Category Archives: Paris Activities

Offbeat Historic Sites to Seek Out in Paris

Paris isn’t only about its world-famous sites like Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysées. In fact, the city has dozens, in not hundreds, or curious places which date for different eras of the city and tell its story. From the Medieval towers to the remnants of the Bastille fortress, here are some fascinating sites to take you off the beaten path in Paris.

The Medici Column

Many people are currently flocking to visit the newly (re)opened Bourse de Commerce, now home to the Pinault collection of contemporary art (more on it here), however, rising behind its dome is a very curious site. The area used to house a palace, the Hôtel de Soissons, which was inhabited by Queen Catherine de Medici after her husband King Henri II’s death in 1559. The Queen was very interested in the occult and she even called Nostradamus to Paris to advise her on the future. She had this 28-meter-high column built in 1575 as a the lookout point for her astrologer Cosimo Ruggieri. While its 145 steps are closed to the public, you can admire it from the ground level. Be sure to look out for its decoration of the royal couple’s emblem of an intertwined H and C as well as cornucopia and broken mirrors.

Address: behind 2 Rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris

Tour Jean-sans-Peur

Tucked amidst the buildings of the busy rue Etienne Marcel is an out-of-place ancient tower. A rare medieval building in Paris, the Tour Jean-sans-Peur dates back to the early 1400s and is all that remains of the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy which once stood here. The 21 metre-high tower is also the tallest medieval civic building in the city. It’s open to the public and displays temporary exhibits on medieval themes.

Address: 20 Rue Étienne Marcel, 75002 Paris

Remains of the Bastille

Lots of people who come to Paris exit the Bastille métro station and Bastille fortress is. The symbol of the outbreak of the Revolution, the Bastille was gradually torn down and the smaller artefacts were sold off as collector’s items like pieces of the Berlin Wall. Many of the larger blocks of the fortress were used to build the Concorde Bridge, which crosses the Seine from Place de la Concorde to l’Assemblée Nationale. In the métro on the platform of line 5, there are relics of where the fortress stood and then there is a regrouping of one of the Bastille’s towers hidden in the shrubs of this little park near the Seine, the Square Henri Galli. Called the “Liberté” tower, it was uncovered in 1899 at the start of rue Saint-Antoine during the construction of the métro line 1 and then moved here.

Address: 9 Bd Henri IV, 75004 Paris

Gnomon, Saint Sulpice. PHGCOM / CC

Gnomon of Saint Sulpice

When Dan Brown published his bestselling book The Da Vinci Code in 2003, this lesser known Left Bank church was thrown into the spotlight. People from around the globe came to see the unusual obelisk he described as marking the Paris Meridian or “Rose Line. Although Brown’s facts weren’t entirely accurate, the object is indeed fascinating and historic. Built in the early 1700s, the or obelisk, or gnomon, was an astronomical instrument used to determine the date of Easter thanks to a shadow cast on the obelisk. When you’re visiting the church, which also happens to be the second largest in Paris after Notre Dame, be sure to view the wonderful paintings by Delacroix found in the chapel on the right of the entrance.

Address: Place Saint-Sulpice, 75006 Paris

Expiatory Chapel

This lesser known site located near the Madeleine Church is one of the most hidden and mysterious sites in Paris. The land around this small square used to hold the Madeleine cemetery. It was here where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were first buried after their guillotining in 1793 in nearby Place de la Concorde. After the final defeat of Napoleon and the restoration of the monarchy in 1815, their bodies were moved to the Cathedral of Saint Denis (which houses the tombs of most French royals). In 1826 the cemetery was replaced by the Expiatory Chapel, a homage to the tragic royal couple, funded by their daughter, Marie-Therèse and the next king, Louis XVIII. In the crypt there’s a black and white marble altar sitting on the spot where the King and Queen’s remains were found. The chapel can be visited on weekends.

Address: 29 Rue Pasquier, 75008 Paris

Château de la Reine Blanche. Photo: Siren-Com/ CC

Le Château de la Reine Blanche

Called the Castle of the White Queen, this residence was built in 1290 by the Queen Marguerite de Provence, although it was named after her daughter, Blanche de France, who inherited the manor house. It was constructed next to what was Paris’s second river, la Bièvre, which is still flows underground. The small castle is privately owned and but can often be visited on the Journées du Patrimoine (European Heritage Days) held the third weekend in September. If you can’t make it for that event, you can get a good look at the outside of it from the street.

Address: 6 Rue Gustave Geffroy, 75013 Paris

Saint Sergius Orthodox Church and Theological Institute

One of the most curious places of worship in Paris is hidden down a verdant lane near the Buttes-Chaumont Park. Originally commissioned as a German Lutheran church, it was abandoned after WWI and converted into a Russian Orthodox theological centre and church in 1925. The gate is open during the day and so you can pop in to have a look at the exterior, but if you come on Sunday mornings, you can take a peek at the interiors during service.

Address: 93 Rue de Crimée, 75019 Paris. Website

Au Roi de la Bière

To finish on a fun note, we’re taking you to look at the most unusually looking fast-food restaurant in Paris. Now a McDonald’s, this building across from the Saint-Lazare train station was built as an Alsatian brasserie in 1892. After Alsace and Lorraine were annexed to Germany at the defeat of the French in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, many residents loyal to France moved to the Parisian capital. They brought their beer brewing traditions with you, which led to the opening of brasseries across the city and Au Roi de la Biére, or “The King of Beer” in English, was one of these. Designed to look like an Alsatian half-timbered house, and decked out in beer steins and a statue of Gambrinus (the legendary King of Beer), since it was classified as a national monument in 1997 McDonald’s could move it, but had to leave its facade untouched. So if you go here for a Big Mac, order a beer to go with it!

Address: 119 Rue Saint-Lazare, 75008 Paris

Looking to do other exploring in Paris? You may like to discover other interesting places to visit in these articles:

Our Guide to the Montparnasse Neighbourhood

For centuries the Montparnasse district of Paris has attracted writers, poets, artists, filmmakers and other creatives. Once just outside the southern edge of Paris, in the 16th century the area was a depository for rubble and stones extracted from neighbouring quarries. In the 18th century, students started gathered at this artificial hill, or “mont”, to recite poetry. They nicknamed the location “Montparnasse”, after Mount Parnassus, the home of poetry, music, and learning in ancient Greek mythology.

In the mid-1800s, open-air dancehalls began popping up on the fringes of the Paris and several appeared here, creating a laid-back and lively ambiance, which remained after the district was incorporated into Paris in 1860. In the early 20th century, as the Montparnasse train station serves western France, working class people from the region of Brittany settled in the area and brought the art of creperies with them, a tradition that carries on to this day. Cheap rents also began drawing artists, their numbers increasing when Pablo Picasso abandoned Montmartre for the Montparnasse in the 1910s. This creative surge peaked in the 1920s when Montparnasse and its buzzing cafés became the epicentre for Parisian nightlife and the city’s artistic and literary scene.

This inspirational location is the setting for our Paris School of Arts and Culture. You may like to get to know the area with the help of this guide to Montparnasse including sites of interest, art venues, cinemas, cafés and more.

Sites of Interest

Montparnasse Cemetery

Often over-shadowed by Père Lachaise cemetery, this beautiful final resting place, the second largest in Paris, is also worth a visit. It too has its equal share of notable tombs, including those of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Charles Baudelaire, Brancusi, Marguerite Duras and, perhaps the most visited, singer Serge Gainsbourg.

Tour Montparnasse

It’s impossible to miss this 210-metre (689 ft) skyscraper which juts out of the Parisian horizon. Although it’s not the most attractive of Paris’s landmarks, the tower dating back to 1973 does have an impressive view from the top, which you can take in from its paid viewing deck on the 56th floor.

Luxembourg Gardens

Bordering the Montparnasse district is one of Paris’s loveliest parks. It was once the private gardens of the 17th-century palace commissioned by Queen Marie de Medici on the north side of the park, now the French Senate. The park was much loved by early 20th century writers, including Ernest Hemingway. A great place for a study break or to catch up on your reading, be sure to seek out the gorgeous Medici Fountain, a renaissance “grotto” fountain located on the east side of the palace, and the maquette of the Statue of Liberty, found on the east side.

Rue de la Gaité

On the east side of the cemetery is this lively street lined with historic theatres. Theatres began popping up here in the 1870s, and some historic ones, like the Comédie Italienne and Théâtre Bobino still exist.

Marché Edgar Quinet

Visiting a Parisian open-air food market is a must during your time in the city and there’s an excellent one which is held on Boulevard Edgar Quinet every Wednesday and Saturday morning until 1:30/2pm.

Photo: Musée Bourdelle

Art Venues

Musée Zadkine

The former studio of Russian-born artist Ossip Zadkine is found a short walk from our Paris School, located on the edge of the Luxembourg Gardens. It’s now a City of Paris museum and has free admission. Learn more about it in our article on historic art studios.

Musée Bourdelle

Another former studio of the Montparnasse area, the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle worked in this beautiful series of buildings near the Montparnasse train station. More information is also available about it in our article on historic art studios.

Fondation Giacometti

As you can gather from its name, this foundation presents exhibitions revovling around Alberto Giacometti and is near where the Swiss artist lived and worked in the Montparnasse area.

Fondation Cartier

A few blocks from our Paris School, this sleek glass and steel building was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and houses temporary exhibits by top contemporary artists. Read more about it and other cool contemporary art spaces in this article.

Chemin du Montparnasse

A walk down this pretty lane at 21 avenue du Maine will give you a good idea of what the art studios of Montparnasse neighborhood were like. The verdant cul-de-sac consists of a series of studios built from salvaged material from the 1900s World’s Fair.

Historic Cafés

The cafés of the Boulevard du Montparnasse were the heart of artistic and literary Paris from the 1920s to 50s. While it’s wonderful many of them have survived, the cost of a drink at most of them is rather steep, but admiring them from the outside is free! You can read more about some of the cafés below and other literary cafés of the Left Bank in this article.

La Closerie Des Lilas

Opened in the 1860s, this café was popular with avant-garde artists, poets and writers such as Paul Verlaine, Charles Baudelaire Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway who is said to have read Fitzgerald’s manuscript of The Great Gatsby here, and worked on The Sun Also Rises.

Le Dôme

Opened in 1898 and once known as “the Anglo-American café,” it was the first meeting place in Montparnasse of the intellectuals. There is even a special term, “Dômiers” to designate the artists and writers who met at the café, which includes the likes of Foujita, Picasso, Man Ray, Soutine, Khalil Gibran and Kandinsky. Today it is restaurant specialised in seafood dishes.

La Rotonde

Situation around the corner from our Paris School, Hemingway talked about the café’s popularity in The Sun Also Rises. Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Picasso, Modigliani and many others also regularly frequented it.

La Coupole

This legendary Art Deco brasserie, the largest of the area, was an important gathering point of artists, writers and intellectuals especially in the 1920s when it was the place to be. One a given night you might cross paths with the likes of Jean Cocteau, Alberto Giacometti or Josephine Baker.

Le Select

Opened in 1923, this local brasserie was a favourite of Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Picasso, who is name the small square in front of the café now bears.

Movie Theatres

As a hub of going out in Paris, the Montparnasse district has several movie theatres, some more main stream and one great art house cinema.

Lucernaire

Found a short distance from our Paris School, this unique venue is more than just an art house cinema. Opened in 1969, the multifaceted art centre has three theatres, three screening rooms, a bookshop, art gallery, restaurant and bar. Discover more art house cinemas in Paris in this article.

MK2 Parnasse

France’s more artsy chain of cinemas, MK2 general screens critically acclaimed movies, art house films and quality international features. This location is near our School.

UGC Rotonde

This branch of the large chain of UGC cinemas is also located a few minutes’ walk from the School.

UGC Montparnasse

Another UGC, this cinema is situated closer to Montparnasse métro and tower.

Gaumont Parnasse

Part of the historic Gaumont cinema group, this movie theatre plays main stream, independent and international films.

Coffee Spots

Un Grain Décalé

For the best coffee within a short walk from the School, try this nice specialty coffee shop on rue Vavin and close to the Luxembourg Gardens (hours Weds-Sun 10:30-6pm, Tues 2-6pm).

Funzy Café

The local “café du coin” or neighbourhood café is doing takeaway coffee, maybe not the best, but cheap and your chance to rub shoulders with the locals who hang around in front of it.

Ten Belles 6

The Left Bank outpost of a well-known coffee shop in the 10th arrondissement is less than a 10-minute walk away, in between the School and the Bon Marché department store.

Dining

We’ve put together our top lunch options in the Montparnasse area for tasty cheap eats in this separate article.

Discover the places above easily via our Google Map of the area. Access it at this link.

Discovering the Jewish Heritage of the Marais

Today the Marais is one of the historically rich and also chicest neighbourhoods of Paris. One of the former homes of Paris’ Ashkenazi community, many traditional Jewish shops and restaurants have been replaced with trendy boutiques, though the district retains many key historic Jewish sites and spirit. We highlight a few sites of interest here.

Rue des Rosiers

Nicknamed the Pletzl, Yiddish for “little square”, this mostly pedestrian street was once lined with Jewish shops and restaurants. A few of these remain, like several bookshops and some kosher food shops, so be sure to come hungry. Within this later category is the Sacha Finkelsztajn bakery which dates back to 1947 and a number of Israeli street food venues including the mouth-watering L’As du Fallafel, which claims to have the world’s best falafel sandwiches and the more modern Miznon, located around the corner on rue des Ecouffes. Also of note on the street is the École de l’ORT (4 bis rue des Rosiers), a philanthropic Jewish trade school opened in 1852 which is still training young people.

École des Hospitalières Saint-Gervais. VVVCFFrance / CC

École des Hospitalières Saint-Gervais

10 rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais, 75004 Paris

Just up from rue des Rosiers is the city’s first Israelite school. Founded in 1819, it moved to this location, a former butcher’s shop, in 1846. It was transformed into a state school in 1880, although most of its pupils were still Jewish and thus it would close on Saturdays when other French schools were open. A plaque on the outside commemorates the tragic disappearance of 165 of its pupils during the “Vel’d’Hiv” roundup of Parisian Jews on 16 July 1942. The square in front of it is also named in honour of the children of the area deported during WWII. You can see more of these commemorative plaques attached to buildings throughout the neighborhood.

Agoudas Hakehilos Synagogue

10, rue Pavée, 75004 Paris

Sitting nearby on rue Pavée is this beautiful synagogue designed by Hector Guimard, the architect behind Paris’s iconic Art Nouveau métro entrances. Built by the Hassidic Jewish community of Russian origin and inaugurated in 1914, the synagogue took only a year to complete thanks to its use of modern building materials, namely concrete. It was the only religious building designed by Guimard. You can notice some Art Nouveau details on the building’s facade and further details common of the style can be seen on the long interior which is closed to the public save for the faithful attending worship.

Tournelles Synagogue

21 bis Rue des Tournelles, 75004 Paris

On a street east of Place des Vosges is this imposing synagogue, the second largest in Paris. Inaugurated as a consistorial temple in 1876, it was designed by Marcellin-Emmanuel Varcollier, a student of Baltard, the architect of the since demolished historic market buildings of Les Halles. Roman-Byzantine in style, the facade has a very French rose window above which are sculptures of the Tables of the Law. Since 1963 the synagogue has been allocated to Algerian Sephardic community.

The Museum of Jewish Art and History (MahJ)

71 rue du Temple, 75003 Paris

Located in a historic 17th-century mansion, the Hotel Saint-Aignan, this excellent museum has permanent and temporary exhibits on the evolution, history and art of the Jewish world. On display are religious objects, manuscripts, textiles and contemporary art by artists including Christian Boltanski and Sophie Calle. Also featured are archival documents on the Dreyfus Affair, which is paid homage to via the large bronze sculpture in its courtyard.

Jardin Anne-Frank

14 impasse Berthaud, 75003 Paris

Hidden at the end of a cul-de-sac in the shadow of the Centre Pompidou is this pretty garden dedicated to Jewish diarist Anne Frank. Opened in 2007 it spreads over the former gardens of the hotels Saint-Aignan and Mantion, and thus behind the The Museum of Jewish Art and History. Within the garden is an offshoot of a chestnut tree which Anne Frank admired from her window as well as fruit trees and rose trellises.

Memorial of the Shoah

17 Rue Geoffroy l’Asnier, 75004 Paris

This site north of the Seine acts as a memorial, documentation centre and museum on the history of the Jews during the Second World War. The documentation centre was begun in 1943 by Russian-born industrialist Isaac Schneersohn in the southeastern city of Grenoble with the aim of collecting evidence of the anti-Jewish persecution by the Nazis and Vichy government police. The memorial was inaugurated in 1956 and within the forecourt is a circular memorial listing the names of the death camps and the Warsaw Ghetto, beneath which are ashes from the sites. The walls commemorate the “Justes” (the “Righteous,” non-Jews who risk their lives to save Jewish people during the Occupation) as well as the Jews deported from the country during the holocaust. It is a solemn place of memorial which provides valuable insight into the atrocities inflicted upon the Jews in WWII and ensures their memory will not be forgotten.

Trace the Literary Greats of Paris at their Former Residences

Paris’s literary traditions go back hundreds of years and countless writers have lived across the city and been inspired by it and its residents. Some of these are commemorated by plaques, while others are have been converted into museums. Visiting these former residences of writers in Paris, even from the outside, provides fascinating insight into their lives and works.

Maison de Victor Hugo. Paris Info

Victor Hugo

Maison de Victor Hugo, 6 Place des Vosges, 75004

One of France’s most beloved authors lived in an apartment on Place des Vosges for 16 years from 1832 to 1848. It was here where Hugo worked on some of his most famous works, from novels (Les Miserables) to plays (Marie Tudor) and collections of poems (Beams and Shadows, The Legends of the Centuries). Converted into a museum run by the City of Paris, the Maison de Victor Hugo displays personal artifacts of the author and sheds light into life of the 19th century.

Maison de Balzac and top photo: Paris Info

Honoré de Balzac

Maison de Balzac, 47 Rue Raynouard, 75016 Paris

Hidden away on the “edge” of what was the village of Passy in the current day 16th district of the city, a countryside ambiance continues to prevail at this cottage lived in by Honoré de Balzac from 1840 to 1847. It was here where he edited La Comedie humaine and worked on La Rabouilleuse, Une ténébreuse affaire, La Cousine Bette, among others. Another museum of the City of Paris, since 1971 it has displayed manuscripts, original editions and other memorabilia linked to the writer.

Marcel Proust’s bedroom at the Musée Carnavalet

Marcel Proust

102 Blvd Haussmann, 75008

Proust spent much of his childhood in various apartments around the chic Parc Monceau. After his parents died he moved to this nearby apartment, which had belonged to his maternal uncle. He lived here from 1906 to 1919 and it is where he wrote much of his opus In Search of Lost Time. Now a bank, a plaque on the wall commemorates Proust’s time here. Although you can’t visit the interior of this elegant building, you can get a glimpse of the author’s bedroom, with furniture and other personal affects, on display in the Musée Carnavalet.

Plaque for Oscar Wilde on l’Hotel, Mu/CC

Wilde, Wolfe, Borges

L’Hôtel, 13 rue des Beaux Arts, 75006

Now a luxury hotel, this once down and out establishment of the Left Bank has housed a variety of writers. Having fled England for France in 1897, Irish playwright and poet Oscar Wilde was staying at this hotel when he passed away on 30 November, 1900. This is commemorated by a plate on the outside of the building and Wilde’s final resting place is the Pere Lachaise cemetery. English writer Thomas Wolfe also lived here for a year in 1925 and later in the century Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges regularly stayed at the hotel between 1977 and 1984.

Gertrude Stein’s apartment on rue Fleurus

Gertrude Stein

27 rue Fleurus, 75006

One of the most important cultural addresses of the early 20th century, Gertrude Stein and her brother Leo, then Alice B. Toklas, lived in an apartment at this Left Bank address from 1903 to 1937. It was here where Stein held her famous literary salons and worked on her books here including The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, published in 1933. You can observe a plaque dedicated to her above the building’s entrance.

Hemingway Plaque on Rue Cardinal Lemoine. FLLL / CC

Ernest Hemingway

74 Cardinal Lemoine, 75005, 113 rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, 75006, 6 rue Férou, 75006 and 69 rue Froidevaux, 75014

When they arrived in Paris, Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley, lived in a tiny apartment behind the Pantheon on rue Cardinal Lemoine from January 1922 until August 1923. He described this drafty residence in his memoir A Moveable Feast. There is also a commemorative plaque on the wall of the building. They later lived on Notre-Dame-des-Champs, near our Paris School, the Luxembourg Gardens and his favourite hangout, La Closerie des Lilas, in a long dusty flat above a sawmill and where Ezra Pound also had a studio. He stayed in the area when he moved in with his second companion, Pauline Pfeiffer, first living on the other side of the park on rue Férou and then further south in the Montparnasse district on rue Froidevaux.

58 rue de Vaugirard. Celette / CC

Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald

14 rue de Tilsitt, 75008 and 58 rue Vaugirard, 75006

The Fitzergeralds lived in various apartments in Paris, both on the Right and Left Bank of the city. When they first moved to Paris in 1925, they lived on a small side street, rue de Tilsitt, in the 8th arrondissement and around the corner from the Arc de Triomphe. They later crossed over to the Left Bank, where most of their friends were living, and in 1928 took up an apartment on rue de Vaugirard, near the Luxembourg Gardens.

Rue de Verneuil. Mbzt / CC

James Baldwin

Rue de Verneuil, 75007

This narrow street of the Saint Germain neighborhood is now famous for bearing the house of iconic French singer Serge Gainsberg, however, it once held several third-rate hotels. It was in these that James Baldwin lived during his early years in Paris. From here it was a short walk to the Café de Flore, popular with writers of the era and a favorite of Baldwin’s.

Looking to be inspired in your own writing in Paris? Advance your craft during our one-year Master’s in Creative Writing in Paris. Learn more about the programme here.

From History to Writing, Our Favorite Paris Podcasts

Over the past few years podcasts have become increasingly popular. They are a wonderful way to learn or enrich yourself while on the go or multitasking. This flourishing has also led to a rise in Paris podcasts, ranging from history to current affairs and from French lessons to tips from writers. The following podcasts are ideal for prepping for living in Paris, discovering insightful things about its history and learning how to navigate the city.

Paris History and Current Life

The Earful Tower

Hosted by Paris-based Australian Oliver Gee, every week this podcast focuses on a France or Paris related subject ranging from Parisian doorways to unusual vocabulary. The show often has special guests who add their thoughts on that week’s topic. It’s a fun and engaging way to learn about Paris as well as the trials, tribulations and joys of living in the City of Light.

Paname

Created by actress, comedian and tour guide Amber Minogue, this podcast, bearing the nickname Parisians have for the city, covers a secret, lesser known topic in each episode. Well researched and presented in an engaging manner, it’s a deeper dive into Parisian history and important figures which have left their mark on the capital. Subjects have included Cardinal Richelieu, the guillotine, the Bastille prison and more offbeat topics like haunted chairs or immortal clockmakers.

Mapping Paris

Our cohorts at the University of London Institute in Paris have created this podcast which is produced by students pursuing its Urban History & Culture MA. “An auditory adventure of Paris”, each episode provides a new perspective on the sites of Paris and broadens listeners understanding of what Paris is today. The short episodes make for the perfect cultural break while in transit, perhaps to our Paris School!

The New Paris

If you are interest in learning more about today’s Paris, then tune into this podcast hosted by writers Lindsey Tramuta and Alice Cavanagh, The show is an audio extension of Lindsey’s book of the same name. Each episode covers a specific subject relating to how Paris is evolving in the 21st century and usually involves a special guest, from restaurant owners to writers.

Paris Underground Radio

Launched in autumn 2021, this is a great new Paris podcast network which brings together 12 podcasts on a range of topics including food and wine, real estate, events and history. If you’re looking for unique things to do in Paris, you might like to check out Don’t Miss This, a weekly show released on Sundays and showcasing cool events, exhibitions and more. For exploring the city, listen in to Paris Cachée, a show investigating hidden sites with fascinating or unusual history. For tips on understanding the French through language, listen to Navigating the French.

Writing & Creativity

Right to Write – Paris

This podcast interviews the writers who participate in the Paris Writers Group held every month at the American Church. They provide insight into writing strategies and discusses how they’ve found inspiration in the City of Light, a place which has inspired so many great writers over the years. You can focus on your own writing my pursuing our Master’s in Creative Writing in Paris.

The Feminist Book Chat Podcast

This bi-monthly podcast was born out of an in-person book club held founded by Lou Binns and Camille Lou at the famous Shakespeare & Company bookstore. Each episode revolves around a range of subjects from feminist literature to BIPOC feminism and queer culture.

La Vie Creative

Hosted by American expat and photographer Krystal Kenney, this podcast focuses on creatives in Paris and how the city inspires creativity. The weekly episodes feature artists, designers, writers and other personalities in Paris. She also hosts a side podcast, “History with a Hemingway”, co-hosted by Claudine Hemingway, a relative of Ernest Hemingway.

Learning French

Coffee Break French

This podcast is hosted by Mark, a Scottish native who teaches French, and is a great match for beginners. Mark helps makes French less daunting with his interactive lessons which cover useful basic vocabulary, grammar and more. It’s a fun way to get started with learning French!

Français authentique

If you already have a foundation of the French language, then try this podcast, hosted by Frenchman Johan. Each episode covers a different theme such as improving one’s pronunciation, expressions and language learning tips. They are also available in video form with French subtitles.

Happy Listening everyone!

Top Historic Literary Cafés of the Left Bank

Since the Age of Enlightenment, cafés became a popular meeting place of intellectuals and writers. This was especially the case over the course of the 20^th century when the waterholes of la Rive Gauche developed legendary statues thanks to the literary greats who graced their tables. Although these literary cafés of the Left Bank no longer attract bohemian scribes like they did in bygone days, they are still worth making a pilgrimage to for current day writers and literary fans.

Le Procope

Considering the oldest café in Paris, this Left Bank institution has been welcoming intellectuals virtually since it opened in 1686. Thanks to the arrival of the Comédie Francaise theatre across the street in 1689, French playwrights, writers and philosophers naturally gravitated here. These include Condorcet, La Harpe, Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot, who is thought to have worked on his famous Encyclopaedia at the café. More restaurant than café today, the classic establishment still has Voltaire’s favourite table, located on the first floor.

Les Deux Magots. Photo: Cheng-en Cheng / CC

Les Deux Magots

One of the most famous cafés in Paris, if not the world, this classic institution was originally a fabrics and novelty shop which was converted into a café in 1884. It’s growing popularity with Lost Generation writers like Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce led the café to start its own literary prize in 1933. Writers continued to gravitated to it over decades including Bertolt Brecht and Vladimir Nabokov, who mentioned it in his 1955 novel Lolita.

Le Café de Flore

Opened during the café boom of the 1880s, this iconic St-Germain café, and staunch rival of its neighbour Les Deux Magots, acted as the unofficial headquarters of existentialism philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir for decades. Earlier in the century it was also a favorite of Apollinaire and Salmon, who worked on their arts review, Les Soirées de Paris, at the café. Albert Camus and poet Jacques Prévert could also found inspiration here.

La Closerie Des Lilas

Along with St-Germain, the Montparnasse district was another literary hub of the first half of the 20th century. This historic café, opened in the 1860s, first attracted avant-garde artists before drawing in both French and foreign writers. French poets Paul Verlaine, Charles Baudelaire and Max Jacob could often be found here, pen or glass in hand. In their various eras one might encounter Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, Fitzgerald and Henry Miller at its tables, however, it was Hemingway who frequented the venue the most. It’s said that he read Fitzgerald’s manuscript of The Great Gatsby here, he likely worked on The Sun Also Rises and the café is described in his memoir, A Moveable Feast.

La Rotonde

Another literary haunt of the Montparnasse district, and around the corner from our Paris School, this café used to be so popular that Hemingway wrote in The Sun Also Rises that, “no matter what cafe in Montparnasse you ask a taxi driver to bring you to from the right bank of the river, they always take you to the Rotonde.” In literary circles you could find Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot and Gertrude Stein here as well as those in the art scene like Picasso, Modigliani and Cocteau. More recently, President Emmanuel Macron chose to celebrate his 2017 Presidential victory here, adding another chapter to the legendary café’s storied history.

Photo courtesy of Café Tournon

Café Tournon

On the other side of the Luxembourg gardens, this unassuming neighbourhood café became a meeting place for the next generation of writers. In the 1950s one could find James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Chester Himes and William Gardner Smith debating around its tables over an afternoon coffee. The café also served as the early base of the staff and writers of the literary magazine The Paris Review.

Looking for inspiration for your own writing in Paris? Advance your craft by undertaking our Master’s in Creative Writing in Paris offered at our campus in the Montparnasse district.

Five Cool Contemporary Art Centres in Paris

Private art galleries, especially those in the Upper Marais, are a great place to see contemporary art in Paris. However, since the turn of the 21st century, Paris has seen an influx in venues dedicated to art made by current artists. These are often in repurposed historic buildings or structures designed by top contemporary architects, which adds another fascinating level to your visit. Discover our favorite contemporary art venues below.

Bourse de Commerce (and top photo)

Bourse de Commerce

Once used for storing grain at Les Halles, Paris’s former central food market, and then the grain stock exchange, the former Bourse de Commerce reopened in June 2021 as the home of French Industrialist Francois Pinault’s collection of modern and contemporary art. The building was reinvented by Japanese architect Tadao Ando who added a 10-metre-high concrete cylinder inside the main exhibition hall, allowing visitors to better appreciate the building’s glass dome and historic frescoes. The galleries surrounding it feature revolving thematic presentations of art from the 1960s to today.

Photo Credit: Palais de Tokyo

Palais de Tokyo

First built for the International Exhibition of Arts and Technology of 1937, the west wing of this Art Deco building on the Seine has housed France’s largest museum focused on temporary exhibitions of contemporary art since 2002. Vast industrial style exhibit halls allow for large scale installations which often involve sound, video or other modern technology. Check their agenda as they sometimes host DJ nights and other events.

Photo Credit: Fondation Louis Vuitton

Fondation Louis Vuitton

Designed by star architect Frank Gehry, this curvaceous glass building is hidden in the Bois de Boulogne woods in western Paris. It hosts temporary exhibits, both featuring the works of the Louis Vuitton fashion house collection, as well as top traveling international art exhibits, usually on work from the late 19th century to the present. Read more on the Foundation’s architecture in our post on the best contemporary architecture in Paris.

Photo Credit: Fondation Cartier

Fondation Cartier

Original located in the suburbs of Paris, the Fondation Cartier received a new home in the 14th arrondissement, not far from our Paris School, in 1994. The sleek glass and steel building was designed by leading French architect Jean Nouvel, who also designed the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Musée du Quai Branly and the new Philharmonie (also included in our contemporary architecture article). Part offices, part exhibition space and with a notable bookshop, the Foundation puts on significant temporary art exhibitions, usually of living international art stars like Damien Hirst or Junya Ishigami.

Photo Credit: Fluctuart

Fluctuart

Occupying a modern glass barge moored in the Seine near the Musée d’Orsay is this art space dedicated to street art. There are rooms displaying the centre’s permanent collection and then temporary exhibits every few months. Ponder the works afterwards at the barge’s cool terrace café overlooking the river. Learn more about street art in our article on top street artists to spot around Paris.

Looking for more art explorations in Paris?

Discover the works of up-and-coming articles by visiting these Alternative Art Venues in Paris.
Travel around the city to view the best contemporary outdoor sculptures.
Tread off the beaten path by visiting these great small museums in Paris.
Understand the birth of Modern Art by pursuing our Paris Master’s in the history and philosophy of art.

Historic Art Studios You Can Visit in Paris

Many artists have lived and worked in Paris over the centuries. We are fortunate enough to have the legacy of some preserved at their former art studios which have been transformed into museums. From early 19th century romanticism to modern sculpture, here are our top picks of historic art studios you can visit in Paris.

Photo: Musée Délacroix

Musée Délacroix

Tucked away on a charming square in the Saint Germain neighborhood is the former studio and residence of Eugene Délacroix. One of the most important painters of the early 19th century Romantic movement, Délacroix is best known for his dramatic painting Liberty Leading the People (1830), hanging at the Louvre. The artist moved here in 1857 to be closer to the Saint-Sulpice church, where he’d been commissioned to produce several large murals. Facing a verdant courtyard and with large windows, he lived in this studio-apartment until his death in 1863 and it was converted into a museum in 1932.

Musée Gustav Moreau (and top photo)

Musée Gustave Moreau

The former home and studio of symbolist artist Gustav Moreau is set in an elegant mansion in the 9th district. The first section takes you through his former living quarters, however, the real highlight is his vast studio area, spread over two floors with towering ceilings and commissioned by the artist in the view of creating a museum in the building upon his death. Moreau passed away in 1898 and the venue opened as a museum in 1903. In addition to admiring the dozens of paintings of nymphs and mythological gods and goddesses, be sure to peer into the drawers and cabinets, filled with drawings, prints and more paintings.

Musée de Montmartre

This collection of buildings, formerly the art studio of Renoir, Degas, Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo, is now a museum on the history of this artistic neighborhood of Paris. The museum has displays on the history of the area in one building and temporary exhibits in another section, but the interest for art fans is the front wing where there is the reconstructed art studio of the last major artists who used the space: Suzanne Valadon and her son Maurice Utrillo. There is also a charming café in the garden, where you can also see what they consider as the swing depicted in Renoir’s famous painting La Balançoire.

Musee-Zadkine-vue-aerienne-jardin-630x405-C-OTCP-Didier-Messina

Musée Zadkine Photo: Paris Info

Musée Zadkine

Located on the edge of the Luxembourg Gardens, and only a few blocks away from our Paris School, is the former studio of artist Ossip Zadkine. The Russian-born cubist sculptor spent much of his career living in Paris and working at his Montparnasse studio. Visiting it provides insight into what the area was early to mid 20th century, when it the artistic and literary centre of the city. In addition to the studio, you can contemplate more works in the museum’s tranquil garden. As it is one of the museums of the City of Paris, admission is free, extra incentive to visit!

Photo: Musée Bourdelle

Musée Bourdelle

Another studio of the Montparnasse area, the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle worked in this space from 1885 to 1929. An excellent example of a turn of the 20th century Parisian artist studio, the museum unfolds through a series of buildings and peaceful courtyards. Vast rooms filled with colossal sculptures are contrasted with his more intimate studio spaces. The museum also hosts temporary exhibits, so be sure to check the programme in advance.

Brancusi Studio, Groume / Flickr

Brancusi Studio

Many visitors to the Centre Pompidou are not aware that there is a famous art studio located at its base and which is annex of the museum. Although not at its original location, this is a loyal reconstruction of artist Constantin Brancusi’s Montparnasse studio, the contents of which he bequeathed to the French state in 1956. Living and working in Paris from 1904 until his death in 1957, the Romanian artist gradually expanded upon his studio on the Impasse Ronsin in the 15^th arrondissement which were faithfully recreated after the artist’s death, first at the Palais de Tokyo then here when the Modern Art Museum was created in the 1970s.

Other Studio or Artist Homes:

Musée Jean-Jacques Henner – although it isn’t in its original location either, this charming museum in the 17th arrondissement was once the studio-home of Guillaume Dubufe and was transformed into a museum-studio in honor of painter Jean-Jacques Henner, both artists prominent painters in France during the second half of the 19th century.

Fondation Giacometti – also not in its original location and not an exact reconstruction, this center presents exhibitions, research and pedagogy around the Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti. The Institute is found in the Montparnasse neighbourhood not far from where Giacometti lived and worked and in the former studio of artist and interior designer Paul Follot.

Carry on discovering art in Paris thanks to these other thematic articles on our blog:

Interested in studying art in Paris? Consider pursuing our Master’s in the history and philosophy of art taught in English at our Paris School of Arts and Culture.

Alternative Places to See Art in Paris

There are literally hundreds of wonderful museums in Paris, however, art in Paris isn’t only about the studying the past. You can experience today’s art scene in Paris is by visiting some of the city’s more eclectic art venues. From former squats to art centres in repurposed historic buildings, here are some unique places to see art in Paris and perhaps discover the Picassos and Matisses of tomorrow.

Le Centquatre. Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra / CC

Le Centquatre

Located in the working class 19^th district, this former municipal undertaker’s building dating to the 1870s, was restored and reopened as an art centre in 2008. The sprawling venue hosts art exhibits, concerts, film screenings, dance performances, lectures and community events. It is also home to three cafés, including the hidden Café Caché as well as a bookstore and charity shop.

La Halle Saint Pierre

Tucked away beneath Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Montmartre, this art space, occupying a former market hall, has been dedicated to “art brut”, or outsider art since 1995. In puts on several larger scale exhibits per year as well as smaller monthly shows featuring contemporary local artists. It has has an art-focused bookstore and lovely café where you can flip through your new book purchases or contemplate the art you’ve just viewed.

59 Rivoli (above and top photo). Facebook

59 Rivoli

A short walk from the most traditional of Paris’s art museums, the Louvre, is this quirky venue. One of the oldest squats in Paris, in 1999 a group of artists took over this abandoned Crédit Lyonnais Bank building. After years spent trying to evict them, the squatters won and the Marie de Paris (the Paris City Hall) bought the building and turned it into an official establishment in 2009. The unmissable building now has an art gallery on the street level, but the real fun is had roaming through the thirty plus art studios distributed over its six floors. Entrance is on a donation basis and the public can visit it from 1-8 pm from Tuesday to Sunday.

Le Générale Nord-Est / Facebook

La Générale Nord-Est

This association was first located within a defunct power plant in the 11^th arrondissement before moving to the 14th district. Another project endorsed by the the Marie de Paris, the association deems itself as a laboratory on artistic, political and social creation. The site has an active programme of exhibits as well as concerts, theatre shows and conferences, which are always open to anyone and with a “pay what you can” policy. See their website calendar for these events.

DOC! Photo: Franck Arnault / Facebook

DOC!

This art centre occupies a former technical high school in also in 19th district, near Place des Fetes. The spacious 3000-square meter complex includes 24 workshops, two temporary artist residences, five shared workshops for woodworking, metal-working, print-making, theatre and video post-production. These art forms and the artists in residents are showcased in the venues regularly changing exhibits.

Le Plateau Paris / Facebook

Le Plateau

Another art venue in the 19^th arrondissement, this exhibition space is Paris’s branch of the FRAC, a French governmental organisation that supports and promotes contemporary art. In addition to having regular exhibits, especially by younger artists, the centre has outreach and education projects and a curator in residence programme.

Art in Paris goes beyond indoor spaces as well. Learn more about street art in our blog on top street artists in Paris.

Best Small Museums in Paris

Paris may be home to some of the most famous museums on the planet, but in addition to big names like the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Centre Pompidou, the city has hundreds of wonderful smaller museums. Often located in former mansions or the residence of the famous person who once inhabited the space, these unique venues have much fewer visitors than the large museums and offer a more intimate setting in which to connect with art or history.

Jacquemart-Andre Museum / Facebook

Musée Jacquemart-André

There are a number of fabulous museums in Paris located within former mansions and this is one of the loveliest and it also has a spectacular art collection. Much of the mid-19th century development of new Paris was taking place in the west of the city and the area around new Park Monceau was becoming a highly coveted district for the wealthy Parisians. It is thus not surprising that banker Edouard André bought a plot of land here to build his flamboyant mansion. He and his future wife, Nelie Jacquemart, would dedicated the rest of their lives to filling its exquisite rooms with one of the world’s most important private art collections, including works by Botticelli, Tiepolo, Rembrandt, Fragonard and Canaletto. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum hosts excellent temporary exhibits and has a chic courtyard café.

Musée Nissim de Camondo

Also in the Parc Monceau area, this sumptuous house museum was originally built in 1911 for Count Moise Nissim de Camondo, an influential banker and art collector. He decorated his spectacular mansion, inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles, with an impressive collection of 18th-century artwork and decorative art objects. After you tour its opulent interiors, you can take a stroll through the Parc Monceau, one of the few Paris parks which survived the French Revolution.

Marmottan Monet Museum

It’s worth trekking out to the far corner of the 16th arrondissement to visit this museum dedicated to Monet. The elegant mid 19th-century mansion was bought in 1882 by the successful businessman Jules Marmottan, who was also a passionate art collector. His son Paul bequeathed the home and his art collections to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1932. This collection was then greatly augmented upon the death of Michel Monet, Claude Monet’s youngest son, who donated over a hundred of his father’s paintings to the museum. This total ensemble now forms the world’s largest collection of Monet’s works.

Musée de la Vie Romantique

This lovely museum is found within the former home of Dutch painter Ary Scheffer. Built in 1830, the house became a central meeting point for the key figures of the “romantic era”, the house itself being in the centre of the era’s most popular neighborhood called New Athens. It attracted the likes of Georges Sand, Chopin, Eugène Delacroix, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and Franz Liszt, who are represented in the art and objects on display in the charming museum. After your visit enjoy a coffee its alluring garden café.

Musée Carnavalet (and top photo) / Facebook

Musée Carnavalet

Another favourite museum located in former mansions in the Marais, the Musée Carnavalet, is reopening at the end of May 2021 after four years of extensive renovations. Home to the Museum of the History of Paris, it chronicles the city’s 2,000 years of history through artefacts, paintings, historic documents and decorative objects. Don’t miss the reconstruction of writer Marcel Proust’s bedroom and take a moment to enjoy its pretty courtyard garden.

Musée Cognacq-Jay / Facebook

Musée Cognacq-Jay

Tucked away in the heart of the Marais, this is another elegant house museum. Dating back to the 16th century, the elegant building hosts a notable collection of decorative art and paintings from the 18th century (which is free to visit), along with temporary exhibits (paid). It also has a lovely summertime café and gorgeous back garden.

There are many other wonderful small museums in Paris and we will be gathering former art-studio museums in an another upcoming article.