Paris: The Louvre and Western Paris

SEE Père-Lachaise Cemetery16 rue du Repos, 01/55-25-82-10 The mournfully beautiful graveyard evokes an eerie little town, with cobblestone lanes, street signs, ornate mausoleums, and towers. (One tops 66 feet.) Luminaries buried here include Édith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Delacroix, Proust, Molière, and Jim Morrison-whose grave, once a popular place to smoke pot, is now watched over by scowling attendants. Free. SEE Space Invader mosaicQuai de Jemmapes at avenue Richerand, space-invaders.comOne of the many colorful, license plate-size tile mosaics surreptitiously cemented to all kinds of buildings in Paris, as well as a handful of cities worldwide (Tokyo, Los Angeles), by French guerrilla artist Space Invader (his nom de guerre). His pixel-like mosaics, inspired by creatures in the eponymous video game, supposedly represent the electronic age, viruses, and alien paranoia. EAT Dong Huong14 rue Louis-Bonnet, 01/43-57-18-88No-frills Vietnamese on a quiet street in Belleville, one of Paris's three Chinatowns. Inexpensive and generously portioned dishes. The peanut soup wins raves for its spiciness. Closed Tues. EAT Helin58 boulevard de Ménilmontant, 01/43-49-00-43A dimly lit spot with sidewalk tables serving superb Kurdish cuisine from Turkey's Anatolia region. The menu goes heavy on liberally spiced barbecued lamb, chicken, and beef, but the most scrumptious dish is the borek, a filo roll with feta inside. EAT Restaurant Monogaga79 rue de Belleville, 01/40-03-87-46An off-the-radar Ivory Coast-style dive, with card tables and folding chairs, dusty Christmas decorations, and inexpensive West African mafés (spicy meats in peanut butter). The chatty waitress doubles as a DJ for the cubbyhole dance floor, where festive diners hip-shake to catchy Coupé-Décalé dance music. DRINK Café Charbon109 rue Oberkampf, 01/43-57-55-13Another stop on the neighborhood bar crawl. Artsy types read and write here in the afternoon, but the café/restaurant is packed by 10 p.m. with dressed-down revelers. DRINK Le Scherkhan144 rue Oberkampf, 01/43-57-29-34The perfect place to begin, or end, the night. Enjoy a beer or three (and incense) at this popular watering hole with a pleasing patina. It's strategically located in the middle of a distinguished bohemian bar-crawl street, which runs southwest from Métro Ménilmontant to rue St-Maur. PLAY Chicha Habibi Café127 rue St-Maur, 01/43-38-90-02The coolest of the Arab hookah cafés sprouting up in eastern Paris. Tunisian students, French designers, Japanese backpackers, and American expats recline on cushions, smoke velvety mint tobacco cooled in water pipes, and eat baklava, a honey-soaked Middle Eastern pastry. PLAY La Flèche d'Or102 bis rue de Bagnolet, 01/44-64-01-02, flechedor.comAn edgy club inside a gutted train station, perched over an abandoned railway, running through a rusty pocket of one of Paris's industrial belts. Grab a seat on one of the misfit pink sofas and groove to the DJ's tunes. Sunday-afternoon jazz concerts also draw crowds. From E5 for concerts, sometimes free. PLAY Nouveau Casino109 rue Oberkampf, 01/43-57-57-40, nouveaucasino.netThe acoustics for live music are excellent at the "Niou Caz," in spite of the several hundred partiers who fill the club until dawn on weekends. Pop-rock, ambient, broken-beat, house, and even punk acts. Cover from E5. ESCAPES Forest of FontainebleauOnly 50 minutes separate Paris's Gare de Lyon train station from Fontainebleau, the hallowed hunting grounds of kings. It has always been a royal getaway, unlike Versailles, which is first and foremost a showcase of French pomp and diplomacy. Sovereigns continually tweaked the château, which was significantly expanded and decorated by artists summoned from Italy during the Renaissance. The real attraction is the surrounding forest, crisscrossed with trails for excellent hiking. The legendary horse riding is affordable, but can vary from outfit to outfit. Beginners welcome. Book ahead. (Centre Equestre de Graville, 06/26-45-74-46, ferme-equestre-graville.com, E45 for a half-day; Centre Equestre Saint-Georges André Bonneau, 01/64-14-02-37, andrebonneau.com, E20 per hour.) Cathédrale Notre-Dame of ChartresFor a cathedral sans crowd, grab an hourly train to Chartres, 55 miles from the Montparnasse train station. This cathedral, possibly the world's finest example of Gothic architecture, is larger than its Parisian cousin. Chartres's mismatched towers are visible from the station. Romantics go for the roundabout approach via a footpath along the Eure River, which provides stirring views through the trees. The cathedral holds a robe (currently being restored) that is said to be worn by Mary, but pilgrims seem more interested in the cathedral's 858-foot labyrinth. The Catholic labyrinth consists of a single winding path that leads to a center symbolizing God.

SEE The Towers of Notre-Dame6 place du Parvis Notre-Dame, 01/53-10-07-02, cathedraledeparis.comA stroll into the cavernous gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame is awe-inspiring and free. But for a modest fee you can climb up the northern tower in a tight, spiraling stone staircase that provides a close encounter of the gargoyle kind, not to mention the best view of Paris the Middle Ages had to offer. E6.10. SEE Les Catacombes1 avenue Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 01/43-22-47-63Several miles of dank, underground passages are lined, thanks to cemetery overflow, with the bones of some 6 million Parisians. (The space-saving solution was abandoned in 1859.) They provide a morbid but interesting glimpse into the city's buried past. Kids especially dig the scary experience. Weekday tours are in French, or you can meander through the one-mile stretch open to unguided tourists. E5. EAT Così54 rue de Seine, 01/46-33-35-36The original Così sandwich shop that spawned the American chain. Choose from an array of mouthwatering items, led by the Salmo: oven-warmed, leavened flat bread stuffed with smoked salmon, walnut ricotta cheese, and chives. EAT Jim Haynes' Sunday Soirée83 rue de la Tombe-Issoire, atelier A-2, 01/43-27-17-67 jim-haynes.comDine with a caboodle of expat, French, and traveling socialites in the loft of this retired American writer who throws open his doors almost every Sunday night to the first 50 to 70 people who phone on Saturday. The buffet fare (which changes week to week) is so-so, but the mingling is sure to entertain-art, literature, and politics are all on the table as topics of discussion. Recommended donation: E20. EAT La Fourmi Ailée8 rue du Fouarre, 01/43-29-40-99Strands of Christmas lights, tall iron candle stands, and, on cool evenings, a roaring fireplace set the ambience in this literary café and restaurant, where customers may read books they choose off the plentiful shelves. Sit on the mezzanine (it has an attractive glass ceiling that sheds extra light on the pages) and try duck baked in a salt crust (canard en croûte de sel). EAT Le Flore en l'Ile42 quai d'Orléans, 01/43-29-88-27Ice cream made by the legendary Parisian glacier Berthillon, a family affair that's been tantalizing locals with many standard (vanilla) and more exotic (tangerine-chocolate-Grand Marnier) flavors for three generations. A bit pricey, but there's a view of Notre-Dame and the Panthéon from the parlor tables. EAT Les Délices de Verneuil42 rue de Verneuil, 01/42-61-24-12This fine take-out delicatessen sells supplies for picnics on the nearby pedestrian-only Pont des Arts bridge. Pick up sautéed garlic prawns (sold by the kilo) or thin zucchini cakes. DRINK La Palette43 rue de Seine, 01/43-26-68-15A welcome substitute to the nearby Café de Flore, the tourist-swamped former office of existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. Customers actually do write and sketch at La Palette, plus the decor is better (lots of mirrors, elegant dark woodwork), the private terrace is bigger, and the coffee is cheaper. DRINK Les Étages St-Germain5 rue de Buci, 01/46-34-26-26A stylishly ramshackle café in the heart of the capital's bar-laden "Vallée de la Soif," or Valley of Thirst, with fun miniature armchairs and Frisbee-size tables. Order the Boréal, the house specialty made with pineapple, banana, and tequila. SHOP Le Marché aux Fleurs and Le Marché aux OiseauxPlace Louis-Lépine, on Ile de la Cité This delightful daily flower market, in an elegant Baltard-style iron-and-glass pavilion, manages to perfume even the sidewalk running along the square. On Sundays, a colorful and cacophonic bird market also sets up shop. Closed Mon. SHOP Mouton à Cinq Pattes138 boulevard St-Germain, 01/43-26-49-25A good place for brand-name men's and women's clothes that are up-to-date. Expect to wait for a changing room. SHOP Tea and Tattered Pages24 rue Mayet, 01/40-65-94-35One of Paris's best-priced English-language bookshops, with more than 17,000 used books. A resident cat and intimate tearoom in the back add to the homey ambience. PLAY Caveau de la Bolée25 rue de l'Hirondelle, 01/43-54-62-20 Rowdy students cheer, sing, and crack jokes along with the comedians, magicians, and singers in this smoky cabaret packed with tiny tables and housed in a vaulted cellar. Non-French speakers may want to skip the comedy, but other shows have wide appeal. Free with drinks or dinner. PLAY Polly Maggoo3-5 rue du Petit-Pont, 01/46-33-33-64Sorbonne students play chess (Sundays at 4 p.m., just show up) and backgammon in a café named after William Klein's 1966 film Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?, a spoof on pretentious Parisian models. Don't have time for a game? Walk past for a gander at the stunning, neo-art deco blue-and-gold mosaic storefront.

SEE Bouche de Métro AbbessesThe National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., displays one of Hector Guimard's art nouveau Métro entrances, but the structures look better in their natural habitat-there are 22 still in existence. The entrance to the Abbesses Métro stop is one of the originals, identified by its glass "dragonfly" awning. SEE Moulin Radet83 rue Lepic, 01/46-06-84-77The oft-painted and now-restored wooden Moulin Radet windmill doesn't twirl for tourists, but the famous facade still cuts a mean silhouette above the restaurant Au Moulin de la Galette. Seats in the brasserie's garden provide the best view. EAT Chez Aïda48 rue Polonceau, 01/42-52-06-92A Senegalese institution in Paris's Goutte d'Or African quarter that serves yassa (grilled marinated chicken in a spicy onion sauce) and hard-to-find treats-including the heavenly jus de bouye, a juice extracted from the crushed fruit of baobab trees (known as monkey bread). EAT La Chope du Château Rouge40 rue de Clignancourt, 01/46-06-20-10"The Red Castle Tankard" sports gilded friezes, ceiling moldings, and pretzeled neon tubes in a multitude of colors that cover much of the walls. The real draws at this bar are the satisfying portions of couscous mixed with beef, lamb, or vegetables-served free on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m. EAT L'Afghani16 rue Paul-Albert, 01/42-51-08-72The most economical and authentic Afghan restaurant in Paris, where you can eat such favorites as ashak (pockets of pasta stuffed with leeks and served with beans, ground beef, and garlic yogurt) and halwa (grilled patties of flour, almonds, raisins, and honey). SPLURGE La Famille41 rue des Trois-Frères, 01/42-52-11-12Upscale dining amid sleek, minimalist decor and retro touches, such as a dented 1930s zinc bar and the late-1970s video game Vectrex, which you can play for free. A frequently changing menu can include adventuresome fare such as crème de foie gras infused with popcorn, and herbaceous chocolate cake flavored with basil. DRINK Chez Camille8 rue Ravignan, 01/46-06-05-78A cozy, wood-fitted bar awash in yellow paint. Come early to snag one of the few tables on the terrace that have sweeping vistas of Paris rooftops. On the last Wednesday of the month, a DJ spins ambient tunes. SHOP Marché aux Puces de St-OuenMétro Porte-de-Clignancourt, les-puces.comWith some 2,000 stands, this antiques flea market is reputed to be the world's largest-tables covered with everything from 19th-century microscopes and spectacles to 1950s film memorabilia sprawl across the leafy suburb. Avoid the gambling games set up on cardboard boxes; the man that keeps winning is an accomplice of the swindler. Closed Sun. PLAY Cercle Clichy Montmartre84 rue de Clichy, 01/48-78-32-85, academie-billard.comSixteen pool and billiards tables pack the front room at this stable-turned-game-hall. For a real underground feel, push the unmarked door in the back to enter a miniature, windowless casino and try your hand at card games. You can shoot, gamble, and drink until 6 a.m. Note: While the casino may feel secret, it's not seedy, and women are welcome. Be sure to bring ID as the casino is 18+ only. PLAY Ciné 13 Théâtre1 avenue Junot, 01/42-51-13-79, cine13.comThis anti-multiplex is fitted with coffee tables, couches, and a bar. No previews or commercials play before current indie and art house movie screenings. All films are shown in their original language, and many are in English. Ciné 13 also puts on plays and performances. Films from E9, plays from E19. PLAY Le Divan du Monde75 rue des Martyrs, 01/40-05-06-99, divandumonde.comA bar/performance space that was once the haunt of Toulouse-Lautrec and Baudelaire. A 50-foot-long wall of flashing screens lights up the mezzanine bar, and the hall downstairs hosts a motley program of theater, dance, movies, and poetry readings. Cover includes all performances, but no drinks. From E10. TIP Free admission to museums If you happen to be in Paris on the first Sunday of the month, most national museums and monuments have free admission-you could save E13 at the Louvre and E9 at the Musée d'Orsay.

THE LOUVRE AND WESTERN PARIS Hôtel du Champ de Mars7 rue du Champ de Mars, 01/45-51-52-30, hotel-du-champ-de-mars.comExpect a quaint, vaguely 1970s vibe and midsize rooms at this underpriced charmer in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The hotel is around the corner from rue Cler, a colorful, bustling street crammed with little shops-a plus in a district with a less-than-vibrant street life. Doubles from E79. THE LOUVRE AND WESTERN PARIS Hôtel Étoile Péreire146 boulevard Péreire, 01/42-67-60-00, etoilepereire.comDiscreetly swank, and a 15-minute stroll from the Arc de Triomphe. All 26 rooms are individually decorated to evoke a certain design era (art deco, Rm. 409) or place (India, Rm. 306). Quiet is assured: Rooms with upholstered walls open to an airy courtyard, with the exception of Rm. 101, which is soundproof but doesn't open to the outdoors. Doubles from E119. MONTMARTRE Hôtel du Commerce34 rue des Trois-Frères, 01/42-64-81-69Comfortable, sunny rooms with crisp white linens for prices that haven't kept up with the times. A nearby staircase leads up to Sacré-Coeur. Doubles from E20. MONTMARTRE L'Ermitage Hôtel24 rue Lamarck, 01/42-64-79-22, ermitagesacrecoeur.frThis compact and alluring mansion-with flowery, dollhouse-style furniture-has a low-tech credo: no TV, Internet, or credit cards. Top-floor rooms in back have city views; ground-floor rooms open onto a small garden terrace. Doubles from E88. MONTMARTRE Le Village Hostel20 rue d'Orsel, 01/42-64-22-02, villagehostel.frThe best bargain in town, and justifiably popular with the international backpacker set, who also come here for the convivial atmosphere. The colorful frescoed lobby has Internet access and serves as a meeting place for parties and a spot to plan outings. Its terrace offers views of Sacré-Coeur. Note: All bathrooms are communal. Rates include continental breakfasts. Doubles from E23 per person in low season, E27 in high. Dorm-room rates (four-six beds) start at E20. MONTPARNASSE Hôtel Ferrandi92 rue du Cherche-Midi, 01/42-22-97-40 A Left Bank jewel, just minutes by foot to the understated elegance of the St-Germain shopping district. Each room offers a different fin-de-siècle decor (canopy beds, chandeliers, and colorful, patterned wallpaper). Doubles from E130. MONTPARNASSE Hôtel Mayet3 rue Mayet, 01/47-83-21-35, mayet.comBetween rue du Cherche-Midi, a quiet street lined with antiques shops, and rue des Sèvres, the site of the famous Le Bon Marché department store. Cheery accents in the 23 ultramodern rooms include paintings and broad stripes on the walls. Aim high: Rooms on the top floor have inwardly sloping walls. Doubles from E110. NOTRE-DAME Hôtel Esmeralda4 rue St-Julien-le-Pauvre, 01/43-54-19-20A honeycomb of rooms with sloping eaves and charmingly uneven floors. There are no TVs or Internet connections, but modern conveniences would clash with the appealing rough-hewn stone walls and wood beams. Views of Notre-Dame (from the most expensive rooms only). Doubles from E65. NOTRE-DAME Shakespeare and Company37 rue de la Bûcherie, 01/43-25-40-93, shakespeareco.org This jumbled, nook-and-cranny American bookshop calls itself a "tumbleweed hotel" for literary travelers. To get a free rumpled bed or bench among the stacks, tell Sylvia Whitman, or her 91-year-old, cantankerous, living-legend father George Whitman, about the book you're reading or writing. The weekly pancake breakfasts and tea parties are free, too. SPLURGE Relais-Hôtel du Vieux Paris9 rue Gît-le-Coeur, 01/44-32-15-90, vieuxparis.comBeatniks like Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and William Burroughs slept under this St-Michel roof in the 1950s. (Ask to see the sublime photographs in the hotel's treasured copy of Harold Chapman's out-of-print book The Beat Hotel.) Rooms are small with ornate wall fabrics and exposed original beams. Doubles from E200. LIVE LIKE A LOCAL The short-term apartment rental agencies that clutter the Internet charge upwards of E100 a night (in the Marais or St-Germain, for example) and can be a good alternative to staying in a hotel. Here are three agencies that are user-friendly: parisapartmenttours.com, parisrentaparts.com, locaflat.com. You could also consider living with a Parisian for a few days. Most plan to rent a room for a few months or more, but many are happy to let their room for a few days while waiting to find the right longer-term flatmate. E20-E30 per night. Find listings at coloc.fr, expatriates.com, fusac.fr, and paris.craigslist.com.