Places to Go
La Madeleine (metro: line 12 or 8 to Madeleine)— Intricately-decorated, beautifully painted ceilings, great place to just sit and look. If you’re lucky, you can catch the choir singing on a weekday. Because of its premier location steps away from the Place de la Concorde and the Opera Garnier, it’s a great place to wander and if you walk down Boulevard de la Madeleine, you will find many jewelry shops, clothing and shoe stores.
Rue St Michel (metro: line 4 to St Michel near the Fontaine St Michel) – lots of shops – shoes, books (where if you go to a shop called Boulinier at the right time you can get French novels and others text for €.20), apparel (for the trend-conscious), and some American touches thrown in like Claire’s jewelry boutique, Starbucks, and The Body Shop.
St Cluny Square (metro: line 10 to Cluny – La Sorbonne OR RER B/C metro) – This little park is right next to the Middle Ages museum and it is SO quiet and serene, and the canopy of tree tops provides ample shade. It’s the perfect spot for eating lunch or just taking a break from walking. You’ll feel like the city has disappeared from around you. And if you’re bringing your kids don’t worry, because joined with this little refuge is a kid-friendly playground area that will keep them occupied.
St Sulpice (including annual flea market) (metro: line 4 to St Sulpice) – This annual market/festival (Foire St Germain) is held from the last week of May to the first week of July at the foot of this grand and magnificent church. During this time, they host antique flea markets, concerts, cultural shows, art exhibitions, and lots more, and most events are free!
Hôtel des Invalides – Enjoy the manicured gardens of the Jardin de l’Intendant—there is plenty of shade, and it’s perfect for relaxing or picnicking. Also visit the Musée de l’Armée and the other attractions on the grounds including Napoleon I’s tomb.
Cost: €8, discount fee of €6 for those under 26. Under 18 are admitted free.
Every Tuesday, there is discounted admission for everyone after 5pm and those under 26 can enter free after 4:30 pm. With your ticket, you have access to the Musee de l'armee, Napoleon's tomb, the scales-models museum, charles de gaulle (closed monday), order of the liberation museum
Hours: 10 am to 5 pm October – March and 10 am to 6 pm April – September. Open every day except first Monday of the month and holidays.
Metro: Line 8 (Latour-Maubourg, Invalides)
Line 13 (Saint-François-Xavier, Invalides, Varenne)
RER C (Invalides)
Bus : 28, 63, 69, 80, 82, 83, 87, 92, 93, Balabus
Phone: (33) 08 10 11 33 99
La Seine – Pont des Arts –(metro: line 1 to Louvre – Rivoli)– If you want to do as the French do, pack a picnic complete with the makings of a “traditional” Parisian sandwich: baguette, butter, and ham and enjoy the sunset on the Pont des Arts. Just a heads up, it does get busy on summer evenings, so if you can’t find a spot, there is plenty of room under the bridge along the river! But don’t forget the cheese and some wine.
Les Trésors de la Medina (metro: line 10 or 13 to Duroc) - A tiny boutique that offers interesting Moroccan decorative pieces for the home. You can get lamps, incense, vases, rugs, houseware, as well as beautiful and distinctive jewelry, clothing, and shoes.
Hours : 10:30 am – 8 pm every day
Address: 9 boulevard du Montparnasse 75006 Paris
PLACES TO EAT
La Grande Epicerie de Paris – 38 rue de Sèvres (metro: line 10 to Sèvres-Babylone)
Good: Convenience. There is a section of the supermarket that offers a deli as well as a variety of prepared foods that are sold by the weight. Offerings include pasta, sushi, salads, meats, vegetarian dishes, and a range of ethnic cuisines. Price-wise, it’s reasonable –you could spend €10 and put together a decent-sized meal.
Bad: For about the same price as a meal here, you can order a formule at a sit down restaurant or café in the area.
Hours: Monday- Saturday 8:30 am – 9pm
Generation Sushi – 20 rue Saint-Placide 75006 Paris. Phone : 01 42 22 22 23. (metro : line 10 or 12 to Sevres-Babylone or line 10 to Vaneau). If you want to sample sushi, but want to save the Sushi section of the Grande Epicerie for later, this little eatery is literally a few steps from the Bon Marché and is definitely worth a try. If you like sushi or just want to try something different, the variety offered here will be sure to please any palate—even those not necessarily in the sushi mood.
Good: Wide variety of entrées (including many hot dishes), copious individual platters (and formules), affordable, great décor (trendy and chic), very nice employees
Bad: One order of maki from the “à la carte” section might not suffice if you’re looking for a complete meal. Try the formules or consider getting more than one à la carte order
Hours: 11 am to 11 pm
Generationsushi.com
Les Trois Bonheurs - 7, Rue Dupin 75006 Paris. Phone : 01 42 22 32 43. (metro : line 10 to Sèvres-Babylone).
Good: Affordable Chinese that offers a formule lunch that gets you soup or salad, an entrée, and dessert for about €12.
Bad: Limited variety and the food was not as tasty as it could’ve been
Tour Food Kebabs – Avenue de Tourville, a block from the Hôtel des Invalides (metro: line 8 to Ecole Militaire).
Good: Delicious Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine. Menu includes sandwiches, salads, and kebabs. You can order a great 6-euro formule lunch and get a warm, flavorful lamb kebab sandwich, fries, and a drink.
Bad: Limited seating (plus a sur place charge), but you can always walk back to the Invalides and lunch in the gardens!
Relais Odéon – 132 Boulevard Saint Germain, 75006 Paris (metro : line 10 Odéon).
Good : really great atmosphere (fun, trendy decor—velvet couches and booths), delicious food (Chicken club sandwich is especially good and it comes with fries and a side salad), great location on St Germain (it’s tucked into a side street between other great shops, cafés, and a movie theatre) right across from the metro Odéon
Bad: Price – although it’s not astronomical, lunch or dinner will probably run you over $25 per person
Hours: Open until 11pm every day (including Sunday)
La Boulangerie de Papa – corner of St Michel and Rue de Huchette (metro : line 4 to St Michel or RER B to St Michel – Notre Dame). Nestled in the Latin Quarter right beside the Fontaine St Michel, this is a great place to get a snack (or a meal). The great thing about the location is that this street (rue de Huchette) is chock full of little restaurants (including Greek and Middle Eastern), tiny bars and clubs, clothing and souvenir shops and even an Italian gelato shop!
Good: Crepes made fresh to order, inexpensive, seating area inside, assortment of sweet and savory crepes as well as other sandwiches and desserts, and of course, the location!
Bad: lines get long at night and since the crepes are made to order, you might be waiting a couple extra minutes. But they’re worth it!
Some tips that could come in handy
- Go to the supermarket for drinks. Stores like Franprix are all over the city and if you buy a bottle of water here, you could save about 1.50 (compared to buying from a street vendor). Think similarly if you’re trying to save on lunch, too.
- Decide whether you really want to sit in and eat. If you’re ok with walking a little further for an eating spot, you can save the approximately .50 euro- sur place charge. If you’re eating in the 7th, buy your lunch and venture to the Jardin de l’Intendant where there are plenty of trees and benches for you to enjoy a cool lunch in the shade.
