Paris
Merci et plus

Temple of Art:
Musée national Picasso

The museum is located in the grand 17th-century Hôtel Salé, which is worth a visit in itself. It houses an unrivaled collection of sketches, paintings, sculptures and personal documents that chronicle Picasso’s creativity and artistic life. Additionally: some 150 works from Picasso’s private collection including works by Matisse and Cézanne.
museepicassoparis.fr
Photo: Fabien Campoverde

Great tacos:
Candelaria

The Mexican cuisine at this tiny, unpretentious taqueria is considered particularly authentic. Delicious tacos, frijoles and tostadas are prepared in plain sight in the open mini-kitchen. This is where connoisseurs of the scene get a solid base in their stomachs before heading out an unmarked back door to a dimly lit cocktail bar for some excellent margaritas. 52 Rue de Saintonge, Tel. +33 1 42 74 41 28

Vintage Chic: Grand Café Tortoni

Victoire de Taillac and her husband Ramdane Touhami first founded the great skincare line Buly, then in 2016 opened the matching store and café in a former 19th-century foundry. If you don’t want to buy anything, sit at the long wooden counter and have a chocolate madeleine or an onigiri from the in-house Japanese bakery to go with your café crème. 45 rue de Saintonge,
Tel. +33 1 42 72 28 92

Above the Bakehouse: Hotel du Petit Moulin

Christian Lacroix has transformed the space of a 17th-century building into a hotel as luxurious as it is inventive with intriguing details. The reception is in a former bakery with an originally preserved glass facade. The 17 rooms feature wildly patterned wallpaper, real and faux furs, ’60s furnishings, Venetian mirrors, and fashion sketches by the master.
hotelpetitmoulinparis.com

Minimal Chic: The Broken Arm

Arguably the city’s trendiest concept store resides on two floors in the rather quiet Square du Temple. The latest models from selected brands such as Balenciaga, Vetements, Marni, Isaac Reina and Raf Simons hang on minimalist clothing racks. There are also rare Nike sneakers and Prada slingbacks. The store also includes a cool café with delicious daily specials.
the-broken-arm.com
Foto: François Coquerel

Land of milk and honey: La Maison Plisson

After a successful fashion career, Delphine Plisson fulfilled a dream in 2015: 500 square meters of delicatessen. The team of buyers scours all of France for the best products, whether it’s olive oil from Corsica, goat cheese from the Pyrenees or fruit from local farmers. For those who get abruptly hungry here, there’s a nice terrace restaurant.
lamaisonplisson.com
Photo: Romain Ricard

The enchanting Marché des Enfants-Rouges has been around since 1615, making it the oldest market in Paris. Yet there’s nothing old-fashioned about it – quite the opposite. You can shop here at fruit and vegetable stands, fish and cheese vendors, but in between, mini-restaurants have established themselves, which are heavily mobbed, especially at lunchtime, offering oysters, couscous, Japanese bento boxes, vegetarian dishes or farmer’s burgers. 39 Rue de Bretagne

HaMa: an old district.

In the late 14th century, King Charles V and his court settled in the “upper” Marais, and the French nobility built magnificent limestone palaces here, such as the Hôtel Salé (17th century), which houses the Picasso Museum, and the Hôtel Carnavalet (16th century), which houses the Museum of Urban History. It is said that Victor Hugo bought his baguette in the bakery that now serves as the lobby of the Hotel du Petit Moulin, and a plaque in front of the Grand Café Tortoni indicates that this was the site of the foundry where Rodin’s Thinker was created.

Victoire de Taillac,
owner of Buly and Grand Café Tortoni

My husband and I looked for a long time in this part of the Marais for suitable premises for our store and café. We liked the neighborhood because it is lively and Parisian. There are many small stores and artisan businesses and new ones are constantly being added. We ourselves are a good example – an electrician used to work in these rooms, and when he retired, we moved in. That’s exactly how many young businesses have come to the neighborhood; you can discover something new here every day. Others, on the other hand, are very old. The Marché des Enfants Rouges, for example, where I shop or have lunch every day – most often at Le Stand, whose owner Tatiana prepares delicious vegetarian dishes. With my husband, I often go to his favorite restaurant, the new Bagnard Saintonge yonisaada.com, where they serve delicious Mediterranean dishes like hummus, Greek salad or southern French pan bagnat. Diagonally across the street is Café de la Poste (124 Rue de Turenne), which I prefer to the terraces on Rue de Bretagne. In the evening, I like to have a frozen margarita at Candelaria’s bar (52 Rue de Saintonge, tel. +33 1 42 74 41 28), just across the street from our store.

If I want to treat myself or someone else to a gift, the bookstore Comme un roman comme-un-roman.com and the chocolaterie Jean-Paul Hévin jeanpaulhevin.com are excellent addresses. I also recently discovered an original boutique, Marilyn Feltz marilynfeltz.com. This is a small Parisian production, very feminine, slightly glamorous but unusual, unique and not a bit traditional. A few houses down is a fun, tiny little store: Caractère de Cochon (42 Rue Charlot), where an equally tiny man sells what must be the best ham sandwiches in town.