In the spirit of the summer travel season, I thought I’d do another posting on getting the best out of Paris. Many of you wrote in that last week’s article on current art exhibitions in Paris was very helpful–and timely.
This week’s article is about Pariscope–the insider’s guide to everything going on in Paris every week. I originally published this piece as “The Best Bargain in Paris” in June of 2008. Since then, I still think the subject is the best deal in the city, but I also now call it the best guidebook to Paris as well. With so much to see and do in this most visited world capital, it’s possible one could miss out on something really special during one’s Paris visit. Picking up a copy of Pariscope can help ensure that you are up to speed on everything interesting going on in Paris while you are there.
So enjoy this updated piece on the Paris insider’s guide and take it to heart when you are next in the most beautiful city in the world:
The Best Guide to Paris / The Best Bargain in Paris
It is a given these days that a stay in any world metropolis is going to cost you, especially in Europe. With the euro near record highs, une tasse de café (a cup of coffee) at a major café in Paris such as Les Deux Magots or the Café de Flore on the Left Bank will set you back the equivalent of a good six or seven dollars.* Ouch. Or as the French say, “Aïe!”
With that sobering benchmark in mind, a bargain in Paris sounds like an oxymoron at best. But you don’t have to look far to find a great deal in the City of Light–you can buy it at any newsstand or kiosque. It’s called Pariscope.
A small, newsprint magazine of more than 200 pages, Pariscope comes out each Wednesday of the year and costs less than a euro. To be exact, it is only .40€. That’s about 60¢ in U.S. money. “Pariscope” is a play on the French word ‘périscope’ or ‘periscope’ in English–from the device aboard a submarine allowing you to see everything outside the ship.
So what’s inside that allows you to ‘see everything in Paris’? Pariscope is THE guide to what’s happening each week in la Capitale. Current art exhibitions, museums, galleries, new films (movies open on Wednesdays in France compared to Friday openings in the U.S.), theatre, music, opera, dance, festivals, antique fairs, walking tours, sports. You name the activity, it’s in there.
While the low price and rich content are the good news (and it’s super lightweight, making it very easy to carry around during your Paris wanderings), the “not-so-good” news for non-French speakers is that it’s all in French. However, with a few contextual clues and the glossary below or perhaps the help of your hotel concierge, you can pull together the ideal Paris itinerary from this insider’s guide. The most interesting offerings can be found in the following sections of Pariscope:
Ma ville
This short entry spotlights a particular area of the city or weekly topic. For example, one Pariscope I picked up last year focused on “Paris for antique lovers.” Another, “Paris, homeland of artists,” described small museums that used to be homes of famous writers and artists such as Victor Hugo and Eugène Delacroix. In February of this year, the Ma Ville section of four to five pages was a “Passport to China” and captured events in Paris related to the Chinese New Year. At a glance, you discover a major happening or theme in Paris for the week.
Musique
If you are a lover of music in any form, this section is for you. Classical music, opera, ballet, jazz, and rock events are listed here. Concerts are organized by type of music and day of the week. Saturdays and Sundays are particularly interesting in the classical section as there are often free concerts in area churches over the weekend (you’ll know a concert is free if it includes entrée libre in the description). At the other end of the spectrum, i.e. paying concerts, you have some of the greatest musical talent in the world performing in Paris. I will never forget a chamber music concert I attended at the jewelbox Théâtre du Châtelet in the heart of Paris some years ago.* Violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy and cellist Lyn Harrell were playing the works of Brahms among others. The evening was pure magic. Musicians, instruments, audience and venue came together in an extra-extra-ordinary way, and you could have heard a pin drop throughout the performance. As proof of the divine musical gift that night, there were five standing ovations at the end. Bravo!
Arts
Museums are top of my Paris to-do list. The Arts section includes information on all the museums and art galleries in Paris. The Arts rubric also spells out the current exhibitions on view at museums and galleries across the city. It’s nearly an embarras du choix (an embarassment of riches–ie, too great a choice). You can check what is on view at Le Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée Rodin and other well-known museums. Many lesser-known museums are included such as the Musée de la Poupée (Doll Museum), Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Nature & Hunting Museum) and the Musée de la Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor Museum). Also listed are the days and hours each museum is open as well as entry fees. Pariscope will also tell you if any museum is temporarily closed for renovations which happens quite often in France (you’ll see the expression fermé pour travaux if a museum is undergoing renovation).
Since the Pariscope editors have condensed much throughout the guide in the interest of saving space, you’ll need be able to decipher relevant details entries you are interested in. For example, under the Louvre description, you’ll see:
Ouvert tlj sf mar.
What in the world does this mean? In unabbreviated French, it would read:
Ouvert tous les jours sauf mardi (Open every day except Tuesdays). So no Louvre on Tuesdays when you are in Paris!
To assist in picking out the most helpful info for museums you want to visit, here are a few of the common French abbreviations for museums in Pariscope and their English equivalent:
Days of the week:
lundi (lun) – Monday
mardi (mar) – Tuesday
mercredi (mer) – Wednesday
jeudi (jeu) – Thursday
vendredi (ven) – Friday
samedi (sam) – Saturday
dimanche (dim) – Sunday
tlj = Tous les jours (daily), sf = Sauf (except), Ent = Entrée (entry price), TR = Tarif réduit (reduced price, often for students and children or for evening hours as several Paris museums are now open at night), Caisses = Ticket office, M° = Métro (the closest metro stops so you can reach the museum easily). Note also that opening and closing times are done on a 24 hour or military clock.
Promenades et Loisirs
For monuments such as the Arc de Triomphe, walking tours, fairs, conventions, boat tours and other activities, the Promenades et Loisirs section is full of choices. My favorite part is the Visites Conferences where various guided walks are listed by day of the week. What makes the guided tours special is that they often take you into private or little known corners of Paris. The latest Pariscope I bought included descriptions of an enchanting tour of the Ile St. Louis, several mansions and secret courtyards of the Marais, and the Palais Royal neighborhood. Even if the tour guides speak only French and you don’t, just seeing the riches not accessible to the regular tourist make the walks worth every euro.
As you might have guessed, Pariscope is a staple for my time in Paris. After I get off the plane and take my first breath of Parisian air, I head straight for the nearest newsstand. The best bargain and the best guide to the city awaits.
* Les Deux Magots is located on the Left Bank at 170 Boulevard St. Germain in the sixth arrondissement. The Café de Flore is almost next door at 172 Boulevard St. Germain. The closest Métro stop is St-Germain-des-Prés.
* The Théâtre du Châtelet, or Châtelet Theatre, is located on the Right Bank at the Place du Châtelet in the first arrondissement.
Originally published June 18, 2008
French Take-Out ~ La France à emporter
Also in the spirit of making the most of time spent in Paris, there is a special Paris event in Dallas in mid June. To celebrate the 55th anniversary of SMU’s Continuing Studies program where I teach several courses a year, I will be giving a talk entitled “The Best of Paris: 55 Ways to Experience the City of Light.” The program description is below–come join us for a special evening and visual immersion into the best Paris has to offer…
The Best of Paris: 55 Ways to Experience the City of Light
Paris continues to be the most visited city in the world – and with good reason! It is home to some of the greatest art, architecture, churches, gardens and culture in the world. And of course, its cuisine is the best anywhere. Join us for this special class showcasing the best things to see, do, explore, taste and experience in Paris. Through illustrated lecture and discussion, we’ll cover the top 55 reasons to visit the City of Light, both on and off the beaten path. You’ll walk away from our ‘evening in Paris’ with a deeper sense of how to see and experience the world’s most beautiful city and with a travel guide for your next Paris trip.
Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Time: 6:30 to 9pm
Location: SMU main campus, Dallas
Registration: Click here to register with SMU
