#paris-landmarks

#paris-landmarks

David Bellion spent over a decade in top-flight football, playing for clubs like Manchester United and Sunderland, before becoming Red Star FC's creative director, focusing on brand development and cultural connections.

"A visit to the Palace of Versailles is truly a walk through history, not to mention one of the most beautifully preserved palaces one can visit."

Corentin Roudaut, who once felt overwhelmed by Paris's traffic, found renewed confidence in cycling after the establishment of a segregated bike lane on Boulevard Voltaire. He now actively participates in promoting cycling in the city, witnessing a remarkable transformation in urban mobility and safety over the last decade.

In summer 1936, the French government passed a law that mandated paid holiday, a move that kickstarted the exodus of northerners to the Med every August, and it became a true emblem of the French vacances.

They let us shoot in places people weren't allowed to normally, like Marie Antoinette's private theater. They were like, 'This is your home.' The Versailles exhibition will screen several scenes from Coppola's film in the very rooms where they were staged, highlighting the deep connection between these storied grounds and her acclaimed creation.

The Grand Pigalle Experimental hotel is situated in the heart of SoPi, with Montmartre and the Sacre Couer within walking distance, making it an ideal location for exploring Paris.

At the official launch last November, the current culture minister Rachida Dati described the imperative behind the programme as not just celebrating an uncommon visionary but the "burning relevance" of his legacy: "a commitment to continuing to nurture this demanding idea of what culture is".

Past a sign for a family waterpark, a door opens onto an homage to fin-de-siècle Paris. Chandeliers are reflected in gilt-edged mirrors; there is a chorus line of lobsters and yards of fromage. Every so often, a waiter in a dinner suit flambées a crepe Suzette with a shock of flames, like a big top fire-eater. This is fine dining as buffet.

The creative output of that tribe was so immense, and their bohemian adventures so inspiring, that I wrote and published a historical novel, The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty featuring many figures from the Lost Generation.

Paris didn't invent shopping (even if it sometimes feels that way), but it arguably invented the specialty shop as we understand it today. Long before concept stores, lifestyle retail, or anything resembling "curation" entered the vocabulary, Paris was already organized around doing one thing extremely well -and it still is. From cheesemongers to winemakers and beyond, specialization remains the point.

The streets around the Louvre have improved considerably as a dining destination. It's still true that the neighborhood rewards those who know where to look - the blocks immediately adjacent to the museum are thick with tourist traps - but a short walk in almost any direction opens up genuinely good options.

Running from March 17 to July 19, 2026, Renoir and Love will be one of the top special exhibitions of the year in Paris. Celebrating how affection, connection and human relationships shaped Renoir's work during a defining period of his career. Bringing many key works together for the first time in decades, the exhibition offers a fresh perspective on how Renoir approached love not as an abstract ideal, but as something lived and experienced within the changing social life of late-19th-century Paris.

It's a travel moment we've seen time and time again in the movies: opening up a grand set of French windows, stepping onto a wrought iron terrace, and gasping at a view of la tour Eiffel. While you might be hard-pressed to find a hotel room with an Eiffel Tower view that actually matches the picture, it's a bit easier to sniff through the fake on Airbnb.

Once an independent commune, Montmartre was absorbed into the city limits of Paris in 1860, but the hilltop village has always retained a distinct sense of self. Famed for its religious, artistic, and at times seedy history, the neighborhood has drawn the likes of Picasso, Renoir, and hopelessly devoted Francophiles like myself with its bucolic charm, iconic lampposts, steep steps, and panoramic views.

Suddenly, a strange, loud, rhythmic, prolonged noise, like the dying moan of an organ, then the dying wail of the breeze sighing in the cloisters, struck the indignant ears of the nuns with astonishment. The nuns all turned to stare at Sister Agnès, who in her embarrassment, tripped and let fly a spoonful of her chou pastry dough into a pot of boiling fat, and the doughnut-like pet de nonne, 'nun's fart' was born.

In reality, most French people do not spend their summers chasing iconic landmarks or ticking destinations off a bucket list. Their idea of a successful vacation is quieter, slower, and often much closer to home. Rather than Paris or Saint-Tropez, they favor rural regions, discreet coastlines, forested hills, and mid-sized towns where life moves at a gentler pace, often staying in family homes, rented gîtes, camping sites, or small guesthouses.

The public observation deck at the top of the Tour Montparnasse, long considered one of the most debated additions to the Parisian skyline, is set to close on March 31, 2026, ahead of a major redevelopment of the tower and its surrounding complex. Completed in 1973, the 210-meter structure has remained the only skyscraper within central Paris for decades, frequently criticized for its scale and contrast with the historic cityscape.

Chef Masa Ikuta brings serious classical training honed under Bruno Verjus at Table and Stephane Jego at L'Ami Jean to his own tasting menu restaurant in the 11th arrondissement. The cooking is confidently French-Japanese, moving from sardine churros with Cantabrian anchovy cream to veal brain tempura styled after shirako to a perfectly grilled lamb rack with smoky harissa.

When it comes to visiting France, Paris gets most of the attention, but don't overlook the country's gorgeous small towns. In these quaint destinations, many accessible by train, you can exchange the bustle of the city for wide-open beaches, mountain trails, medieval castles, and sprawling vineyards. From the French-German border to the Mediterranean coast to the mountainous intersection of France, Italy, and Switzerland, these small towns and villages (all home to less than 15,000 people) offer a slower pace and warm French hospitality.

It's hard to name the best cities in Europe-there are so many great bustling hubs (not to mention charming small towns) spread across a relatively small continent, making it more a question of what you're looking for. Sure, some travelers just beeline to the best-known landmarks, eager for the chance to cross Rome's Colosseum or Paris's Eiffel Tower off their list. But we're in favor of taking a step back and asking yourself what you're most interested in.

Belleville has always been a little bit rowdy, whether it meant to be or not. Long before it was folded into Paris in 1860, it existed as its own working-class wine village perched on a hill, slightly removed from the city both geographically and ideologically. In recent years, as Paris's 10th and 11th arrondissements have slid fully into hipster territory, and even the gritty Barbès neighborhood feels increasingly polished, Belleville has held onto its identity with surprising resolve.