Paris - The Hidden Highlights

What can I say about Paris that hasn’t been said a million times?  Of course there is the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower, which even a cynic like myself could do nothing but gape at.  Quiet leisurely hours spent perusing the collection at the Louvre is invigorating.  While Montmartre is a stunning place, the hordes of touts forcing you to buy flowers, sketches and bracelets is demeaning.  And although you can never escape the tourists in Paris, there are places, beautiful places, where the hordes thin out a little.

Firstly, le Musée des Egouts - the Sewer Museum.  Yes!  This museum makes you understand the subterranean life that exists to support the city.  Medieval machines are pulled through vast underground tunnels by hunchbacked egoutiers.  Great black balls roll down dark canals in the pitch of night.  After this trip, you’ll forever be contemplating what lies beneath that storm drain, that manhole cover.  Honestly – it’s awesome.

On the topic of being underground, the Musée des Catacombes is unmissable too.  After the city council ripped up the cemeteries, the monks placed the exhumed skeletons in old mine tunnels and quarries.  The catacombs are all about skulls and bones arrayed in disturbing patterns, and poetry on the topic of death.   All this while the business of Paris goes on above your head.

Le Louvre is really quite depressing by its immensity.  In one visit you can’t hope to unearth the tiniest fraction of its secrets.  Unless you absolutely must see the Mona Lisa, on a short stay to Paris, I would recommend le Musée d’Orsay instead.  It is accessible – you could see the entire museum in three afternoon visits – and the art is sumptuous.  Even the most culturally challenged among us will see art we recognise. All the favourites are there – Renoir, Gauguin, van Gogh, not to mention a section on Art Nouveau, and some pieces that will surprise you, and make you laugh – l’Origin du Monde being one standout example. Don’t miss this place.

But let’s get off museums - L’Ete en Pente Douce is down one of the secret slopes of Montmartre.  It is a stunning little cafe on a square, with rambling staircases that pick their way up and down the hillside. Admittedly it is a massive call to say that this is the best cafe in Paris on a summer’s day, but I challenge you to prove me wrong.

Come to Paris for its art.  Come to Paris for its food, its architecture, its streetscapes.  Don’t come here for its pubs.  The best pub in Paris would have to be an Irish Pub however – Quigley’s Point, it’s everything a pub should be.

There’s also the Cafe Oz in Chatelet – an Australia-themed boozer, where you can dance on the tables.  It’s a dump, but I was immediately charmed, when I asked the waitress if she served food.  She said, “Sure we do. Plain, or salt ‘n’ vinegar?”

In east Paris exists a magic little spot too called la Goguette – it’s run by the most adorable alcoholic couple, who were giving out free bits of steak with every beer last time I was here.  It has a mostly Algerian crowd, who seem much more gregarious than the close-lipped Parisiens.  After La Goguette follow the crowds to La Fleche d’Or.  This club is on the edge of Paris.  It is dark and Berlin-esque and eclectic.  You never know quite what you’re going to find on crossing the threshold to this place.

But, hands-down best spot in the entire city?  Grab yourself some wine or beers, and make your way to the Pont des Arts – this pedestrian bridge stretches from the Louvre, to the Latin Quarter.  Watching the sun set over the city roofs, the river steeped pink, people playing music and laughing while the boats pass underneath… magic.

Some must-know info:

• Use the metro to get around, with over 300 subway stations, it’s the easiest way to get around.  A day pass costs 6 Euros.
• Visit the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral early to avoid the lengthy mid-day queues.
• The Louvre is discounted after 6pm on Fridays and free on Sundays.
• A must-visit is the Place du Trocadero for unrivaled views of the Eiffel Tower, fountains, gardens and Palais de Chaillot
• If you want good city views but not from the top of the Eiffel tower, head to Montmartre.  This artisan district, where artists like Picasso and Pissaro used to live, provides panoramic views minus the queues or cost.

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