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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Paris in the springtime: Making the best of the perfect time to visit the French capital


View from the bridge: Notre Dame and the Seine in Paris, France
In the words of Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, I love Paris in the springtime. It’s the perfect season to take advantage of everything this romantic city has to offer – in particular its beautiful parks, luscious gardens and trendy cafe terraces.
No matter how well you think you know Paris, there’s always something new, like a bar, restaurant or art gallery, to discover and my fiancé Jay and I couldn’t wait to start exploring.
After our stress-free Eurostar ride from London’s St Pancras to Gare Du Nord we checked in at the Concorde Montparnasse. This large, four-star hotel is a perfect base from which to explore the city’s main attractions including the Notre Dame, Champs- Élysées, Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre museum.
We dropped our bags in our comfortable room (complete with view of the iconic Eiffel Tower) and made a beeline for the closest Metro station, Montparnasse, just a three minute walk away.
Our first activity was a sightseeing cruise along the Seine, which cost around 14 Euros (£10) each. Many firms offer these cruises but we chose Bateaux Parisiens(bateauxparisiens.com) and weren’t disappointed.
We set sail from the foot of the Eiffel Tower and within minutes were gliding through the heart of historic Paris.


Spring break: Caroline Waterston in Paris

The one-hour cruise with commentary is the ideal way to discover the banks of the Seine and see Paris’s most beautiful monuments and bridges. Next was a romantic stroll along the river. Paris is a very walkable city, with awe-inspiring architecture, flower markets, buskers and shops.
It has no shortage of enchanting spots but the Seine and its surroundings are Paris at its most seductive. We started at the Place de la Concorde on the Right Bank and, after taking in the “yes, we really are in Paris” panorama, meandered through the leafy Jardin des Tuileries, the formal gardens where Parisians paraded their finery in the 17th Century.
Past the Jardin du Palais Royal, where a young Louis XIV once lived and which now houses the government, we crossed the Pont Neuf – Paris’s oldest and most famous bridge – to the Left Bank.
Here, we stumbled across Shakespeare and Company, a charming bookshop full of nooks and crannies overflowing with new and secondhand English-language books.


Culture: Musee du Louvre in Paris

The original store was opened by Sylvia Beach in 1919 and was a gathering place for writers like Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce. Sylvia’s store closed in 1940 during World War II but a second one was set up in 1951 by George Mistral.
It features in the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris and you can make a wish in the wishing well, leave a message on the ‘mirror of love’ or simply curl up in the attic-style reading library.
Sauntering back across the river over the Pont des Arts we couldn’t resist attaching a love lock to the footbridge.
Couples flock here every year to fix a padlock to the bridge with their names on it as a romantic gesture but the authorities have now asked lovers to leave ribbons instead as the weight of the locks is damaging the bridge.
Nearby, is the Louvre, the world’s biggest and most visited museum.
Entrance is 12 Euros (about £9, free for under-18s) but it’s worth it if only to get a selfie next to the Mona Lisa.
She’s opposite the museum’s largest painting Veronese’s The Wedding Feast at Cana.
Next up, it was time to rest our weary legs and enjoy a drink or two. We found Harry’s New York Bar and didn’t want to leave.

Iconic: The Eiffel Tower in Spring

This mahogany-panelled beauty is allegedly where the Bloody Mary was invented in 1921. Over the years, the bar has attracted a string of celebrities including Coco Chanel and Humphrey Bogart. In Ian Fleming’s story from A View to a Kill, James Bond recalls visiting the bar on his first visit to Paris aged 16.
We worked our way through the cocktail list including the Formule 3 (vodka, wild strawberry, grapefruit and tonic), Raspberry Martini and Vesper.
Like Bond, it started as one of the most memorable evenings of our lives...
The next morning we tucked into a hearty breakfast back at the Concorde Montparnasse (perfect for clearing the fuzzy heads) before jumping on the Paris L’Opentour hop-on-hop-off tour bus.
The ticket costs 32 Euros (about £24) of and is half-price for children. There are four routes (green, orange, yellow and blue lines). With so many more sights to see – including L’ Hôtel des Invalides, built in the 1670s for infirm veterans, the Sacré-Coeur, and the Museé d’Orsay, it was the perfect solution.
We also jumped off near Saint-Chapelle, a luminous stained-glass chapel that shouldn’t be missed.
It is a highlight of Gothic architecture, and won’t take you long to visit, because it’s very small but very special.
Paris is a city you’ll want to return to time and time again. And like Ella and Frank, you’ll love every moment of it.

Travel File


When to go: Paris is perfect any time of year but spring and early summer are the time to make the most of the city’s outdoor areas. Don’t miss the Fete de la Musique on June 21 and the military parade and fireworks on July 14.
Getting around: The best way to get to know the city is on foot. But the Metro is great too. Buy a carnet of 10 tickets for 14 Euros (works out cheaper than buying individual tickets at 1.80 Euro). Be careful of pickpockets though.
Don't miss: Laduree. Their macaroons are to die for but their Lemon drizzle cake is a close second.
Good to know: When greeting people, formal titles - Monsieur, Madame and Mademoiselle - are used much more in French than in English.
Plan ahead: Pariscityvision.com
Book it: Two nights B&B at the Concodr Montparnasse is from £234pp including return Eurostar travel on April 27 and Seine cruise with SuperBreak


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