Guidebook for Paris
Food Scene
Coco de Mer
34 Bd Saint-MarcelExotic, inexpensive, relaxing beach atmosphere!
The best Peruvian restaurant in France! Go a bit earlier if you want to make sure to get a table - it IS popular! The food is amazing! Casual dress.
6 locals recommend
El Picaflor
9 Rue LacépèdeThe best Peruvian restaurant in France! Go a bit earlier if you want to make sure to get a table - it IS popular! The food is amazing! Casual dress.
A very tasty menu of artisan pastas made on premises out of all kinds of flour (chestnut, semolina, rye, buckwheat, etc.), and a very nice, relaxed atmosphere.
18 locals recommend
Le Jardin des Pâtes
4 Rue LacépèdeA very tasty menu of artisan pastas made on premises out of all kinds of flour (chestnut, semolina, rye, buckwheat, etc.), and a very nice, relaxed atmosphere.
Authentic French food, friendly service and prices!
Closed Sundays.
23 locals recommend
A La Biche Au Bois
45 Avenue Ledru RollinAuthentic French food, friendly service and prices!
Closed Sundays.
Tasty French food, great service, and only a few minutes from the house!
7 locals recommend
La Ménagerie
90 Bd de l'HôpitalTasty French food, great service, and only a few minutes from the house!
Amazing Basque cuisine, on the heavy side though, and not really for vegetarians. Casual. Gets packed fast, so reservation recommended.
229 locals recommend
Chez Gladines
30 Rue des cinq DiamantsAmazing Basque cuisine, on the heavy side though, and not really for vegetarians. Casual. Gets packed fast, so reservation recommended.
Yummy tapas and drinks - but also an impressive non-traditional wine list (heavily Spanish) at extremely reasonable prices. Casual, always packed. Occasional live music.
12 locals recommend
El Cervantes
46 Rue DaubentonYummy tapas and drinks - but also an impressive non-traditional wine list (heavily Spanish) at extremely reasonable prices. Casual, always packed. Occasional live music.
Friendly service, good prices, tasty food - duck, burgers, salads. Great view on the St. Medard Church and a good starting (or ending) point for a walk along Rue Mouffetard and the Latin Quarter.
48 locals recommend
Cave La Bourgogne
144 Rue MouffetardFriendly service, good prices, tasty food - duck, burgers, salads. Great view on the St. Medard Church and a good starting (or ending) point for a walk along Rue Mouffetard and the Latin Quarter.
Cyril Lignac is clearly not short of a project or two! After changing the name and concept of his St Germain establishment, he now serves international, decidedly creative and spontaneous cuisine, without losing sight of French country roots. The Sunday brunch is a great success. Bonus: the location in one of the little streets of the old Paris, very charming.
Website: : http://www.restaurantauxpres.com
Meal prices : Menu 38 € (weekday lunch)/49 €
41 locals recommend
Aux Prés
27 Rue du DragonCyril Lignac is clearly not short of a project or two! After changing the name and concept of his St Germain establishment, he now serves international, decidedly creative and spontaneous cuisine, without losing sight of French country roots. The Sunday brunch is a great success. Bonus: the location in one of the little streets of the old Paris, very charming.
Website: : http://www.restaurantauxpres.com
Meal prices : Menu 38 € (weekday lunch)/49 €
Cyril Lignac has placed a Japanese chef with a strong track record in the kitchens of Le Bar des Prés, next door to his restaurant Aux Prés. On the menu, extremely fresh sushi and sashimi, but also a few contemporary dishes: tartare of sea bream and petits pois with menthol;galette craquanteand crab with Madras curry. Cocktails courtesy of a mixologist.
13 locals recommend
Le Bar des Prés
25 Rue du DragonCyril Lignac has placed a Japanese chef with a strong track record in the kitchens of Le Bar des Prés, next door to his restaurant Aux Prés. On the menu, extremely fresh sushi and sashimi, but also a few contemporary dishes: tartare of sea bream and petits pois with menthol;galette craquanteand crab with Madras curry. Cocktails courtesy of a mixologist.
At the corner of Rue St Maur, what used to be a rather down-at-heel bar has been refurbished by two sisters, Katia and Tatiana Levha. The latter cooks fresh and spontaneous cuisine based on ingredients that, although simple, are always top-notch. She does not shy away from trying out unexpected combinations, with success! They also invite guest chefs so the menu rarely stays the same for a long time!
97 locals recommend
Le Servan
32 Rue Saint-MaurAt the corner of Rue St Maur, what used to be a rather down-at-heel bar has been refurbished by two sisters, Katia and Tatiana Levha. The latter cooks fresh and spontaneous cuisine based on ingredients that, although simple, are always top-notch. She does not shy away from trying out unexpected combinations, with success! They also invite guest chefs so the menu rarely stays the same for a long time!
Parks & Nature
A green oasis in the middle of the Latin Quarter. Go for a run or have a picnic, or admire the plentiful greenery. There is a restaurant and a menagerie to take kids to, as well as the museum of natural history right there! Did I mention it's free?
1390 locals recommend
Jardin des Plantes
A green oasis in the middle of the Latin Quarter. Go for a run or have a picnic, or admire the plentiful greenery. There is a restaurant and a menagerie to take kids to, as well as the museum of natural history right there! Did I mention it's free?
Just walk or run along the river or have a picnic - it's 10 minutes away, and if you walk long enough (20 mins?) in the right direction, you'll hit Notre Dame ;)
43 locals recommend
Seine
Just walk or run along the river or have a picnic - it's 10 minutes away, and if you walk long enough (20 mins?) in the right direction, you'll hit Notre Dame ;)
Shopping
Closest big supermarket, and relatively inexpensive.
58 locals recommend
Carrefour Market Grocery Store
67 Bd Saint-MarcelClosest big supermarket, and relatively inexpensive.
Italie Deux is the closest shopping mall - take advantage and get your French lingerie, cute dresses & cosmetics especially during sales ;) Printemps, Etam, Marionnaud, GoSport, Zara, Tati, FNAC, Calzedonia, Darjeeling, etc. 10am-8pm.
155 locals recommend
Place d'Italie station
Italie Deux is the closest shopping mall - take advantage and get your French lingerie, cute dresses & cosmetics especially during sales ;) Printemps, Etam, Marionnaud, GoSport, Zara, Tati, FNAC, Calzedonia, Darjeeling, etc. 10am-8pm.
Go here for a fancier selection of wines and gourmet food along with all the regular basics 3 minutes away from the house!
23 locals recommend
MONOPRIX SAINT MARCEL
54 Bd de l'HôpitalGo here for a fancier selection of wines and gourmet food along with all the regular basics 3 minutes away from the house!
Essentials
Closest supermarket carrying all necessary (you might not find parsley, but for sure you'll find oranges, pasta, detergent, etc.)
833 locals recommend
Franprix
16 Rue Alexandre ParodiClosest supermarket carrying all necessary (you might not find parsley, but for sure you'll find oranges, pasta, detergent, etc.)
Drinks & Nightlife
Rue Mouffetard
Rue MouffetardHeart of the Latin Quarter ;)
A bunch of bars and restaurants around a fountain to enjoy any time of day or night, mixed scene, get a classic glass of rose or champagne or a fancy cocktail to enjoy outside while people-watching!
117 locals recommend
Place de la Contrescarpe
Place de la ContrescarpeA bunch of bars and restaurants around a fountain to enjoy any time of day or night, mixed scene, get a classic glass of rose or champagne or a fancy cocktail to enjoy outside while people-watching!
Le Nüba - Les Docks - Cité de la Mode et du Design - 15 minute walk from the apartment - a beautiful rooftop and a nightclub overlooking the Seine - lenuba.com. If that's too much "scene" for you - right downstairs there are a few kilometers of open-air bars, restaurants and peniches to enjoy food and drinks when the weather is nice!
186 locals recommend
NUBA Paris
36 Quai d'AusterlitzLe Nüba - Les Docks - Cité de la Mode et du Design - 15 minute walk from the apartment - a beautiful rooftop and a nightclub overlooking the Seine - lenuba.com. If that's too much "scene" for you - right downstairs there are a few kilometers of open-air bars, restaurants and peniches to enjoy food and drinks when the weather is nice!
Sightseeing
One of the top 3 points of interest in Paris that inspired music, literature, cartoons, etc. - what else to say?
1613 locals recommend
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
6 Parvis Notre Dame - Place Jean-Paul IIOne of the top 3 points of interest in Paris that inspired music, literature, cartoons, etc. - what else to say?
Pantheon was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve and to house the reliquary châsse containing her relics but, after many changes, now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens. It is an early example of neoclassicism, with a façade modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, surmounted by a dome that owes some of its character to Bramante's "Tempietto". Located on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, the Panthéon looks out over all of Paris. Designer Jacques-Germain Soufflot had the intention of combining the lightness and brightness of the Gothic cathedral with classical principles, but its role as a mausoleum required the great Gothic windows to be blocked... While at it, walk right over to the Jardin de Luxembourg with its Palace of the Senate, or sit down at one of the many cafes to enjoy a glass of rose outside!
822 locals recommend
Pantheon station
Pantheon was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve and to house the reliquary châsse containing her relics but, after many changes, now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens. It is an early example of neoclassicism, with a façade modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, surmounted by a dome that owes some of its character to Bramante's "Tempietto". Located on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, the Panthéon looks out over all of Paris. Designer Jacques-Germain Soufflot had the intention of combining the lightness and brightness of the Gothic cathedral with classical principles, but its role as a mausoleum required the great Gothic windows to be blocked... While at it, walk right over to the Jardin de Luxembourg with its Palace of the Senate, or sit down at one of the many cafes to enjoy a glass of rose outside!
The Jardin du Luxembourg, or the Luxembourg Garden, located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, was created beginning in 1612 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France, for a new residence she constructed, the Luxembourg Palace. The garden today is owned by the French Senate, which meets in the Palace. It covers 23 hectares and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, flowerbeds, the model sailboats on its circular basin, and for the picturesque Medici Fountain, built in 1620.
2469 locals recommend
Luxembourg Gardens
The Jardin du Luxembourg, or the Luxembourg Garden, located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, was created beginning in 1612 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France, for a new residence she constructed, the Luxembourg Palace. The garden today is owned by the French Senate, which meets in the Palace. It covers 23 hectares and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, flowerbeds, the model sailboats on its circular basin, and for the picturesque Medici Fountain, built in 1620.
Arts & Culture
Shakespeare and Company is the name of two independent bookstores that have existed on Paris's Left Bank.
The first was opened by Sylvia Beach on November 19, 1919, at 8 rue Dupuytren, before moving to larger premises at 12 rue de l'Odéon in the 6th arrondissement in 1922.[1] During the 1920s, Beach's shop was a gathering place for many then-aspiring young writers such as Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce and Ford Madox Ford. It closed in 1940 during the German occupation of Paris and never re-opened.
The second is situated at 37 rue de la Bûcherie, in the 5th arrondissement. Opened in 1951 by George Whitman, it was originally named "Le Mistral", but was renamed to "Shakespeare and Company" in 1964 in tribute to Sylvia Beach's store. Today, it serves both as a regular bookstore, a second-hand books store, and as a reading library, specializing in English-language literature. The shop has become a popular tourist attraction, and was featured in the Richard Linklater film Before Sunset, and in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.
204 locals recommend
Shakespeare and Company Bookstore
37 Rue de la BûcherieShakespeare and Company is the name of two independent bookstores that have existed on Paris's Left Bank.
The first was opened by Sylvia Beach on November 19, 1919, at 8 rue Dupuytren, before moving to larger premises at 12 rue de l'Odéon in the 6th arrondissement in 1922.[1] During the 1920s, Beach's shop was a gathering place for many then-aspiring young writers such as Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce and Ford Madox Ford. It closed in 1940 during the German occupation of Paris and never re-opened.
The second is situated at 37 rue de la Bûcherie, in the 5th arrondissement. Opened in 1951 by George Whitman, it was originally named "Le Mistral", but was renamed to "Shakespeare and Company" in 1964 in tribute to Sylvia Beach's store. Today, it serves both as a regular bookstore, a second-hand books store, and as a reading library, specializing in English-language literature. The shop has become a popular tourist attraction, and was featured in the Richard Linklater film Before Sunset, and in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.