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Comments (8)
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Save/ShareParis strictly enforces its regulations of trinket shops and food stands that surround popular attractions. This is why Paris’s thoroughfares are not clogged with vendors selling questionable or overpriced goods—unlike the tourist spots of many other European capitals.
Still, there are even quieter sweet spots close to monuments that are unknown to the hordes. These are perfect places to rest your feet, write a postcard, or find better deals on food and gifts.
No matter how crowded it gets underneath the Eiffel Tower, for instance, it is usually placid in the grassy areas just outside the pillars closest to the Seine—an ideal spot for a picnic lunch made of items from a local store. (Time your dessert course for after sundown so you can watch the structure sparkle in on-the-hour light shows.)
Similarly, the backside of Sacre Coeur bears all the Montmartre charm of the front, but is less cacophonous, more classically Parisian, and priced for locals. In fact, the Lamarck neighborhood—as this quartier in the shadow of the basilica is known—is one of the most traditional areas of the entire city. Descend the stairs on rue du Mont Cenis, stopping at Le Relais, a century-old bistro that was one of the haunts of Édith Piaf (the late pop vocalist who recorded a famous version of La Vie en Rose).
After an inexpensive steak-and-potatoes dinner at a table set outdoors on cobblestones, continue your descent to La Butte, a lively café on the corner of rue Caulaincourt, for an equally reasonable after-dinner drink or coffee. Don't worry about climbing back up all those stairs to get back to your hotel: the Lamarck-Caulaincourt metro stop is right nearby.
—Laurie Pike, guest-blogging for our Affordable Europe series.
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Another wonderful place to go is the Mache de Puce..
everything from fine art to junk.....
Posted By Joan Rees on June 20, 2008, 12:02 PM
Thanks and i will go to this area when i visit Paris in Sep 2008.I been to paris many times and not heard about this place.
Again thanks.
Suresh Nakarmi
Shakti Travels and Tours,
Kathmandu,Nepal
www.shaktitravel.com
Posted By Suresh Nakarmi on June 22, 2008, 6:44 AM
Thanks for the info! I have been to Paris, but did not know those tidbits. I have printed and saved the information for future reference.
Posted By Julie Leyva on June 23, 2008, 1:05 PM
Thanks! another place we found on our March 08 trip was the courtyard of the beautiful, small church of St. Julien, one of the oldest church in Paris. It's across the Seine from the infamous Notre Dame Cathedral, and the garden and fountain are serene and quiet, compared w/the hordes outside N.D. It also boasts the oldest tree in the city.
Posted By Roberta White on June 23, 2008, 2:40 PM
As long as you're in Montmartre and around the Sacré Coeur, you should stop into the small 12th-century church of St Pierre-de-Montmartre, just around the corner to the left as you're facing the Basilica (pretty much opposite the entrance to the "Place des Artistes"). Its biggest claim to fame is that it's where the Jesuit order got its start. It's beautiful in an austere sort of way, very peaceful. Definitely worth a visit.
Posted By Mark Carroll on June 24, 2008, 6:25 AM
Don't miss the lovely park in the center of the Place Vosges in the Marais district.
Posted By wayne on June 29, 2008, 3:29 PM
I liked the green areas that are located on Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint Louis. They are perfect for picnics and people watching on lazy afternoons. Take a blanket, a good book and just enjoy!
Posted By Iva on July 29, 2008, 10:41 AM
Amazing news!, guy
Posted By mydayImmortWal on September 23, 2008, 9:35 AM