THIS WEEK IN PARIS
Paris, Then the Countryside

This is issue #156! 🙌 Which makes three years of Fridays, and not one missed. Our first issue went out on May 5th, 2023, and we’ve shipped a new issue every week since.

More on what that means, and what's changing, next week. 😲 🤣

This week, a very special thank you goes out to everyone who’s been along for any part of the ride! 🙏

We took our son back to the Fontaine des Fleuves at Place de la Concorde. We'd visited the week before, and he'd planted himself in front of it for a full twenty minutes and refused to move. When we asked why, he said, "I feel connected to it. When I watch the fountain, I can see forever." So we took him back. After the fountain, we walked through the Tuileries, which in late April is exactly what you'd hope for, fully in bloom.

Now we're in Burgundy, visiting family during our son’s spring break. We've been to a local lake, walked in the woods, and eaten well. Paris can't always give me what nature can. As much as I love the city, I still need trees and open space once in a while. And a few days away from it always makes me love Paris even more.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ The 24 all-time best hotels in Paris for 2026: Condé Nast Traveller rounds up its 24 favorite Paris hotels for 2026, from legendary palace hotels to stylish boutique stays.

➡️ How to shop for perfume in Paris like a Parisian: BBC Travel shares a Paris fragrance expert’s smart, very French guide to shopping for perfume in the city.

➡️ The baguette faces an uncertain future: CNN Travel looks at why the baguette’s place on French tables is shifting as tastes, habits, and bakeries evolve.

➡️ What to do in Paris this week: Sortir à Paris highlights the week’s best Paris outings, from bread festivals and exhibitions to concerts and family events.

REFLECTING ON PARIS
A Jungle Gym and a Guillotine

Growing up in America, my sense of old was relative. A building from 1850 felt ancient. A town founded in the 1700s seemed as old as the Romans. Then I moved to Paris and recalibrated.

I think about this every time I stand in Place de la Concorde.

My son climbed on the Fontaine des Fleuves last week like it was a jungle gym. He had no idea where he was. That innocence is something I keep reflecting on. Because for me, that square carries a lot.

During the Reign of Terror, somewhere between 1,100 and 1,300 people were executed by guillotine right there. Louis XVI. Marie Antoinette. The blade came down in the same place where my kid is now hauling himself up onto a bronze fountain to get a better look at the water. There is no marker dramatic enough for what happened there.

And then there's the building right on the square, Hôtel de Crillon. On February 6, 1778, Benjamin Franklin walked into that building and signed the first treaty of alliance between France and the United States. France became the first country to formally recognize American independence, in a room overlooking the same square where its own king would lose his head fifteen years later. The U.S. Embassy sits a short walk away.

In the center of it all stands an obelisk that is 3,300 years old, carved under Ramses II, brought from Luxor in Egypt. It is the oldest monument in Paris. Older than the city itself by more than a thousand years.

My son found something in that fountain. He sat with it for twenty minutes, still and quiet in a way kids rarely are. He said he felt connected to it. He said he could “see forever.” I don’t know exactly what he means, and I'm not sure he does either, at least not with language, but it was real to him. The experience mattered.

I look at that square and see history and stories that I often share with tour guests. The guillotine. The treaty. The obelisk older than the city itself. He saw a jungle gym, and then he saw something else, something I can't name.

Which raises a question I don't have an answer to. Does any of it matter, the history, if you don't know it? It only means something to me because I learned it. It only occupies space because I'm aware of it. Everything I know about this square changes how I see it. My son has none of that fog.

His relationship with that fountain is completely unencumbered by that context, and I wonder whether his experience is more present. Maybe it's more honest. A 3,300 year old obelisk, the site of a thousand executions, the birthplace of a Franco-American alliance that helped create the country I'm from. These are all ideas about the place that fascinate my eager mind. My son simply experienced the place as it was in that moment.

He climbed onto the fountain and felt something personal he couldn't fully explain. I saw revolution. On the surface, we experienced the same place. On another level, we experienced two different places simultaneously.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
"Faire la grasse matinée"

The Phrase: "Faire la grasse matinée"

Phonetic: [fair lah grass mah-tee-nay]

Literally: "To do the fat morning."

The Context: The French do not just sleep in. They faire la grasse matinée, and the difference matters. Grasse here does not mean fat in the unflattering sense. It means rich, indulgent, full. The same word is used for crème fraîche, for the lush hills of Normandy, for anything that implies abundance. A grasse matinée is a morning you wallow in. No alarm, no rush, nowhere to be. The French built a phrase around it because they believe it deserves one.

How to use it:

• The Sunday Morning: The boulangerie can wait. The croissants will still be there at ten. You roll over, pull the covers up, and faire la grasse matinée.

• The Holiday: You are away, the pace has slowed, and for the first time in weeks there is no tour to lead and no newsletter to write. Grasse matinée.

• The Parisian Weekend: No meetings, no obligations, windows open, coffee eventually. This is what Saturday was made for.

How I Found This Phrase: We are in Burgundy this week for spring break. I would love to faire la grasse matinée. Our son has other plans. He is up early because the lake is waiting, and apparently, that cannot wait.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Les Rita Mitsouko - Marcia Baïla

Les Rita Mitsouko were a Paris duo, Catherine Ringer and Fred Chichin, who formed in 1980 and became one of the most original acts French pop ever produced. Marcia Baïla came out in 1984 and spent 29 weeks on the French charts, reaching number two.

The song is a tribute to Marcia Moretto, an Argentine dancer and friend of the band who died of breast cancer in 1983 at 36. The music video, with costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler, became a cultural moment. Decades later, it was played at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Some songs just don't age.

THIS WEEK IN PARIS
Public Displays of Art
(And A Very Zen Four-Year-Old)

One of our favorite ways to explore the city is by bike, and this week's ride took us straight through Place de la Concorde. The square was hosting an open-air photography exhibit, which is exactly the kind of thing I love about Paris. I've started calling it PDA, Public Displays of Art. Museums are great, but there's something special about art that spills out into the streets for everyone to enjoy.

Towering over it all is the Luxor Obelisk, a 3,300-year-old gift from Egypt to France. Its twin still stands at the entrance to the Luxor Temple, where this one once stood. Wild to think about while scooters buzz past.

The best part of the afternoon, hands down, was our son. He parked himself in front of the Fontaine des Mers (he’s circled in red above) and wouldn't budge for twenty minutes. When we asked why, he said, "I feel connected to it. When I watch the fountain, I can see forever." We backed off to let him have his moment with the fountain.

From there, we crossed to the Left Bank and made our way into the Latin Quarter, stopping for crêpes on Rue Mouffetard (bottom left), one of the city's oldest market streets and still one of its liveliest.

Earlier in the week, a walk around Buttes-Chaumont led us to Sunny (top right), a Franco-Californian restaurant on the edge of the park. Go for the Eggs Benedict!

Just for fun, here’s a photo of a dog we saw riding on a scooter. 👇

Linking You to Paris

➡️ What to do this weekend in Paris: Sortir à Paris rounds up the weekend's best: Paris's first-ever nighttime Vélib' race, a free plant festival in Versailles, and the Counterfeit Museum open for a rare free Sunday.

➡️ 8 French Sandwiches You'd Find at Parisian Bistros and Can Make at Home: Food & Wine takes you on a tour of French sandwich classics, from the croque monsieur to the jambon-beurre to the sun-drenched pan bagnat.

➡️ 7 Iconic Works From Alexander Calder’s Major Paris Retrospective: Artsy gives an inside look at the Fondation Louis Vuitton's blockbuster Calder show, running through August 16.

➡️ 11 Paris Hotels Within Walking Distance of the Eiffel Tower: Condé Nast Traveler shares its picks for stylish stays near the Iron Lady, from palace icons to quiet design-forward finds.

VISITING PARIS
The Institut du Monde Arabe

If you've never been, put the Institut du Monde Arabe on your list. It sits on the edge of the Seine in the 5th, just across from the Île Saint-Louis, and it's one of the most quietly stunning buildings in the city.

Opened in 1987, the IMA was built as a cultural bridge between France and the Arab world, a place to explore Arab civilization, art, and ideas through a Western lens while staying rooted in Arab tradition.

The building itself is the draw. The south-facing façade looks like an intricate screen of Arabic geometric patterns, almost like traditional mashrabiya wood lattice. Look closer, and you'll see it's actually made of 240 mechanical apertures, each one filled with tiny metal irises designed to open and close automatically with the sun, like a camera aperture. When it's bright, they close. When it softens, they open. Inside, the light filters through in constantly shifting patterns.

The catch? Many of the motors have broken down over the years. A restoration helped, but plenty are still frozen in place. Honestly, I kind of love that. A building that was supposed to breathe with the sun, now holding its breath.

Now for the real reason you go: the rooftop. Take the elevator to the 9th floor, and you'll find Dar Mima, a beautiful Moroccan restaurant opened as a tribute by French-Moroccan comedian and actor Jamel Debbouze in honor of his mother. The view is, no exaggeration, one of the best in Paris. Notre-Dame, the Seine, the rooftops of Île Saint-Louis, all laid out in front of you.

We stopped in for a mint tea in the afternoon. Pricey for a drink, but you're really paying for the view, and on that front, it delivers.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
"Avoir le coup de foudre"

The Phrase: "Avoir le coup de foudre"

Phonetic: [ah-vwar luh koo duh foodr]

Literally: "To have the strike of lightning." To fall in love at first sight. Suddenly, totally, with no warning.

The Context: The French are romantics, but they're also precise about it. Le coup de foudre isn't a slow build. It's not a crush. It's the lightning bolt, the moment something hits you so hard you know your life just shifted. The phrase is most often used for people, but the French use it generously. You can have a coup de foudre for a city, a café, a song, an apartment, a painting. It's one of those phrases that feels a little dramatic in English and completely normal in French, which tells you something about both languages.

How to use it:

• The Person: You meet someone at a dinner in the 11th, and halfway through the second glass of wine, you realize you're in trouble. Coup de foudre.

• The City: You come to Paris for a long weekend, step out of a taxi near the Seine at dusk, and something cracks open in you. You'll be back. That's a coup de foudre for a place.

• The Apartment: You walk into a beautiful fifth-floor apartment with crooked floors and a view of the city from a Haussmann balcony, and you know before the agent finishes talking. Done.

How I Found This Phrase: I had my own coup de foudre years ago, in Thailand of all places, with a Parisian woman who would eventually become my wife. The city came with her, part of the package, and turned out to be its own slow-burning love story. But the first hit, the lightning, was her. The French had a phrase for it before I even knew I needed one.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Christophe Maé - Les bougies

Christophe Maé isn't a household name in the US, but in France, he's been making some of the most soulful pop-folk music of the last twenty years. He's got a raspy voice, a harmonica usually within reach, and a gift for writing songs that feel lived rather than produced.

"Les Bougies" is a perfect entry point. There's a classic bluesy feel to it, nothing fancy, just a solid groove, a voice, and a good melody. The simplicity is the whole point. It’s a well-built song that leaves room for the feeling.

Put it on in the kitchen on a Sunday morning. You'll get it.

THIS WEEK IN PARIS
Gold Domes and Pigeon Chasers

We took the dog to Buttes-Chaumont earlier in the week. He loves chasing pigeons, which sounds charming until you're the one holding the leash. If you haven't been to Buttes-Chaumont, it's worth knowing it exists, with its rocky cliffs, a lake, trees that go on forever, and the city skyline just peeking through behind it all. It's in the 19th, and it's genuinely local.

Later in the week, the tours picked up along with the warmer weather. I had a group of students on a bike tour along the river. We went past Les Invalides (photo above), and I pointed out that the dome has about 13 kilos of gold leaf on it, which people always find hard to believe when they're looking at it.

Fun fact: The dome of Les Invalides inspired the redesign of the US Capitol building.

Then someone asked if they could see the most Instagrammed view of the Eiffel Tower, so I took them off route to Rue de l'Université, a side street where the tower appears at the end of the block between two buildings. I took photos of them there, as well as the featured photo above.

We ended the week with a visit to Paname Brewing Company on Canal de l'Ourcq. We biked over, sat outside, and watched everyone else be outside too. Then we meandered home. A nice way to close out a week.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ Eternelle Notre-Dame: the historical immersive experience: Sortiraparis covers a 45-minute virtual reality experience at the foot of Notre-Dame cathedral that takes visitors through 850 years of the building's history.

➡️ How to avoid a terrible restaurant in Paris: The Washington Post asked food tour operators and guidebook writers for their tips on eating well in Paris, with cookbook author David Lebovitz noting that it is entirely possible to eat badly in the city if you don't know where to look.

➡️ Montparnasse Tower: Paris's most unpopular landmark gets a facelift: This YouTube video covers the 600 million euro renovation of the Montparnasse Tower, long nicknamed "the wart" by Parisians, with plans to make it brighter, greener, and taller than before.

➡️ My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein by Deborah Levy review: The Guardian reviews Deborah Levy's new book about Gertrude Stein, a genre-defying mix of biography and fiction that follows three female friends in Paris and imagines the avant-garde writer's inner world through digression, fantasy, and a lost cat named "it."

VISITING PARIS
Napoleon's Last Address

Most people I take on tour have never heard of Les Invalides. They know the Eiffel Tower, they know the Louvre, and then there's this enormous gold-domed complex in the 7th that they've walked past without knowing what it is. So let me give you the quick version.

Louis XIV built it in the 1670s as a hospital and home for disabled war veterans. The soldiers who'd fought his wars and had nowhere to go. At its peak it housed thousands of them. The dome you see today, with about 13 kilos of gold leaf on it, was finished in 1706 and was the tallest building in Paris for nearly two centuries, until the Eiffel Tower showed up in 1889. It also, incidentally, inspired the redesign of the US Capitol dome. Paris got there first.

Photo: Fondation Napoleon

Napoleon comes into the picture after his death. He died in exile on the island of Saint Helena in 1821, and his remains weren't brought back to France until 1840. He was eventually entombed here in 1861 in a massive red quartzite sarcophagus, placed in a sunken circular crypt directly beneath the dome. The design means that anyone standing at the railing and looking down at Napoleon is, whether they realize it or not, bowing. Whether that was intentional genius or a happy coincidence, it feels very on-brand.

By all accounts, the Army Museum inside is fantastic. I keep hearing positive reviews from people who've visited, and the collection covers French military history from medieval armor through the 20th century. Worth an afternoon if you're in the 7th.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
"Profiter de la vie"

The Phrase: "Profiter de la vie" Phonetic: [pro-fee-tay duh lah vee]

Literally: "To profit from life." To make the most of it. To enjoy it fully while it's there.

The Context: The French relationship to leisure is not, as some visitors like to tell me on tour, laziness. It's a philosophy. Profiter de la vie captures something the French take seriously in a way that English doesn't quite have a word for. "Enjoy life" is close, but too casual. "Seize the day" is too dramatic. Profiter sits somewhere in between: present, intentional, unhurried. You hear it constantly here, and after a while, you start to understand why.

How to use it:

• The Canal Evening: You bike over to a brewery on the canal, sit outside, watch the whole city do the same thing, and meander home under the trees. That's profiter de la vie.

• The Park Morning: You take the dog to Buttes-Chaumont on a warm day, let him chase pigeons, sit on the grass, do nothing in particular. Also profiter de la vie.

• The Café Table: You order a coffee, and it comes with no urgency attached. No one is waiting for your table. The afternoon is yours. The French invented this.

How I Found This Phrase: Spring arrived in Paris this week in a real way. Warm enough for outdoor tables, blue sky over the Invalides, the canal full of people just sitting and being alive. At some point during all of it I realized there's a phrase for what everyone around me was doing. Of course there is.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Cora Vaucaire - La complainte de la Butte

Cora Vaucaire is one of those names most people outside France won't recognize, which is a shame, because if you love Édith Piaf, you would almost certainly love her too. Same era, same smoky emotional register, same ability to make a song feel like a small heartbreak.

"La Complainte de la Butte" is a waltz about Montmartre, melancholy and beautiful, and every time I hear it, I feel like I've been transported to a Paris of another era.

THIS WEEK, BRIEFLY NOT IN PARIS
Train Tripping to Bordeaux

We cheated this week. We left Paris.

Saturday morning, we boarded a TGV at Montparnasse, and two hours later, we were in Bordeaux, meeting friends for the weekend. Two hours. That's shorter than some commutes, and it deposits you in a completely different world.

The best description I've found for Bordeaux is this: imagine Paris had a child with the south of France. The architecture is unmistakably familiar, grand stone façades, wide avenues, that same Haussmannian bone structure, but the pace is different. Slower. Slightly warmer. The Mediterranean isn't far, and you can feel it.

We walked everywhere. The city is genuinely walkable in a way that rewards wandering without a plan. The parks were beautiful, the restaurants were excellent without the theater that sometimes comes with eating out in Paris, and the whole trip had a pleasantly loose quality. We stayed one night, came back Sunday evening, and somehow it felt like we'd been gone a week.

That's the magic of a good short trip. It compresses time in the best possible way.

If you've been looking for a reason to leave Paris for a weekend, Bordeaux is one of the easiest answers. The train does the work in two hours. Bordeaux does the rest.

Public Garden

Linking You to Paris

➡️ 32 of the best hotels in Paris for 2026: The Times rounds up Paris hotels across a wide range of styles and price points, from intimate neighborhood spots to the city's most storied grand dames, with the argument that the best ones stay with you long after you leave.

➡️ How to Plan a Day Trip to the Palace of Versailles: Travel + Leisure traces Versailles from its origins as a hunting lodge to a UNESCO World Heritage site, noting that only three kings ever lived there before the French Revolution ended the monarchy entirely.

➡️ Nikos Aliagas's tender photo exhibition at the Musée de l'Homme: Sortiraparis reports on a new photo exhibition by French TV host Nikos Aliagas at the Musée de l'Homme, where intimate portraits of elderly subjects are paired with scientific data on aging and longevity, running through January 2027.

➡️ Meet the African Diaspora Chefs Transforming Paris’s Food Scene: Vogue reports that African cuisine in Paris has historically been confined to community restaurants and street food, but a new generation of Afro-descendant chefs is now integrating African flavors into the French bistronomy and fine dining scene.

➡️ How to Spend Three Perfect Days in Paris: Condé Nast Traveler taps TABLE co-founder Alice Moireau for her personal list of Paris hotels, restaurants, and experiences, leaning on a local insider rather than the usual editorial roundup.

VISITING PARIS
Paris Is Also a Departure Point

Photo: Eurostar

One of the things that surprises people most about living in Paris is how easy it is to leave.

That sounds like a complaint. It isn't. What I mean is that Paris sits at the center of one of the best train networks in the world, and once you understand that, the city stops being just a destination and starts feeling like a home base for something much larger.

The TGV, France's high-speed rail system, has been quietly redefining what it means to travel in this country since the 1980s. The numbers are almost absurd when you see them laid out. Bordeaux is two hours away. Lyon is two hours. Marseille is three. Brussels is ninety minutes. London is two and a half hours through the Channel Tunnel, no flying required.

The beautiful city of Saint-Malo

We did exactly this last weekend. Saturday morning from Gare Montparnasse, two hours south, and suddenly we were walking the wide stone streets of Bordeaux in the sunshine, meeting friends, eating well, feeling entirely elsewhere. We came back Sunday evening. It felt like we'd been gone a week.

If you are planning a trip to Paris and you haven't thought about building in a day trip or a quick overnight somewhere else, I'd encourage you to reconsider your itinerary. Here are a few places worth putting on your radar, all reachable by train from central Paris.

🚆 Where can you go from Paris?

• Bordeaux 2 hours. Wine, walkable streets, relaxed southern energy

• Lyon 2 hours. France's food capital, stunning old town

• Lille 1 hour. Flemish architecture, great food, gateway to Belgium

• Rennes 1.5 hours. Medieval city, gateway to Brittany

• Saint-Malo 3 hours. Walled port city, dramatic coastline, exceptional seafood

• Strasbourg 2.5 hours. Alsatian architecture, Christmas markets, German border charm

• Marseille 3 hours. Raw, sun-drenched, the Mediterranean at its most alive

• Geneva 3 hours. Alpine scenery on the train, Switzerland in a day

• Brussels 1.5 hours. Beer, chocolate, Art Nouveau architecture

• London 2.5 hours. Through the Channel Tunnel, no flying required

Tickets are cheapest when booked in advance. The main platform for French routes is SNCF Connect. For London, book through Eurostar directly.

Paris will still be here when you get back. That's the other thing about it. It's an excellent city to return to.

Our friend, the Mystery Parisian, loves this city as deeply as anyone I've met. Once, he told me that the best thing about living in Paris is leaving it. Because then you get to return to Paris, which is a wonderful experience. I've been thinking about that ever since.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
"Le Dépaysement"

The Phrase: "Le dépaysement" Phonetic: [deh-pay-iz-mohn]

Literally: "De-country-ment." A removal from your usual environment.

The Context: There is no English equivalent, which is part of why the French seem to experience travel differently. Dépaysement describes that feeling of being fully elsewhere, disoriented in the best possible way, unmoored from your routines, your habits, your usual self. It is not homesickness. It is the opposite. It is the particular pleasure of being somewhere that is not home.

How to use it:

• The Weekend Escape: Two hours on a train and suddenly you are eating duck confit in the sun in Bordeaux with nowhere to be. Pure dépaysement.

• The Neighborhood You Never Visit: You finally wander into the 19th on a Sunday morning and it feels like a completely different city. A small dépaysement, but still.

• The Moment It Hits You: You are sitting at a café table, no one knows you, the language around you sounds like music, and you realize you have completely forgotten what day it is back home. That is dépaysement doing its work.

How I Found This Word: We spent last weekend in Bordeaux, just two hours from Paris by train, one night, back by Sunday evening. And yet somehow it felt like we had been gone for a week. That compression of time, that sense of full arrival somewhere else, has a name in French. Of course it does.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
La Caravane Passe - T'as la Touche Manouche

La Caravane Passe is one of those bands that's hard to categorize, which is probably why they're worth knowing. Based in France, they blend Balkan brass, gypsy swing, and a kind of traveling carnival energy that feels like it belongs on a movie soundtrack. The name, "the caravan passes," tells you everything about their spirit.

"T'as la Touche Manouche" is infectious and a little wild, the kind of song that makes you want to be moving somewhere. Perfect for a weekend on a train heading south.

THIS WEEK IN PARIS
The Local’s View of The Tower at Le Table de Bellville

TL: The view from where we ate. TR: Bellville Park. BL: Covered stairs in Bellville Park. BR: Le Table de Bellville, where we ate on the terrace.

If you want a view of the Eiffel Tower from a restaurant without paying Eiffel Tower prices, head to Belleville.

Laura and I stumbled into Le Table de Belleville on the square near Parc de Belleville, which is one of those parks most visitors never find. The park sits high on a hill in the 20th arrondissement, and from the top, you get one of the widest, most unobstructed views of the city. The Eiffel Tower is right there in the panorama, no admission ticket required.

The square at the top of the park has several restaurants, and we settled into Le Table de Belleville for coffee and dessert. The food was good, the prices were surprisingly gentle, and the whole scene felt like the Paris you came here hoping to find. Just a local Paris neighborhood doing its thing on a Sunday afternoon.

View of the Eiffel Tower from the top of Bellville Park

Belleville is one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in Paris, full of street art, Chinese and North African food, and the kind of energy that the polished central arrondissements don't have. If you're looking for real local Paris with a killer view, this is it.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ First time in Paris? Steal our perfectly planned weekend guide: From Cosmopolitan - A handy hit-list for the French capital, including where to eat, drink, shop, and party.

➡️ Guide to the Best Tea Rooms in Paris: From Mad About Macarons - Includes details of their speciality pastries from hotels and historical restaurants to cozy teatimes for all budgets.

➡️ A guide to Amélie’s Montmartre: From CN Traveler - As cinemas re-release the movie, we journey through the streets of Paris in search of Amélie’s haunts.

➡️ Guide to the Best Restaurants in Montmartre: From Paris Eater - A local's guide to where to actually eat in Montmartre, from a nose-to-tail bistro on rue Lepic to a Turkish meze spot the tourists haven't found yet.

PHOTOGRAPHING PARIS
Serge Ramelli Paris Photography Workshop!

Serge Ramelli sells out his photography workshops fast. His last Paris workshop sold out instantly.

He has only two spots left for his Paris workshop this July (6–11), and I thought I’d share it with our photographer friends of The Paris Love Letter.

If you're a photographer and Paris is on your list this summer, this is worth a look. Six days of shooting the city with one of the most recognized names in Paris photography.

Each ticket includes the 6-day workshop, boarding in a four-star hotel, and fine dining each night in the City of Light!

If you want to know if it's the right fit, you can schedule a short call with a member of his team.

VISITNG PARIS
The River Between Two Bookshelves

When I first moved to Paris, I had a plan. I was going to sell my photography from one of those green boxes along the Seine. I'd walked past the bouquinistes dozens of times, seen the old prints and posters fanning out over the stone walls, and thought: I could do that.

So I applied. And I learned something.

You can't just set up a gallery along the Seine. The bouquinistes are booksellers. The city allows them to sell some tourist merchandise now (one out of four boxes can stock souvenirs and prints), but only because the economics of used books have gotten brutal. The primary obligation is still books. You need to demonstrate literary knowledge. You need a real relationship with the trade.

I realized I didn't want to get into the used book business. But the experience taught me something about Paris. This city protects things. Not always gracefully. But when something has earned its place here, Paris holds on to it with a stubbornness that borders on the sacred.

Jean Henry Marlet after Adrien Victor Auger in 1821

The bouquinistes have been selling books along the Seine for over 400 years. Back in the 1500s, before anyone called them bouquinistes, they were colporteurs and libraires forains. They carried books in baskets slung around their necks or hauled them in wheelbarrows along the bridges, selling from trays lashed to the parapets with leather straps.

And they were considered dangerous. Not because they were violent. Because they were hard to censor. During the Wars of Religion, these roaming sellers were accused of peddling forbidden Protestant pamphlets. A 1649 ordinance banned book displays near the Pont-Neuf. In 1721, another threatened booksellers with prison. None of it stuck. The sellers would scatter when the authorities showed up, push their wheelbarrows to a new spot, and set up again.

By the Enlightenment, the pamphlets they distributed were helping shape the intellectual life of a continent. During the Revolution, they thrived, selling rare volumes looted from aristocratic libraries. Napoleon formalized the trade. In 1859, the city granted official concessions. In 1891, they finally won the right to leave their boxes on site overnight. That's when the green boxes, as we know them, were born.

And then people kept trying to get rid of them. Haussmann wanted them gone. Television nearly killed the trade. The internet made things worse. COVID devastated them. And in 2023, the police prefecture announced plans to dismantle 600 of the 900 boxes ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony on the Seine. President Macron reversed the decision, calling the bouquinistes part of the "living heritage of the capital."

Today, around 240 bouquinistes manage roughly 900 boxes along three kilometers of the Seine, holding an estimated 300,000 books. The riverbanks were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991, and in 2019, France added the bouquiniste tradition to its list of intangible cultural heritage. Someone once described the Seine as "the only river in the world that runs between two bookshelves."

One thing worth knowing if you visit: many of the paintings and prints you'll see in the stalls (and in Montmartre) are not painted by local artists. They're mass-produced overseas, often in China. I'm not saying that to be harsh. But if you're hoping for an original piece, ask. The bouquinistes who specialize in genuine antique prints and engravings will be happy to show you. That's where the real treasures are.

Walk slowly. Say bonjour before you browse. And bring cash.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
“N'importe quoi"

The Phrase: "N'importe quoi"

Phonetic: [nim-port kwah]

Literally: "No matter what."

The Context: Forget the literal translation. In everyday French, "n'importe quoi" means "nonsense," "ridiculous," or "what a load of garbage." It's the phrase Parisians reach for when something is so absurd it doesn't deserve a full argument. Just a quick exhale and three words. It works as a response, a judgment, and a complete sentence all at once.

How to use it:

• The Weather: It was 22 degrees and sunny yesterday; today it’s hailing and 4 degrees. N'importe quoi.

• The Metro: Someone pushes past you to squeeze onto a packed Line 13, then acts offended when you don't move. N'importe quoi.

• The Tourist Trap: A waiter on Rue de Rivoli tries to seat you with a laminated English menu and a €28 croque monsieur. N'importe quoi.

How I Found This Phrase: I kept hearing people mutter it, almost to themselves, like a reflex. At the grocery store. On the phone. Watching the news. Once you start listening for it, you realize it's everywhere. It's not anger exactly. It's that very French ability to dismiss something as beneath serious discussion while still making sure everyone nearby knows exactly how you feel about it.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Paris Canaille - Léo Ferré, performed by Catherine Sauvage (1979)

Léo Ferré was a poet, an anarchist, and one of the greatest songwriters France has ever produced. "Paris Canaille" was his first real hit, a love letter to the scrappy, disreputable side of Paris. The pickpockets, the vagabonds, the hustlers under the Bastille metro.

Every verse ends with the same refrain: mais c'est si bon. But it's so good. Ferré wrote the song in the early 1950s, but nobody wanted it. Yves Montand turned it down. It was Catherine Sauvage who finally recorded it and turned it into a national hit.

This version is Sauvage performing it in 1979, more than 25 years after she first recorded it. There's a confidence and weight here that the original doesn't have. She owns every word.

THIS WEEK IN PARIS
Canal Walks and Secret Square Picnics

This week in Paris, the sun finally decided to stay. We spent a lot of time walking along the Canal Saint-Martin. I love the photo of everyone gathered along the water's edge. It is one of those sights that makes the city feel alive. When the weather is like this, the cafes in Saint-Germain fill up instantly. I caught a shot of the terrace at Le Bonaparte in the Sixth Arrondissement. It is the perfect spot to sit and watch the world go by.

We also found time for a picnic with our friend, the Mystery Parisian. We went to a beautiful secret square hidden inside the Hôpital Saint-Louis in the Tenth Arrondissement. It is a quiet, walled-in park right in the middle of the hospital grounds, just a short walk from the canal. It feels like a private escape from the rest of the city. It was the highlight of our week to sit there in the sun and catch up.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ Must-do activities in Paris this weekend: Paris Secret rounds up a surprisingly broad mix of weekend ideas, from a former prison turned grand library to a royal park with Eiffel Tower views, so it is less a generic event list than a fast-moving snapshot of how many different versions of Paris you could step into this weekend.

➡️ How to Spend 4 Days in Paris, According to Locals: AFAR’s long-weekend guide is useful not just for where it sends you, but for how it frames the city, encouraging readers to skip checklist Paris in favor of long lunches, neighborhood wandering, covered passages, markets, and the kind of spontaneous pleasures that make the city feel local.

➡️ The Best Vintage Stores in Paris: Vogue’s guide to vintage shopping in Paris is really a map of the city’s evolving secondhand scene, moving well beyond dusty treasure hunts into highly curated boutiques where designer pieces, recent seasons, and distinct points of view matter as much as nostalgia.

➡️ The best hotels to stay in Paris for 2026: Time Out’s hotel roundup is more than a luxury list because it organizes Paris through mood and neighborhood, helping readers choose between places that are romantic, design-forward, budget-friendly, or deeply local rather than simply the most expensive room with a view.

EATING IN PARIS
Why the Chairs Face the Street

Robert Capa - Cafe de Flore, 1950s

You notice it almost immediately in Paris. The chairs on the terrace often don't face each other. They face the street.

Sit down at nearly any café in the city, and you find yourself shoulder to shoulder with strangers, all of you looking outward like an audience in a theater. This setup is a direct result of how Paris was physically rebuilt in the 1850s and 60s.

Before that time, Paris was a dense maze of dark, narrow medieval streets. There was no room for sidewalks, let alone terraces. Cafés were mostly indoor affairs. They were dim, smoky, and hidden away from the mud and chaos of the alleys.

That changed when Baron Haussmann began his massive renovation of the city under Napoleon III. He sliced wide, grand boulevards through the old neighborhoods, creating the light, air, and expansive stone pavements we see today. For the first time, there was actual physical space to move the furniture outside.

Ilya Repin - Parisian Cafe, 1875

The café owners took advantage of this new "urban stage" immediately. They realized that the boulevard itself was the main attraction. By turning the chairs toward the sidewalk, they turned the act of drinking coffee into a spectator sport.

This shift changed the social fabric of the city. Writers like Émile Zola and later Hemingway or Simone de Beauvoir went to be "alone in public." The terrace became a front-row seat to the theater of the everyday.

It is a specific kind of Parisian limestone-and-wicker philosophy. Instead of being tucked away in a corner or hidden inside, you are planted firmly alongside the action, watching the woman with the baguette, the waiter with the silver tray, and the light hitting the zinc bar through a window across the street.

La Rotonde circa 1925

In a city that can feel fast and overwhelming, these outward-facing chairs offer a simple permission. You can stop moving, order a single espresso, and let the entire city of Paris perform for you.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
“Pas Mal"

The Phrase: "Pas mal"

Phonetic: [pah mahl]

Literally: "Not bad."

The Context: In English, "not bad" can sometimes sound lukewarm. In French, "Pas mal" is actually a high compliment. The French love understatement. If something is incredible, they won't always gush; they’ll just nod and say it’s "not bad."

How to use it:

• The View: You’re standing on the Pont des Arts at sunset and the light hits the Louvre just right. Pas mal.
  

• The Wine: You take the first sip of a $90 bottle of Bordeaux that actually lives up to the price tag. Pas mal.
  

• The Apartment: You walk into a friend’s place and realize they have a private terrace overlooking the Pantheon. Pas mal.

How I Found This Phrase: I used to think people were being unimpressed until I realized that "Pas mal" is often the highest praise a Parisian will give. It’s the art of the "cool" compliment.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Woodkid & Louis Garrel - L'aérogramme de Los Angeles

This week’s selection is L'aérogramme de Los Angeles by Woodkid and Louis Garrel. Woodkid is a celebrated French director and musician known for his cinematic style, while Louis Garrel is one of France’s most recognizable actors.

The song is a beautiful, spoken-word piece set against a melodic backdrop, originally written by the legendary Yves Simon. It feels like a private conversation or a letter being read aloud.

THIS WEEK IN PARIS
We Had A “Kozy” Brunch in Montmartre

Paris gave us a gift this week. Several days of warmer temperatures and real sunshine, and we took full advantage.

We had a couple of things to celebrate, and the weather made everything better. One late morning, we headed up to Montmartre for brunch at Kozy, which is right next to the Abbesses metro station. Fun spot, good food (not refined, but hearty), and a great launching pad before wandering the neighborhood.

After brunch, we walked around for a while, which is really the whole point of going to Montmartre. You go up the hill, you eat, you walk, you get a little lost. That's the formula. If you haven't spent time in that part of the city, put it on your list.

Later in the week, we went out for a proper lunch (Ora Farmhouse) and LOVED it. More on that below.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ Paris apartments people are booking for month-plus stays: Conde Nast Traveller rounds up Paris apartments for month-plus stays, with many offering steep discounts for longer bookings and ranging from ornate Haussmann flats in Le Marais to quiet studios just outside the city.

➡️ Guide to Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris: Travel and Leisure explores Saint-Germain-des-Pres beyond the famous cafes, with picks for independent boutiques, a jazz club in a medieval cellar, and the hotel where James Joyce finished writing Ulysses.

➡️ The 34 best restaurants in Paris right now: Conde Nast Traveller asked a Paris-based food writer with 20 years in the city to name her 34 favorite restaurants, and the list goes well beyond French classics into Turkish, Vietnamese, and fusion spots alongside the bistros.

➡️ Try this walkable city break — just 90 minutes from Paris by train: The Times makes the case for Nancy as a weekend trip from Paris, highlighting the northeastern city's royal squares, art nouveau walking routes, and a glamorous thermal spa most visitors to France never hear about.

ANNOUNCEMENT
150 Issues!
Let's Celebrate with a Print SALE!

You're reading the 150th issue of The Paris Love Letter!

That's 150 Fridays of showing up in your inbox from Paris. Some of you have been here since issue one. Some of you just got here. Doesn't matter. You're all part of this, and we just hit a number worth celebrating.

So let's celebrate! Through Monday, we're offering:

30% off all photography prints in the shop!

Every photo in the collection was taken by me, walking and biking through this city. If you've had your eye on one, now's the time. If you've never looked, go take a peek. There might be a slice of Paris in there that's meant for your wall.

The Paris Love Letter is free, and print sales help us cover the costs of publishing. So even if you don't need one for your walls, maybe you know someone who does.

Discount automatically applied at checkout. Sale runs through Monday!

Thank you for reading. Seriously. Here's to the next 150!

EATING IN PARIS
A Farmhouse in the Middle of Paris

Friends had been telling us to go to Ora Farmhouse for months. We finally went for lunch this week, and we picked a good afternoon for it. We had something to celebrate.

The restaurant is inside the Pavillon du Lac in the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, one of the biggest parks in Paris. When you sit down and look out over the hillside to the pond and the trees, you don't feel like you're in the city anymore. I kept thinking I was somewhere in the countryside. It’s a farmhouse style restaurnat that happens to be in the 19th arrondissement.

The decor was designed by Cordelia de Castellane, who also designs for Dior, which is probably all you need to know about how the place looks. Rustic, warm, well done without being overdone.

Image: orafarmhouse.com

They call themselves flexitarian. In practice, that means the menu is mostly vegetables, with some fish and meat. Everything we had was really, really good. Carefully prepared, interesting combinations. And then dessert came. Fontant au chocolat, and Laura went crazy for it. And she is a tough critic when it comes to food.

If you're coming to Paris and want something different from the standard bistro experience, Ora Farmhouse is well worth the trip. Most visitors never make it to Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th, but it’s well worth it.

Ora Farmhouse Pavillon du Lac, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Rue Manin, 75019 Paris.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
“Oh la vache!"

The Phrase: "Oh la vache!"

Phonetic: [oh lah vahsh] Literally: "Oh the cow!" Yes, really. The cow.

The Context: This is the French "Oh my God!" and it works in exactly the same situations. Something surprises you, impresses you, shocks you, or just catches you off guard. It's not rude, it's not formal, it's just a reaction. You'll hear it from teenagers, grandmothers, and everyone in between.

How to use it:

• The Restaurant Bill: Your friend picks up the check at a tourist spot near the Champs-Elysees and shows you the total. Oh la vache.

• The View: You climb to the top of Montmartre, turn around, and see all of Paris stretched out in front of you. Oh la vache.

• The Dessert: You're at a restaurant in Buttes-Chaumont and something arrives at the table that makes your wife close her eyes between bites. Oh la vache.

How I Found This Phrase: I heard it a few times, then one day something surprised me, and it just came out of my mouth instead of "oh my God." That's when you know Paris is getting into your system. 😂

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Renaud - J’ai embrassé un flic

Renaud is one of France's biggest musicians, has sold close to 20 million records, and has spent most of his career as a proud anarchist who took shots at the police in song after song.

Then came the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January 2015. Millions marched through Paris from Republique to Nation. Renaud was among them. During the march, he saw a cop on the sidewalk who looked friendly, walked up, and hugged him. He wrote this song about that moment.

It's warm, a little wry, and very human. A guy admitting that solidarity can surprise you, even when you've spent your whole life on the other side. The music video was filmed on Place Furstemberg, one of the smallest and prettiest squares in Saint-Germain, with Renaud standing next to a "Calins Gratuits" (free hugs) sign. Worth a watch.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ Renoir and Love opens at the Musée d'Orsay, March 17: The first major Renoir retrospective in Paris since 1985, bringing together over 50 masterpieces, including Bal du moulin de la Galette and Luncheon of the Boating Party.

➡️ Bonjour Paris: March 2026 Restaurant Buzz: Covers the early-dining trend sweeping Paris (restaurants now opening at 5:30 pm), the new Paul Bocuse commemorative stamp, and several new openings worth knowing about.

➡️ First Norwegian coffee shop opens near Montmartre: Bonne, the first Norwegian café in Paris, has opened in the 18th arrondissement with Nordic pastries and specialty coffee roasted in Oslo.

➡️ Key Takeaways from Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2026: Fashion Week just wrapped in Paris with sophomore collections from Jonathan Anderson at Dior and Matthieu Blazy at Chanel stealing the show.

THIS WEEK IN PARIS
Buttes-Chaumont When the Sun Shows Up

Last weekend, the sun came out, and Paris remembered how to enjoy its green spaces. We took our little Lion to Buttes-Chaumont, one of our favorite parks in the city, and every grassy hillside was covered with blankets and bottles of wine, with groups of friends who all had the same idea at the same time.

The grey months make everyone interior and reserved, but the moment the light returns, the whole city pours outside. Terraces fill by mid-morning. Strangers share park benches. It feels almost communal.

Our son led us straight to his favorite spot, the hidden waterfall tucked into lush greenery that doesn't feel like it belongs in Paris. He knows the path by heart now. He stands in front of it and just listens. The sound of the water is the most relaxing thing in the city. If you make it to Buttes-Chaumont on a sunny day, find the waterfall. Our Lion recommends it.

📸: If you’re looking for a great quality pocket travel camera, I love my RICOH GR IIIx HDF. I use it for most of the photos you see in this newsletter.

EATING IN PARIS
New Michelin Stars Announced Monday

Every March, the Michelin Guide announces which restaurants in France have earned, kept, or lost their stars. This year's ceremony happens on Monday, March 16, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. It's the first time the announcement has been held there.

If you've ever wondered why a tire company gets to decide who the best chefs in France are, the origin story is worth knowing. In 1889, two brothers, André and Édouard Michelin, started a tire business in Clermont-Ferrand. There were fewer than 3,000 cars in all of France. They needed people to drive more. So in 1900, they published a free pocket guide with maps, fuel stations, mechanics, and places to eat and sleep along the way. The logic was beautifully simple: more driving, more worn tires, more sales.

The restaurant section became so popular that by 1926, they started awarding a single star to the best ones. By 1931, they had the three-star system we still use today. One star means a very good restaurant. Two means worth a detour. Three means worth a special journey. The brothers also hired anonymous inspectors who still operate in secret today.

For Paris, the stakes are real. Restaurants can be booked solid within hours of earning a star, and losing one can be devastating. This year, 10 restaurants in Paris and the surrounding region have already lost stars, and the city is buzzing about which newcomers might earn their first. The ceremony will be broadcast live on Michelin's social channels if you want to follow along. Whether you eat at starred restaurants or not, it's a fascinating window into how serious people can be about food.

VISITING PARIS
How to Spend Your First Morning in Paris

You just landed. You're jet-lagged, excited, and tempted to sprint to the Eiffel Tower. Don't. Your first morning sets the tone for everything that follows, and the best thing you can do is slow down and let the city come to you.

Drop your bags and walk. No route, no Google Maps. Just step outside and go. The goal is to start noticing things. The way light hits the buildings. The smell of bread from a boulangerie you haven't found yet. Paris rewards people who pay attention, and this first walk is how you train your eye.

Find a café that looks alive and sit down. Order an espresso, a noisette, or a cafe creme. Watch the street. Resist the urge to check your phone. This is not wasted time, but rather, this is the trip starting. Then walk to a boulangerie and buy a croissant. A good one is a little crispy on the outside, soft inside, with a buttery flavor that lingers. If it's great, remember that spot. You'll be back.

Now find the Seine and cross it. Any bridge. Stand in the middle and look in both directions. The river is the spine of this city, and once you've crossed it on foot, Paris stops feeling like a map and starts feeling like a place you're in. The Louvre isn't going anywhere. The Eiffel Tower is better at night anyway. This first slow morning is something you only get once. Don't rush it.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
“Ça va pas, non?!"

The Phrase: "Ça va pas, non?!"

Phonetic: [sah vah pah, noh?!]

The Formal & Original Version: "Ça ne va pas, non?!" (But nobody has time for the "ne" when they're annoyed.) You'll also hear the longer version, "Ça va pas la tête?!", which literally translates to "Is your head not right?!" Same energy, just more specific about where the problem is.

The Context: This is the French version of "Are you out of your mind?!" or "What's wrong with you?!" You'll hear it when someone does something reckless, inconsiderate, or just plain stupid. It literally translates to "It's not going, no?!" which makes almost no sense in English, but in French it carries the full weight of disbelief and indignation. It's not a polite phrase. It's the phrase that comes out when politeness has left the building.

How to use it:

• The Crosswalk Close Call: A scooter blows through a red light while you're mid-crosswalk. The Parisian next to you throws up a hand and shouts "Ça va pas, non?!" at the disappearing rider. No one expects a response. It's a declaration, not a question.

• The Line Cutter: Someone slides in front of you at the boulangerie like you're invisible. You can hit them with a firm "Ça va pas, non?!" and the people behind you will silently crown you one of their own.

How I Found This Phrase: I learned this phrase the way most people learn the important things in Paris: by asking friends for help. When I started riding my bike through the city, I asked a few Parisians how to yell back at drivers who cut me off or drifted into the bike lane. The unanimous answer was "Ça va pas, non?!" It's my most-used phrase on two wheels.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Benjamin Biolay - Comment est ta peine

Benjamin Biolay sounds like Paris feels on a quiet evening. "Comment est ta peine" (How is your sorrow) is moody, elegant, and unhurried.

His voice sits low and close over a warm arrangement that builds without ever rushing. If you're walking along the Seine at dusk or sitting alone in a café watching the rain, this is the song that should be playing.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ The Allure of Classic Parisian Style: HiP Paris goes beyond clichés about stripes and red lipstick to show how classic Parisian style is really built on attitude, subtle imperfection, and small sensual details like lingerie, perfume, and the way clothes move on the body.

➡️ 14 Family-Friendly Paris Hotels That Go Above and Beyond for Kids: Condé Nast Traveler profiles Paris hotels that not only welcome children but bribe them into joy with teepees, cooking classes, treasure hunts, kids’ spas, mascot toys, and even in‑room “camping” setups so parents actually get a holiday too.

➡️ Our 5 Favorite Cocktail Bars in Paris: My French Country Home Magazine curates five cocktail bars where you get more than a good drink, from menu‑less, made‑to‑measure creations and hidden speakeasies to multi‑level Belle Époque salons that feel like stepping into a film.

➡️ Inside the cutthroat competition for the best baguette in Paris: The Washington Post takes you behind the scenes of the Grand Prix de la Baguette, inside flour‑dusted judging rooms and bakeries where “bread is god” and a single loaf can change a boulanger’s life with presidential contracts and city‑wide fame.

WEEKLY UPDATE
A Quick Merci

Last week I experimented with a new segment called French Phrase of the Week and the response was incredible. I want to thank everyone who hit reply to share their feedback because hearing from you is exactly how I can best tailor the Paris Love Letter to what you actually want to read. Because of that enthusiasm, the section is officially sticking around.

We have some exciting Paris adventures lined up for March, and I am looking forward to sharing them with you. For now, let us get into the bread, the downloadable map, and a phrase for when things do not go quite to plan.

EATING IN PARIS
The Quiet Drama of Paris’s Best Baguette

Each year in Paris, there is a competition that matters far more than any Michelin star or influencer listicle. It is the Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris. There are no red carpets and no gowns. Instead, there is only flour, water, salt, yeast, and a jury of obsessed Parisians deciding who bakes the most perfect 70 centimeter piece of everyday poetry.

This year, the 2026 prize went to Sithamparappillai Jegatheepan, a baker at Fournil Didot in the 14th arrondissement. Out of 143 baguettes entered, his was judged the best on a brutally specific checklist. The jury looked at appearance, taste, baking, crumb, alveolation (the pattern of holes and air pockets inside the crumb of bread), size, and salt content. In other words, they judged how it looks, how it smells, how it sounds when you crack it, how the inside feels between your fingers, how the air pockets are distributed, and even how salty it is.

The reward is more than bragging rights. The winner takes home €4,000 and earns the right to supply bread to the Élysée Palace for a year. The president’s morning routine becomes your calling card.

Instagram post

A Very Parisian Obsession

The competition itself is relatively recent. It was created in the ‘90s when the city realized that even the humble baguette needed defending. Industrial baking and frozen dough were on the rise. The answer was to codify and celebrate the baguette de tradition française and to honor the artisans who still make it the hard way.

That “tradition” label is a legal definition from a 1993 decree that quietly drew a line in the flour. To be a “tradition,” the bread must follow strict rules:

• Only four ingredients are allowed: flour, water, salt, and yeast or natural leaven.

• There are no additives, no preservatives, and no improvers.

• The bread must be mixed, shaped, and baked on site in the bakery that sells it.

• The dough can never be frozen at any point in its life.

Inside that narrow lane, there is all the room in the world for artistry. One baker will ferment the dough longer for a deeper flavor. Another tweaks hydration so the crumb is silkier and more open. A few seconds more or less in the oven and your crust shifts from pale gold to deep chestnut, or from whisper crisp to thundering crackle. The Grand Prix jury is essentially judging the results of a thousand tiny decisions you never see when you walk in and ask for "une tradition, s’il vous plaît."

What Makes a Great Baguette, Really?

If you want to play judge on your next trip, here is the unofficial, street level version of the criteria:

Look
Gently tapered ends and a rich golden brown crust are essential. It should not be pale or charcoal. The scoring on top, which are the diagonal slashes, should open like relaxed little mouths rather than exploding or staying welded shut.

Sound
Give it a delicate squeeze. A good baguette crackles and sings back to you. It should sound alive rather than like packing foam.

Smell
Bring it to your nose before you even tear it. You should catch wheat, a hint of nuttiness, and perhaps a whisper of fermentation instead of just hot air.

Crumb and Alveolation
When you break it open, the interior should not be cottony or dense. A great tradition has irregular air holes, some big and some small, like a map of constellations. The crumb should be slightly glossy, elastic, and almost creamy.

Taste and Salt
It is amazing how often this is off. Too bland and it tastes like nothing. Too salty and it bulldozes whatever you put on it. The best baguettes have a gentle tang from fermentation, a lingering wheat flavor, and salt that supports rather than shouts.

This is what the Grand Prix tries to codify each year. It is not just good bread, but the Platonic ideal of everyday Paris bread.

A Moving Map of Parisian Bread

Click the image to download the Google Map

One of the quiet pleasures of this competition is watching how it reshapes the map of Paris over time. The best baguette does not always live in the postcard neighborhoods. Some years it is the 10th or 20th, and other years it is a quiet stretch of the 14th, like this year’s winner at Fournil Didot.

A prize like this can change a bakery’s life overnight. Lines form, locals grumble affectionately about their boulangerie being discovered, and the winner suddenly has to keep up with the demand of both neighbors and pilgrims with suitcases.

To help you trace that story, I have put together an interactive Google Map of all the first place winners since the beginning of the competition. You can wander across the years, arrondissement by arrondissement, and see how the city’s best baguette has migrated.

👉 Get Your Map of Paris’s Grand Prix Baguette Winners 👈

If you are planning a trip, you can build your own Grand Prix crawl. Pick a few former winners in neighborhoods you are already visiting and let the bread dictate your walking route.

If you are already in Paris as you read this, you are holding the beginnings of a very noble mission. Go find Fournil Didot in the 14th, order "une tradition," and see if you agree with the jury. You do not need a white lab coat or a scoring sheet. You only need your eyes, your nose, your hands, and a city that still takes its daily bread seriously enough to turn it into an annual civic ritual.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
“C’est pas grave"

A little coffee spill and a quick “C’est pas grave” to remind us that a small mishap is just an excuse for a kind word.

The Phrase: "C’est pas grave"
Phonetic: [say pah grav]
The Formal Version: "Ce n’est pas grave" (You’ll see this in books, but you’ll rarely hear it spoken this way in the wild.)

The Context:
This one brings more civility and kindness to the streets. It literally translates to “it’s not serious,” but in practice, it means anything from “no worries” to “don’t beat yourself up about it.” You’ll hear it when you apologize for a small mistake, show up two minutes late, or accidentally bump into someone while navigating a crowded sidewalk.

How to use it:

• The Metro Fumble: You accidentally brush someone’s shoulder and blurt out, “Pardon !” If they are in a good mood, they will wave it off with a quick “C’est pas grave.”

• The Café Spill: Your server drops a spoon and apologizes with a quick “Désolé(e).” You can smile and say “C’est pas grave” to signal that we are all human here.

For example:
Today, while on a walk, our dog darted after a pigeon and pulled his leash across the sidewalk, blocking the path of a couple. I apologized for the small inconvenience caused by my “squirrel” triggered pup. The gentleman, acknowledging my apology, waved a hand and said with a smile, “c’est pas grave!”

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Alain Souchon - Foule sentimentale

This is one of those songs that lives somewhere in the collective French spine. “Foule sentimentale” is a soft, slightly melancholy anthem about how easy it is to get lost in shiny distractions and how much we need real, simple things instead.

It is a good soundtrack for a city that still argues passionately about something as basic as bread and insists that the everyday details of life are worth defending.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ An Ugly Building in a Beautiful City Gets a Much-Debated Makeover - The New York Times reports that Tour Montparnasse, long derided as a Paris eyesore, is moving toward a major makeover led by a consortium redesigning the tower and architect Renzo Piano reworking the bleak base into a greener, more walkable public space.

:➡️ Wellness Culture Has Come for Paris - Vanity Fair explores how a new wellness culture is reshaping Paris in a distinctly French way, from lighter pastries and butter skepticism to luxury spas, meditation-friendly flights, and an emphasis on balance and joie de vivre over optimization.

➡️ Le Regard: The Art of the Gaze - Bonjour Paris explains that street photographer William O’Such learned to watch for “le regard,” the moment someone’s gaze meets the camera or locks onto a subject, because that fleeting connection adds narrative depth and rewards patience over rapid-fire shooting.

➡️ The world’s most beautiful avenue car-free this Sunday - One Sunday each month, all year round! It's a chance to experience the world's most beautiful avenue in a different way and snap a selfie in front of the Arc de Triomphe without cars disrupting the view.

VISITING PARIS
The Paris Insider’s Guide to the Gray

Most people see a rainy forecast for their Paris trip and feel a pang of defeat. They pivot immediately to the big museum trap, spending four hours in a humid security line at the Louvre just to stand ten deep in front of a small painting behind glass. But here is the secret: Paris was not built for constant sunshine. It was built for the gray. The zinc roofs, the cream colored limestone, and the 19th century ironwork were all designed to catch the soft, diffused light of a rainy afternoon. When the sky opens up, the city does not shut down. It just moves indoors into some of the most atmospheric spaces ever conceived.

The 19th Century Indoor Outdoor Hack

In the early 1800s, before Baron Haussmann carved out the wide boulevards we see today, Paris was a muddy and chaotic labyrinth. To solve this, architects created the Passages Couverts. These are glass roofed arcades that allowed the fashionable elite to shop, dine, and wander without ruining their silk hems in the street muck. These are your rainy day gold. They are time capsules of Belle Époque ambition, filled with old world bookstores, stamp collectors, and tiny bistros where the sound of rain hitting the glass ceiling provides the perfect percussion for a long conversation.

Photo: galerie-vivienne.com

From Palais Royal to the Passages

If the clouds roll in, start under the covered arcades of the Palais Royal. From there, use the galleries as your connective tissue. Walk through the stunning Galerie Vivienne, which is perhaps the most beautiful of them all, and let it lead you deeper into the 2nd Arrondissement. Aim for the classic trio: Passage des Panoramas, Passage Jouffroy, and Passage Verdeau. You stay dry, you see the history of Parisian commerce, and you avoid the museum crowds entirely.

Dining Inside (kind of) the Icon

For an overpriced, but stunning experience, head to Café Marly. It sits literally within the wings of the Louvre. On a rainy day, the usual swarms of tourists vanish from the courtyard. Sitting under the high, sheltered arches of the Richelieu wing while looking out at the glass pyramid is a singular experience. As the rain slicks the stones of the Cour Napoléon and the city turns a quiet silver, you are dining within the architecture of the world’s greatest museum while staying perfectly dry. It is a splurge that feels entirely worth it for the atmosphere alone.

Instagram post

The Art of the Linger

Rain in Paris is a forced meditation. It is an invitation to stop rushing and start noticing. If you find yourself caught in a downpour, don't just run for the Metro. Try one of these instead:

The Bookstore Refuge
Head to a legendary spot like Shakespeare and Company or a quiet antique dealer in Passage Verdeau. Buy one book. Write the date and the neighborhood inside the cover. Then, find a café with a covered terrace and read the first chapter right then and there. That is a souvenir that actually survives the flight home.

The Terrace Under the Awning
There is something uniquely magical about sitting on a cafe terrace during a storm. If it isn't too cold, find a spot tucked deep under a wide awning. Order a coffee or a glass of wine and watch the rain bounce off the pavement just inches away. It is the best seat in the house for watching the city turn into a watercolor painting.

The Open Doors of the Parish
Many visitors don't realize that most of the city’s historic churches are open to the public throughout the day. They are some of the most peaceful "dry rooms" in Paris. A space like Saint-Eustache or a small neighborhood church offers a silent, vast shelter where you can sit for twenty minutes and listen to the muffled sound of the rain against centuries-old stone.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
“Je vous en prie"

This new segment comes courtesy of a recommendation from one of our readers, Tim from California. If you like this new section and want us to continue, please let us know by replying to this email. Thanks for the suggestion, Tim!

The Phrase: "Je vous en prie"
Phonetic: [zhuh voo zahn pree]
You’ll also hear: "Vous en prie" (the clipped, everyday version)

The Context:
If you’re learning French, you’ll usually start with "de rien" as the standard "you’re welcome." "Je vous en prie" is a more polite, slightly more formal alternative that’s very common in everyday Paris, especially in shops, cafés, and any situation where you’re using vous. It literally translates to "I beg you of it," but in practice, it just means "you’re welcome" or "don’t mention it."

How to use it:

• The Door Moment: You hold a heavy café door. They say "merci." You reply, "Je vous en prie."

• The Checkout: You say "merci" to a cashier, and you’ll often hear a quick "(Je) vous en prie" in return.

The Vibe:
It’s the difference between a casual "no problem" (de rien) and a warm, polite "my pleasure" (avec plaisir). "Je vous en prie" sits right in the middle. It’s polished, respectful, and signals that you understand the grace of Parisian etiquette.

The "Parisian" Twist:
It can also be used as a weapon of politeness. I once watched a friend hold a door open for a man who marched right through without a word of thanks. My friend didn't let it slide. He shouted a sarcastic "Je vous en prie, Monsieur!" at the man’s back. Even in a confrontation, the French stay formal.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
M - Qui De Nous Deux

Last week, we looked at the Chedid family performing a tender acoustic reminder to tell people we love them. This week, we are zooming in on the most eccentric branch of that family tree: Matthieu Chedid, better known as M.

If last week was the warm family dinner, this song is the late night conversation that follows. The title asks "Which of us two?" as a nod to the relationship between the man and the myth, or perhaps the artist and his guitar.

It is a track that manages to be both incredibly catchy and slightly surreal. It proves you can be a massive pop star in France while keeping your intellectual credentials firmly intact. Listen for how the guitar not only accompanies him but actually talks back. It is a masterclass in making a pop song feel like a living piece of theater.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ The Best airbnbs in underrated Parisian neighbourhoods: Condé Nast Traveller uses a local’s eye to argue that underrated quartiers like Belleville, Lamarck-Caulaincourt, and Rue du Ranelagh are where Airbnb actually lets you test-drive a real Parisian life.

➡️ These Are the 5 Spring 2026 Trends French Girls Are Actually Wearing: InStyle reports that Parisian women aren’t chasing micro-trends this spring so much as using novelty denim, loud jackets, tiny shoulder bags, bare shoulders, and colored socks-with-loafers as small rebellions against the beige trench-coat uniform.

➡️ The best festive restaurants in Paris for fun until the end of the night: Paris Secret maps out the city’s new “eat-then-dance” ecosystem, from Pigalle cabarets to jungle-like mega-clubs, showing how dinner in Paris now often comes fused with full-blown nightlife under one very theatrical roof.

➡️ Best art exhibitions in 2026: Christie’s presents 2026 in Paris as a kind of open-air syllabus in art history, where you can walk from Nan Goldin’s queer slide-shows to Calder’s mobiles to a Michelangelo–Rodin face-off and see how the city is still curating its own mythology in real time.

VISITING PARIS
Taking Line 14 From Paris To Orly

A few photos from our recent adventure that show how empty and spacious the transfer and airport were. There’s one exception: the top-right photo was on Line 7, which we took to reach Line 14. I snapped a photo because he looked like a daily commuter lost in thought.

Most people still treat Charles de Gaulle as the automatic choice when they fly to Paris. That is what we used to do too. We would take a taxi from the city out to CDG, sit in traffic, and hope that Parisian congestion did not decide the fate of our flight.

On our most recent trip, we did the opposite. We flew from Orly and took the new extension of Metro Line 14, which opened to the airport in 2024 as part of the Grand Paris Express project. It was our first time taking Line 14 all the way to Orly, and it was, by far, our favorite airport transport experience so far.

© Cyril BADET - Île-de-France Mobilités

Line 14 now runs on a clean north to south diagonal through Paris, from Saint‑Denis–Pleyel in the north down to Aéroport d’Orly in the south. The trip from Orly to central Paris (Châtelet) takes about 25 minutes, with trains every 2 to 5 minutes depending on the time of day. In other words, once you are on the platform, you are essentially never “waiting for the next train.”

For this trip, every part of our journey was empty. The Line 14 train. The station at Orly. The airport itself. Everything felt easy and spacious. I am sure it is not always like that around school holidays or big events, but Orly really is smaller and less intense than CDG. Orly handles on the order of 30 million passengers a year, compared with roughly 70 million at Charles de Gaulle. Smaller airport, fewer people, shorter lines. Statistically and emotionally, it is simply easier to manage.

The Tiny Lion was excited to fly again.

The money side is straightforward. The line 14 to Orly is a special airport fare, but in practice, it is still much cheaper than taking a taxi from central Paris to CDG or back, especially if you are one, two, or three people. Once you are up to around five or six people, a single taxi or van becomes comparable on a per‑person basis, but below that, the metro wins very clearly on cost.

After this last trip, I am starting to prefer the metro to Orly over the taxi to CDG, whenever the flight options make sense. If you are planning a visit and you see similar itineraries into both airports, consider flying into Orly and taking the metro into the center of Paris.

VISITING PARIS
A Quiet Moment At Square Louvois

If you ride Line 14 into the center of Paris and hop off at Pyramides, you are a few minutes’ walk from one of the more overlooked little pockets of calm in Paris: Square Louvois.

Most people never see it. They head straight to the Louvre, Opéra, or the big boulevards and never drift onto Rue de Richelieu, which is a shame. Square Louvois sits right in front of the old Bibliothèque Nationale site, and it feels like a miniature stage for everything Paris does best: water, stone, and a slightly bookish quiet.

At the center is a large fountain with four seated female figures representing four rivers of France. It sounds classical and grand, and in a way it is, but in person it feels very human in scale. A few trees, some benches, a bit of gravel, the sound of water, and people cutting through with tote bags and books.

It is one of those squares that is perfect for twenty minutes and probably not for much more than that. You stop. You sit. You watch the light work its way around the facades, listen to the water for a moment, and then you move on. You can almost feel the history of the old library behind you, the ghost of all those pages that once lived there, and the fact that Paris thought to give them a small garden.

If you are staying anywhere near the 1st or 2nd arrondissement, or if you find yourself emerging from Pyramides or Palais Royal, it is worth a short detour. Grab a coffee, walk a few minutes north along Rue de Richelieu, and let Square Louvois reset your senses before you go back into the busier parts of the city.

It is not a “must see.” It is something better. It is a place where you can remember that Paris is also made of small, quiet pauses between the big monuments.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Louis, Matthieu, Joseph & Anna Chedid - On ne dit jamais assez aux gens qu'on aime qu'on les aime

This is a rare and beautiful moment of French musical royalty. The legendary Chedid family, including pop icon -M-, performs a live acoustic version of a song whose title says it all: "We never tell enough to the people we love that we love them."

It is a warm and multi-generational folk-pop embrace that feels less like a polished studio track and more like sitting in on the most talented family dinner party.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ 33 best restaurants in Paris to try in 2026: House & Garden rounds up 33 of the best restaurants in Paris for 2026, spanning classic bistros, Michelin-starred spots, and trendy new openings across neighborhoods.

➡️ The Giants of Parisian Street Art: UP Magazine profiles foundational figures in Parisian street art, highlighting how artists like Blek le Rat, Invader, Miss Tic, Jef Aérosol, JR, and Levalet helped shape a thriving open-air museum.

➡️ The most romantic restaurants in Paris to visit this Valentine's day: House & Garden shares its editors’ picks for the most romantic restaurants in Paris for Valentine’s Day, with atmosphere-forward suggestions ranging from classic bistros to candlelit dining rooms.

➡️ A Guide to Belleville, Paris’s Bohemian Enclave: Frenchly offers a guide to Belleville’s bohemian, immigrant-rich hilltop neighborhood, covering its radical history and today’s street art, parks and views, Chinatown food scene, and local spots to eat.

VISITING PARIS
If You Only Have Three Hours in Paris

I often meet travelers who only have a few hours in Paris, whether it is a long layover or a quick day trip. Their first instinct is usually to try to see it all by hopping in and out of taxis. My advice is always the same: There’s a better way! This is also true if you have never been to Paris before and want to understand how the city is laid out.

If you have three hours, the best thing you can do is walk the spine of the city. I call this the Paris Welcome Walk. When you are in a car, you are isolated from the city by glass and speed. You see Paris as a series of disconnected images.

But when you walk, you are part of the surroundings. You feel the change in temperature as you cross the water and feel the shift in the city's energy from one neighborhood to the next. It is the most natural way to get your bearings.

©2024 James Christopher Knight

The Route:
Start near the historic islands where Paris was born over 2,000 years ago. From there, follow the river as it flows west toward the Eiffel Tower. This path follows the historical growth of Paris, moving from its ancient heart toward its modern icons.

You will cross bridges, explore the islands, and move between both banks. Along the way, you will see Notre Dame, the oldest bridge in Paris, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Tuileries Garden, the Eiffel Tower, and so much more.

This walk lets you witness the layers of history that live right alongside daily life. You see the grand monuments, but you also see the locals sitting on the stone quays and the movement of the river traffic. It is the most honest way to see the big sites while still feeling the soul of the city.

Want the full stories behind this walk?

I have distilled everything I know from leading hundreds of tours along this exact route into a digital guide. It includes an interactive map, my favorite café stops, and the hidden history most people walk right past.

PHOTOGRAPHING PARIS
The Paris You Don’t Photograph

©2025 James Christopher Knight

Paris is the most photographed city in the world, and for good reason. The grand monuments and the sweeping views along the Seine are spectacular. But as a photographer, I have found that the images that stay with me the longest are often the ones I didn't expect to find.

They are the small, quiet details that you only see when you stop hunting for the "perfect" shot and simply enjoy being where you are.

It is the way the morning light catches the steam rising from a coffee cup on an old zinc bar. It is the specific shade of blue on a weathered door discovered down a side street, or the way a bookseller carefully arranges their vintage prints along the river wall.

These aren't the "big" moments we see on postcards, but they are the ones that make the city feel alive and personal.

©2025 James Christopher Knight

I have learned that the best part of carrying a camera in Paris is that it forces me to slow down. It gives me a reason to stay in one place a little longer and watch the world move.

When I stop chasing the famous angles, I start noticing the character of the city. It’s found in the way a neighborhood wakes up, in the patterns of shadows on the pavement, and in the small rituals that happen every day.

There is a real joy in discovering these "in-between" moments. They are the textures that fill in the gaps between the landmarks and make your experience of Paris unique to you. This week, I hope you find a few of those quiet, beautiful details that belong only to your day, wherever you are.

©2025 James Christopher Knight

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Stacey Kent - Les eaux de mars

Stacey Kent has a way of singing that feels incredibly intimate and light. I love the delicacy of her voice and the rhythmic, almost hypnotic way she delivers this song.

"Les Eaux de Mars" is essentially a poem made of small details: a stone, a glass, a light, a step. It celebrates the tiny fragments that make up a day. It is the perfect companion for anyone looking to notice the "unphotographable" details of Paris.

OUR WEEK IN PARIS
The Tuileries Walkabout & Museum Visit

©2026 James Christopher Knight

The Jeu de Paume remains one of my favorite "smaller" museums in Paris. It is manageable, focused, and sits in one of the most beautiful corners of the city. I actually tried to book a ticket for the Martin Parr show earlier in the week, but it was completely sold out online. While it can be a bit of a hurdle to coordinate, I really appreciate that art exhibitions like this still draw such massive, enthusiastic crowds. It shows how much people still value these shared cultural moments.

When I finally made it inside, I found the exhibition to be an excellent celebration of Parr’s life and work. It is a comprehensive look at a photographer who saw the world exactly as it is, without the filters we usually try to apply to it.

©2026 James Christopher Knight

After leaving the museum, I took advantage of the one truly sunny day we had this week. It was a wonderful treat. Wandering through the Tuileries in the winter is a completely different experience from navigating it in July. Without the summer crowds, the garden feels expansive and open, maybe even meditative.

I spent a good portion of the afternoon just wandering the paths and watching the light hit the statues. It was the perfect day to practice exactly what the Parr show suggests: being an observer rather than a consumer.

The Parr exhibition is at the Jeu de Paume through early May. If you are in town and want a break from the overwhelming scale of the Louvre, I highly recommend booking a ticket in advance. It is a brilliant, biting, and ultimately very human reflection of how we live now.

Nice viewpoint from the stairs that lead to the Tuileries Garden and Jue de Paume ©2026 James Christopher Knight

Linking You to Paris

➡️ 49 Paris Hotels as Gorgeous as the City Itself: Condé Nast Traveler rounds up 49 standout Paris hotels across styles, neighborhoods, and budgets, with quick notes on what each property is best for so you can match the stay to your trip.

➡️ Would you like to try the best restaurants in Paris?: Paris Secret offers a curated guide to the best restaurants, bars, and food trends in Paris for anyone looking for quick dining recommendations across the city.

➡️ 10 fascinating French museums — that are nowhere near Paris: The Times rounds up 10 fascinating museums across France that are nowhere near Paris, from major WWII memorials to châteaux and art collections worth a detour.

➡️ 10 Things You Didn’t Know about Paris: Bonjour Paris shares 10 surprising Paris facts and curiosities, from quirky museums and steampunk metro stations to rooftop beehives, hidden vineyards, and even a visitable sewer museum.

VISITING PARIS
Stop Collecting Paris

Photo by Martin Parr

I spent Wednesday morning at the Jeu de Paume museum in the Tuileries. The occasion was the Martin Parr exhibition, Global Warning. If you are not familiar with Parr, he is a British photographer who has spent fifty years documenting the absurdities of modern life with high-saturation flash and a very dry sense of humor.

Walking through the galleries was a refreshing, if slightly uncomfortable, reflection of my own complicated relationship with Paris tourism.

Parr does not photograph the "postcard" version of a city. He photographs the people standing in front of the postcard version. He captures the exhaustion of the queue, the aggressive consumption of the souvenir shop, and the strange, modern ritual of experiencing a monument primarily through a five-inch screen.

©2026 James Christopher Knight

The exhibition text notes that Parr was an "amused observer" who acknowledged that he belonged fully to the world he documented. He was not standing on a pedestal looking down at the tourists. He was right there in the crowd, acknowledging his own role in the machine.

I felt that deeply. As someone who makes a living showing people this city, I am constantly navigating the line between helping people see Paris and helping them experience it.

The irony inside the gallery was a quiet study in human behavior. I noticed a real mix of approaches: some people were completely still, taking in each image, while others moved quickly from frame to frame with their smartphone cameras out. There were even a few visitors wandering through the rooms with their faces in their phones, seemingly somewhere else entirely.

It was a gentle reminder of the exact behaviors Parr captured with his lens. It is a fascinating thing to witness how easily we can be physically present in a place while our attention is focused somewhere else.

©2026 James Christopher Knight

Parr once said, "I’m creating entertainment, which has a serious message if you want to read into it... I’m just showing them what they think they may know already."

What we often find is that the way we travel has become a frantic collection of trophies. We treat the city as a backdrop for a digital proof of purchase. We rush from one landmark to the next, checking boxes until we are too tired to actually feel the place we came to see.

It brings up a question I often ask on my Montmartre tours: What happens to a city or a neighborhood when it becomes famous for being authentic?

The exhibition calls Parr's work a form of "visual guerrilla warfare" against the glossy, smoothed-over images sold by the tourism industry. It suggests that in the rush for authenticity, it is easy to accidentally destroy the very thing we are looking for by turning it into a commodity.

©2026 James Christopher Knight

So, what can be learned from Martin Parr about visiting Paris?

First, there is a lot of value in being amused by ourselves. There is no point in being a travel snob who looks down on people taking selfies. We are all part of the same ecosystem. But we can choose to be more conscious of the "why."

Second, there is a shift that happens when we move from consuming to looking. Consuming is a surface relationship, a trophy spouse of an experience that requires no integration or intimacy. Looking is about experiencing a place, noticing how we feel, and how it quietly changes us. It requires a certain amount of unproductive time.

I put my phone away at the exhibition, except for a few photos I took specifically to share here. Afterward, I walked out into the Tuileries Garden. It is winter, so the usual swarms of tourists were absent. It was quiet.

©2026 James Christopher Knight

I sat on one of those iconic green chairs for a long time and just listened. I noticed the way the gravel sounds when people walk over it. I watched the way the winter light hits the statues and reflects off the ponds.

I considered that Paris does not reward the person who sees the most things. It rewards the person who notices the most details.

Paris is a living city, not a souvenir. It becomes much more interesting when the goal is no longer to collect it, but to simply let the city happen.

©2026 James Christopher Knight

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Naomi Greene - T'es Beau

Naomi Greene is a Franco-American artist who brings a haunting, ethereal quality to the harp, an instrument we usually associate with the classical and the precious. In T'es Beau, she strips that away, blending her voice with a raw, indie-rock sensibility. It is a beautiful, moody track that feels like the perfect companion for a gray winter afternoon in Paris.

PARIS QUICK TIPS
Build a Routine

Next time you are in Paris, try to visit the same place twice… and more. In a city that can feel anonymous, the transition from being a stranger to a regular happens the moment you recognize the people who work there (and they recognize you).

Whether it's a boulangerie, a café, or a fromagerie, it is the quickest way to feel like you belong to the neighborhood.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ 7 Parisian Airbnbs With Stunning Views of the Eiffel Tower: Condé Nast Traveler rounds up seven Paris Airbnbs (picked for things like Superhost status, ratings, and location) that deliver the movie-moment of a genuinely stunning Eiffel Tower view.

➡️ 9 Spots for the Best Crêpes in Paris: HiP Paris explains the tradition of La Chandeleur (Candlemas) and rounds up nine favorite Paris spots for crêpes and galettes, from Breizh Café to neighborhood standbys like Au P’tit Grec and Mon Ami.

➡️ The 27 Best Bars in Paris: Condé Nast Traveler maps out 27 of Paris’s essential bars, spanning everything from natural wine hangouts and listening bars to queer saloons, speakeasies, and opulent hotel cocktail rooms.

➡️ The best places to stay in Paris: Condé Nast Traveller breaks down where to stay in Paris by vibe, offering a neighborhood guide from classics like Le Marais, Saint-Germain, and the Latin Quarter to locals’ picks like Pigalle and Canal Saint-Martin.

VISITING PARIS
The Vertical Village: A Walk Up Rue des Martyrs

Near the top of Rue des Martyrs looking south.

There is a specific kind of magic in Paris that only happens on a slope.

While the grand boulevards are designed for spectacle, the climbing streets are designed for life. And if you want to see the heart of Parisian art de vivre in a single stretch of pavement, you go to Rue des Martyrs.

Stretching from the church of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette in the 9th up toward the heights of Montmartre, this street is more than just a thoroughfare; it is a vertical village. It is one of the few places left where the traditional commerce de bouche (specialty food shops) hasn't just survived, it has thrived.

Along the lower portion of the street, you'll find a plethora of fresh produce markets and flower stalls that give the whole neighborhood a village market feel. It's the kind of place where you can spend an hour just browsing and filling a basket.

The Path of the Martyr

The street gets its name from a grim bit of history. Legend has it that Saint Denis, the first Bishop of Paris, was decapitated by the Romans on the hill of Montmartre around 250 AD. As the story goes, he picked up his head and walked north, washing it in a fountain along this very path.

Today, the "martyrs" are people like me trying to resist the temptation of the windows. As you walk up, you are flanked by some of the best patisseries, fromageries, and boulangeries in the city. It is a street that demands you shop with your nose.

The Transition: From Gourmet to Gritty

What makes the walk special is the shift in energy. The bottom of the street in the 9th is polished, the kind of place where you'll find Ernest & Valentin, a personal favorite of mine for a reliable, high-quality baguette or pastry.

As you cross the intersection of Boulevard de Clichy, you're on the doorstep of Pigalle's neon history, where the old-school cabaret spirit meets the new-school cocktail bars. But keep climbing. Near the top, you'll find Pain Pain, another spot I love for its bread (obviously), its quiche, and its sandwiches.

KB Coffee Roasters

The Reward: KB Coffee and the "Hidden" View

At the very top of the street, where it meets Avenue Trudaine, sits KB Coffee Roasters.

In a city where "to-go" coffee was once a myth, KB was a pioneer of the craft coffee movement in Paris. But the real reason to linger here isn't just the flat white. It's the terrace. If you stand in the right spot on the corner, you get one of the most beautiful, unpretentious views in the city: the white domes of Sacré-Cœur peeking out perfectly between the Haussmannian buildings.

Where the Walk Ends (and the Tour Begins)

The street eventually spills out near Abbesses, which is exactly where I start my Montmartre tours. It's a wonderful area to lose yourself in for an hour. You have the famous "Wall of Love" (Le Mur des Je t'aime), the iconic Art Nouveau metro entrance designed by Hector Guimard, and the Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre church, a stunning example of early 20th-century brick and ceramic architecture.

My "Martyrs" Favorites

I generally resent the idea of "The Best in Paris" because taste is so deeply personal. Instead, these are simply my personal favorites, the places I actually go when I'm in the neighborhood:

• For the Daily Bread: Ernest & Valentin. It's my go-to for a classic Parisian start to the day.

• For the Picnic: Fromagerie Quatrehomme. Our friend, the Mystery Parisian, introduced me to this place years ago. It's one of the most respected cheese shops in France, and once you step inside, you'll understand why he's so passionate about it.

• For the Sweet Tooth: Sébastien Gaudard (at the bottom) for something refined, or Pain Pain (near the top) for something a bit more modern and fun.

• For Coffee and Views: KB Coffee Roasters. Grab a seat outside, put your phone away, and watch the families with their kids ride the carousel. Our little Lion has experienced this one many times.

Fromagerie Quatrehomme

Quick question (hit reply)

Have you ever spent a morning just wandering up a single street without a map? If so, which one felt like a "village" to you?

I'd love to hear your favorite Parisian streets. Hit reply and let me know.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
YAEL NAIM - "PARIS" (live)

Yael Naim is a French-Israeli singer-songwriter whose intimate, whispery voice carries a kind of quiet wonder.

I especially love the delicacy of her voice and the way she delivers this live version of "Paris." It is a quiet, observational track that captures the city in a way that feels very grounded.

VISITING PARIS
A Quick Note from Last Week

Last week, I shared an infographic from our Paris Neighborhood Guide that helps you narrow down where to stay based on how you want Paris to feel: central and classic, lively and late-night, calm and residential, or somewhere in between.

Unfortunately, the download link didn’t work for most of you. My apologies. 😳

I’ve fixed it, and it’s available again below with the correct link. If you missed it the first time, grab it now. It’s a quick, intuitive way to understand the personality, price range, and energy of different Paris neighborhoods at a glance.

You can download this infographic by clicking here.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ 40 best things to do in Paris right now: Condé Nast Traveller rounds up 40 Paris activities with practical crowd-dodging tips like riding Métro line 6 for Eiffel Tower views and timing museum visits for late-night openings.

➡️ Healthy French Recipes To Keep Winter Habits Going: HiP Paris frames post-holiday eating as a French return to balance and shares winter recipes that stay comforting but lighter, from a clean-out-the-fridge soup to a lightened coq au vin.

➡️ Where to Stay in Paris, According to Emily in Paris: AOL rounds up real Emily in Paris filming-location hotels, all palace-designated, and flags details like Lutetia as the only Left Bank palace and Plaza Athénée’s winter ice rink.

➡️ Top Paris Concerts: 2026: Paris Discovery Guide publishes a month-by-month Paris concert calendar for 2026 with ticket links and a mix of venues, from candlelit church classics to opera, arenas, and seasonal holiday concerts.

VISITING PARIS
9 Ways to Enhance Your Paris Visit

I have walked thousands of people through this city. Over time, I have noticed something consistent: the people who fall deepest in love with Paris are not necessarily the ones with the most ambitious itineraries. They are the ones who give themselves permission to experience the city on their own terms.

The goal of a Paris visit is not to see everything. It is to see something so clearly that it changes how you think about beauty, about history, or about yourself. When you give yourself permission to experience Paris this way, the city stops being a checklist and becomes a conversation.

Here are 9 ways to deepen your time in Paris. Some are about what you do. Others are about what you choose to let go of. All of them will change how you experience this city.

1) Build space into your days
Leave 30 to 40 percent of your day unplanned. The best moments in Paris happen in the margins, in the quiet stretches between destinations. A wandering afternoon often teaches you more than a packed itinerary.

2) Eat breakfast slowly
Find a café where the light is good and sit for 20 minutes with a croissant and coffee. Do not rush to the next thing. This is not wasted time. This is Paris.

3) Walk without a destination
Pick a neighborhood and get lost in it. Turn down streets that look interesting. Notice the details: a courtyard, a shop window, the way light falls on stone. This is how you actually see a city.

4) Put your phone down for stretches
Your camera will never capture what your eyes see. Take some photos, but give yourself permission to experience moments without documenting them. The best Paris memories are the ones you felt, not the ones you posted.

5) Don't chase the Instagram-famous spots
Skip the places with the long queues and the heaps of fake flowers. Do not fall for the marketing. Paris has great food and great views almost everywhere. The best café is the one where you actually want to sit, not the one with the most likes.

6) Sit alone somewhere for 20 minutes
A café, a bench, a church, a bridge. Watch people. Think about nothing. Let the city settle into you. This is when Paris actually gets inside you.

7) Explore neighborhoods where tourists don't go
The 9th, 10th, or 11th arrondissements, for example, are easily accessible from the city center. These are not "less Paris." They are where Parisians actually live. You will see a different city, and it is often better than what you expected.

8) Give yourself permission to skip things
You will not see everything. You might not go to the Louvre. You might not climb the tower. That is okay. Paris is not a museum you need to finish. It is a city you need to feel.

9) Put your phone down at a café and notice the details around you
Watch how the server moves. Listen to the rhythm of conversation. Notice the light on the table and the way people sit. This is where Paris reveals itself as poetry. This is where the insight (inner sight) happens. Not in the monuments, but in the small theater of everyday life.

Paris is a city that rewards attention more than it rewards effort. When you stop trying to "conquer" the map, the city starts to open up to you in ways a guidebook can never describe.

What is one way you have deepened your experience of Paris? Or is there a "rule" you finally gave yourself permission to break? Hit reply and tell me. I read every response.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Pomme - On brûlera

"On brûlera" is minimal and beautiful, built on restraint rather than spectacle. It's a song about burning, about intensity, but it whispers instead of shouting. Perfect for a café morning playlist!

VISITING PARIS
Which Paris is Yours?

Since we’ve been spending our week diving deep into the archives and the "eyes" of the great photographers, I wanted to share something practical to help you see the city through your own lens.

Choosing where to plant your flag in Paris changes your entire experience. The morning light in the 7th feels different than the midnight energy in the 11th. To help you navigate this, I’ve pulled this infographic from our 77-page Paris Neighborhood Guide.

Whether you are looking for the "postcard" feel of the center or the quiet, Haussmannian elegance of the west, this is your quick-start map.

You can download this infographic by clicking here.

A Quick Favor: Help Me Shape the Letter

As The Paris Love Letter grows, I want to make sure I’m sending you exactly what you need, whether that’s deep historical dives, practical "on-the-ground" tips, or the best hidden wine bars in the 10th.

I’ve put together a very short survey to get to know your interests better. If you have 60 seconds, I’d love to hear from you.

Linking You to Paris

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PARIS PHOTOGRAPHY
Paris, Photographed into a Myth (1850 to Now)

Paris has been photographed so relentlessly that it is easy to forget the images did not only record the city. They helped invent it. Before Paris became a destination, it became a feeling. Photographers had a lot to do with that.

Here are seven names, roughly one per era, who shaped how the world imagines Paris.

1) Charles Marville

Marville was commissioned to photograph a Paris that was actively being remade. Streets widened, neighborhoods cut open, old stone cleared out to make room for a new order. His work sits right at the moment when the city begins to transform into the Paris we recognize today.

There is a quiet gravity to these images. Paris looks clean, wet, and strangely still, like a stage between acts.

Charles Marville

2) Eugène Atget

Atget called his photographs “documents for artists,” but what he really made was a portrait of ordinary Paris before ordinary Paris vanished. Shop windows, courtyards, staircases, workers, and corners that would never make a postcard.

His genius is how reverent the everyday becomes in his frames. Paris looks less like a spectacle and more like a lived-in world with a pulse.

Eugène Atget

3) Ilse Bing

Ilse Bing brings Paris into the modern age without draining it of poetry. Her work has energy, strong geometry, and a kind of bright intelligence. The city becomes sharper, faster, and more electric.

If Marville gives us Paris as a historical turning point, and Atget gives us Paris as an archive, Bing gives us Paris as modern life, elegant and restless.

Ilse Bing

4) Henri Cartier-Bresson

Cartier-Bresson is the name that always comes up because he earned it. He photographed Paris as timing, as geometry, as a quick human truth that appears and disappears.

His Paris feels intelligent. Not because it is intellectual in a museum sense, but because it suggests there is an order hiding inside the city’s chaos, and occasionally it reveals itself.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

5) Robert Doisneau

Doisneau is one of the great architects of Parisian tenderness. Children, workers, lovers, the small theater of everyday life. He photographed people with warmth, humor, and a lightness that never feels shallow.

His Paris is less about grandeur and more about humanity. The romance lives in the ordinary, which is the only place romance ever really survives.

Robert Doisneau

6) Elliott Erwitt

Erwitt’s Paris has a sense of humor, which is a form of intimacy. His photographs are simple and perfectly timed, capturing the city with a wink that makes you feel like you’re in on the joke.

If Paris can sometimes take itself too seriously, Erwitt punctures the myth just enough to make it lovable again.

Elliott Erwitt

7) Sarah Moon

Sarah Moon photographs Paris as memory. Not the city as it is, but the city as it stays with you. Soft focus, atmosphere, time, that dreamlike feeling you get when you try to describe Paris to someone who has never been here.

Ending with Moon lets the whole arc land where most Paris love affairs eventually land. Not in a checklist. In a mood.

Sarah Moon

If you have a favorite Paris photograph, hit reply and send it to me. I want to see the version of the city you fell for.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Charles Trenet - Les oiseaux de Paris

To tie in with this week’s vintage theme, I’ve chosen a classic that feels like it was pulled straight from a black and white film.

"Les Oiseaux de Paris" is a buoyant, archival piece of Paris history. I love this specific version because the vintage footage captures that 1930s energy. It’s the perfect musical companion to the photographers we explored today.

This Week In Paris

Bonjour, Friends!

Last weekend, we made our way over to Place de la République, where the city sets up a collection of games and activities for families. What struck me most wasn't just that these games exist (vintage wooden toys, oversized chess sets, old-school ring toss) but that people actually showed up despite the cold.

Playing in République and dinner at Bouillon République

Families bundled in scarves and wool coats, kids with red cheeks, parents laughing as they tried to master some forgotten game from their own childhood. It's one of those small civic gestures that gets at something essential about this place: public space used for public joy, no admission fee, no app to download, just show up and play.

After working up an appetite in the square, we ducked into Bouillon République for dinner. If you're not familiar with bouillons, they're Paris's answer to affordable dining. Belle époque-style brasseries serving hearty, no-frills French classics at prices that won't make you wince.

The food isn't going to change your life, but it's decent, filling, and exactly what you want after an hour in the cold. More importantly, the low price tag gives you permission to be adventurous. Always wondered what tête de veau tastes like? Here's your chance. Curious about andouillette? Go for it. You're not risking much. The real trick is arriving early enough to skip the inevitable queue. Do that, and you've got yourself a proper Parisian experience without the tourist markup.

The Paris Bouillon Map

I put together a map of the best Paris bouillons. It covers the historic icons and the quiet neighborhood spots where you can still get a classic meal for a few Euros. Keep it on your phone for the next time you want to eat well without the pretense.

Paris snow along Canal Saint Martin

Then this week, winter finally showed up. Paris got a rare blanket of snow, the kind that transforms the city into something quieter and softer. I grabbed my camera and headed down to Canal Saint-Martin, where the snow clung to the iron footbridges and dusted the bare plane trees lining the water.

Impromptu bonhommes de neige (snowmen) started popping up everywhere, from tiny lopsided ones to ambitious multi-tiered giants. The snowball fights were spectacular. Everyone seemed to remember that winter can be beautiful when you stop resisting it.

Linking You to Paris

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PARIS CAFE CULTURE
The Day Paris Became a Ski Resort: The Great Snow of 1946

Paris is a city that rarely sees a true winter blanket. Most years, we get a light dusting that vanishes before the morning coffee is finished. I recently found myself wondering about the history of snowfall here and decided to look into the archives to see if the city had ever truly been buried. My research led me back to a single date that still stands as a legend in Parisian history.

On March 3, 1946, the city woke up to a record-breaking snowfall. While accounts vary slightly between thirty and forty centimeters, most historical records from the Parc Montsouris station cite the higher end of that range. To put that in perspective, that is about sixteen inches of heavy powder covering the boulevards and monuments. This was just after the war, and the images from that day are incredible. The city was so quiet that the usual roar of traffic was replaced by the sound of skis on fresh powder.

The most iconic scenes took place on the city's natural slopes. People were actually skiing down the steep stairs of Montmartre and even using the gardens of the Trocadéro as a makeshift downhill run with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. It was a moment of pure, post-war joy where the city came to a complete standstill. Because there were no snowplows or salt trucks prepared for such a massive event, the army had to be called in to help clear the streets.

Today, even five centimeters of snow can bring the metro to a halt and send the city into a minor panic. Looking back at 1946 shows that the city's relationship with the cold remains one of surprise and wonder. It is fascinating to see how, beneath the grit and the daily rush, Paris still knows how to turn into a quiet, white wonderland when nature decides to show off.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Chantal Goya chante - Les boules de neige

If you need a soundtrack for the impromptu bonhommes de neige popping up across the city, look no further than Chantal Goya and her 1970s winter classic.

The song is a playful piece of vintage French kitsch about the simple joy of a snowball fight and the fleeting magic of a world turned white. It captures the sweetness of a snow-covered Paris without taking itself too seriously.

This Week In Paris

Bonjour, Friends,

I hope you had a great holiday with friends and family and that you’re enjoying these last quiet days before “real life” starts again. From Paris, we’re sending you good wishes for a calm end to the break and a very happy 2026!

TL: Chez Marianne | TR: Carette | Bottom: Montmartre

We took visiting friends to Place des Vosges, which is still one of my favorite squares in Paris. We stopped into Carette for hot chocolate, which is less a drink and more a lifestyle choice. It arrives thick, rich, and with a ridiculously high heap of chantilly on the side. Expensive, yes. Regrets, zero. Well, zero regrets except for the massive sugar high my son had immediately afterward. 😳

Abbesses Christmas Market

We also wandered around Montmartre, where the Christmas market is still hanging on at Abbesses. The cold air, lights, and vin chaud are a combination I never think about for eleven months of the year and then suddenly treat like an essential food group in December.

One afternoon, we ended up at Chez Marianne on rue des Rosiers, one of my favorite Mediterranean spots for falafel. Warm pita, generous plates, and that slightly chaotic Marais energy that makes you feel like everyone had the same idea at the same time.

Facing rue des Rosiers (4th Arr) with Chez Marianne on the left.

So, that was this week in Paris: hot chocolate, mulled wine, falafel, friends, and a lot of gratitude. Not a bad way to walk into 2026.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ BBC Travel – A local’s guide to visiting Paris: Written by a long‑time New Yorker turned Parisian, this guide gets into how the city really works now: which museums and parks are worth your time, how Parisians actually eat and drink, and why bikes, terraces, and natural wine bars have quietly reshaped daily life here.

➡️ Saveur – The History of Paris Restaurants: A fascinating look at how Paris went from revolutionary dining rooms to Belle Époque brasseries and today’s neo‑bistros, and what that history means for the way we eat in the city now.

➡️ HiP Paris – What to do in Paris This January: A very practical round‑up of January in Paris: what the weather is like, what to pack, and a long list of exhibitions, light shows, fashion events, and winter activities. Great if you’re daydreaming about a winter trip or already have tickets booked.

➡️ Travel + Leisure – Ducasse Baccarat Named Most Beautiful Restaurant: A look at Alain Ducasse’s new restaurant in the Maison Baccarat townhouse, recently named the world’s most beautiful. Think historic Paris mansion, crystal everywhere, and very dressed‑up French cuisine.

PARIS CAFE CULTURE
The Secret History of the Parisian Bistro

Most people sit down at a Parisian bistro and think of Hemingway, red banquettes, and romance. But the bistro’s real story is a lot grittier than the postcards. It wasn’t invented by chefs or food critics. It was built by coal.

In the 19th century, waves of men from the Auvergne region in central France arrived in Paris. They were called Bougnats. They took the jobs nobody else wanted: hauling and selling coal and wood so the city could stay warm through cold winters.

To make a little extra money, many of these Bougnats started selling wine and coffee out of the front of their coal shops. You’d come in to buy fuel for your stove, and on the way out, you’d have a glass of red at the counter or a quick, rough coffee before heading back to work.

That counter, by the way, is why so many old-school places still have that iconic zinc bar. Zinc was cheap, easy to clean, and tough enough to survive coal dust, wine spills, and cigarette burns. These places were part workshop, part living room, part neighborhood rumor mill.

Paris’ 9th Arr (75009), 1880

Over time, the coal sacks disappeared, but the signs didn’t. If you look up as you wander through Paris, you’ll still sometimes see the faded words “Vins et Charbons” painted above a corner café – “wine and coal.” That’s the bistro’s original job description.

The food came later: simple, sturdy dishes for workers who needed calories, not tasting menus. A plate of sausage and lentils. Steak frites. A carafe of wine that didn’t need its own Instagram account. The point wasn’t to impress. The point was to feed people and keep them company.

That, to me, is the soul of the Parisian bistro: A place born out of cold apartments, dirty hands, and the very practical need for warmth, fuel, and a drink.

So the next time you’re in Paris and you lean against a worn zinc counter with a coffee or a glass of house wine, you’re not just in “a cute little bistro.” You’re standing in the descendant of a coal shop run by an Auvergnat who decided to sell a little warmth in a glass along with the warmth in your stove.

On my walks through the Paris streets, I love pointing out those ghostly old façades where “Charbons” is still barely visible above a café door. They’re tiny reminders that this city wasn’t built by romance. It was built by people who were cold, tired, ambitious, and in serious need of a drink.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Vanessa Paradis, -M- - La Seine

A jazzy, festive duet from the film Un monstre à Paris, this one imagines the Seine as a playful, mercurial character, sometimes calm, sometimes wild, always at the heart of the city. It’s light, swingy, and feels just right for ushering in a new year in Paris.

This Week in Outside Paris

Bonjour, Friends!

We spent the Christmas holiday away from the city this year, trading the Haussmann rooftops for the rolling hills of Burgundy. Our bedroom window looked out over frosted fields and quiet stone houses, a view that felt worlds away from the usual morning rush of Paris.

We spent our afternoons wandering through local villages where the only sound was our own footsteps. In one square, we found a clever little outdoor library built into an old wooden spool. The French love for a good book follows you everywhere, apparently.

©2025 James Christopher Knight

The highlight of our holiday, for our little lion, was definitely Christmas Day at the lake. He got to experience his first real snowball fight (although Laura didn’t put up much of a fight), and he had a much better arm than we expected. Even the dog seemed to appreciate the change of scenery, exploring the long wooden bridges and the dusting of snow on the grass.

©2025 James Christopher Knight

This is a shorter issue than usual while we finish up our time with family, but we will be back to our normal routine next week.

As we look toward the end of the year, I keep thinking about this famous Jack Kerouac quote, though I like to tweak the ending a bit: “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Plan that trip to Paris!”

Here’s his original text:

We hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve. Our wish for all of you in 2026 is that you get to visit Pars. We look forward to seeing you on the streets here soon!

Linking You to Paris

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FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Joe Dassin - Les Champs-Elysées

If you're looking for something to play while you toast the New Year, here's a classic. Joe Dassin's "Les Champs-Élysées" isn't technically a New Year's song, but it shows up at many French celebrations. It's catchy, nostalgic, and impossible not to sing along to, even if your French is rusty. Consider it the soundtrack to optimism.

This Week in Paris

Bonjour, Friends!

We bundled up our little lion this week and wandered over to Place Vendôme, where the holiday lights turn one of Paris's most refined squares into something magical. The place was designed in the late 1600s by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Louis XIV's architect, as a monument to royal power.

Today, it's home to the Ritz, Cartier, Boucheron, and every other name that makes your credit card nervous.

Place Vendôme ©2025 James Christopher Knight

Luxury shopping isn't really our thing, but during the holidays, Place Vendôme becomes a different kind of spectacle. Multiple Christmas trees wrapped in thousands of lights stand beneath that towering Vendôme Column (which, fun fact, was cast from melted-down cannons Napoleon captured at Austerlitz).

We grabbed a chocolat chaud for our son and a wintery treat for ourselves, and soaked in the scene: the soft glow against the 17th-century facades, the lights, the vintage car parked as if it time-traveled from the 1920s.

On our way, we cut through the Marais and down Rue des Rosiers, the falafel street, in the old Jewish quarter, dodging crowds outside L'As du Fallafel, smelling fresh pita and tahini.

Top photos: From two separate visits to Place Vendôme Bottom photos: From a walk through Rue des Rosiers ©2025 James Christopher Knight

Yesterday I led a walking tour through Montmartre, ending at the Abbesses Christmas Market tucked beneath the hill. It's smaller and more neighborhood-focused than the big tourist markets, which is exactly why I love it.

You get mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, handmade ornaments, and space to walk around, unlike some of the larger markets near the city center.

Some photos from Montmartre, the wall of “I Love You,” and the Abbesses Christmas Market ©2025 James Christopher Knight

Paris in December isn't always postcard-perfect. It's cold, it gets dark early, and the rain shows up uninvited. But there's something about the way the city leans into the season. The lights, the markets, the chocolat chaud stands. It feels less like a performance and more like Paris just being itself, only with better lighting.

For those of you celebrating, we wish you a happy Christmas. For everyone else, I hope your holidays, however you spend them, are wonderful and have a little bit of that Parisian glow.

Linking You to Paris

➡️ Where to Eat in Paris During the Holidays – Christmas and New Year’s: HiP Paris lists restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, from grand brasseries to affordable bouillons.

➡️ Emily Has Remade Paris in Her Image: The New York Times reports that "Emily in Paris" has left its mark on Paris with a prestigious award and new book, plus a fashion innovator discusses AI.

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➡️ Paris Pastry Chefs Are Crafting Gorgeous Bûche de Noël Creations for Christmas: Food & Wine showcases Paris's most elaborate bûche de Noël creations, from chocolate trees to edible ornaments, crafted by the city's top pastry chefs for Christmas.

PARIS HISTORY
How to Throw a Parisian Holiday Party

2025 Image: galerieslafayette.com @Paul Blind

Can't make it to Paris this Christmas? Bring Paris to your living room. Here's how to host a holiday gathering that channels this beautiful city, from what Parisians actually drink to the music playing in our apartment right now.

The Drinks

Start with vin chaud (bah oui!), the mulled wine you'll find at every Christmas market in Paris. It's wonderfully simple: red wine, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and a bit of honey or sugar. Simmer it low and slow. The smell alone will transport your guests to the Abbesses market. Here's a solid recipe to follow.

vin chaud

Then there's chocolat chaud, the Parisian version made with real melted chocolate and whole milk. It's thick, rich, and nothing like the powdered mix most of us grew up with. Angelina's is the name everyone knows, but plenty of neighborhood spots make a better version without the tourist crowds. The truth is, you can make this deliciousness at home with good dark chocolate and a little patience. Try this recipe.

Champagne, obviously. You don't need to spend a fortune. Look for grower Champagne (Champagne de vignerons) or try Crémant de Loire or Crémant de Bourgogne for something festive and French without the markup. A Kir Royal (Champagne with a splash of crème de cassis) adds a little color and ceremony to the toast.

The Food

bûche de Noël

The centerpiece is the bûche de Noël. If you're ambitious, bake one. If you're practical, order from a French bakery or a good local pâtisserie. The classic is chocolate or coffee buttercream, but chestnut, praline, and fruit versions are all fair game. It arrives at the end of the meal like a small piece of theater.

Before that, build a proper cheese plate. The French approach is focused rather than sprawling: three to five cheeses work better than a crowded board. Try a soft one (Camembert or Brie), a blue (Roquefort), a hard one (Comté), maybe a goat cheese. Serve them at room temperature with a fresh baguette. Add some fig jam or honey if you want, but let the cheese be the star.

If you're feeling fancy, oysters are a good choice for New Year’s Eve. Served raw, on ice, with lemon and shallot vinegar. It's a whole ritual. If oysters aren't your thing, go with pâté, rillettes, or a good terrine (my favorite, especially with cornichons). Spread it on bread. Pour more wine.

And yes, you need good bread. A baguette from a real bakery makes a difference. If you can't find a proper baguette, look for a bakery that does rustic French loaves. It's worth the extra stop.

Note: If you want to see a French dinner table erupt into passionate debate, just bring up foie gras. Drop the topic and walk away. When you come back thirty minutes later, they'll still be debating.

Terrine

The Ambiance

Parisian holiday decor tends toward the understated: string lights (warm white, not multicolor), candles everywhere (unscented), and fresh greenery like pine branches or eucalyptus. Maybe a small tree. The aesthetic is cozy rather than flashy.

Set the table like you care. Real plates, real glasses, cloth napkins if you have them. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it should feel intentional. There's a French way of making casual feel elegant, and it starts with the table.

The Music

Put on Édith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Charles Aznavour. For something more modern, try Carla Bruni, Zaz, or Stromae. The goal isn't necessarily Christmas music (though "Petit Papa Noël" by Tino Rossi is a classic if you want one). The goal is a soundtrack that feels French, warm, and a little romantic. A good French playlist will do more for the atmosphere than any holiday album.

The Vibe

Here's the thing about Parisian gatherings: they're long. No one's rushing through dinner to get to the next thing. You sit, you talk, you pour another glass, you linger. Courses come slowly. Conversations wander. Kids, typically, are seated at the table with the adults.

There's an art to this kind of night. It's the same spirit as flâner, that uniquely Parisian way of wandering without purpose. At a party, it means letting the evening unfold without forcing it. No agenda, just good food, good wine, and people you want to spend time with.

In a nutshell: Light the candles. Pour the vin chaud. Put on some Gainsbourg. Let the evening stretch out like a walk along the Seine.

And if this makes you want to experience Paris in the flesh? Come visit. Book a tour, and we'll wander together.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
Charles Aznavour - Noël à Paris

Aznavour's voice has this way of making everything feel both grand and intimate at once. "Noël à Paris" captures the city during the holidays with all its contradictions: the lights and the loneliness, the crowds and the quiet moments, the magic and the melancholy.

It's romantic without being sentimental, which is very Parisian. Put this on while you're setting the table or walking through your own neighborhood at dusk, and suddenly, everywhere feels a little more like Paris.