Off the beaten track in Paris – Part 2

I’ve been to Paris once every year since I was 17, I adore French wine and my room is plastered with those clichéd old French adverts for Martini Rosso (which I justify by declaring that I actually drink it). You could say that I’m something of a Francophile. But Paris will never get old for me, even though I’ve ‘done’ all the sights. In this article I’m going to pick out my favourite bits of Paris - which aren’t Notre-Dame or the Louvre, as well as some helpful practical tips and phrases.

Le Marais

Less a specific location than an entire arrondissement, the Marais is the perfect place to wander round when you have a whole afternoon free. Its winding streets are home to gorgeous little designer fashion boutiques for the sartorially-minded and the deep-pocketed, patissiers where un grand macaron framboise will only set you back 3 euros, and tiny chapels in tucked-away corners for you to rest your feet and admire the beautiful architecture. Head to Victor Hugo’s house for a spot of mid-afternoon culture, and to the tapas bar Casa San Pablo opposite the Église Saint-Paul to watch the world go by.

Les Catacombes

I guess the catacombs count as an official tourist area, but they’re an attraction worth going to see. Luckily it wasn’t busy when we went, but I’ve seen huge queues there before, so try to go at non-peak times, or on a rainy day. You walk down a steep staircase into the quarries underneath the Place Denfert-Rochereau (go to the métro of the same name), and into the labyrinthine, cold, damp tunnels where skeletons line the walls. Row upon row of bones are dotted with patterns of skulls (there’s something creepy about the fact that someone took the time to arrange tibias and femurs in an aesthetically pleasing way). The bones are loose, and if you are so inclined you can take a morbid souvenir with you, if you can sneak it into your handbag. From the amount of skulls and random bones left at the exit, it was evident that some tourists had tried to do just that, and then sheepishly thought better of it near the end. Not for those who are easily freaked out, it can get very dark and claustrophobic in places; but as ossuaries go, it’s pretty damn interesting.

Got some time left over? Why not continue the death theme, and head to the Cimetière du Père Lachaise to gawp at the graves of Jim Morrison or Oscar Wilde, and the strange presents that some adoring fans leave behind.

Travel

Paris is a city best seen from a wicker café chair, not a tour bus. The métro is incredibly easy to use, but there’s no better way to see Paris then just to head down its cobbled streets and explore for yourself. Don’t try and cram a million and one tourist attractions into one day, and learn the art of café-hopping – you’ll have a much more relaxed experience because of it. If you are staying for three days, get a Paris Visite, an unlimited métro pass that will set you back about 21 euros, but is well worth the cash. If you are there for longer, get a Navigo card. This is essentially the Oyster card for Parisians. Once you have it (there’s an initial charge to get it), you can use it every time you visit the city, just by topping it up at a machine at any station. Unlimited métro travel for a week on one of those is around 18 euros, so well worth it if you think you’ll be coming back.

Money

Everyone says that Paris is an expensive city, but it really is quite easy to budget. Museums are free for under-25s; you can live off crêpes (€3), baguettes (€4) and cheap fruit from supermarkets for food; and your main expense will be all the coffees you’ll be drinking throughout the day, which, depending on what quarter you’re in, can be as much as €4.50 for un café allongé. If you think you’ll be shopping, or want to eat out in a nice restaurant one night, bring extra.

Accommodation

Hostels are by far the cheapest accommodation; this year we stayed in the Friends Hostel in Montmartre. Although it was a dodgy quarter (one friend remarked nostalgically, ‘Oh, this reminds me of Brixton!’), the hostel was clean, cheap and sociable and there were no bed bugs. You can’t really ask for more than that. If you are staying longer you might want to consider renting an apartment, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one for less than €350 a week. Last year I managed to find a 14m2 flat by myself for €200 a week, which was depressingly tiny but I felt quite reassuringly Bohemian.

Useful Phrases

• S’il vous plait/merci – Please/thank you
• C’est combien? – How much is it?
• Puis-j’avoir…? - Can I have…?
• Je voudrais – I would like
• L’addition – the bill
• Un café – an espresso
• Un café allongé – an Americano
• Un café au lait – (Sometimes if you ask for a white coffee you’ll get a café crème anyway, a coffee with cream which is presented like a latte).

And the most useful one for the budget traveller (for filling up water bottles and for when eating out):

L’eau de robinet – tap water

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