne. Even if you don't buy anything, it's great to window-shop big names such as Hermès, Dior, Chanel, Gaultier, Vuitton, Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent. If you want to browse in the stores, be sure to dress the part.
  • Exploring Ile de la Cité's Flower Market: A fine finish to any day (Mon-Sat) spent meandering along the Seine is a stroll through the Marché aux Fleurs, place Louis-Lépine. You can buy rare flowers, the gems of the French Riviera -- bouquets that have inspired artists throughout the centuries. On Sundays, the area is transformed into the Marché aux Oiseaux, where you can admire rare birds from around the world.
  • Going Gourmet at Fauchon: An exotic world of food, Fauchon offers more than 20,000 products from around the globe. Everything you never knew you were missing is in aisle after aisle of coffees, spices, pastries, fruits, vegetables, and much more. Take your pick: Scottish smoked salmon, preserved cocks' combs, Romanian rose-petal jelly, blue-red Indian pomegranates, golden Tunisian dates, dark morels from France's rich soil, century-old eggs from China, and a creole punch from Martinique, reputed to be the best anywhere.
  • Attending a Ballet or an Opera: Take your pick between the rococo splendor of the majestic Opéra Garnier or the more modern Opéra Bastille, France's largest opera house. Established in 1989, the Opéra Bastille presents opera and symphony performances in its four concert halls (its main hall seats 2,700). The Opéra Garnier is the home of the Paris Opera Ballet, one of the best companies in the world, and it hosts opera, classical concerts, and ballet performances inside its stunning gold and red velvet auditorium. Dress for the occasion, with pomp and circumstance.
  • Sipping Wine at Willi's: Back in the early 1970s, the first-timer to Paris might have arrived with a copy of Hemingway's A Moveable Feast and, taking the author's endorsement to heart, headed for Harry's Bar at "Sank roo doe Noo." Harry's is still around but now draws an older, more conservative clientele. Today's chic younger expats head for Willi's Wine Bar, 13 rue des Petits-Champs, 1er (tel. 01-42-61-05-09). Here, the waitresses and long-haired young bartenders are mostly English. The place is like an informal club for Brits, Australians, and Yanks, especially in the afternoon. Some 300 wines await your selection.
  • Checking Out the Marchés: A daily Parisian ritual is ambling through one of the open-air markets to buy fresh food -- perhaps a properly creamy Camembert or a ripe plum -- to be eaten before sundown. Our favorite market is the Marché d'Aligre. During mornings at this grubby little cluster of food stalls, we've spotted some of France's finest chefs stocking up for the day.

Best for Kids in Paris, France

The Best for Kids

  • Best for Keeping the Kids Quiet: Les Catacombes, a creepy underground ossuary, will have the kids transfixed. Wander through almost 2km (1 1/3 miles) of labyrinthine corridors lined with six million bones, transferred here from Parisian cemeteries over 200 years ago. In the past, it served as a quarry, where stone was extracted for building, and during World War II, the French Resistance used the tunnel system to outsmart the German soldiers.
  • Best for History: Originally a royal garden dedicated to medicinal plants, the Jardin des Plantes, set within a park that includes the Natural History Museum, offers a mesmerizing overview of the history of both sea and land creatures and gives an insight into the impact of man on nature by spotlighting different extinct and endangered animals. There's also the recently reopened greenhouses, which present different natural and plant environments, from tropical rainforests to deserts; there's a space dedicated to geology and mineralogy; a Gallery of Paleontology which presents a fascinating collection of fossils and specimens, including dinosaurs, mammoths, and even the skeleton of Louis XV's pet rhinoceros! Plus there's a charming zoo, featuring over 900 animals, everything from wallabies to pink flamingos to orangutans.
  • Best for Wearing the Kids Out: Europe's most visited theme park, Disneyland Paris, offers total sensory overload for the whole family in its five lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Discoveryland. Fairy tales come alive in Sleeping Beauty's Castle, and adventurers will love Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril.
  • Best for a Picnic: Parc des Buttes Chaumont, a large 19th-century park built by Napoleon III, is full of exciting features that the kids will love, like cliffs, a suspension bridge leading to a romantic stone belvedere, a lake with ducks and swans, and a massive grotto with a thundering waterfall. There are pony rides, a merry-go-round, an adventure playground, and a puppet theater too.
  • Best Gross Out: Rémy the rat from the animated 2007 film Ratatouille made his way up from the Paris sewers to take the reins of the restaurant made famous by his gastronomic hero, Auguste Gusteau. Take the kids on this smelly tour through Les Egouts, the city's sewers, and give them a new perspective on the city and its history.
  • Best Climb: Basilique du Sacré Coeur, an impressive neo-Byzantine basilica, crowns the Montmartre hill, the highest point in the city. Give your calf muscles a workout getting to the top: Take the Metro to Anvers and walk up the hill to the gardens surrounding the church; from there, the funicular can take you up to the church, where around 500 steps await to take you to the very top of the edifice, and its panoramic views of the city below.
  • Best Place to Run and Play: Parc de la Villette, Paris's largest park, includes 10 astounding gardens that guarantee the whole family a memorable day. Here you'll find the Garden of Childhood Fears, with its mysterious musical forest; the Garden of Acrobatics, with games involving balance and movement; the Dragon Garden; the Garden of Mirrors; and more. The park includes vast open spaces ideal for picnics and games.
  • Best Photo Moment: At the Musée Grevin, kids can pose for a snapshot with their favorite French hero, such as basketball star Tony Parker and singer Celine Dion. Take a tour of the history of France via 300 wax personalities, from Joan of Arc to King Louis XIV. There's also a discovery tour that takes you behind the scenes to learn how the wax dummies are made; here children can touch all the materials used, including the wax, glass eyes, and (real) hair!
  • Best for Thrill-Seekers: For the summer months of July and August, the Jardin des Tuileries hosts a funfair (www.feteforaine-jardindestuileries.com), a special amusement park that boasts all the classic amusements such as a shooting gallery, trampolines, and a century-old wooden carousel. The enormous Ferris wheel provides superb views over Paris.
  • Best for a Hike: La Promenade Plantée, a former railway line abandoned since 1969, has been transformed into a 4.5km (2.8-mile) pedestrian walkway that runs through the 12th arrondissement. It begins near Bastille at the Avenue Dausmenil and ends at the Bois de Vincennes. Have fun cutting through the city on this elevated green path, planted with all sorts of plants and trees.

Best Historic Sites in Paris, France

The Best Historic Sites

  • Invoking Ancient Rome at the Musée National du Moyen Age/Thermes de Cluny (Musée de Cluny): This museum associates two historic edifices: the medieval Hôtel of the Abbots of Cluny and the ruins of the city's Gallo-Roman baths. These ancient thermal baths date from when the city -- then known as Lutetia -- was under Roman rule, between the 1st and 3rd centuries. Thermae, or municipal baths, were at the center of daily life in Roman society, providing a social forum for citizens. These ruins, along with the nearby outdoor amphitheater, are the only significant traces of the city's Roman period.
  • Discovering the Oldest Church in Paris at St-Germain-des-Prés: This is the oldest church in Paris, predating the Gothic Notre-Dame cathedral nearby by at least 600 years. The site was originally a Benedictine abbey founded in 542 by the Merovingian King Childebert to house a relic of the cross brought back from Spain. The Vikings pillaged the building in the 7th century, but the tower and nave were rebuilt 2 centuries later, and are now the only remaining vestiges of Romanesque architecture left in Paris.
  • Remembering Marie Antoinette at the Conciergerie: The seat of royal power for 400 years, from the 10th to the 14th centuries, this is the oldest royal palace in the capital. After Charles V abandoned the palace for a new residence in the current Marais, it was converted into a prison, and during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette was held there before being guillotined. It's a great example of the architecture of the Middle Ages; don't miss the Gens d'Armes room, the Guard room, and the kitchens. On the northeastern corner you can still see the city's first public clock, installed in 1370.
  • Exploring the Musée du Louvre: The history of the Louvre and the history of Paris are practically one. This emblematic building has dominated the center of the city since the 12th century, changing over the years from a medieval fortress (you can still see these foundations in the basement today) to the gargantuan palace it became under the Sun King, Louis XIV, in the 17th century. Today, the Louvre is one of the world's most important museums.
  • Commemorating Medieval Times at La Sainte-Chapelle: This medieval monument on the Ile de la Cité was built to house Christ's crown of thorns, which King Louis IX (Saint Louis) bought from the emperor of Constantinople in the 13th century. Considered a veritable masterpiece of Gothic architecture, it features 600 sq. m (6,460 sq. ft.) of magnificent stained-glass windows. The architecture is so delicate that when you are inside the church, you feel as if you are in palace entirely constructed of colored glass.
  • Reliving the French Revolution at Place de la Bastille: The Bastille prison once stood here, and its storming on July 14, 1789, signaled the start of the French Revolution. In 1794, the revolutionary authorities beheaded 75 enemies of the state with its guillotine. Today the Bastille Square remains a powerfully symbolic site for Parisians and many marches and demonstrations start or finish here.
  • Honoring Napoleon at the Arc de Triomphe: Napoleon commissioned this triumphal arch in 1806 in homage to his military victories. It is decorated with reliefs and sculptures representing scenes from his epic battles, and is the centerpiece of the Place Charles de Gaulle-Etoile. Twelve majestic avenues commence at the base of the monument, most of which bear the names of famous battles fought by Napoleon (for example, Friedland and Wagram). The view from the top is incredible.
  • Drinking with the literary greats at Café de Flore: The Café de Flore has been at the center of the city's intellectual life since it opened its doors in 1887. The writer Charles Maurras wrote his book Au signe de Flore there. The cafe has been associated with poets Guillaume Apollinaire, Louis Aragon, and Jacques Prévert; philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre; and expat American writers Arthur Koestler, Ernest Hemingway, and Truman Capote. Today, you can still order a glass of vin, and toast to all the drinks, arguments, and ideas that have passed through this exceptional place.

Best Museums in Paris, France

The Best Museums

  • Palais de Tokyo: The Palais de Tokyo is a contemporary "art mall" that displays radical emerging art -- even its hours (noon-midnight) are radical. After its 2011 renovation and expansion, the museum has become even more monumental, with double the exhibition space. You're bound to see thought-provoking exhibitions that you'd be unlikely to see elsewhere.
  • Musée du Louvre: The Louvre's exterior is a triumph of French architecture, and its interior shelters an embarrassment of art, one of the greatest treasure troves known to Western civilization. Of the Louvre's more than 300,000 paintings, only a small percentage can be displayed at one time. The museum maintains its staid dignity and timelessness even though thousands of visitors traipse daily through its corridors, looking for the Mona Lisa or the Venus de Milo. I. M. Pei's controversial Great Pyramid nearly offsets the grandeur of the Cour Carrée, but it has a real functional purpose.
  • Musée d'Orsay: The spidery glass-and-iron canopies of a former railway station frame one of Europe's greatest museums of art. Devoted mainly to paintings of the 19th century, d'Orsay contains some of the most celebrated masterpieces of the French Impressionists, along with sculptures and decorative objects whose designs forever changed the way European artists interpreted line, movement, and color. This is also where Whistler's Mother sits in her rocker.
  • Centre Pompidou: "The most avant-garde building in the world," or so it is known, is a citadel of modern art, with exhibitions drawn from more than 40,000 works. Everything seemingly is here -- from Calder's 1928 Josephine Baker (one of his earliest versions of the mobile) to a re-creation of Brancusi's Jazz Age studio.
  • Musée Jacquemart-André: The 19th-century town house, with its gilt salons and elegant winding staircase, contains the best small collection of 18th-century decorative art in Paris. The building and its contents were a bequest to the Institut de France by the late Mme Nélie Jacquemart-André, herself an artist of note.
  • Musée National du Moyen Age/Thermes de Cluny: This museum houses some of the most beautiful medieval art still in existence. Dark, rough-walled, and evocative, the Cluny is devoted to the church art and castle crafts of the Middle Ages. It is more celebrated for its tapestries -- among them the world-famed series of The Lady and the Unicorn. Here you can also visit the ruins of Roman baths, dating from around A.D. 200.
  • Musée Marmottan Monet: On the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, this museum is home to 130 paintings, watercolors, pastels, and drawings of Claude Monet, the "father of Impressionism." A gift of Monet's son Michel, the bequest is one of the greatest art acquisitions in France. Exhibited here is the painting Impression: Sunrise, which named the artistic movement.
  • Musée Rodin: Auguste Rodin, the man credited with freeing French sculpture from classicism, once lived at and had his studio in this charming 18th-century mansion across from Napoleon's tomb. Today, the house and its garden are filled with his works, including The Thinker crouched on his pedestal, the Burghers of Calais, and the writhing Gates of Hell.

Free Things to Do in Paris, France

Best Free Things to Do

  • Meeting the Natives: Meeting Parisians is one of the adventures of traveling to Paris -- and it's free. Visitors often find Parisians brusque to the point of rudeness, but this hardened crust often protects a soft center. Compliment a surly bistro owner on her cuisine, and -- 9 times out of 10 -- she'll melt before your eyes. Admire a Parisian's dog or praise a window display and you'll find a loquaciously knowledgeable companion. Try to meet a Parisian halfway with some kind of personalized contact. Only then do you learn their best qualities: their famed charm, their savoir-faire -- and, yes, believe it or not, the delightful courtesy that marks their social life.
  • Attending a Free Concert: Summer brings a Paris joy: free concerts in parks and churches all over the city. Pick up an entertainment weekly for details. Some of the best concerts are held at the American Church in Paris, 65 quai d'Orsay, 7e (tel. 01-40-62-05-00), which sponsors free concerts from September to June on Sunday at 5pm. You can also attend free concerts at Eglise St-Merry, 78 rue St-Martin, 4e (tel. 01-42-71-93-93). These performances are staged based on the availability of the performers, from September to July on Saturday at 9pm and again on Sunday at 4pm.
  • Hanging Out at Place des Vosges: Deep in the Marais, place des Vosges is more an enchanted island than a city square. Laid out in 1605 by order of Henri IV, this lovely oasis is the oldest square in Paris. In the middle is a tiny park where you can sit and sun, listen to the splashing waters of the fountains, or watch the kids at play. On three sides is an encircling arcaded walk, supported by arches and paved with ancient, worn flagstones. Sit sipping an espresso and people-watch as the day passes you by.
  • Viewing Contemporary Art: Space is too tight to document the dozens of art galleries that abound in Paris, but the true devotee will find that not all great art in Paris is displayed in a museum. There is a tendency, however, for owners to open galleries around major museums, hoping to lure the art lovers in. This is especially true around the Centre Pompidou, in the Marais. Our favorite galleries in the Marais include big guns Emmanuel Perrotin, 76 rue du Turenne, 3e (tel. 01-42-16-79-79; www.galerieperrotin.com), and Yvon Lambert, 108 rue Vieille du Temple, 3e (tel. 01-42-71-09-330; www.yvon-lambert.com). They display changing exhibits from both Parisian and international avant-garde artists. More traditional galleries are found in St-Germain-des-Prés, many along the Rue de Seine.
  • Strolling the World's Grandest Promenade: Pointing from place de la Concorde like a broad, straight arrow to the Arc de Triomphe at the far end, the Champs-Élysées (the main street of Paris) presents its grandest spectacle at night. Paris guidebook writers grow tired of repeating "the most in the world," but, of course, the Champs-Élysées is the world's most famous promenade. For the first third of the stroll from place de la Concorde, the avenue is lined by chestnut trees. Then it changes into a double row of palatial hotels and shops, office buildings, and endless sidewalk cafes.
  • Cooling Off in the Jardin des Tuileries: Parisians head to the Tuileries Gardens to cool off on a hot summer day. The park stretches on the Right Bank of the Seine from the place de la Concorde to the doorstep of the Louvre. This exquisitely formal garden was laid out as a royal pleasure ground in 1564, but was thrown open to the public by the French Revolution. Filled with statues (some by Rodin), fountains, and mathematically trimmed hedges, its nicest feature is a series of round ponds on which kids sail armadas of model boats. Stand on the elevated terrace by the Seine, enjoying panoramic views over Paris.
  • Seeing Paris from a Bus: Most tours of Paris are expensive, but for only 1.60€ you can ride one of the city's public buses traversing some of the most scenic streets. Our favorite is no. 29, which begins at historic Gare St-Lazare, subject of Monet's painting La Gare St-Lazare at Musée d'Orsay and featured in Zola's novel La Bête Humainee. Aboard no. 29, you pass the famous Opéra Garnier and proceed into the Marais district, passing by Paris's most beautiful square, place des Vosges. You end up at the Bastille district, home of the new opera. It's a close encounter with backstreet Paris and a cheap way to see the city without a tour guide's commentary.

Places of Interest in Paris, France

The Best Neighborhoods

  • Montmartre: Striding a hill atop Paris, Montmartre used to be a village of artists, glorified by masters such as Utrillo, and painted, sketched, sculpted, and photographed by 10,000 lesser talents. Today, it's overrun by tourists, building speculators, and nightclub entrepreneurs who moved in as the artists moved out. However, a few still linger and so does much of the villagelike charm.
  • Quartier Latin: Over the Seine on the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter lies in the 5th arrondissement and consists of streets winding around the Paris University, of which the Sorbonne is only a part. The logical starting point is place Saint-Michel, right on the river. From here you can wander at leisure, getting lost as you discover the doglegged cluster of alleys adjoining the river -- rue de la Huchette, rue de la Harpe, rue St-Séverin. End up by strolling along boulevard St-Germain, lined with sophisticated cafes and shops.
  • Le Marais: The vaguely defined maze of streets north of place de la Bastille, known as Le Marais, or "the Marsh," is an attraction in itself. During the 17th century, this was a region of aristocratic mansions, which lost their elegance when the fashionable set moved elsewhere. The houses lost status, but they remain standing and restored today, as the once-decaying Marais has been gentrified. Today, it's one of the most fashionable districts in Paris, home to funky shops, offbeat hotels, dozens of bistros, hot bars, and "gay Paree."
  • Ile St-Louis: A footbridge behind Notre-Dame leads to this enchanting island on the Seine, full of tree-shaded quays, town houses with courtyards, and antiques shops. This smaller and more tranquil of the Seine islands has remained much as it was in the 17th century. Over the years, many illustrious French have called St-Louis home -- none more famous than Voltaire. This is our favorite real estate for wandering in the whole city.
  • Ile de la Cité: "The cradle of Paris," where the city was born, is actually an island shaped like a great ship in the middle of the Seine. The site of France's greatest cathedral, Notre-Dame, it invites exploration and wandering. Home to French kings until the 14th century, Cité still has a curiously medieval air, with massive gray walls rising up all around you, relieved by tiny patches of parkland. Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie are both found on the island.