Paris on the Hoof
More than any other activity, unbridled strolling brought magic to my first Paris visit. Four years and approximately 1200 km later, it's still one of my favorite things to do. I'm far from alone in my fanaticism. When I asked some of my favorite local bloggers about cheap fun in the City of Light, "walking" was their #1 response.
Clotilde Dusoulier is part of the choir. The author of the blog Chocolate & Zucchini and the guidebook Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris
The author of Ask a Frenchman! has a similar perspective. "My favorite thing to do in Paris and it doesn't cost any money at all is to just walk the streets of the city and discover new neighborhoods, new areas. In my opinion, the best thing about Paris is that it's a very diverse city, and it's sad that some people (and even some Parisians) just stick to the few neighborhoods that they know and never venture elsewhere. So just go to a part of town you don't know and walk around. Don't be afraid because you can't get lost in Paris. If that happens, walk until you reach a bigger street or avenue, and a Métro or bus stop will be around the corner sooner or later." For those who don't want to throw all caution to the wind, here are a few general areas that I find to be great for walking:
- Along the Seine between Hôtel de la Ville and the Louvre (1st & 4th)
- From the Canal Saint-Martin to Parc de la Villette (10th & 19th)
- From the Marché d'Aligre to the Promenade Plantée (12th)
- From the Panthéon down to the rue Mouffetard (5th)
- Just about anywhere in the Marais (3rd & 4th)
- The backside of Montmartre (18th)
- The Butte-aux-Cailles (13th)
series to guide my own city strolling.Walking and Licking
As Clotilde mentioned, walking around often entails some window shopping, or as the French say, lèche-vitrine. The author of the blog Une Nouvelle Vie de Boheme takes the idea one step futher by targeting the most exclusive shopping street in the city. "When I'm feeling particularly poor I like to walk down the Avenue Montaigne (8th) and go into all the glam shops... even if I were rich I wouldn't spend €800 on a tank top, so I can just laugh at the whole thing."
A more literary suggestion comes from the French musician who writes the blog David F. Keller. He recommends the marché aux livres anciens et d'occasions, which has incredible old books on sale every Saturday and Sunday in the Parc George Brassens (15th). They're beautiful to look at, even if you're not buying. The park itself, which sits on the site of a former slaughterhouse, is also worth a visit.
The markets I like to walk through have legumes in place of livres. This city wouldn't be the same without its outdoor food markets, and touring one is good fun even if you're not planning to cook. There are hundreds around the city, but here are some favorites:- Marché Raspail (6th) - organic and expensive. Sundays 9am-2pm. Métro: Rennes.
- Marché Bastille (11th) - the city's largest with a huge range of produce and specialty products. Thursdays 7:00-2:30. Sundays 7am-3pm. Métro: Bastille.
- Place d'Aligre (12th) - in addition to the indoor market, a sprawling outdoor market operates on Tuesday and Saturday morning. Métro: Ledru-Rollin.
- Marché biologique Batignolles (17th) - plenty of unusual produce that you won't find elsewhere. Saturday 9am-2pm. Métro: Rome or Place Clichy.
- Marché Place des Fêtes (19th) - brimming with immigrants and excellent produce at low prices. Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Métro Place des Fêtes
Blog Posts
Photowalking Paris
A Walk Through Paris with Joanna Walsh
Books
Around and About Paris
(volumes 1-3)Walking Paris: Thirty Original Walks In and Around Paris
Frommer's 24 Great Walks in Paris
Markets of Paris
Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris
About Cheap Paris
This series is being compiled with the help of a host of local bloggers. Be sure to check out their own websites for additional inspiration:
Ask a Frenchman!Cheap Paris Calendar
A Brilliant Life
The Bold Soul
Chocolate & Zucchini
David F. Keller
Decoding Franglais
Eye Prefer Paris
Kung Fu Dana
Maîtresse
Mu Foo
Paris Parfait
Polly-Vous Français?
Une Nouvelle Vie de Boheme
Free and cheap events are marked on the scrolling calendar below. Email me if you have something to add to our list.
Cheap Paris Map
Places mentioned in this series are marked below:
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10 comments:
Mais oui, walking is the best way to see Paris! I love turning a corner and finding something unexpected. Great start to the series!
Meg - this looks amazing! Bravissimo.
I thought of one more that is not so much "cheap" as less expensive and if timed right - down right interesting = les soldes.
Les soldes are the national sales that have rules and protocol. They last, I think 3 - 4 weeks and happen sometime in January and sometime in June. As France still sells two basic seasons for clothing (fall/winter; spring/summer) stores wait until the end of the season and sell all the goods. Its quite a phenomenon to see the first day (if crowds scare you - stay away) at the Galeries Lafayette - the sheer organization and number of people is astounding in my opinion. The one and only time I ever saw the first day I was, besides overwhelmed, impressed - culturally I have never seen anything like it.
The trick that I was taught about the soldes is to go to the bigger department stores (this worked at Bon Marche - metro: Sevres-Babylone) the day BEFORE at around 4PM as they begin setting up the products to be soldes the next day and you can usually buy them (without the long queues).
The protocol of the soldes is that they intend to sell everything - so as days and weeks go by - prices go from -25% to -50% to -%75. This reprendents some amazing deals (imagine Hermes scarves and nice bags at - 50%) but also serious psychological warfare - does one wait? Will said item still be there in one week's time? hmmm... eyebrows furrowing...
If you are there during this time -go for the spectacle of it all - or enjoy it and see what you find and can purchase!
I remember back when I was a nanny on a VERY strict budget, walking was definitely the best cheap entertainment. We would turn it into a bit of a treasure hunt- since we only had money for one espresso, the goal was to find the nicest, most interesting, charming cafe we could- and then squat our table for an hour, people-watching.
What a great series! Thanks for the links to the other blogs and the books and for the information on so many places in one post. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Im off to Paris for my first visit this weekend, long overdue as a painter! Wedding anniverary romantic weekend and will definatly be walking. great post, I can't wait now!
Love this post! Question for you... what do you think of an American woman visiting Paris alone (and one with only the most basic French speaking skills)? Any suggestions on traveling around Paris by yourself? My traveling buddies may not be coming with me, and so I'm facing the possibility of a solo Paris trip... which could still be fun, but I'm wondering whether I should just reschedule to go with friends, or take the plunge and go alone. Thoughts?
Hi Marie: It depends on you, of course, but I think Paris is one of the best cities for solo-traveling. That's because the big draws (walking, brooding in a cafe, the endlessly interesting museums) are all things you can do alone. In fact, they're better done alone. The only snag for solo travel is eating in restaurants. I'd advise doing any gastronomic splurging at lunch when then menus are less expensive and when you might feel more comfortable requesting a table for one.
Merci, Meg.
You make no mention of the many free museums that can be found in Paris now. The permenant collection at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Petit Palais and the Musée Carnavalet are all of course well worth a visit, but my favourite place is the Pavillon de l'Arsenal. If you have an interest in maps, architecture and urbanism you'll be in heaven, but it's also a real island of calm in a busy city as there are rarely many visitors.
All in good time, Adam... all in good time. That's the subject of the next post and now I can steal from your excellent advice!
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