Lonely Planet India - August 2016

MINI GUIDE

Markets of Paris France

Essentials

GETTING THERE

Jet Airways Etihad Airways

Turkish Airlines Air India

Air France Oman Air and

Lufthansa fly to Paris from

Mumbai and New Delhi

(return fares from ` 40300).

THE COST

DIFFICULTY OF TRAVEL

WHEN TO GO

The best time to visit Paris

is either spring (Apr – May)

or autumn (Sept – Oct).

Summer (Jun – Aug) is peak

tourist season.

Getting around

LOW HIGH

LOW HIGH

MARCHE AUX FLEURS 7

Blooms have been sold at
this flower market on the Île
de la Cité since 1808. Choose
carefully – tradition has it that
chrysanthemums are only for
cemeteries and carnations may
bring bad luck. On Sundays (9am

• 7pm) it turns into a bird market
  (Place Louis Lépine & Quai de la
  Corse; 8am – 7.30pm Mon – Sat).

MARCHE DE LA CREATION 8
This large weekly art market
in Montparnasse is home to artists
who sell their works directly
to the public (no resellers) so you
get to meet the artist. There’s
a great range of styles and
mediums on display – sculptures
watercolours photography
and ceramics. Editions are limited
and all works original (www.
marchecreation.com; Boulevard
Edgar-Quinet; 10am – dusk Sun).

MARCHE DU LIVRE ANCIEN
ET D’OCCASION 9
Leaf through leather-bound
treasures prints comics maps
and all manner of antique

The charming Hôtel Du

Nord Le Pari Vélo 10 has 23

personalised rooms decorated

with flea-market antiques.

Beyond the bric-a-brac charm

there are bikes available on loan

to guests (00-33-142-016-600;

http://www.hoteldunord-leparivelo.com

contact@hoteldunord-leparivelo.

com; 47 Rue Albert Thomas;

from ` 6450).

A work of art with its stencilled

façade L’Apostrophe 11 has

16 dramatically different rooms.

You might find a ceiling shaped

like a skateboard ramp or a ‘bar

table’ that can be wheeled over

the bed (00-33-156-543-131;

http://www.apostrophe-hotel.com;

3 Rue de Chevreuse; from

` 9900 with breakfast).

Mon Hôtel 12 is a boutique

property located just west

of the Arc de Triomphe.

The rooms feature contemporary

design touches and the hotel

is one of the nicer choices near

the Champs-Élysées (00-33-

145-027-676; http://www.monhotel.fr

[email protected]; 1–5

Rue d’Argentine; from ` 10700).

Fancy a curry?

Le Maharajah features North

Indian favourites on its menu.

The eggplant lamb curry

is a specialty (00-33-143-

542-607; http://www.maharajah.fr/en;

72 Boulevard de Saint Germain;

check website for timings;

eggplant lamb curry: ` 1050).

Specialist markets Sleep

For more details log on to

lonelyplanet.com COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN WITH INPUTS FROM CATHERINE LE NEVEZ CHRISTOPHER PITTS NICOLA WILLIAMS AND LALITHA LUKE. PHOTOGRAPHS: BONKERSABOUTTRAVEL/ALAMY DAISY CORLETT/ALAMY GÜNTER GRÄFENHAIN/4CORNERS

HEMIS/ALAMY UNIVERSAL IMAGES/DE AGOSTINI/ALAMY.CURRENCY AT THE TIME OF GOING TO PRINT: € 1 =

` 75.08

and used books at this specialist

market which has been going

since 1987. Every weekend

60-odd book dealers sell

their wares in the former horse

market next to the Parc Georges

Brassens (www.gippe.org; 104 Rue

Brancion; 9am – 6pm Sat – Sun).

Choose the ‘Alphabet amoureux’

room at L’Apostrophe for zzzz...

The Marché aux Fleurs inspired

artists including JMW Turner

Visa

A short-stay tourist visa for

France takes 48 hours to process

(www.vfs-france.co.in; ` 4545

visa fee plus ` 1571 VFS service

fee + cash handling fee).

Embassy alert

Embassy of India Paris:

http://www.ambinde.fr

See Eat & drink Sleep

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