PARIS:In the city everyone thinks they know, the key sites in the centre are always worth exploring but there's lots to be found outside the six core arrondissements, says Ruadhán Mac Cormaic
There are as many ways of experiencing Paris as there are people living in this complex, occasionally exasperating but endlessly seductive city. For space reasons, we won’t run through all 2,201,578. Let’s take reductive liberties and isolate two. There’s the Paris you’ll feel you know without having set foot in the place – the vast urban museum piece that mostly cleaves close to the Seine and takes in some of the richest galleries, the grandest buildings, the loveliest streets, the most opulent parks and the most thrilling views to be found anywhere in the world.
You could wander through the Impressionist collection at the Musée d’Orsay or the Denon wing at the Louvre every day for a year and not feel your sense of wonder wearing thin.
Whiling away a Saturday afternoon with a good book in a quieter corner of the Jardin du Luxembourg, taking a close-up view of Notre Dame or hauling yourself up the hill towards Sacré Coeur are the sort of pleasures – imprinted in the outsider’s imagination through a million paintings, photos, novels and dubiously cast romantic comedies - that make this the world’s most visited city.
But for those who venture beyond the six central arrondissements and assert themselves over their guidebooks, the rewards will come quickly. For every world-famous museum, there are 10 smaller ones, devoted to everything from dolls, wine and postal services to magic, perfume and counterfeiting.
The Paris you’ll find in the grittier quartiers of the north-east, for example, is no more or less “authentic” than anywhere else but the night-life is better, the pace more relaxed and the cultural mix worth seeing. By all means treat yourself to some of the city’s haute cuisine, but it’s well worth trying one of the excellent cous-cous restaurants around Menilmontant or having lunch in a market such as the Marché des Enfants Rouges on the Rue de Bretagne – one of the city’s oldest, founded in 1615. Many parts of central Paris fall into a deep sleep after 8pm; if you’re looking for bars, try the area around Oberkampf or Place de la Bastille.
And keep an eye out for the lesser-visited but no less enjoyable parks, such as the Jardin des Plantes (botanical garden) or the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont with its meandering paths and vertical slopes.
One of the best tips is simply to walk. It’s surely no accident that the French have an almost untranslatable word – flâneur – for someone who wanders aimlessly but who is careful to notice, to take things in. It’s a term often applied to a generation of photographers, from Henri Cartier-Bresson to Robert Doisneau, who were celebrated for recording the public intimacies of everyday Parisian life.
There’s no better city for pointless strolling. Paris is very compact, and you’ll get a much fuller sense of it on foot than on public transport. If time is tight, consider the excellent bus network, which gives you a chance to see much more than you would on the metro and can be more comfortable in the summer. Another smart option is to rent a bike – either from the Vélib public bike stands on every second street corner or (for longer periods) from the numerous rental shops around the city. There’s a cycle lane all the way from Place de la Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes, a huge wooded park ideal for a sunny afternoon by the lake.
As for museums and popular sites, it's useful to book your ticket online or to arrive early in the morning to avoid the longest queues. Keep in mind some of the wonderful medium-sized museums such as the Musée de l'Organerie – housing Monet's Nymphéas(water lilies) in two huge purpose-built oval rooms – the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaisme in the Hotel de St-Aignan in the Marais or, a good contender for the most enjoyable in the city, the Musée Rodin and its relaxing gardens. A relatively new museum – it opened in 2006 – is the Musée du Quai Branly, an imaginative introduction to the art of different African, Asian and Latin American cultures.
France has Europe’s biggest film industry and the huge selection of mainstream and arthouse cinemas – sustained by massive public demand – will sate the desires of the most ardent cinephiles.
Check the listings in the weekly Pariscope, L'Officiel des Spectaclesor in the entertainment supplement with Le Figaroon Wednesday, and try to make it to a screening at the oddest and most atmospheric of them all: La Pagode (Rue de Babylone), a Chinese-style pagoda (with bamboo tea garden) that was shipped to France, piece by piece, in 1895.
The listings guides also carry details of theatre and opera times – any opportunity to see a performance at the Opéra Garnier should be leapt at – and it’s always worth trying for last-minute tickets.
Here’s a revelation: cafés – through they’re fast declining in number – are still a big part of Parisian life, and an easy way to strike up conversations (using whatever French you have) with strangers and to learn about an area.
Whether it’s a cup of the world-famous hot chocolate in the upmarket tearoom at Angelina on rue de Rivoli or an espresso on a zinc counter with a wizened barman for company on the city’s periphery, you’ll be glad you stopped.
Above all, leave your preconceptions in your hotel room and open yourself to the city. It’s neither the urban utopia nor the tired bourgeois funfair some would have you believe, but a fascinating place – at once maddening and beguiling – that is reinventing itself constantly and reserves the biggest rewards for those willing to relinquish any hope of truly getting to know it.
Succumb to the confusions of the place and hope that, no matter how many times you visit, you’ll never quite get to the bottom of it.
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go
5 places to stay
1Mama Shelter, 109 rue de Bagnolet, 0033 143 484848, mamashelter.com The information-overload theme – airline timetables on the carpets and so on – may feel a bit tired but this boutique hotel, designed by Philippe Starck, on the site of a former squat in the 20th arrondissement, is good value. Close to Père-Lachaise cemetery and interesting parts of the city. Doubles, €89-€200.
2Four Seasons George V, 31 avenue George V, 0033 149 527000, fourseasons.com/paris A flag-bearer for classic Parisian deluxe, with all you'd expect for the price: chandeliers, Versailles-inspired spa and supposedly some of the most lavish rooms around. Doubles, €695-€1,090.
3Hôtel Lutetia, 45 bd Raspail, 0033 149 544646, lutetia-paris.com A masterpiece of art nouveau that has been declared a national monument, this historic left bank hotel has a jazz bar, busy brasserie and luxurious rooms. You might get one of the rooms where Picasso or de Gaulle once stayed. Doubles, €400-€600.
4Hôtel de Sévigné, 2 rue Mahler, 0033 142 727617, le-sevigne.com This hotel, named after a 17th century writer and in the the Marais, has basic rooms at a price you'll struggle to match in the area. Nearby Hôtel Gay-Lussac (29 rue Gay Lussac, paris-hotel-gay-lussac.com) is another basic option. Doubles, €80-€91.
5Le Relais du Louvre, 19 rue des Prêtres St-Germain- l'Auxerrois, 0033 140 419642, relais-du-louvre-paris.com A small, traditional and stylish place just west of the Louvre. Its cellar was once used by revolutionaries to print anti-royalist literature. As well as its 21 rooms, there's an apartment for four people. Doubles, €165-€198.
5 places to eat
1Itinéraires, 10 rue de Pontoise, 0033 143 290366, restaurantitineraires.com A contemporary left bank restaurant with soft lighting, friendly staff and stylish bistro food. You'll need to book.
2Le Relais de l'Entrecôte, 15 rue Marbeuf, 101 boulevard du Montparnasse and 20 rue Saint-Benoit, relaisentrecote.fr A popular restaurant in three locations. There's no menu: you start with an endive salad followed by a thinly-cut steak and frites. When you've finished, your waitress will arrive with a second helping – all for €23.50. No reservations.
3La Coupole, 102 boulevard du Montparnasse, 0033 143 201420, flobrasseries.com Eating at the Coupole is an event. The big dining area has linen-covered tables, professional waiters, 32 art deco columns and plenty of old-world glamour. Look out for the shellfish displayed along a massive counter.
4Le 404, 69 rue des Gravilliers, 0033 142 74 57 81. A Moroccan restaurant with a good atmosphere, Le 404 – with its bare stone walls, low tables and chic north African ambiance – feels a little incongruous on a small street in the 3rd arrondissement. The cocktails in the bar next door come recommended.
5Fish La Boissonnerie, 69 rue de Seine, 0033 143 543469 Co-owned by an American and a New Zealander, this seafood restaurant is just off the Boulevard St-Germain. Rue de Buci's bars are ideal for an apéro beforehand.
5 places to go
1Musée Rodin. Hôtel Biron, 79 rue de Varenne, 0033 1 44 186110, musee-rodin.fr Based where the sculptor Auguste Rodin lived towards the end of his life, this terrific museum contains many of his great works, including The Thinker, the Burghers of Calaisand the Gates of Hell,while the walls are hung with paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Rodin himself.
2Institut du Monde Arabe, 1 rue des Fossés-Saint-Bernard, 0033 140 513838, imarabe.org Covering the history and archaeology of the Islamic Arab world, the Institut stands out for its design by Jean Nouvel. Its windows, inspired by the screens of Moorish palaces, contract and expand in response to sun levels. Nearby is the Mosquée de Paris, where in the courtyard you can have mint tea and nutty pastries.
3Sainte-Chapelle, 4 boulevard du Palais, 0033 014 4541930, sainte-chapelle.monuments-nationaux.fr The exquisite Gothic Sainte-Chapelle – beside the Palais de Justice in the heart of the city – is worth queuing to see. Built in the 1240s for King Louis IX, the upper level seems to consist almost entirely of stained glass, each window depicting scenes from the bible. Classical concerts take place here regularly.
4Catacombes, 1 ave Colonel Henri Roi-Tanguy, 0033 143 224763, catacombes-de-paris.fr You've seen the star-studded cemeteries at Père-Lachaise, Montparnasse, Passy and Montmartre, and you still have a taste for the macabre? Try the catacombs. In 1795, it was decided to solve the hygiene problems posed by the city's overflowing cemeteries by exhuming the bones and storing them in the tunnels of three disused quarries. You descend 20 metres and follow 1.7 km of underground corridors past the bones and skulls of millions of Parisians.
5Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme, Hôtel de St-Aignan, 71 rue du Temple, 0033 153 018653, mahj.org In a magnificent building in a district known as the centre of local Jewish life for centuries, the museum sprung from the collection of a private association formed in 1948 to safeguard Jewish history after the Holocaust. There are documents on the Dreyfus affair and paintings by Chagall, Modigliani and Soutine.
Hot spot
Jazz fans are spoilt for choice in Paris. In June or July keep an eye out for the Jazz Festival at the Parc Floral. Otherwise, try Caveau de la Huchette (5 rue de la Huchette, 0033 143 266505, caveaudelahuchette.fr) in a cellar that was a torture chamber in the Revolution. There’s also Le Baiser Salé (58 rue des Lombards) and New Morning (7-9 rue des Petites Écuries).
Shop spot
In English there’s window-shopping, but in French it’s window-licking (lèche-vitrine). Either way, you’ll be well served. Different areas have specialities: small boutiques in the Marais, department stores on boulevard Haussman and antiques in the seventh arrondissement. The signature department stores BHV (52-54 rue de Rivoli) and Le Bon Marché (24 rue de Sèvres) are worth a visit, as is the Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt.
Go there
Aer Lingus and Air France fly to Charles de Gaulle airport and Ryanair flies to Beauvais, which is north of Paris