Paris, France

Homebase: Canal Saint-Martin

During your stay in Paris, hang up your hat in the neighborhood of Canal Saint-Martin, an area that breathes with creativity and youthful energy. The canal itself is a public gathering place, especially around the "elbow," where urbanites line the length of the corridor with picnic spreads and bottles of wine on warm evenings. The intervals of romantic arching footbridges conveniently seam the east and west sides of the neighborhood. Off the spine of the canal you’ll find exquisite bakeries for your daily breakfast pastry, coworking spaces for hunkering down on your laptop, luminous boutiques, and fortifying cafes. Apartments for rent are plentiful via platforms like Airbnb.

Places of Note

by arrondissement

Du Pain et des Idées

bakery

Du Pain et des Idées, the grand dame of the neighborhood that announces itself with signage in gold lettering, occupies a corner at the T-intersection of Rue Yves Toudic and Rue de Marseille. A queue regularly forms out the door, hinting at the bustle of industrious activity taking place within.

The croissants are pleasurably doughy and savory, with a light, softly flakey outside. Just as good are the breads: dense loaves of brioche (plain or topped with sugar) and Le Rebelais, a lightly sweet brioche-like bread with walnuts made from a Renaissance-inspired recipe. (Both are excellent when lightly toasted on the second and third days.) If you’re apt to eat with your eyes, Le Chausson à la Pomme Fraîche—a pastry enveloping fresh apple pieces—and Les Escargots (in flavors like pistachio and chocolate) are exceedingly handsome. The bakery also serves organic coffee if you need some bitter with your sweet. 

Take a seat at one of the two wooden picnic tables outside while you unwrap your pastry, expertly packaged and swaddled in a simple square sheet of white paper, twisted at the corners. If impossible to grab one of the coveted table spots, walk a few blocks to the canal where you’ll spot others pulling out their treasures from the distinctive turquoise bakery bags. 

The name of the bakery translates to Bread and Ideas, for surely good thinking follows the fortification of the stomach. “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well,” affirms Virginia Woolf. So now you can get on with the rest of your day.

34 Rue Yves Toudic (10th arr.)  website

Myrthe

provisions 

Come to this sunny storefront, just half a block east of the canal, for its tasteful assortment of quiches and sandwiches. This gourmet épicerie is a great spot to pick up food during off-meal hours—a lifesaver for those times you don’t plan meals around the French’s strict meal hours and admirable respect for a break in the work day. A very respectable coffee stop, Ten Belles, is one door over. 

10 Rue de la Grange aux Belles (10th arr.)  website

La Tresorerie

home goods

This radiant two-level shop contains a treasure trove of useful items for the kitchen and home. Gleaming collections of glasses, bowls, and ceramics spread out over the tables and shelves. Among the tabletop items, canisters holding individually-sold spoons allow you to choose the newest member to your mismatched silverware collection. Also look for the corner of the shop with colorful linen napkins, which rest with a luxurious weight on your lap. Upstairs is devoted to linen sheets and other bedding.

The adjoining Café Smorgås is an airy space with big windows serving up a Scandinavian-inspired menu.

11 Rue du Château d'Eau (10th arr.)  website

Fondation Café

coffee shop

This tiny space, the creation of barista Chris Nielsen, formerly of Ten Belles, makes for a serious espresso stop. The beans are roasted by Belleville Brûlerie, which the baristas skillfully make into a scrumptious noisette or whatever may be your coffee concoction of choice. Although the interior has just a few tables (and no WC), the outdoor tables provide a delightful place to linger on a charming street shared with the arts school École Duperré Paris. Be sure to also stop in at Ofr Bookshop next door, with its great selection of art books, independent publications, rotating gallery exhibitions, and fun assortment of postcards in wooden boxes. 

16 Rue Dupetit-Thouars (3rd arr.)  website

L'As du Fallafel

anytime snack

This venerated falafel joint is a mandatory stop along any ramble through the Jewish quarter of the Marais. To keep the operation moving at utmost efficiency a staff member is often posted along the queue  for the takeaway window outside. You’ll pay him/her for your order (clearly a falafel sandwich) and be given a ticket that you hand over to the master falafel makers/pita pocket stuffers once you reach the window.

But where to go to consume your meal? People in the know walk a few blocks east to 10 rue des Rosiers, where you’ll find an unassuming archway leading into the serene Jardin des Rosiers—Joseph-Migneret, the unofficial garden seating for L’As du Fallafel. Once you pass through the gate, the garden walls enclose a sequence of three spaces. The largest space is the third one you’ll reach, with wooden benches around an open grassy area, dotted with clusters of moveable chairs. Tall reeds growing around the edge create added privacy between the garden and surrounding buildings. You’ll notice nearly everyone is chowing down on one of L'As du Fallafel’s yellow-paper-wrapped pockets—join the party.

32 Rue des Rosiers (4th arr.) 

Closed for Shabbat (late afternoon Friday through Saturday)

Papier Plus

paper goods

Whether or not you consider yourself a writer or note-jotter, you’ll be inspired to take up a pen after entering this bold world of paper and color. The aesthetic is simple, geometric, bright. The notebooks, stationery, and desk supplies are largely unpatterned and unadorned—except for the occasional typographic flair or geometric cutout—allowing the pleasure of texture  and color to take center stage. The shop carries notebooks of multiple sizes and shapes, in addition to binders and elegant folders with a button closure. You can mix and match your own palette of individual notecards and envelopes and come away with a special bundle of thank you cards. 

9 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe (4th arr.)  website

Across the street is another stationary store called Mélodies Graphiques (10 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe). It's wonderfully old-school and ornate as much as Papier Plus is contemporary and minimal. 

Berthillon Glacier

ice cream

This classic ice cream maker is deservedly famous. The texture and flavor of the ice cream they churn out are exquisite. Particularly of note are the coconut and pistachio—don’t hesitate to order these if they appear on the day’s menu. More often than not, you’ll have to take your place in a line that extends to the end of the block, but that just gives you more time to deliberate on the number and nature of the scoops you'll be ordering.

Although you can choose to be seated in the tea salon (with table service), part of what makes Berthillon a gem are the surrounding streets of  Île Saint-Louis, one of the city’s oldest districts. With Berthillon cone in hand, aim for the walkways on the perimeter of the island, where you can stroll and soak in quintessential Paris views along the river Seine. Take any set of steps down to the river level. Then the absolutely best thing to do is make your way to the west side of the island: here is one of Paris' most majestic picnic spots that gazes upon Notre-Dame a few strokes away.

29-31 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île (4th arr.)  website

Clamato

restaurant

Impeccably crafted small plates and a delightful space, which somehow feels like a schoolhouse if schools had sleek oyster bars, give Clamato special rank in the city’s contemporary food landscape. The menu is organized by raw seafood, veggie plates, and cooked seafood. The bread basket, brought out with your order, is served with a little dish of seaweed butter. Unlike its sister restaurant, the ever-popular Septime, you can’t make reservations in advance, and this more casual approach works great for free spirited ramblers and those who don’t necessarily like to pin themselves down in advance.

Urbanites flock in during dinner hours  and weekend brunch. However, as Clamato serves without interruption on weekends, the sweet time to come is in the quiet of late afternoon on a Saturday or Sunday: enjoy the spacious bar and afternoon light with a glass of sparkling wine, a dozen oysters, and any variety of small plates that strike your fancy. The amiable staff is more than willing to launch into detailed descriptions of the menu in English.

80 Rue de Charonne (11th arr.)  website

Closed Monday and Tuesday

Maison La Roche

architecture

Without leaving Paris proper, lovers of modern architecture can pilgrimage to this private residence designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. Built 1923–25 for Raoul La Roche, a Swiss banker and collector of avant-garde art, the house was meant to provide an appropriate frame for La Roche’s art collection.

The architectural features convey Le Corbu’s ideas about "a machine for living in": the house is raised on piloti— slim columns that create space underneath the house for a car to drive up to the front door. The sensation of movement and graceful circulation patterns continue inside, with a curving ramp  that acts as a promenade through the house. As you move through the multiple floors, interior spaces seamlessly lead out onto outdoor terraces. The furniture in situ includes a wonderfully plump, cube chair.

Maison La Roche offers a very manageable and intimate cultural experience. With the sole directive that you wear their blue plastic slip-on booties over your shoes, you're given free reign to explore the residence, alongside the many architecture students, studious with their sketchbooks.

10 Square du Dr Blanche (16th arr.)  website

The entrance is easy to miss because, true to form, it looks like a gate for a private residence, not a public cultural space. Have faith when you think you’ve reached the address: the house is hidden from view, at the end of a long driveway.

Palais de Tokyo

exhibition space

Originally constructed for the Exposition internationale of 1937, the Palais de Tokyo, located on the banks of the Seine, is a monumental space now dedicated to contemporary art installations by emerging and established artists.

Aside from the current exhibition on-view, the public space of the central sunken courtyard, framed by enormous Neoclassical columns, is a fascinating place to people-watch. At the covered end of the plaza, skateboarders careen back and forth; at the opposite end, people perch on a wide ledge and gaze out over a fountain, directly below, and the Eiffel Tower, rising beyond. Various tables servicing the cafes associated with the Palais de Tokyo and Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, occupying the eastern wing of the complex, fill in the rest of the plaza. 

13 Avenue du Président Wilson (16th arr.)  website
 

KB CaféShop

coffee shop

Ramblers will be drawn to this spot from a block away for the lively cluster of people sipping and nibbling on the terrace. The coffee shop occupies a handsome corner on a hill, across from a mini triangular plaza along Rue des Martyrs. Although the interior boasts a well-considered design, all the action is outdoors as long as the day is tolerably cold to comfortably warm. The owners describe themselves as “roasters, brewers, cake makers”: order your drink and artisan cake at the counter, then head outside. As long as a spare seat is available, you can herd over one of the mobile side tables, conveniently scattered about, for extra surface area. 

53 Avenue Trudaine (9th arr.)  website

Typographie de Firmin Didot

historic signage

Striking signage on the facade of the building announces the “Typographie de Firmin Didot," a former printing house of one of the city’s most famous printers. It’s worth seeking out for any designers and type enthusiasts. Firmin Didot was a French printer, engraver, and type founder, known for being one of the typographers to bring the Modern style of serif typefaces into widespread use. Characterized by the strong contrast between thick and thin strokes and the hairline serifs, many fonts in circulation today, based on this style, bear the name of Didot. 

This address has another claim to fame. In its life as a former hotel, it served as the meeting place for a treaty signing whereby France would recognize the independence of the United States. In attendance: Benjamin Franklin. 

56 Rue Jacob (6th arr.)  

If you’re in need of some nourishment, the nearby Chez Le Libanais (35 Rue Saint-André des Arts) makes for an excellent refueling stop. Get the portable manakishes: a variety of veggie and meat options neatly wrapped in the cocoon of a thin bread that’s been warmed and lightly crisped on a griddle. The hummus and haloumi manakishes are especially recommended. Open 7 days a week. 

Footnotes

Quintessential French items:
Be sure to stock up on a few things before you leave…

• Véritable Petit-Beurre (VPB): A shortbread from Nantes invented in 1886, it's the perfect snack food for carrying around in your day bag. LU Society is the most famous brand. 
• Duralex glasses: The classic, ubiquitous, and quintessential French glassware, starting at 1 euro at BHV department store.

"An hour is a vase filled with perfumes, with sounds, with moments, with changing moods and climates."

— Marcel Proust, The Past Recaptured