![]() The most spectacular – the lavish painted ceilings, gilt and stucco of the Salons La Rivière (1652–56), Hôtel Wendel’s Art Deco ballroom, Fouquet’s Art Nouveau jewelry shop – are the Real McCoy, uprooted from their original location to the museum for safekeeping. Some 3800 of 625,000 historical pieces – paintings, sculptures, furniture, signs, posters, models, coins, toys, musical instruments, erotica – adorn rooms perfectly styled to reflect each era. Thanks to a four-year redesign costing more than €55 million, visiting the Musée Carnavalet is a sharp, immersive, chronological waltz through the glittering story of Paris, from prehistory to the terrorism-troubled 21st century. The architecture alone at Paris’ oldest museum, open since 1880, plunges you straight into the Renaissance. With its photogenic twinset of hôtels particuliers (private mansions) smacking of 17th-century Parisian aristocracy and labyrinth of lavish rooms spanning time, the Musée Carnavalet in Le Marais is an enchanting rendezvous with history. Wander through Paris' history at Musée Carnavalet A village in itself, this gargantuan nine-hectare flea market – Europe’s largest – is where thrifty Parisians gravitate at weekends to hunt down chintzy Louis XVI lamps, rare and wondrous vinyl, avant-garde fittings and furniture, antiques and other second-hand treasures for their city-sleek apartments.Ĥ. To peek into the makings of a Parisian home, ride metro line 13 north to Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen. Order a stuffed- and sizzled-to-order toasted sandwich or galette (savoury crêpe) from gregarious Alain at Chez Alain Miam Miam, then grab a pew to lunch with locals around communal tables. This is the city’s oldest covered market, dating from 1615, with a maze of food stalls cooking up Moroccan couscous, Japanese bento, Thai curries and other world cuisines. When hunger strikes, swing through the inconspicuous green metal gate on rue de Bretagne, 3e, in nearby Le Marais to uncover Marché des Enfants Rouges. Most neighborhoods have one and Bastille’s morning street marché on Blvd Richard Lenoir is a brilliant introduction. Nothing reveals the backstreet grit and grind of local life quite like Paris’ stash of intoxicating markets. Marché des Enfants Rouges is packed with food stalls © Elena Dijour / Shutterstock 3. ![]() This mischievous new gallery has been designed to shock and surprise. ![]() The exquisite "marble" replica of a late-Renaissance Giambologna sculpture in the central hall (actually a gargantuan, slow-burning wax candle by Swiss artist Urs Fischer), the pesky "pigeons" perched on the balustrade above, the "cushions" strewn on the occasional chair throughout are not what they seem. Reserve tickets online, book lunch in the top-floor Halles aux Graines restaurant run by legendary French chefs Michel and Sébastien Bras, and keep your wits about you when admiring the contemporary art in this world-class collection by French billionaire François Pinault. There’s a secret to exploring the city’s latest blockbuster art venue, that opened in May 2021 in an 18th-century rotunda where the city’s grain market and stock exchange once were. Be surprised by the artworks at Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection Afloat on the Seine, take in the Eiffel Tower views from boat bar Chez Mila or fine-dining bateau Ducasse sur Seine. But for smoldering, eyeball-to-eyeball views of the so-dubbed Dame de Fer or Iron Lady herself – illuminated at night – enjoy a date night beneath the stars at the summer rooftop bar atop La Shangri-La Paris. Planning Tip: Gastronomic dining in the company of the most beautiful city panorama at Le Jules Vernes, ensnared within Eiffel’s hypnotic metal web on the 2nd floor, is Michelin-starred and magical. ![]() See the Eiffel Tower at nightĭodge the habitual daytime crowd zig-zagging up the Eiffel Tower’s southern-pillar staircase or cruising by lift to the top-floor champagne bar, and experience Paris’ signature spire after dark instead. ![]() Get the inside scoop on the latest cultural happenings all over the world delivered weekly to your inbox with our email newsletter. ![]()
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