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Paris Ile-de-France
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Pour découvrir Paris avec ses enfants : voici tous les lieux à visiter et les activités à faire en famille.
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Follow the Canal stream and enjoy Fair Trade shops, trendy cafés, dynamic art galleries or small antiquarians. With its romantic footbridges and beautiful window displays, it invites to a charming happy stroll from swing bridges to parks.
Start your route at "Répu". Place de la République (at the eponymous tube station) is a main meeting point for Parisians: many gatherings and demos start from the bronze statue personifying the French Republic, at the middle of the square, so don't be surprised if you see unions or organizations blocking the traffic.
On some weekends, the square also welcomes second-hand sales and antique fairs. Young pretty things sell their outfits of past seasons, and professional dealers offer design or 60's furniture.
Take the back roads at the North side of the square. On rue Beaurepaire, you'll recognize the cheerful tank tops of American Apparel (at n°10). You may prefer the exotic and as colourful artefacts of homeware store Idéco (at n°19), the nice feminine fashion of Liza Korn (at n°19), the girly earrings of Stella Cadente (at n°21) or the ethical clothing of Alter Mundi (at n°25).
At n°28, don't miss the Espace Beaurepaire: this airy and bright art gallery gathers trendy events like exhibitions of young talents, fashion shows, lectures, talks, performances... The openings held monthly are always a success, with the artists creating specific works for the date.
For a true Parisian experience check Chez Prune (at n°36). Its terrace on the canal is very popular. Inside, a dining room in chocolate and ochre shades is filled with design artefacts.
Take a stroll alongside the canal. Its shady banks offer a quiet atmosphere: take the time to look at the comings and goings of small yachts and barges, passing through the various locks to follow the stream.
These beautiful settings have attracted numerous cheerful shops like a magnet, especially on Quai de Valmy. At n°83, you'll find the beautiful Fair Trade shop Dupleks (for a style with a soul), and the interesting art bookshop Artazart (especially good for design). Artazart also welcomes exhibitions of young artists in a separate room. Stella Cadente 's flagship store is a few steps away at n°93 and offers a very feminine and romantic fashion (note that "Stella Cadente" means a shooting star in Latin - the designer is Stanislassia Klein). At her doorstep, you'll find the adjoining shops of Antoine et Lili : women and children are spoilt with a colourful fashion, and there's also a nice selection of gizmos and homeware.
At this point, you're very close to Jardin Villemin. This garden is partly managed by locals as a community project. Enjoy its centenary trees, which include chestnuts, plane trees and pines. The building at the back is the Couvent des Récollets, a cultural centre coupled to flats welcoming artists for temporary residences. It used to be a convent and then an hospital.
If you go up the Left Bank, you'll reach the Opus café (at n° 161). It's especially good at night for jazz, gospel music, funky beats or soul rhythms. Don't miss the Point Ephémère at n°200, below the street level. This informal cultural centre offers a dynamic agenda of concerts, workshops, special events, and a bustling terrace overlooking the canal.
For a gastro lunch, enjoy La Bulle, ( 48 rue Louis Blanc, perpendicular to Valmy). Its surroundings are a mix of a provincial house with a design twist. Taste the eggs casserole with porcini and chanterelles, or the tuna steak in chorizo sauce. The ginger cheesecake is a must too.
The other side of the canal offers other watery hole options. Check the Jemmapes, at n°82 of the eponymous quay: its marble walls are covered with artworks. The cooking is on the traditional French style, and it's also a nice place to enjoy a drink.
You may remember Marcel Carné's Hotel du Nord, and the famous line from Arletty: "Atmosphere, atmosphere, do I look like an atmosphere?" The real Hôtel du Nord is at n°102 Quai de Jemmapes (but the movie was not shot there), but it's not a low-key hotel at all: it's a trendy restaurant with a nice terrace.
If you go past the elevated railway, you'll reach the Bassin de la Villette. ("the Villette docks", not to be confused with the park). On both sides of the docks you'll find huge movie theatres (MK2 Quai de Seine and Quai de Loire), and numerous coffee-bars. A small boat operates a shuttle between the two.
The docks are really beautiful, from the rotunda of Claude-Nicolas Ledoux to the former warehouses now turned into studios, student's halls and a youth hostel. If you sit on the terrace of the 25e Est (10 place de la Bataille de Stalingrad), you'll enjoy a very nice overview of the neighbourhood. The restaurant Aux 2 Bateaux (at 44 bis quai de Loire) offers organic products. The BarOurcq, (at n°68) is famous for its outside deckchairs and its trendy musical selection.
If you take rue de Crimée to the East, you'll reach the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont . This landscaped garden offers a beautiful scenery of luxurious vegetation, a waterfall, a hill, and even a romantic grotto. You can also enjoy some imaginative Italian cuisine at the Pavillon Puebla, or a drink with tapas at the very new and gay-friendly Rosa Bonheur (created by Michèle of Pulp fame).
Upper Belleville is up the avenue Simon Bolivar. Check the Plateau (at 32 rue des Alouettes). This art centre has been opened thanks to the inhabitants' wishes. It offers temporary exhibitions of young artists and major talents from around the world.
On rue de la Villette, the Boho feeling well reflects the creative growth of the district. Check Atelier M'SO (at n°6), a hair salon coupled with a selection of clothing and homeware. It also organizes small exhibitions. At n°7, Pollen is a very girly shop, where to find a pink dress or a nice bag. Kids are spoilt too: check Chamaille (at n° 4) or Pataluna (at n° 17). You'll find ethnical and colourful outfits for your beloved scampis at a fair price. Fair trade and far away cultures are strong at L'AnthrOpo (at n°44): artefacts from Africa, India, Tibet or Bhutan are on sale. The Librairie photographique (at n°17), is famous and managed by a former photographer.
For a lunch, L'Escargot (at n°50) offers some inventive cooking with an exotic twist. Its waiters are young and fun and often disguised.
If you feel like having a romantic dinner near the Canal, you’ll find numerous options. For a true French “Bistrot” feeling, try the Cantine de Quentin (52 rue Bichat). This wine bar and restaurant welcomes you at a fair price. If you want to spend a little more for a more stylish option, try Ploum, (20 rue Alibert). It’s a heaven for lovers of Japanese raw fish served in modern settings with large windows.
On the Valmy side, the restaurant known as Et dans mon cœur il y a (which can be translated as “What I hold in my heart...”), is set at 56 rue de Lancry. Wooden panels, chandeliers and a spiral staircase welcome you in a refined atmosphere. The menu looks like an antique book, and the cuisine is mouth-watering: try the roasted wild duck on a pepper sauce for example. At 67 rue de Lancry, a tiny eating house of eight tables welcomes you for a tasting of organic wines: Le Verre Volé. On rue Yves Toudic, check the Alhambra, a concert hall set at n°10 in a beautiful Art-deco building.
If you like the lively atmosphere and some loud music, you should discover two other nightlife classics of the neighbourhood. For a Caribbean atmosphere, the Favela Chic is as hot as a day at the Rio Carnival, with salsa and caipirinhas (at n°18, rue du Faubourg-du-Temple). If you're more on the indie side, check the Gibus (at the same address under the arches). It's been running hard since 1967.
At the North-East side of the canal, the Abracadabar welcomes parties every night or so. This local bar (at 123, avenue Jean Jaurès), organizes concerts, slam competitions or theatre shows, followed by DJ's.