Paris! The City of Light and the City of Love. Located on the river Seine, this beautiful city attracts dreamers, lovers and art aficionados alike. Such is the popularity and hype of this city known for its beautiful food, beautiful people and beautiful cityscapes, that visitors risk falling victim to the Paris Syndrome! To avoid susceptibility to such cultural shock, here are a few secrets to help decipher the Parisian mystery and charm.
Paris is home to a number of mysteries. One of these was uncovered in 2010 when an apartment, once belonging to a Marthe de Florian, was discovered, untouched and unvisited for 60 years. The granddaughter who inherited the apartment fled to the French Riviera at the beginning of the Second World War never to return, even on her father’s death in 1966. A vintage Micky Mouse and a number of valuable artworks were hidden away, somewhere in the 9th arrondissement, and rediscovered on her death. The exact location of the apartment has not been made public, nor is it open to visitors.
While a number of other beautiful buildings and museums are open to the public, Paris is best experienced on the streets of its neighbourhoods. Consider a stroll along Canal Saint Martin or hiring a personal tour guide in Paris to take a street art walking tour in Belleville. A quiet Sunday morning wouldn’t be wasted at the Marché Aux Puces de Vanves, a flea market in the 14th arrondissement where old posters, books, vintage fabric swatches, clothing and antiques jostle for attention. Or saunter away from the Moulin Rouge and the Sacré-Cœur in Montmarte to find the last vineyard in Paris, tucked away on a residential street. Each year the harvest from Clos Montmarte, which was planted in 1933, produces a thousand bottles of wine.
There may be close to 2,000 bakeries in Paris, but it is a sandwich shop in the Jewish quarter of the Le Marais neighbourhood, L’As du Fallafel, that sees queues snaking out its doors during the lunch rush. Their famous falafel sandwich comes stuffed full of harissa, fried eggplant and hummus, and it is worth the wait. Get it takeaway to continue your stroll through Paris.
Paris and bicycles go well together, and the city is working to promote Paris sightseeing tours by cycle. Take to a two-wheeler on Paris Respire, an event on Sundays and certain public holidays that sees a number of streets around Paris closed to cars. Streets along the River Seine, through Montmarte and along Canal Saint Martin open up to pedestrians and cyclists. Head out earlier in the day to beat the crowds. On any day of the week, neighbourhoods throughout the city are also connected by a network of cycle paths.
If travelling with a World War Two history buff, walk between the Préfecture de Police and the Palais de Justice on the Boulevard du Palais and look up. The buildings here carry the marks of the first shots fired by the French Resistance fighters during the liberation of Paris. The bullet holes are still visible in the stone facades. Here your Paris tour guide will point out the city’s first public clock, dating back to 1370 on the corner of the Boulevard du Palais and Quai de l’Horloge.
That symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, also played its part in the resistance during the Nazi occupation. The lift cables at the Eiffel Tower were cut by the French Resistance in 1940. The lifts were not repaired until after the war, preventing Hitler from ascending the tower on his visit to Paris. Although Parisians suffered from food shortages and deportations under German occupation, the capital itself escaped close to unscathed. This lucky escape came despite Hitler’s orders that the city should be destroyed by the retreating Germans. He was ignored.
Finally, there are some people that simply don’t plan that far ahead and wing it; they hire a guide from a bunch of people hanging around a local attraction. There is the least amount of control in this approach, as one is not assured about the skillsets of the guide available on call.
Hayley Prins – A Traveller Lover and Paris tour guide by profession. She has an extensive experience of local places which she has gained while travelling across the globe.
