France Vacations
DMUSEE PICASSO. This museum traces Picasso’s life and work chronologically, all the way from Paris to the Riviera, from blue to pink, from first mistress to last. (5, r. de Thorigny; see 320.)
PLACE DES VOSGES. The exquisite manicured grass of Paris’s oldest public square has been tread by the likes of Moliere and Victor Hugo (no. 6 is a museum of his life and work), not to mention a good number of royals. An arcade runs around all four of its sides and houses restaurants, art galleries, and shops. (See 316.)
EGLISE ST-PAUL-ST-LOU IS. This Jesuit cathedral dominates r. St-Antoine and offers the weary traveler a break from the heat and car exhaust on the rue. The church’s Baroque interior houses Eugene Delacroix’s dramatic Christ in the Garden of Olives (1826).
RUE DES ROSIERS. This quintessential Marais street is filled with bakeries, off-beat boutiques, and kosher restaurants. For lunch, enjoy a delicious falafel sandwich at the perpetually crowded L’As du Falafel. no. 34. (See 305.)
MARIAGE FRERES. This classic and classy salon de the has 500 varieties of tea to choose from. (30, r. du Bourg-Tibourg; see 308.)
SAMARITAINE. Eleven floors of shopping for him, her, and home are topped off with an unbeatable panoramic view of the city. Markers name every dot on the horizon, making this Art Deco department store worth a visit, even if shopping isn’t on the agenda. (67, r. de Rivoli; see 326.)
PONT NEUF. By way of the very long, very straight, rue de Rivoli and the scenic quai du Louvre, make your way to the Pont Neuf, Paris’s oldest bridge (c. 1607). Its gargoyles have seen peddlers and pickpockets, and a whole lot of bubble wrap.
Wander down the charming 17th-century-esque main street of the ile St-Louis, popping into a chic boutique or two and stopping for a scoop of Berthillon ice cream (no. 34) or gelato at Amarlno (no. 47). (See 312.)
