12 p.m. - Crêpe Expectations

The crêpe may have its roots in Brittany, but it’s the stuff of legends at Chez Josselin. Located close to the Montparnasse train station (with a direct train to Brittany), this tiny crêperie is nestled amongst a whole host of other restaurants selling the national dish. Bretons coming to Paris for work settled around the train station, and restaurants set up shop to serve their crêpe cravings. The best of the bunch, Chez Josselin is cosy, cluttered and fast! Choose a dinner crêpe (with savoury filling, called galette) or satisfy your sweet-tooth with a traditional sugar crêpe. Either way, you can’t go wrong at Chez Josselin.

Chez Josselin: 67 Rue du Montparnasse. Métro: Edgar Quinet or Montparnasse.

11 a.m. - Kahn Do

He was a man of great ambition: to capture humans from across the globe using colour photography. Nowadays, that doesn’t seem too lofty. But back in Albert Kahn’s time – the start of the twentieth century – such technology was still in its infancy. Hoping his project would create world peace, the wealthy Kahn sent more than fifty photographers around the world, from Vietnam to Norway. From 1909 to 1931, they snapped 72,000 autochromes of a world in flux: from the last Celtic villages in Ireland to the collapse of the Austro- Hungarian empire.

Located at Kahn’s former residence, the Albert Kahn Museum displays what Kahn called ‘The Archives of the Planet’. Kahn’s philosophy of bringing the world together is also evident in his garden, which consists of Japanese, French, English and even African wildlife. Take a stroll around the world and see the past in living colour.

Musée Albert Kahn: www.albert-kahn.fr

10 a.m. - Glassy Eyed

The sheer amount of sparkling glass on display at the Baccarat Museum is almost blinding. Founded in 1764 in the French town of Baccarat, Baccarat Crystal has produced everything
from candelabras to hookahs for a long line of royal houses around the world. Some of its finest treasures are now on display in the former mansion of a viscountess, redesigned in
seriously over-the-top style by Philippe Starck. Check out the crystal chandelier submerged in water, the talking vases and pieces specially designed for the Prince of Wales.

Galerie-musée Baccarat: www.baccarat.fr

9 a.m. - Backseat Driver

Tour Paris in a piece of French history itself, the Citroën 2CV. Produced between 1948 to 1990, these deux chevaux vapeur (two steam horses, in English) are considered by many to be an icon of French cars – James Bond himself even drove one in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. With Paris Authentic’s 2CV Tours, you can be the star of your own show. Choose from a variety of tours by day or by night and take in the sights through the open-top or see-through roof. Snuggle up in the back seat and let the knowledgeable guide (and the two steam horses) do all the work.


2CV Paris Tour: www.parisauthentic.com

Sneak Peek

Urban Travel Blog recently published a Top 5 Quirky Sights in Paris using listings compiled by Marsha Moore, author of 24 Hours Paris. Go check it out!

8 a.m. - Sacred Sandwich

If you need some fortification before making the climb to the Sacré Coeur Cathedral, head over to bakery Coquelicot. Grab one of their takeaway sandwiches to munch on while you toil – or, if you prefer not to mix pleasure with pain, simply collapse on the hilly lawns on the way up to the cathedral and enjoy. Coquelicot also offers a filling brunch but be warned: you may not feel like moving afterwards! Grab a baguette to dip in your hot chocolate, relax in the flower-dotted interior, and enjoy.

Coquelicot: www.coquelicot-montmartre.com

7 a.m. - Pisstake

Relieve your bladder and get up close and personal with a piece of Parisian history at the same time. Located on Boulevard Arago in front of the La Santé Prison, the city’s last remaining vespasienne – otherwise known as pissoir – is the sole survivor of the 1,200 public urinals that once dotted the streets.

Nowadays, Parisians prefer the modern pod-like sanisettes, where toilet activities are out of sight to passers-by. But if privacy’s no issue or if nature’s call is too strong to resist then
drop your trousers and engage with the past.

Last Pissoir: Boulevard Arago (in front of La Santé Prison). Metro: Saint-Jacques.

6 a.m. - Take Charge

Grab hold of your destiny (or feel like it, anyway) on Metro Line 14. Get a seat right up front on these automated trains and pretend you’re the one steering it down the track. Paris’ metro system is over a hundred years old, but Line 14 – opened in 1998 – is one of its newer offshoots. Take in the old-world glamour of the Gare de Lyon and Gare St Lazare, the Neo-Classical elegance of the Church of the Madeleine and see the National Library of France, all from the comfort of the driver’s seat.

Metro Line 14: check schedule at www.ratp.info.

5 a.m. - The Woman who Launched a Thousand Grains

Take to the water at Pont de la Tournelle and begin the day with a blessing from Saint Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. Since 1928, her statue has sat atop a pylon on the eastern side of the bridge, keeping a watchful on her city. In 464, when the city was starving thanks to a blockade by a Merovingian king, Geneviève somehow managed to pass through the lines of boats and bring grain to the city. Showing their true appreciation of food, Parisians made her their patron saint.

Statue of Saint Geneviève: Metro: Pont Marie.

4 a.m. - Go Crazy

Held twice a month at concert hall Bataclan, these crazy noholds-barred parties feature drag queens galore, dancing and a whole lot of fun. La Nuit des Follivores (with French music
from the 70s and 80s) and its sister La Nuit des Crazyvores (with English music from the 70s, 80s and 90s) have been going strong for ten years and continue to be packed with every kind of humanity. Get your gear on for this gay-friendly event and join in the revelry.

La Nuit des Follivores and La Nuit des Crazyvores: www.le-bataclan.com

3 a.m. - Dead Lock

If it’s dark and it’s late then it’s the perfect time to check out the Lock of the Dead on Canal Saint-Martin. Located near a Merovingian cemetery and the infamous Montfaucon gallows – where offenders were hanged in groups of sixteen and left to rot – if you close your eyes you may still catch a whiff of the scent of decay. In this café-packed area, though, it’s more likely to be last night’s dinner than what’s leftover on the gallows.

Les Écluses des Morts: Rue Louis Blanc on Canal St-Martin.

2 a.m. - Dance on Deck

For more than ten years, big red boat Batofar has been home to some of Paris’ best after-hours parties. With DJs spinning everything from experimental to techno, you can join the crowd on the dance-floor or hang around in one of the suspended hammocks on deck. Just watch where you spin or you might end up in the drink!

Batofar: www.batofar.org

1 a.m. - Oyster Aphrodisiac

If you need something extra to get going for the night ahead, you can’t go wrong with oysters from Au Rocher de Cancale. Located on the site of a former oyster market and open since
1846 – a time when Parisians were consuming six million dozen oysters each year – the restaurant was a favourite of literary giant Balzac and the street itself was immortalised
in an 1878 painting by Claude Monet. Polish off some sea creatures and take a stroll through history.

Au Rocher de Cancale: www.aurocherdecancale.fr

12 a.m. - Midnight Movies

Get your fill of film at the midnight hour at Le Champo Cinéma, where you can watch not just one but three movies – and have breakfast, too! Choose from two concurrent programmes at this art-house cinema, founded in 1938 in an old bookstore. Then slide into the crimson-red chairs and away to fantasy until morning.

Le Champo Cinéma: www.lechampo.com

11 p.m. - You Gotta Have Faith

Pay penance for all the drink you’ve been consuming at Le Leche Vin (literally, the ‘lick wine’). Here, you can have your drink and say some Hail Mary’s at the same time. The walls of this student-friendly (read: cheap) drinking den are covered with religious relics, perhaps to atone for the bawdy loos plastered with porn. One look at the rustic Turkish toilets will have even the most hardened sinner begging for deliverance.

10 p.m. - French Funnies

Started by a group of friend in 1969, Cafe de la Gare is the place to go if you’re in the mood for some fun – or funnies. With over 300 seats and shows ranging from fringe to stand-up comics to revue, you never know quite what you’re in for. It’s all in French, but some of the shows are so out there even understanding the language isn’t much help. Prepared to be perplexed, entertained and amused all in one go.

9 p.m. - Get Some Spirit

Have a little soul(s) and call on the undead to join the party every third Thursday of the month at Paris Paranormal. Held less than 50 metres from Père Lachaise cemetery, the séance aims to speak with those who have crossed to the other side. It’s all in French, but what’s a little language barrier when it comes spectral communication?

8 p.m. - Suck it Up

Put aside your dignity and get ready for an experience unlike any other. At Le Refuge des Fondues, you’ll share your table with other diners, scribble on walls and suck wine from a baby bottle. It may sound like dining hell, but the convivial atmosphere and packed-like-sardines benches mean you can talk to just about anyone. Get your fill of fondue and enjoy your alcoholic oral fixation!

7 p.m. - Grill and Chill

With summertime BBQs on the roof and interior design by Philippe Starck, you can’t go wrong at Mama Shelter. This ultra-cool hotel – created by the co-founders of Club Med – offers non-residents the chance to hang out on high or sample delights down below at the two bars and restaurant. Get a taste of how the hip live at one of the 50 most stylish business hotels in the world, according to Wallpaper and Fortune magazines. And if you want to stay a bit longer, rooms are surprisingly affordable – prices start from around €110 per night.

6 p.m. - If the Shoe Fits

A trip to Paris would be remiss without a visit to legendary French shoemaker Christian Louboutin. His creations – easily recognisable by their crimson soles and killer heels – have been worn by almost every Hollywood star imaginable, from Oprah to Sarah Jessica Parker. Louboutin’s designs were influenced by the showgirls of Paris nightclubs he used to skip school to watch. Add a little bit of Paris glamour to your step (if you can manage to walk on the sky-high heels, that is) and teeter about on your own custom-made stilettos from his boutique on rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau.