It's the Paris version of the "staycation": Marc des Bouillons lounged in a beach chair with a book, surrounded by women in bikinis, ice cream stands, a DJ spinning summer tunes and kids running amok.
Paris may be the most visited city in the world, yet it's also one of the most expensive.
Paris Plage turns two miles of the Seine into a white sand beach every year, but not all Parisians are celebrating
Faced with too many visitors, the city of Paris asked its citizens to open their homes as B&Bs. It doesn't get more authentique than that.
• A little rain won't stop the sightseeing! An umbrella-toting Owen Wilson, strolling through Paris' Jardin des Tuileries in a straw hat, white suit and sky blue shirt. The actor escaped the wet weather after a bit, slipping into the gardens' Jeu de Paume art gallery where he perused the Richard Avedon photography exhibition. The actor then took off in – no, not a private car! – the city's Metro.
In a city famous for being the birthplace of the avant-garde, it can be hard to keep up with the latest trends. Here's a rough guide to what's hot right now in the French capital.
As I dodge Parisians walking their poodles and pushing baby strollers in a vibrant market street, I'm reminded that one of the reasons Paris is endlessly entertaining is because of its neighborhoods. On streets such as rue des Martyrs, real people make cozy communities in the midst of this vast, high-powered city. You find a warm and human vibrancy you miss when just hopping from big museum to museum.
PARIS -- "Last American in Paris" could be the title of a summer blockbuster movie. The star? Robby Ginepri, the sole American survivor in both the men's and women's singles events at the 2008 French Open. Ginepri would have been an unlikely candidate for this particular casting after entering this year's French Open with a career 0-5 mark at Roland Garros.
Meg, 33, has lived in Paris for about three and a half years, where she works as a health policy researcher. Originally from Kansas in America's Midwest, she moved to the city for love. While her relationship didn't last, her affair with Paris did. Her blog, Le Blagueur à Paris, covers the city's culture and food. She also writes for travel blog Gridskipper.
Just like those petite waifs that glide effortlessly down the Rue de Rivoli, seen at first-hand the beauty of Paris can be breathtaking.
It's the Paris version of the "staycation": Marc des Bouillons lounged in a beach chair with a book, surrounded by women in bikinis, ice cream stands, a DJ spinning summer tunes and kids running amok.
Paris may be the most visited city in the world, yet it's also one of the most expensive.
Paris Plage turns two miles of the Seine into a white sand beach every year, but not all Parisians are celebrating
Faced with too many visitors, the city of Paris asked its citizens to open their homes as B&Bs. It doesn't get more authentique than that.
• A little rain won't stop the sightseeing! An umbrella-toting Owen Wilson, strolling through Paris' Jardin des Tuileries in a straw hat, white suit and sky blue shirt. The actor escaped the wet weather after a bit, slipping into the gardens' Jeu de Paume art gallery where he perused the Richard Avedon photography exhibition. The actor then took off in – no, not a private car! – the city's Metro.
In a city famous for being the birthplace of the avant-garde, it can be hard to keep up with the latest trends. Here's a rough guide to what's hot right now in the French capital.
As I dodge Parisians walking their poodles and pushing baby strollers in a vibrant market street, I'm reminded that one of the reasons Paris is endlessly entertaining is because of its neighborhoods. On streets such as rue des Martyrs, real people make cozy communities in the midst of this vast, high-powered city. You find a warm and human vibrancy you miss when just hopping from big museum to museum.
PARIS -- "Last American in Paris" could be the title of a summer blockbuster movie. The star? Robby Ginepri, the sole American survivor in both the men's and women's singles events at the 2008 French Open. Ginepri would have been an unlikely candidate for this particular casting after entering this year's French Open with a career 0-5 mark at Roland Garros.
Meg, 33, has lived in Paris for about three and a half years, where she works as a health policy researcher. Originally from Kansas in America's Midwest, she moved to the city for love. While her relationship didn't last, her affair with Paris did. Her blog, Le Blagueur à Paris, covers the city's culture and food. She also writes for travel blog Gridskipper.
Just like those petite waifs that glide effortlessly down the Rue de Rivoli, seen at first-hand the beauty of Paris can be breathtaking.
When the day is done, the vibrant Marais boasts more than its fair share of drinking, dining and people-watching opportunities. Kick-start the evening with an aperitif or two at one of the tiny bars along Rue Vieille du Temple, such as the '50s-inspired Pick-clops, La Belle Hortense or Le Petit Fer a Cheval. Measure your coolness quotient at the Moroccan-inspired Andy Wahloo (Rue des Gravilliers) or jostle for space at La Perle (Rue de la Perle).
Paris is a city made for strolling. When you arrive, follow the route from the Hotel de Ville to the Arc du Triomphe, through the Louvre, the Tuileries and up the Champs Elysees to gain an idea of how the city links together. If you've got lots of energy, keep going from the Arc du Triomphe to La Defense and the leafy neighborhoods of Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Gourmets may sigh with delight at the thought of dining in Paris, but many visitors wonder what the fuss is all about.
Sephora is much more than just a make-up shop: It's a shrine to the healing powers of beauty products, complete with friendly assistants who can't wait to work their magic on you.
No matter when you go, Paris has that certain 'je ne sais quoi' that makes it special. But time your visit right and you could find yourself taking part in one of the city's signature events.
Au revoir, O.C.! Barton chats to PEOPLE about her new life in France
An American Airlines plane flew from Dallas, Texas, to Paris, France, even though a "large panel" fell off the underside as the flight took off, the airline said in a memo to pilots.
Organizers of the Cannes Film Festival say Clint Eastwood's Changeling and Wim Wenders' Palermo Shooting will lead this year's streamlined competition
A Parisian exhibit of photos from the Nazi occupation draws heated debate. Is it art or propaganda?
The last part of the Olympic torch relay in Paris was canceled Monday after a day of chaos in which anti-China protesters forced authorities to extinguish the flame at least five times, take to a bus and skip some scheduled stops, including city hall.
Security officials extinguished the Olympic torch for a second time amid heavy protests during the torch relay
You might have 40,000 songs on your MP3 player, but in one sense they're all rather boring: They sound the same every time you play them.
A massive operation against suspected leaders of last year's riots is itself criticized as being suspicously opportunisitic. But for whose benefit?
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to announce a $1.46 billion (€1 billion) plan on Friday designed to revitalize suburbs of Paris plagued by low-income and high-unemployment.
French officials are trying to determine who sent a parcel bomb that exploded Thursday in a Paris law office, killing a female assistant who opened the package.
What little is known about the blast that claimed the life of a secretary seems to rule out the kinds of suspects that first come to mind
A parcel bomb exploded at a lawyer's office in central Paris on Thursday, killing one person and seriously injuring another
French suburbs stayed relatively calm Wednesday night after 1,000 riot police were deployed to quell disturbances that began when two teenagers died in a collision with a police car, French officials said.
The Paris suburbs were again rocked by riots after a second night of lawlessness Monday caused widespread destruction and left scores of police injured, according to French authorities and media reports.
Club-wielding police fought stone-throwing rioters in the northern suburbs of Paris for a second night Monday, with at least five officers suffering injuries during the clashes, authorities said.
Youths assaulted a police station, torched cars and vandalized stores in a weekend rampage that injured 21 police officers in this rundown Paris suburb
Moving around France just got a whole lot easier. But amid relief over union decisions to suspend the nine-day transport strike is whether the return to normal will last
A 24-hour walkout by French civil servants has coincided with the seventh straight day of crippling strikes by transit workers, putting further pressure on the French government to negotiate an end to the weeklong walkout.
Only a week after his mother's death, Kanye West returned to the concert stage Saturday night in Paris, only to dramatically break down in tears, audience members tell PEOPLE.
More trains were running and there were fewer traffic jams Thursday after the French government proposed negotiating with transport unions striking over pension reforms.
The sensation of speed is as muted as the Christian Lacroix interiors of the first-class carriages. Passengers stroll the corridors without lurching from side to side. Drinks at the bar are neither shaken nor stirred by the train's acceleration. Only the green rush of the Champagne countryside whooshing by at 200 mph vouches for the velocity of France's newest and fastest TGV, as it hurtles along the track from Paris to Strasbourg.
Commuters in Paris have braved severe traffic jams as transport workers in the city continued a second day of strikes against planned pension reforms by President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Widespread strikes are expected to cripple France's transport network just as rugby fans make their way to Paris for this weekend's World Cup final.
Art is on the plate at five top spots where the views are as fine as the food, and you can keep the security guards up late.
In years to come, Suri Cruise's first-ever Paris visit will be remembered as an introductory mix of rainy weather shopping, snacks, Mom's ruined pair of heels and a "strategic" museum nap.
Julie Delpy's 2 Days in Paris paints a darker picture of the City of Light
The haute couture is no longer just about handmade clothing that costs upwards of $20,000 a piece. Nowadays, with the $217 billion luxury market growing at 10% a year and millionaires being minted every minute in emerging markets like China and Russia, Paris's Place Vendome has become a veritable shopping mall for the big spenders who are in town for the shows this week. Fine jewelers like Van Cleef & Arpels, Chanel, and Boucheron are seizing the high luxury moment, showing collections of unique often over-the-top pieces.The venerable French jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels opened their doors Wednesday to present their newest fine jewelry collection, Atlantide. Many of the pieces were just models since most of the collection is still in production up in the ateliers. If all goes according to plan, the Atlantide collection will travel from Paris to Hong Kong in the fall and land in New York City just in time for the holidays. Based on the mythic stories of Neptune and his queen, Cleita, the Van C
With friends and family arriving in Paris for their wedding on Saturday, Tony Parker swept Eva Longoria off for a surprise Fourth of July visit to one of the world's most romantic sites.
Paris Hilton got a visit from actress Ashley Scott (TV's Jericho) on Sunday night - her final visit before she leaves jail Tuesday.
Tough as it may be, Paris Hilton has gotten into the routine of being in jail, say her parents.
Add another famous name to the list of people offering good will to Paris Hilton and her family: The Duchess of York.
Paris Hilton made a special gift for her visiting dad Sunday - a Father's Day card.
French police Tuesday surrounded a bank in a Paris suburb where two gunmen are believed to be holding six people hostage, police said.
Kathy Hilton and daughter Nicky are still reeling from their visits to Paris in jail, they tell PEOPLE.
With the June 5 deadline for Paris Hilton to turn herself in to jail looming, her younger sister Nicky is speaking out.
The following is a log of news stories from the 2007 French Open at Roland Garros:
A stateside Baguette as we wait out the rain in Paris...
When it comes to iconic baguettes, flaky croissants and melt-in-your-mouth pains au chocolat, the French capital delivers.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Oklahoma center Courtney Paris came awfully close to seeing her long-running streak of double-doubles come to an end. She didn't notice. Paris was more worried about watching her season come to a close. With their super sophomore having a rough time in the paint, though, the Sooners found another way to hold off a gutsy Southeast Missouri State team for a 74-60 win in the opening round of the NCAA tournament at the Erwin Center.
We got off the plane in Milano, jumped into a rented car, fought the traffic and lack of sleep, finally getting on the Auto Strada north to the little town of Termeno, also known as Tramin (names in the Alto Adige in Italy's north usually are in two languages, Italian and German, sometimes three ... Ladinisch being the third). The destination was the wine firm of J.Hofstatter.
Rising room rates and the ease of browsing for short-term apartments on the Internet have made this urban vacation alternative increasingly popular. T+L guides you through the pluses and pitfalls of renting a pied-à-terre
An employee at the Canadian Embassy in Paris experienced a nosebleed and fell ill shortly after opening a letter on Monday, triggering fears that the letter was toxic and prompting authorities to temporarily shut down the embassy and adjacent street, a Paris police spokesman told CNN.
On the night of Oct. 31, 2002, Lionel Poilâne, France's most famous breadmaker, took the controls of his Augusta eight-seat helicopter and headed off to Brittany. The 57-year-old was in the process...
PARIS -- David Beckham coming to MLS hasn't gotten plenty of publicity, but he won't save the league. Let me explain.
Just an hour by train from Paris, the former capital of Flanders marries Gallic traditions with the 21st-century design sensibility of its Low Country neighbors.
Believe it or not, the humble baguette was headed for extinction not long ago. In the 1960s, boulangeries scrapped old-style methods in favor of industrialized baking, and the bread lost its flavor.
Do you have an inside tip on the French capital? Send us your ideas and suggestions below.
The Scene caught up with Stephane Pompougnac in Paris to talk clubbing, culture and cuisine...
It would be easy to sum Paris up as the city of three R's: Romance, rudeness and revolutions.
It would be easy to sum Paris up as the city of three R's: Romance, rudeness and revolutions. For the casual visitor, any day in the French capital is dotted with familiar vignettes of Parisian life: waiters attempting to out-do one another in their insouciant indifference to their customers, miniature dogs with less fur on their backs than the women walking them, students in Latin Quarter cafes smoking Gitanes and reading Sartre or Foucault. Perhaps it's no wonder that so many Parisians have an inflated sense of their own importance. Arguably no other city in the world has been the subject of so many lettres d'amour by artists and authors. Of course, as in other post-imperial capitals, these days the real city exists beyond the belle epoque architecture amid the distinctive and colourful ethnic sub-cultures of the arrondissements. Perhaps the most vibrant areas of Paris are those which aren't even French at all -- neighborhoods that are North African, Chinese, Brazilian or Lebanese in appearance, taste a
A rider on this year's Tour de France failed a dope test during the race, the International Cycling Union (UCI) has announced.
Swiss intelligence services foiled a terrorist plot to shoot down an Israeli plane over Geneva, the Federal Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.
Paris was spurned in its bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, but you wouldn't know it amid the bustle of construction along the Seine. This spring, the city is positively abloom with museum openings and renovated architectural treasures.
Anyone have a case of deja vu? Just last November, French youth torched tens of thousands of cars in a rage against a government that has presided over a 20% youth unemployment rate for years. Now ...
In "The Authentic Bistros of Paris," writer François Thomazeau and photographer Sylvain Ageorges celebrate 51 quintessential Parisian bistros (littlebookroom.com, $17). Thomazeau filled us in on what's not in the book: how to be treated like un pilier (a pillar, or a regular).
More than a million protesters took to the streets of France on Tuesday hoping to kill a new labor law that will allow employers to more easily hire and fire young, first-time workers.
The pressure was on the French government Wednesday after massive protests against a new law that will make it easier to fire young people.
Protesters demonstrating against a new French labor law damaged cars and sparred with police Thursday in central Paris.
The Scene meets English actress and singer Jane Birkin in Paris to discuss her new album, falling in love with Serge Gainsbourg and the most infamous duet in pop history and why Parisians have such a reputation for rudeness.
One person was killed when a car exploded in northern Paris, according to reports. French police said the blast was apparently caused by a bomb, The Associated Press said.
Coach Andy Robinson has reacted to England's humiliation in Paris by making seven changes for the final Six Nations game against Ireland on Saturday.
The Scene returned to Paris to meet lounge guru and DJ to the A-list, Stephane Pompougnac. Do you have a favorite hangout in the French capital? What's your favorite Stephane Pompougnac compilation, Jane Birkin song or Vincent Cassel film? Send us your suggestions and ideas and read your comments below.
Monday 2100 ...
Check out The Scene's recommendations for the French capital and send us your own ideas and suggestions below.
London's winning bid for the 2012 Olympics could have been helped by an IOC member pressing the wrong button during the voting, according to a BBC report.
taker to keep an eye on things when you're not there, but that requires hiring a local caretaker, which isn't easy. And if something does go wrong, such as a burst pipe, it's now your problem to find le plombier in Paris--even if it's 4 a.m. and you're in bed--in Chicago. Even if you're not so far away, having paid for your getaway, you're now obligated to spend every vacation there. Time-shares used to be one option, if you wanted a week in Myrtle Beach, but there's now a new way to own your dream: fractional-ownership plans and destination clubs. Both give you the space and seclusion of a private home without the responsibilities of actually owning one. Maintenance and upkeep are taken care of by the management company. All you have to do is show up. Read on to find out how, in some cases, the sweetest home can be someone else's. ...
Residents from dozens of riot-torn suburbs are planning a peace march in Paris to call for an end to more than two weeks of unrest across France.
Riots that exploded from the suburbs of Paris and spread across France have prompted a flurry of warnings over the safety of travel to one of Europe's busiest business destinations.
Protesters in France expanded their arson rampage into the capital city of Paris and along Mediterranean resort communities as the nation's Interior Ministry predicted the violence would grow by daybreak Sunday.
Rioting erupted for an eighth straight night in the impoverished suburbs of Paris, with angry youths setting fire to a school, a bus depot, three warehouses and hundreds of vehicles.
Paris was hit by an eighth night of unrest Thursday with youths setting fire to cars despite the presence of more than 1,000 riot police on the streets.
For five nights in a row, police battled stone-throwing youths in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois. And in recent nights, the violence has spread to other suburbs.
France's prime minister has cancelled a trip to Canada in order to tackle spreading violence in poor Paris suburbs and soothe a public row between his ministers over the government's response.
You've always dreamed of owning an apartment in Paris or a house in Aspen. Then reality sets in: Taking care of a home that's thousands of miles away is no small thing. You could hire a local caret...
Seven people were killed, including four children, when a fire ripped through a rundown Paris apartment building housing African immigrants, officials said Tuesday.
A massive fire has swept through a seven-story Paris apartment building early Friday, killing 17 people and injuring as many as 30 others, authorities say.
Investigators are searching for the cause of a massive blaze that swept through a seven-story Paris apartment building housing many west African immigrants, killing at least 17 people and injuring 30 others.
When the International Olympic Committee met in Singapore to decide which city would win the 2012 Olympics, the odds favored front-runner Paris.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge opened their four day annual session in Singapore on Tuesday, telling delegates they had a tough decision to make between the five cities competing for the 2012 Olympics.
Organizers of Paris 2012 say they are showing what they call "French fervor," an enthusiasm they hope will give the city the edge not always evident in the past in its bid for the Olympic Games.
The five cities wanting to host the 2012 Olympics are highlighting how they will not make the financial mistakes of previous hosts -- the cost overruns, the under used venues, the budget deficits.
The International Olympic Committee appears to give Paris and London a slight edge in the race to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
If you're on the lookout for antiques, the chances are that someone somewhere is selling what you're after at the Marche aux Puces at Porte de Clignancourt on the outskirts of Paris.
The 2006 Champions League final will be held at the Stade de France in Paris, European football's governing body, UEFA, said on Tuesday.
A fire that swept through a central Paris hotel early Friday killed 20 people -- including 10 children -- and injured more than 50 others.
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed | Top Searches |
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed | Top Searches |
Photos
Video
