Travel - Paris

Saturday 22nd September 2007 - live from Irish College, Paris
On today's programme the journalist & historian Sandrine Voillet gave some tips on places to go in Paris that are beyond the usual tourist routes. Her suggestions were:

for sightseeing
go to Canal St Martin for a river cruise past the Bastille and take in the historic Hotel du Nord. The riverbank has lovely cafés & bars

for shopping
to the Marais district where you'll find cutting edge designers in the Rue Vieille du Temple

for nightlife/entertainment
to the 11th arrondissment and the Oberkampf for alternative bars
Behind the Bastille you'll find great places like Le Café Charbon, 109 Rue Oberkampf or along the Rue du Lappe and Rue de Charonne

These and more of Sandrine's suggestions for discovering another side to Paris can be found in her book "Sandrine's Paris", just published by Ebury Press.


Eoin Sweeney also reported on the system of free bikes that operate Paris. They are called the Vélib Bike and are parked at various bike stations around the city. It is a very easy system - just a swipe of your credit card as a guarantee and you can take your bike, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and drop it off at any other point around the city.

Full details at www.en.velib.paris.fr/comment_ca_marche

Some tips for accommodation in Paris from Helen Carey, Director of the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris -

Accommodation
When booking a hotel in Paris people should go for 3 star hotels as a minimum, because in many cases 2 star accommodations is too big a risk. That and it is in no way a "sure-fire" guarantee in the romance department either. Very often "little gems" can be found among the ranks of the 3 stars.

Hotels
(these hotels are all in the 5th arrondissement and most are about €120 for a double room, excluding breakfast

Hôtel des Grandes Ecoles***
75, rue du Cardinal Lemoine 75005 Paris
Tel: 0033 (0) 1 43 26 79 23

Hôtel des Grands Hommes***
17 Place du Panthéon 75005 Paris
Tel: 0033 (0) 1 46 34 19 60

Hôtel du Panthéon***
19 Place du Panthéon 75005 Paris
Tel: 0033 (0) 1 43 54 32 95

Grand Hôtel Saint Michel***
19, rue Cujas 75005 Paris
Tel: 0033 (0) 1 46 33 33 02

Restaurants
Restaurants Helen recommends start in the (€30/40/50) and go up to the more expensive (€50/60/70) categories. Restaurants in Paris are classic and tend to be of the 'you sit across from me' variety. If on a romantic/rugby (combined) weekend Helen suggests the restaurant if possible be booked in advance.

Epicuriens (Le Marais des) requires a "taste for the gamey" i.e. liver etc.
Address: 19 r Commines 75003 PARIS
Phone: 01 40 27 00 83

La Closerie des Lilas is an elegant piano bar with "ivy outside" and would be quiet and romantic and the type of establishment favoured in the past by the likes of Beckett.
Address: 171 bd Montparnasse 75006 PARIS
Phone: 01 40 51 34 50

La Fontaine Gaillon is best known as being owned by M. Gerard Depardieu.
Address: pl Gaillon 75002 PARIS
Phone: 01 47 42 63 22 / 01 42 65 87 04

La Coupole is somewhere appropriate for rugby fans to drown their sorrows, great party atmosphere
Address: 102 bd Montparnasse 75014
Phone: 01 43 20 14 20

Baz' art is she says "very reasonable", "medium chic" and a dress up or dress down type of place i.e. soft lighting and velvet
Address: 36 bd Henri IV 75004 PARIS
Phone: 01 42 78 62 23 / 01 42 78 62 05

La Méditerranée
2 pl Odéon 75006 PARIS
Ph: 01 43 26 02 30

Atelier Maître Albert
1 r Maître Albert 75005 Paris
Ph: 01 56 81 30 01

Vin des Pyrénées
25 r Beautreillis 75004 PARIS
Ph: 01 42 72 64 94 / 01 42 72 11 57

Parc Aux Cerfs
50 r Vavin 75006 PARIS
Ph: 01 43 54 87 83 / 01 43 26 22 61

Le Zéphyr
1 r Jourdain 75020 PARIS
Ph: 01 46 36 65 81

La Régalade
49 av Jean Moulin 75014 PARIS
Ph: 01 45 45 68 58 / 01 45 39 71 54

Planning your itinerary
· Lunch at the Musée d'Orsay - for a taste of nineteenth century Paris, and very affordable.
· A must is a walk along the Seine - if you are on a romantic getaway, you have to immerse yourself in the mood!
· Breakfast on Saturday should not be in the hotel but should be a croissant/coffee in a café. If fortification is called for then a "croque-monsieur/croque-madame or an omelette" are as close as you will get to a fry!
· Time can be spent hanging out by the Louvre before getting the train to Stade de France.
· The stadium is decidedly lacking in the 'Bogart-Bergman feel' but is set up so you don't have to spend too much time there i.e. there is a quick turnaround of supporters before and after the match.
· Then (if you've booked) there's the restaurant to look forward to.
· If it's a group of lads Helen recommends "the rue mouffetard" for brasserie style eating and drinking.
· Sunday should be spent walking through the city. Highly recommended are the cemeteries of Montparnasse (Beckett, de Beauvoir, Sartre etc.) and Pere Lachaise (Wilde, Piaf, Jim Morrison etc). Pere Lachaise is close to the Sunday "flea markets" also. Also she highly recommends the Luxembourg Gardens etc.