Walking Tours in paris
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If you really like to enjoy the flavour of a great city like Paris, you must explore on foot.It goes like this: spend a day – or at least half a day – wandering around the city without a map, simply going down any street that looks interesting. It helps if you start in a place you’re not familiar with at all. It’s really quite simple in concept, but most time-and-schedule-driven Anglo-Saxon types find it impossible to leave their exploration to fate. But it will all be worth it when you discover that little café with the most amazing cappuccino, a shady courtyard hidden from the main road, or a dusty shop where locals-in-the-know stock up on handcrafted copper pots. Even the most insignificant-seeming places hold surprises if you keep your eyes open – and don’t walk too fast! And when you’re ready to return to the familiar, use your best French and ask some- one “Où est le métro, s’il vous plâit?”
WA L K I N G T O U R (1) T H E M A R A I S
Start and Finish: Church of St-Paul–St-Louis (Métro: St-Paul).
Time: 3 to 5 hours.
Best Time: Weekdays, when the courtyards of the hôtels are open.
Worst Time: Sunday. Boutiques along rue des Francs-Bourgeois are open, but those
everywhere else in Paris are closed; crowds of shoppers limit sightseeing.
This walk takes you through one of Paris’s most fascinating neighborhoods, filled with 17th-century hôtels particuliers (private mansions) and cutting- shops and galleries. Because many of these hôtels are used as libraries, cultural centers, you can enter and admire their courtyards during you’re around for special events or exhibits, explore the opulent interiors. addition to the striking architecture and trendy stores around place des you’ll go into the bustling Jewish district, where delis, patisseries, and falafel shops serve a community that has been here for 7 centuries.
WA L K I N G T O U R (2) M O N T M A R T R E
Start and Finish: Place des Abbesses (Métro: Abbesses).
Time: 3 to 4 hours, depending on how long you spend in the churches and
museums.
Best Time: On a clear day, to enjoy the panoramic view from Sacré-Coeur.
Worst Time: Saturday, when people jam the hilltop streets, and Sunday, when the shops
are closed.
This walk will take you along the rustic lanes that inspired artists as diverse as
Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Utrillo, and Picasso. This is the Montmartre of windmills
and vineyards, of parks and compact cottages half buried in vines and
foliage. You’ll also take in a panoramic view of Paris from the Sacré-Coeur
church, and explore some of the lesser-known attractions on the hill.
Where not to walk?! Paris is a walker’s paradise, and most visitors end up clocking in a few dozen miles without even trying. There’s so much to see, so many mysterious passages, tiny rues, steep staircases, and hidden courtyards off-limits to those on wheels. Parisian gardens, even the more formally designed ones, always have their secluded little trails and grot- tos. Rainy days are the perfect time to check out the city’s 19th-century covered passages for a bit of vintage-boutique window shopping. The most interesting ones can be found in the intersection of the 2nd, 9th and 10th arrondissements. With a bit of planning and a good map, it’s possible to go from passage to passage with minimal time outside. Those looking for an authentic peek into Paris life should wander around the residential neighborhoods far from the city’s crowded museums and monuments. See the Paris by Neighborhood section, page 78, for more detailed information about the covered passages and recommended neighborhoods off the beaten track.
The Paris Garden Guild walking Tours are led by native English-speaking landscape designers, artists, and architectural historians with a passion for gardens. The tours combine historical and design commentary with practical advice for those who want to try the same thing back home. At just i10 per person (i5 for children) for a one-hour tour, why not try more than one? For the schedule or reservations contact director Robin Watson, parisgarden@free.fr. T
he Randonneurs d’Ile-de-France (www.rifrando.asso.fr) is a non-profit walking tour association that specializes in day hikes around the Ile-de-France. Although it’s normally only open to members, visitors are welcome to go on a free “sample hike” (participants pay their own train transportation and food costs). There are several walking tours almost every day of the year to choose from. Check out their bilingual web site for more de- tails, or simply stop by their office to sign up: 92 Rue du Moulin Vert, 14th, M° Pernety, Anyone with an understanding of French should sign up for one of the various outings organized by the nature store chain Nature et Décou- vertes . Their balades natures include bird watching in the Jardin des Plantes or sunset walks in the Bois de Vincennes, and cost from i5-i10. Check the animations schedule on their web site, www.natureetdecouvertes.com, for more information. Walks usually fill up about a month in advance.
