FIVE PLACES YOU MUST VISIT ON YOUR NEXT TRIP TO PARIS
Sure, you know you have to go to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and you’re planning to take a little cruise up and down the Seine. But to get a taste of Paris behind the scenes, follow in Emma’s footsteps and check out these perfectly Parisian locales:
1. Rue Cler: This cobblestone pedestrian market street, overflowing with colorful flower stalls, produce stands, bakeries, cheese shops, butchers, and wineries, is the perfect place to practice your bonjours and mercis, soak in the atmosphere of Parisian daily life, and pack a picnic to enjoy in the nearby Parc du Champ de Mars, which sits in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
2. Montmartre: This bohemian Paris neighborhood sits on a hill overlooking the city and is full of mysteriously beautiful winding streets and alleyways, some of which suddenly dead-end in breathtaking vistas over the sprawling city below. Buy a crêpe au sucre at the base of the hill and climb up the picturesque steps leading to the glistening SacréCoeur basilica, where you can perch on a step and overlook all of Paris spreading out below you.
3. The Latin Quarter: Perhaps my favorite neighborhood in Paris, this area, enveloped by the Seine River and the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens, overflows with little shops, relatively inexpensive restaurants, and some of my favorite places, including the Long Hop pub (located at 25–27 Rue Frédéric Sauton—a favorite of Emma, Poppy, and lots of English-speaking expats) and Café le Petit Pont (located at 1 Rue du Petit Pont), the perfect place to settle with a bottle of wine and a great meal while overlooking Notre Dame.
4. Some Favorite Places to Eat: One of the most famous cafés in Paris, Café Les Deux Magots (at 6 Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés), was a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jean-Paul Sartre. It’s a great place to enjoy a kir or a rich hot chocolate while watching the world go by. On the other end of the spectrum is the Cockney Tavern (at 39 Boulevard Clichy), in the heart of the fascinatingly seedy Pigalle area that is also home to the famed Moulin Rouge. Owned and managed by my friend Jean-Michel Colin, it is, to me, the quintessential Parisian eatery. Drop by and say hello to Jean-Michel!
5. Great Places Overlooking the Seine: There’s something intensely beautiful and peaceful about finding your own way along the river that runs through the city. Take a book to the Square du Vert-Galant, a tiny triangular park that juts into the river from the tip of the Île de la Cité, just west of the Pont Neuf, or plan a sunset picnic on the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge that spans the Seine from the Louvre on the Right Bank to the Institut de France on the Left. Enjoy!