It’s the season when Parisians flee the capital, but Sarah Emily Miano finds it the perfect time to enjoy parks, festivals and galleries — without the crowds
The choices for visitors to Paris in summer are almost limitless. For those who enjoy lying around getting red-hot, there are the Paris Plages (beaches) from mid-July to mid-August, when stretches of the river Seine between the Pont Neuf and the Pont de Sully, and the Bassin de la Villette, are transformed into oases of sun and sand.
But for blue sky and balmy blooms, I prefer to take a leisurely stroll on the 4km-long Promenade Plantée, which runs from the Bastille along a former railway viaduct, Viaduc des Arts (now full of craft boutiques, galleries and workshops) to the Bois de Vincennes. If I have any energy after that, the Bois de Vincennes has a zoo, floral park and boating on the lake. It’s also the ideal spot for a lazy picnic lunch.
The Promenade Plantée features in the 2004 movie, Before Sunset, as does Le Pure Café in the 11th arrondissement, my favourite untouristy spot to sit outdoors with a cold drink. In the best-pavement-café stakes a close contender is Chez Prune on rue Beaurepaire, where ‘bobo” (bourgeois or bohemian) regulars rub elbows on the peaceful banks of the Canal Saint Martin, with its metallic Venetian-style footbridges.
When I want to sit quietly and crack open a bottle of wine, I head for the Arènes de Lutèces, the remains of a Greco-Roman amphitheatre, the oldest archaeological site in Paris, tucked away off rue Monge in the Latin Quarter. Last time I was there, on one side some old men were playing boules, and on the other a group of women were improvising an operatic lesbian version of Star Wars in French. Free theatre, in short.
At Paris’s prettiest cinema, La Pagode, you can enjoy a glass of champagne in a Japanese-style garden full of lilies and bamboo. The cinema itself is a replica of a late-19th-century Japanese palace with paintings, gilding, tapestries, stained glass and chandeliers.
If it gets too hot, cool off in the Ice Bar at L’Hotel Kube, in the 18th arrondissment, where you can sip potent vodka in a refrigerated multicoloured room at a numbing -10°C (don’t worry: sessions last just 30 minutes and parkas are provided).
In summer Paris offers something for lovers of all sorts of music. On June 21 the whole city thrums and booms from dusk to dawn at the unmissable (and free) Fête de la Musique (www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr) with multicultural ear candy at every bar, square and street corner, from lonesome crooners to world-class rock stars.
The less-vaunted Paris Jazz Festival (www.parcfloraldeparis.com) takes place every Saturday and Sunday in June and July, in the Park Floral, part of the Bois de Vincennes. This year, in addition to the main stage of jazz events, there will be a ‘garden of improvisations” for more intimate recitals, musical landscaping and intuitive dancing.
There’s no denying the Gypsy jazz buzz in Paris right now. One atmospheric hot spot is La Chope des Puces in the suburb of Saint-Ouen — if you haven’t shopped till you drop at the massive nearby fleamarket. And on rue Boyer in the 20th arrondissement are two more savvy concert venues with eclectic programming of contemporary music: La Bellevilloise (www.labellevilloise.com) was formerly Paris’s first workers’ cooperative; and La Maroquinerie (www.lamaroquinerie.fr) was once a leather workshop. Both have charming terraces where you can enjoy cocktails and tapas.
This summer I will be seeking out cabaret — red velvet and carved wood, glittering lights, bevelled mirrors and glorious ballrooms. Cabaret Sauvage on avenue Jean Jaures (www.cabaretsauvage.com) hosts world music, electro, techno, hip-hop, jazz, folk, funk, rock and reggae. Bobino (www.bobino.fr), a sexy offbeat option in Montparnasse, features a dinner show and dancers, magicians and illusionists performing into the early hours.
The repertoire of open-air La Péniche Opéra (www.penicheopera.com) ranges from contemporary and opera to chamber, comedy and cantatas — all performed on a barge on the Quai de Loire — beside the Bassin de la Villette. Chez Gégène (www.chez-gegene.fr), a restaurant-cum-dancehall east of the city in Joinville-le-Pont on the banks of the river Marne, has a more rural feel: you can eat on an outdoor terrace and dance till 2am to traditional bal musette, frenetic rock or tango.
For a dose of art, as well as the major exhibitions (Turner, Munch, Yves Saint-Laurent), the recently launched Centquatre gallery on rue Curial is artistry at its best: a bold and energetic space complete with installations, exhibitions and open studios, not to mention readings, performances, theatre and concerts.
And what would Paris be without food? Don’t miss the best open-air market near Bastille — the Marché d’Aligre (www.marchedaligre.free.fr). Choco-Story (www.museeduchocolat.fr) on boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, a new museum tracing the 4000-year history of cacao in words, images and flavours (yes, you do get to sample some locally made chocolate).
And on the roof of the Palais de Tokyo (www.palaisdetokyo.com) modern art museum on avenue du President Wilson is the culinary phenomenon that is Art-Home (www.art-home-electrolux.com), a temporary restaurant where scrumptious experimental food is prepared by a master chef before guests’ eyes, if they can tear them away from the stunning views of the Eiffel Tower. —