Faber’s International Sales Team are travel experts – their job is to introduce booksellers in all corners of the globe to Faber and Independent Alliance books.
In this new series, they share their insider tips for exploring global cities, catered to the literary traveller. First stop: Paris. Amélie’s guide to the City of Light includes her advice for navigating the Métro, a niche fragrance and French pharmacy shopping list, and the vegetarian café she’s been gatekeeping.
The first thing I do when I arrive in Paris
I usually arrive early evening, on the Eurostar. I stay in the 9th arrondissement – specifically in South Pigalle – which is a short walk from Gare du Nord.
After checking into my hotel, I usually get something quick to eat – a crepe at Cœur de Breizh on rue des Martyrs is always a good idea – and then have an early night.
My favourite spot to read
The reading room in Shakespeare and Company! Or a bench by the Seine.
Or in Luxembourg Gardens. Or by the steps at Sacré-Cœur, where you can look out over Paris.
My ideal day out in Paris
I haven’t been to Paris on a non-work based trip for YEARS and, as much as I love my booksellers, having a series of very long meetings does not an ‘ideal day out in Paris’ make! However, if I were to be on a holiday a perfect day would go something like this . . .
Croissant breakfast! I favour the ones at French Bastards in the 9th or Du Pain et des Idées in the 10th, but good croissants can be found in any reputable looking bakery. Follow your nose! If the weather is good, have a croissant picnic in the Tuileries. Multiple croissants approved and encouraged.
Take in some art. The Louvre or Musée d’Orsay, if I’m early enough and the lines look bearable, but Palais de Tokyo and Fondation Louis Vuitton are also big favourites.
For fashion fans, Musée Yves Saint Laurent is also a great way to spend an hour. The upstairs rooms give you a history of M. Saint Laurent’s career – and a glimpse into his design room, which is wonderful – but they also rotate a themed exhibition of his designs in the rooms downstairs. Entry is only €10, so it’s a veritable bargain in Paris. Book ahead, though!
‘French beauty fans, please note – CityPharma opens at 8.30 a.m. and it’s well worth getting there early. It gets very, very busy.’
Time for lunch
It’s probably a very touristy thing to do, but I’ve favoured Café de Flore ever since I found out Patti Smith goes there. You never know who you might be rubbing shoulders with! And it’s a great people-watching spot, regardless.
Shopping. Obviously a browse around the many great bookshops is a must-do. Shakespeare and Company, Galignani, Red Wheelbarrow, Smith and Son – all unique and all worth a visit. You’ll likely have to wait in a queue for Shakespeare and Company, but the line moves pretty quickly.
When I’m not book shopping, I will admit that I’m also an absolute beast for fragrance and French beauty, so CityPharma, Oh My Cream, Nose, Jovoy and any and all of the perfumers based around rue Saint Honore are on my must-do lists. French beauty fans, please note – CityPharma opens at 8.30 a.m. and it’s well worth getting there early. It gets very, very busy.
Later in the day
Quick emergency hot chocolate stop at Angelina. You haven’t been to Paris unless you’ve done this.
Back to the hotel for a quick nap and then an apéritif in the hotel bar before dinner.
Dinner. By the time I’ve got to my evening meal, I’ve probably consumed enough butter and dairy based products for the day (and the next day), so I would go Japanese or Vietnamese for dinner. Staying in the vicinity of my hotel (always Le Pigalle in South Pigalle) I would go to Shinjuku on rue Condorcet.
Bed. Or, maybe, a quick drink . . . ?
The best bars and nightlife in Paris
Again, not places I often frequent on work trips! However . . .
Harry’s Bar on rue Daunou is a must. Much like a hot chocolate at Angelina, you haven’t really been to Paris unless you’ve had a cocktail here.
There are also a good number of quite enjoyable bars in South Pigalle – Le Lipstick or Dirty Dick on rue Frochot are both good kitschy fun. If you’re more of a wine fan, Cave Pétillance on rue Condorcet is also a good spot for a sparkling wine.
If you’re staying further out, Combat Bar in the 19th (rue de Belleville) is definitely worth checking out, not least for their ‘cocktail and snack pairings’. To be honest, it’s worth the trip anyway, even if you’re not staying nearby. There are also plenty of good restaurants springing up in the 19th, so make an evening of it!
‘I don’t eat meat and that can, still, be tricky in Paris. My first visit was in 1999 and I ate many a bowl of lettuce on that trip. But I did discover a beautifully old-fashioned vegetarian restaurant called Le Grenier de Notre-Dame on rue de la Bûcherie, which is happily still going.’
The best restaurants in Paris
For the sake of brevity, I will limit this to just restaurants near my customers OR my hotel.
I don’t eat meat and that can, still, be tricky in Paris. My first visit was in 1999 and I ate many a bowl of lettuce on that trip. But I did discover a beautifully old-fashioned vegetarian restaurant called Le Grenier de Notre-Dame on rue de la Bûcherie, which is happily still going. It’s a tiny bit more modern now than it was back then, but I still love it. It’s located very close to Shakespeare and Co and a great lunch spot after a bit of book-browsing.
Croissants, crepes and more
You can get a great falafel in the Marais – L’As Du Fallafel is possibly the most popular for a reason. Another place you’ll have to queue for. But worth it.
After croissants, crepes are the next best thing to eat in Paris. The aforementioned Cœur de Breizh on rue des Martyrs (plus a few other sites) is a favourite of mine, but I also recommend Breizh Café, which have a number of branches across Paris.
If you’re staying in or near South Pigalle, you’ll find some great places to eat on rue de Martyrs and rue Condorcet. I’ve already name-checked Shinjuku, but Cuisine, Café Ventura, Rose Bakery, Yoom, Homer Lobster (only take-out) and Buvette all get my thumbs up.
Tips and tricks for travelling in France
If you’re travelling by Eurostar just accept beforehand that one or both of your trains will be delayed. And there will be chaos at immigration or either or both side. Don’t fight it.
Despite my French name, I do not speak it. I do, however, have enough French to be polite and so should you. Even just learning how to say ‘I’m sorry, I don’t speak French’ will be appreciated.
Paris is walkable and that’s the best way to see the city. If it’s raining or you’re just not a big walker, the Métro is really useful. You can still buy paper tickets, but they’re being phased out in favour of reusable cards and apps. If you want to just use an app, definitely download them before you go and note that you’ll need two – ‘Île-de-France Mobilités’ and another app called ‘My Navigo Tickets’. It feels unnecessarily complicated, but I have found that that’s often the way in Paris!
Booking a bed-and-breakfast rate in your hotel is often quite a bit more expensive and quite unnecessary. Most bistros do a good breakfast menu and, as previously mentioned, there are plenty of good croissants to be found. Croissants, by the way, are almost always very cheap – usually a little bit over €1. A fresh croissant and a coffee = the breakfast of champions.
A spot I’ve been gatekeeping
I’m a salesperson and the very idea of gatekeeping is fundamentally against my nature. I’ve already blown most of my favourite spots in the above content, but for one more for the veggies and vegans (and gluten-intolerant) . . . there’s a really teeny little café called Maisie Café which is located on rue du Mont Thabor.
It’s equidistant between two of my customers, Smith and Son and Galignani, who are both on rue de Rivoli, which runs horizontally alongside – and it’s a great spot for some healthy lunch. It’s already pretty popular and by no means a secret, but not a place that’s necessarily in the tourist guide books. I’m giving it to you, but if you go and it’s busy and you see a dejected looking publishing salesperson looking for a seat . . . please offer me a little bit of space at your table or bench!
As a side note, there are actually quite a few good food places on rue du Mont Thabor, and it’s a little overshadowed by virtue of being in between rue Saint Honore and rue de Rivoli. You may have to queue a short while for noodles at Guli, but it will be worth it. For some real local flavour, do check out Au Petit Bar, where you can fill up on basic but delicious food and still get change from a €20 note.
A book in, or translated from, the local language
How does one pick just one book translated from French?? There are so many brilliant classics to choose from and a whole slew of excellent, contemporary fiction.
I will pick a whole author and say that any of the works of Annie Ernaux are worthy of your time and attention. She was one of the most popular winners of the Nobel and deservedly so.
Amélie sounds French but is actually a proud Cockney. She’s been working in publishing sales for many more years than she cares to commit to paper/screen and has already blown past her double digit Faber-birthday. She can’t always believe that she gets paid to travel to some of the best cities in Europe and talk to booksellers about books, but she IS a little tired of airports.
See all Amélie’s photos in the gallery below.
