Experience Paris as a Parisian — shopping at vibrant street markets and enjoying nights at rooftop bars under the stars
Newly arrived in the City of Light, I walked my way across its length and breadth writing my first guide to Paris for Elle magazine, celebrating the bicentenary of the French Revolution. Now, nearly 35 years later, I am living in the same Bastille neighborhood, still in love with a city that eternally reinvents itself.
Paris remains one of those rare places where the excitement of a first visit, seeing unforgettable, unmissable sights like the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, and Eiffel Tower, is matched by the pleasure of the seasoned visitor who comes upon an ancient bistrot tucked away in the backstreets of Montmartre or a courtyard of artist ateliers hidden behind the entrance of a mansion in the Marais. There is always something to uncover, even for those of us who have long adored this city: the newly opened showroom of a yet-to-be-discovered young fashion designer off Saint-Germain-des-Prés; the experience of gingerly pushing open the disguised door of a speakeasy cocktail bar in hip Pigalle; or spotting an irresistible stall at the ultimate Sunday-morning foodie market on Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, laden with a cornucopia of cheeses, perfect to take back home.
Driving down a pretty Paris street in Montmartre.
Image credit: ShutterstockUnlike the mammoth urban capitals of London and Berlin, the compact center of Paris is small enough for most Parisians to live and work in, and ideal to get around by walking and cycling. So many of the 20 different neighborhoods that encircle the River Seine, the “arrondissements,” still have a genuine feeling of village life — street markets and corner shops, artisan workshops, bars, and cafés where everyone knows each other. The best way to get a genuine feel for this city is to spend time in just one quartier. Prepare to practice your French and you may even get to know a few of the locals, who find your accent absolutely charming, if not sexy.
This is the perfect way to discover your very own Paris, somewhere you will always come back to: buying a freshly baked baguette at your favorite boulangerie and biting off the end to eat straight away as locals do; or whiling away the morning over a steaming mug of chocolat chaud, shamelessly ignoring etiquette and dunking your croissant like a real Parisian. Indulge in the very French art of flâner — quite simply to idly wander around — enjoying your surroundings as what Baudelaire called “a passionate spectator,” rather than feeling obliged to visit museums, sightsee, or join the lines for a restaurant table.
From Day to Night
Mornings in my village, the Bastille Quarter, begin with a walk through the raucous street market in Rue d’Aligre where throngs of shoppers weave past noisy traders, whose stalls teem with tiny violet artichokes and aniseed-scented fennel, fragrant oranges and lemons from North Africa, and plump cèpes (mushrooms), fresh from the forest. At the end stands the grand covered Marché Beauvau, looking out onto the wide-open Place d’Aligre, the site of a genuine marché aux puces (flea market). But to witness how Paris is always changing, come back here in the early evening when the sprawling square is filled with hundreds of tables and chairs, a giant outdoor café open till 10 p.m. every night, serving everything from happy-hour IPA pints to spritzes and chilled Chablis.
Once a pop-up phenomenon, these summer terraces are now a permanent part of Parisian life, as decreed by City Mayor Madame Hidalgo, and firmly established across the city, from the funky Place de la Réunion near Père Lachaise Cemetery to the chic Left Bank Place Dauphine, or the waterside pedestrian walkways along the Seine. In fact, backstreets everywhere are lined with wooden decks installed by imaginative bars and restaurants over former parking spaces.
When friends arrive in Paris, I always suggest that to get a spectacular feel for the city, you need to find the perfect spot to gaze out over its distinctive skyline of criss-crossing crenelated roofs, glinting skylights, mysterious garrets, and wispy church spires — as immortalized in so many movies. These hidden viewpoints used to be few and far between: Sacré-Cœur looking out over Amélie Poulain’s Montmartre; the little-visited Parc de Belleville, high above the vibrant neighborhood where Edith Piaf grew up; or legendary temple of gastronomy, La Tour d’Argent.
But in another sign of Paris changing with the times, today, rooftop restaurants and sunset bars are springing up everywhere. On the roof of bohemian fashion school Cité de la Mode et du Design, Café Oz looks out across the Seine with perfect views over Notre-Dame, whose renovations after the disastrous fire are nearing completion. Le Rooftop at iconic department store Les Galeries Lafayette offers a bird’s-eye view of classic Haussmann architecture surrounding Opera Garnier. Tucked away in the tranquil 10th arrondissement, Le Khayma is a verdant terrace well off the usual tourist radar.
The newest hot address, Goku Rooftop is perched on the exquisite Musée Guimet, which is dedicated to Asian art. From here, the Eiffel Tower seems so close you can almost touch it as the chef prepares exotic burgers with the flavors of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, served in a Zen garden.
Under the Arches
My own secret rooftop address is right in my local neighborhood: Le Viaduc des Arts, a once-abandoned elevated railway line, which runs for a mile from the Place de la Bastille. Each ancient arch has been converted into artisan ateliers preserving the livelihood of traditional craftspeople: tapestry weavers, porcelain painters, glass blowers, and violin makers. And up above is the magical world of the Promenade Plantée, a secluded garden walkway of trees, plants, flowers, and herbs, running along the top of the viaduct where families walk their dogs, joggers rush by, and lovers dawdle on the wooden benches. It’s the perfect snapshot of Parisian life.
With its global reputation as fashion’s Capitale de la Mode, many come to Paris just to shop. How to resist the luxury haute-couture boutiques and chic salons that line Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Avenue Montaigne, or the legendary grands magasins (grandiose historic department stores) like Printemps, Le Bon Marché, and La Samaritaine? My recommendation would be to explore a more nostalgic and sophisticated alternative: hunt down the hidden passages, opulent Belle Époque glass-covered arcades where wealthy Parisians of the early 19th century established ritzy boutiques and risqué cabarets.
The jewel in the crown is Galerie Vivienne, its sumptuous architecture, delicate mosaics, and grand statues have been wonderfully preserved. It is home to florists and wine shops, the atelier of master perfume-maker Binet-Papillon, the lavish Wolff & Descourtis silk and velvet fabrics emporium, and Mardjan’s rare antique jewels and gems.
Elsewhere, the 1799 Passage des Panoramas is actually a maze of six galleries, an El Dorado for stamp collectors visiting renowned philatelist Jean-Pierre Depasse, where you’ll also find shops for antique postcards, vintage toys, and games. The august 180-year-old printing house, Stern, is now a fine-dining restaurant, decorated with weird and wonderful taxidermy chosen by design guru Philippe Starck. And don’t miss the buzzing Passage Jouffroy, not just home of Musée Grévin, whose lifelike waxworks rival Madame Tussauds, but also an Aladdin’s cave bookshop, Librairie du Passage, and cutting-edge photography gallery Photo Verdeau.
Wonderful Waterside Walks
Constructed by Napoleon, this shady tree-lined canal, beginning at the Port de l’Arsenal by Bastille (above), is home to lively bars and bistrots, perfect for picnics and window-shopping in the day, with partying often going on into the early hours at the weekend.
In the heart of the verdant Bois de Vincennes park, this beautiful lake is popular for sunbathing and games of pétanque, with rowing boats to hire for heading to an island in the middle, perfect for picnics. Don’t miss the romantic colonnaded Temple of Love.
The canal stretches for 67 miles; for Parisians the initial 2-mile promenade begins at the Stalingrad metro station and runs up as far as the Bassin de la Villette, an artificial lake. Barges moored at the quaysides offer casual dining, movie theaters, and live music, while the sprawling green park of La Villette has been transformed into a cultural hub with museums and concert venues.
Both quays of the Seine now are essentially car-free, expanding a green policy that began with the summer Paris Plages initiative giving waterside access back to pedestrians and cyclists. Check out the quay by Austerlitz station for a stunning sculpture park, outdoor tango classes, and floating bars, cabarets, and dance clubs.
Gastronomical Delights
Writing about food and wine around the world, I try always to keep my finger on the pulse of the scene here in my hometown. I am enjoying the current trend away from gastronomic fine dining — long, expensive meals in formal Michelin-starred restaurants — toward more casual, relaxed bistronomie addresses, where your waiter may be wearing jeans. Cuisine has moved on, too; no longer led by flavor-of-the-day molecular and foraging trends, but returning to traditional Gallic recipes, with a focus on seasonal, kilomètre-zéro produce, often adding a creative twist with fusion ingredients.
The big news is the revival of the century-old tradition of bouillons, similar to historic brasseries, but with a more relaxed ambiance, cuisine, and, above all, affordable prices. Feast off favorites like egg mayonnaise and frisée salad with crispy bacon; flaky haddock with creamy leeks; or, of course, a classic steak frites. Be prepared to line up for a while outside Bouillon Julien, Bouillon Chartier Montmartre, or the newly opened Brasserie des Prés in the Latin Quarter.
My own recommendations for diners would be to look out for Restaurant Janine in the neo-chic Batignolles Quarter, a to-die-for romantic locale where owner Thibault Sizun lovingly recreates his grandmother’s recipes with surprising exotic twists. Or head to Condesa near Pigalle, where Mexican Chef Indra Carrillo surprisingly bases his lengthy tasting menu on traditional French cuisine. Carrillo is also passionate about wine pairing and has just opened his own bar à vin, Bourrache, which is the perfect place to start discovering the other contemporary Parisian trend: natural wine.
Expect to find these distinctive organic wines without sulfites everywhere in Paris right now, from everyone’s favorite Left Bank locale, L’Avant Comptoir, to my Sunday evening hangout, the bohemian Quartier Rouge, just off Père Lachaise Cemetery, where jazz aficionados come for cool live jam sessions and wine lovers taste the latest natural vintages from the vineyards of the Languedoc, Loire, and Beaujolais. Or, to celebrate your visit to Paris in style, pass on the champagne for once, and join the locals for a glass of Pét-Nat, a surprising bubbly pétillant naturel wine. The perfect toast to the splendors of contemporary Paris.
Day Trips Outside Paris
CHANTILLY
The dreamlike Château de Chantilly is surrounded by an idyllic lake, and the Musée Condé has an art gallery filled with masterpieces. Horse lovers can visit the Living Museum of the Horse in the Great Stables as well as the famous racecourse; while local patisseries specialize in cakes smothered with Chantilly cream – naturally.
CHÂTEAU DE SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE
A trip to Saint-Germain-en-Laye means you avoid the crowds that you’d find at the popular landmark Château de Versailles. Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is another magnificent castle that you can explore, with gardens designed by André le Nôtre, the gardener of Louis XIV’s Versailles.
FONTAINEBLEAU
With its forests, cliff hiking, and fairy-tale palace, Fontainebleau makes for a packed day out. In the sumptuous chateau, don’t miss Marie-Antoinette’s Turkish Boudoir.
ENGHIEN-LES-BAINS
A chic spa resort that surrounds a beautiful lake just at the edge of Paris, make the choice between wellness cures or beauty treatments and trying your luck at the casino.
MARNE RIVERBANKS
The riverbanks along Créteil and Nogent-sur-Marne make for a great waterside day out with their trademark guinguettes, retro music, and dance halls, as well as leafy islands.