Paris: Parc Monceau & The Grand Boulevards
 

Drafted this one up so I could print it out on a couple of sheets and avoid stumbling along with my nose in a book and my eyes straining with fine print to grasp the right directions.

Would appreciate your comments on the places mentioned (as well as others you know about) and also good stops to eat and drink along the way.

Started it at Parc Monceau and included Musee Jacquemart-Andre and Nissim de Camondo since I?ve seen such good comments about them on this board.

Paris: Parc Monceau & The Grand Boulevards

Primary Sources: Fodor?s Paris 2004, Paris Blue Guide/City Guide, Cadogan Paris Guide


START: Metro Monceau (8E)

PARC MONCEAU. One of the prettiest parks in Paris and not far from the Arc de Triomphe and the top of the Champs-Élysées. It has carefully manicured gardens, pleasing paths, small ponds and streams, and lots of pleasing sculptures - popular with young parents and affluent joggers. Many statues there, in particular in homage to Guy of Maupassant, Frederic Chopin... remarkable trees 130 to 140 years old, as well as private mansions.

PAST THE SCULPTED BUSTS, HEAD LEFT TO AVE VELASQUEZ WHICH IS DOTTED WITH SPECTACULAR GATES & MANSIONS
ALTERNATIVE: Visit: St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Russian Orthodox church of Paris). 12 rue Daru, Paris, France. Erected in Russian Neo-Byzantine Style in 1860. Inside decorated with Frescoes, Gilding and Icons. Visited, in the past, by Tsar Nicolas II. Paris was famous for its Russian inhabitants.
CONTINUE TO BD MALESHERBES AND TURN RIGHT AND THEN RIGHT AGAIN ONTO RUE DE MONCEAU TO REACH

MUSEE NISSIM DE CAMONDO. 63 rue Monceau, Paris (8). Mo: Villiers, Monceau. Bus: 84, 94. Fine examples of 18th Century aristocratic life. Closed Mon and Tue.10:00 to 1700. 01 53 89 06 40. Museum & Monument Card. Nearby: Parc Monceau, St. Alexander Nevsky Russion Church.

CONTINUE DOWN RUE DE MONCEAU AND TURN LEFT AT RUE DE COURCELLES, THEN LEFT AGAIN ON BD HAUSSMANN

MUSEE JACQUEMART-ANDRE. 158 bd Haussmann. Metro: St-Philippe-du-Roule . Grand dwelling, built between around 1875, found fame when used as Gaston Lachaille's mansion in the 1958 musical Gigi. Art from the Italian Renaissance and 18C France compete for attention here. Salons are in the "Louis XVI-Empress" style and hung with great paintings, including Uccello's Saint George Slaying the Dragon and Rembrandt's Pilgrims of Emmaus. EUR7.5. Daily 10-6.

NOTE: Great place for Sunday brunch. Call ahead for reservations.

CONTINUE EASTWARD TO CROSS THE SQUARE IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH OF ST-AUGUSTIN. STAY ON HAUSSMANN, THEN TURN RIGHT DOWN RUE D?ANJOU TO ENTER THE LEAFY, INTIMATE SQUARE OF LOIUS XVI WITH ITS

CHAPELLE EXPIATOIRE. 29 rue Pasquier. Metro: St-Augustin. Dedicated to the memory of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. It is located on the site of a cemetery where 3000 victims of the Revolution are buried. Thur-Sat. 1300 to 1700. Metro: St. Augustin.

NOTE: be sure to look at the amusing stone carvings on the gleaming 1930?s style façade of the bank at the corner of
Rue Pasquier and rue Mathurins.

300 YARDS DOWN HAUSSMANN IS

AU PRINTEMPS. 64 bd. Haussmann. Metro: Havre Caumartin. Zoom to the 9th-floor terrace restaurant and take in the art nouveau cupola and a splendid view of the Paris skyline.

GALLERY LAFAYETTE. 40 Boulevard Haussmann. Metro: Chaussee d?Antin. Open 9.30am-7.30pm Mon-Wed, Fri, Sat; 9.30am-9pm Thur . This turn-of-the-20th Century department store has a vast, glittering Belle Epoque glass dome viewed only from inside. There are fashion shows every Tuesday at 11am and also on Fridays in the high season. On the first floor, Lafayette Gourmet offers plenty of places to snack and the second biggest wine cellar in Paris.

OPERA GARNER. Lavish monument to the grandiose period of the Second Empire and built 1861-75. Haunt of the "Phantom of the Opera" and the setting for Degas's famous ballet paintings, the Garnier is still the most opulent theater in the world. You can see the theater and lobby, without going to a performance: A bookstore and library is in the lobby. Pay an entrance fee and stroll around at leisure, view the foyer, and peek into the auditorium. The stage is the largest in the world - more than 11,000 square yards, with room for up to 450 performers. Marc Chagall painted the glorious ceiling in 1964. COST: EUR4.60. Daily 10-5. Guided tours in English at 3 PM? Métro: Opéra.

Note: Check for honey bees on the roof. Le Grand Cafe is nearby and a good place for lunch.
MUSEE FRAGONARD. 39 bd. des Capucines. Metro: Opera. Museum of the History of Perfume. Mon-Sat: 0930 to 1700. Free. In a 19th-century theater on one of Paris's busiest thoroughfares. As you enter the lobby through a courtyard, the lightly scented air will remind you why you're there--to appreciate perfume enough to buy a bottle in the ground-floor shop. But first, a short visit upstairs. The copper containers with spouts and tubes were used in the distillation of perfume oils, and the exquisite collection of perfume bottles from the 17C to the 20C is impressive. Even if perfume bores you, the air-conditioning is a welcome relief in summer, and the restrooms are spotless and free.
PARIS STORY. 11 rue Scribe. Plays every hour on the hour.

HOTEL DROUOT. 9 rue Drouot. 11 to 1200 and 1400 to 1800. Central Auction House 16 sales rooms make for great browsing and there is no obligation to bid..
PASSAGE JOUFFROY (1846). 10-12 Boulevard Montmartre, 9 Rue de la Grange-Batelière, 9th..Full of shops selling toys, antique canes, Oriental furnishings, and cinema books and posters. Across the Boulevard from the Panoramas, the Passage Jouffroy is quieter and prettier. It has a hotel (Hotel Chopin) and a wax museum, Musee Grevin. Don?t miss the unique shop named for its owner, Thomas Boog, an artist who works with seashells. His extraordinary creations range from lamp stands and jewelry to entire rooms and grottos.
CROSS RUE DE LA GRANGE BATELIERE AND ENTER THE
PASSAGE VERDEAU. Verdeau, which continues the Jouffroy, is a haven for collectors, with antiques, classic film posters and vintage postcards. A perfect spot to stop for lunch or an afternoon coffee is Le Verdeau, a colorful salon de thé. Relax at a table in the passage, let the lovely light filter down on you, and enjoy the feeling of sitting on an outdoor terrace watching the world go by.

degas, thanks again. I'll give this one a try on the next trip.

Do you think its too much walking to combine it with the Passages?

Hi Degas,

I suggest that you save the Jacquemart-Andre' and Parc Monceau for a Sunday. Have the brunch, tour the museum, visit the Parc, wander the neighborhood (sniff the aroma of money), see the Russian Church (open, I think, from 3 -5).

Maybe you can get a job with Fodors pretty soon!

Actually, I think the Musee Jacquemart Andre and area is good for Monday or Tuesday when many other museums are closed.

This walk really covers a lot of territory, and I could recommend a small bistro a little north of Garnier, but that's around the Trinite square area. that is actually a nice area to be included on a walk, if you want to be comprehensive. Aside from the church and square itself, one of Chopin's most wellknown residences is near there. He moved around a lot in Paris, but was at Square d'Orleans a while, along with Georges Sand. there is a placque on that building. YOu'd walk up from G. Lafayette to Ste Trinite church and then goes east on rue St Lazare or so. Stop in at sq d'Orleans for Chopin's house, then continue east to see Notre Dame de Lorette. This is an interesting church, 19th cen -- tall Greek columns in front, but a narrow building. This church means Our Lady of the Mistresses if I understand that argot correctly--because there were a lot of kept women in that area. This whole area has a long history during the Romantic period, a lot of artists and intellectuals lived there and you know about if you've seen some of Monet's works in that area or have read some of Zola. The church has a pretty ceiling and organ, maybe your books have some info on it.

Then you could go down to the passages, as an alternative. Around those grands boulevards, there are also famous landmarks relating to entertainment-- such as the Olympia Music Hall theater just SE of Garnier, and also the Theater Edward VII-Guitry. Sidney Bechet used to perform there a lot, as well as at Olympia, as did some other American expat musicians.

Be sure to stop in and see the historic Art Deco Grand Rex theater in this area at 1 bd Poissonniere
http://www.legrandrex.com/
They still show films there.

that's all I can think of right now

oops, I forgot the bistro that starting my rambling...
Bistro des Deux Theatres at 18, rue Blanche. Good 31 euro prix fixe menu for dinner which includes everything (all courses plus wine and dessert).

hansikday, thanks - happy to do it.

Regarding your question, you could combine both walks, but it would be super long and the last portion might not be much fun. You might think about combining portions of both walks. For example, do the passages walk and then go down the Boulevard to the big department stores and stop without going all the way out to the PARC. Or do that same thing in reverse. Are you confused now?

ira, good idea. Now let's see if I can be there on sunday and not have it an arrival or departure day!

Christina, thanks for your detailed feedback. I'll add those places for sure.

Musee Jacquemart-Andre is wonderful - you'll love it. It is not on the museum pass, so if you are using a pass go to this museum on one of your "non pass" days. After buying your ticket in the boutique, go around the building to the main entrance. Here you can pick up your audio guide, it is included in the price of admission and it is a wonderful way to learn about Edouard Andre and his wife Nelie Jacquemart. This "Hotel" was their residence, and had the resources to fill the mansion with a suburb collection of Italian, French, British and Flemish paintings; and the furniture, tapestries and accessories are also works of art; what you are seeing are their possession, not a collection of art amassed by a organization etc., which make it a very intimate museum. Try not to miss it, it is amazing.

Margie, thanks for the info. You and ira have sold me on this grand place. Top priority for my next trip.

Ira, I'm a little curious why you say to save the Parc Monceau for a Sunday. I've been there on a Sunday and also on a weekday morning. It was absolutely jammed with people on Sunday, but very pleasant and quiet on the weekday, except for quite a few nannies with their charges.

But in either case, it is a delightful place, and an interesting neighborhood to wander. I used an Insights Guide for the park and surrounding area. It had us popping in and out of several of the gates and explained a lot of specific buildings bordering the park.

At the Nissim de Camondo, make sure you go to the top floor and spend some time reading the story of the Camondo family and its tragic end. That was more moving to me than the exhibits themselves. FYI, The NdC museum was a favorite of Barbara Bush. On her visit, she took a look around and said, "isn't this the darndest place you ever saw?"

Shopping note: The large department stores here give a card good for a flat 10-percent discount to foreign shoppers who visit their welcome desks and show a passport. That discount, plus the 12 percent V.A.T. rebate for purchases over $175, means that it is possible to buy just about anything in the stores for nearly a quarter less than the marked price.

Patrick asks
>Ira, I'm a little curious why you say to save the Parc Monceau for a Sunday. I've been there on a Sunday and also on a weekday morning. It was absolutely jammed with people on Sunday, ....<

Oh dear. When did you go? In April, 2001 it was very quiet and pleasant on Sunday.

I also suggested it for Sunday as a nice way to walk off the Sunday Brunch from the Jacqumar-Andre.

Degas, you perform a real service for other travelers. This is very useful. Do be careful re: opening time on the Alexander Nevsky cathedral. If walkers want to see the interior I believe it's only open twice a week, possibly on Sunday and Friday and only for a couple of hours each time. Eyewitness Guide has correct info on opening hours. Unfortunately I don't have mine with me right now to be able to provide the info. I did a day by day walking tour for a friend who took a group of her friends to Paris. Actually developed it from the hotel they stayed at--each day begins something like "As you exit the hotel turn right (or left) and..." This guide has been redone several times and passed on to many others in our acquaintance and used again and again. This kind of work is very useful and very appreciated especially by first timers. Thanks for pulling it together and for incorporating the suggestions of so many others here. When you have them all done, will you put them into a single post for easy access and reference? Now that would be a real contribution--practically publishable. Thanks again.

Hi degas

Here's an interesting tidbit regarding the Parc Monceau - it was a favorite place for author Marcel Proust to stroll and it contains Paris's largest tree, an Oriental plane tree with a circumference of almost 23 feet.

When we took the Opera Garnier tour, I believe it was at noon...and extremely worthwhile.

Au Printemps is in two buildings. The one to the West [Maison] has the roof deck. The other [La Mode] is the one with Cafe Flo under the glass dome.

From the Jacquemart Andre [or from the St Phillipe de Roule Metro], we like to walk down the Rue du Faubourg St Honore to Rue Royale, then up to the Madeline.

Christina mentioned this one earlier:

Grand Rex ? Les Etoiles du Rex. 1 bd Poissonniere. M: Bonne Nouvelle (Lines 8 7). Wed-Sun 1000-1900. The Grand Rex, the biggest cinema in Europe with a seating capacity of 2,750, has projected films for more than one million spectators for over half a century. The Grand Rex has an Art Deco facade, a starry vault and a Baroque decor which makes it a unique and exceptional cinema. Also has "The Stars of the Grand Rex" an unusual tour behind the scenes of the cinema.

Ira, we were there on the last Sunday in July. Perhaps it was people escaping the non-airconditioned apartments (but it was before the huge heat wave this summer). But it was one busy park!

degas, here's some more info for your visit outline:

PARIS STORY. 11 Bis Rue Scribe. M: Opera. 8E. Daily 0900-2000. Plays every hour on the hour. Show and exhibition which brings back to life the history of Paris and its monuments. Has an exclusive 45 minute musical show in multivision shown on a panoramic screen. This ballet of images is accompanied by musical excerpts illustrating the various periods: from the organ music of Saint-Saens to Verdi, Lully and Edith Piaf. Thanks to its digital sound system and sophisticated equipment to amplify low keys, the organs of Notre Dame and the canons of the Revolution are reproduced to perfection. www.paris-story.com

degas, check out this nearby church which has an interesting history:

Notre Dame de Lorette, on la Rue Lafitte. Built 1823-36, has portico of four Corinthian columns and coffered vaults and a colonnade inside.

Obtained its name from the lorettes of Paris, women who were kept by male members of the upper class. The church became known as the Notre Dame de Lorette because of the many women of this social standing who frequented this particular church. Lorettes were accepted members of society as well as commodities of wealthy men. The fact that a church was named after them mirrors their importance in the society as well as the acceptance of this social practice. These changes were part of a general social revolution, which placed an emphasis on social status and economic status. The advancements in technology at the time in paving, gas lighting and glass allotted wealthy Parisians an opportunity to flaunt their niceties in a public manner by strolling down paved, lighted streets with their lorettes on streets named after them.

Northwest of the church, rue Notre dame-de Lorette ascends to the small and charming place St-Georges ? noted for luxury Greek Revival style buildings.