Paris - worth getting out of bed for!

This week I have received a lot of lovely emails and I plan to share a couple with you over the next few days.

The first one was from Jane Guidone, who together with her husband is visiting Paris in October. Paris is one of my favourite cities and it got me thinking about some of my favourite things to do.

I thought that we should help Jane out with a few ideas about what to see and do whilst in what I consider to be one of the most fabulous cities in the world. So here goes........

Viewpoint

Crowded but irresistible, the Eiffel Tower is open 9.30am–11pm (midnight in high season).

Arts and culture

The Louvre (www.louvre.fr) houses some of the world’s most famous art (open late Mondays and Wednesdays; closed Tuesdays and some holidays). The Musée National d’Art Moderne is on level four of the Pompidou Centre (www.centrepompidou.fr); Richard Rogers’ radical architecture is another draw. Musée National Picasso Paris (www.musee-picasso.fr) occupies an old house in the Marais, and is full of the artworks Pablo couldn’t bear to part with; the venue is as alluring as the art itself, also the case for Musée d’Orsay, a converted train station packed with arty treats (www.musee-orsay.fr).

Something for nothing

Follow in the footsteps of Degas, Toulouse Lautrec and Amélie, wandering through Montmartre (the bohemian hill streets that saw the birth of the can-can), and up to the Sacré-Coeur for more resplendent Parisian panoramas.

Shopping

Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is chock-full of designer boutiques; our favourite is Colette (www.colette.fr), a celebrated lifestyle shop with fashion, books and a café. There are quirky independent shops, cafés and bars plus cutting-edge fashion in the bohemian Marais district (aka the quartier Juif) – also the only area largely open on Sundays. Porte de Clignancourt market is a fleamarket for clothes and antiques, open Monday–Saturday until 7pm. Or arrange to have a selection of Parisian vintage pieces brought to you by Ooh La La! (ring +33 6 84 76 58 65 ahead of your trip for details).

If you’re a sucker for department stores, head to Le Bon Marché on Rue de Sèvres. Splurge with a healthy conscience at Merci (+33 (0)1 42 77 00 33) on Boulevard Beaumarchais. The luxury emporium donates profits from its cut-price Annick Goutal perfumes, Baccarat crystal vases, Stella McCartney and Yves St Laurent glad-rags and hip homeware to a children’s charity in Madagascar.

Daytripper

Live out your Louis XV/Mme de Pompadour/Marie-Antoinette/Sun King fantasies at the incomparable oh so fabulous Château de Versailles, just outside Paris (www.chateauversailles.fr).

Perfect picnic

Grab a bottle of bubbly from the minibar and some pastries, smoked salmon baguettes or tarts from Gérard Mulot at 76 Rue de Seine (43 26 85 77), and enjoy them in the Jardin de Luxembourg on the Left Bank. Another good green grazing spot is the Jardin de Tuileries near the Louvre: get gourmet snacks at Fauchon or Hédiard on Place de la Madeleine.

Walks

When I go to Paris, I always stay in the very chic St Germain, it is a fabulous place to stroll around, with plenty of shops, cafés and culture to keep you occupied; thanks to its university heritage, the area has historically been the haunt of artists, poets and intellectuals, and there are still plenty of great bookshops and galleries to help kick-start your grey matter.

Activities

The Seine’s open-top Bateaux-Mouches riverboats are a popular way to see the sights; most depart from Pont de l’Alma. Stick to a one-hour trip and give the touristy dinner cruises a miss. Ramp things up a notch on a private picnic cruise down the St Martin canal aboard La Coda, a small Dutch barge (www.parislacoda.com).

US-run Fat Tire Bike Tours will whiz you round the sights on Schwinn bikes, Segways or your own two feet; the night-time tours are fun (1 866 614 6218; www.fattirebiketoursparis.com). Rollerskate through town on a Friday night (or just watch the speed-mad crowd wheel past); the city-of-light express leaves Tour Montparnasse at 10pm and rolls back around 1am (www.pari-roller.com).

And...last but by no means least, marvel at Paris’ unique layout from atop the 200-year-old Arc de Triomphe, one of France’s most iconic monuments and the epicentre of bravura city-planner Baron Haussmann’s star of boulevards; it’s worth clambering up its many internal stairs to peer down the Champs Elysées and enjoy photogenic views down to Place de la Concorde and up to La Défense. Open daily, 10am–10.30pm (11pm in summer), excluding 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Tickets cost €8 and must be bought 30 minutes before closing.

Now its over to you, I am sure that you all have a favourites place in Paris, so do not be mean and keep it to your self, let Jane and the rest of us into your secret world....

A bientot,

L x