Short guide to Paris : What to do, see, where to go, eat, & shops!
By French-bird, last up-date April 12 2004.
E-mail : french-bird@voila.fr

-----------------------------------
Got your LYLO (Les Yeux Les Oreilles), free little guide for concerts (mostly free) in Paris and around. You'll find this small brochure in almost every good Bars.

*On tube line number 7*
Place d'Italie: When you get out of the tube, exit by the big shopping center-cinema, ask for 'La butte au caille'. 10 minutes by walk. It's like a little village. Behind la place d'Italie and in between Tolbiac Metro. Here there is lots of good restaurants, Couscous, Thai, and Bars!!! cheap and funny, relax.

Les Gobelins: Walk 'La rue Mouffetard', from the very bottom (watch the market) to the end, you will arrive to the Pantheon, then The Luxembourg garden, and Boulevard St. Michel on your right. Or if you choose to go left at Censier-Daubenton (tube) level you will go to “La Mosquee” drink “The a la menthe” and eat Arabic cookies, ready for a hammam (Turkish bath)? then walk through le Jardin des Plantes.

*Rive gauche*
St Michel+Odeon+Boulevard St Germain+MontParnasse. I love la rue St. Andre des Arts, (besides place St Michel) historically got lots to do with french revolutionaires who had their quarters there. Find this little passage like a short cut from la rue St Andre des Arts that leads you to Odeon tube station.
At the end of St Andre des Arts, with St. Michel place in your back check the shop in the corner (very cool stuff).
From St Germain you can head to Montparnasse, it’s tube station has a High Speed carpet, it’s worth to go 10km/h an hour, but first time hard to stay vertical. Mind the speed!! On the top of the station there is a very modern park not very known but so good! Also the cemetery area (stars, like Gainsbourg) and Park Montsoury (Cite Universitaire) are must. Av. D’Alesia is worth shopping! Arrive or leave from the tube Pernety, and it looks like if you were in a village. It’s still full of artist studios.
 
Notre dame+Chatelet les Halles+Beaubourg (be careful there, especially at night)
For a great "free see-sight" breathtaking, go to the terrace of the famous shop called : 'La Samaritaine' in front of the Seine. 
Free, excellent, 360 degres, and you are right in the middle of Paris! Amazing really!

St Paul (is the Gay paris + jewes) : Good for shopping a bit expensive, try this shop 'L'Amour du Coquelicot", 36 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75 004. 

*La Seine*
From 'Les quais' (the Seine borders) walk west and you see Notre Dame, L'Ile St. Louis, Le Louvre, Orsey (an other beautiful museum that was an old train station with great impressionist collection), walk east and you'll see, l'Institut du Monde Arabe, La 
grande Bibliotheque (Metro 'Bibliotheque Francois Mitterand') and there is a cool cool bar in a barge right in front of 'La grande Bibliotheque' called 'Le bateau Phare'!

*North of Paris*
La Butte Montmartre (Moulin Rouge)!
Belleville Black, Arabs, Chinese mutli-ethnic. Cheap Bars + concert try : 'Le Soleil', 'La Fleche d'or' is a bar-concert-restaurant very very funny.
For a typical french restaurant very good and cheap, doesn't look like it's open, but push the door, it's worth try, better book a table before pop-in: 'Le Coin de Verre', 38 Rue de Sambre et Meuse, 75010 Paris (01 42 45 31 82)

Canal Saint Martin+La Vilette
Follow this canal, refreshing indeed, lots of café, and historical hotel, like : L’hotel du Nord, set up for a famous French film with French actress : Arlety.
Free outside cinema in le parc de la Vilette, when night falls (9pm), depending of the programs arrive early or you wont find a ropm on the gass!! Look for the big screen and enter by La cite des Sciences side, not via the canal, or you’ll have to cross the all park! In July there is also a Jazz festival, everywhere in the park!

*East of Paris*
Batsille: If there is some demonstrations, this is where you'll walk or end the march :) Bars are more expensive, a nice little street with clubs, etc... Rue de Lappe

Republique: A good African Restaurant called 'La Tontine d'Or' is at 27, rue J.P. Timbaud (metro Republique or Oberkampf)
Lots of cheap bars but trendy place!