Paris Step by Step: A Weekend in the Sweet 16th

Of the millions of visitors who make it all the way up the Champs Élysées to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, not many make it beyond – to the 16th arrondissement, where chic was practically invented. Guidebooks barely mention the place; you’d think there was nothing there except money.

Which is only partly true…

Next time you’re standing atop the Arc de Triomphe looking in the general direction the Louvre watching the tourist hordes swarm and shop along the Champs Élysées turn around towards that square thing in the distance, (La Grande Arche at La Defense, one of several monuments of and to the Mitterrand era) and you’ll notice a neighbourhood spread out before you. This is the 16th. Think Knightsbridge, Upper East Side, but twenty degrees cooler.

You won’t find any tourists here, but strolling along Avenue Foch, admiring the gardens and multi million Euro apartments, you will find this one of the most relaxing and sophisticated parts of town.

Avenue Foch is purely residential so the main drags to aim for are Avenue Malakoff which becomes Raymond Poincare, and Avenue Victor Hugo, in the general direction of Place Victor Hugo. There are a myriad of small streets off where elegant boutiques and tiny chocolate shops abound. All very stylish, all very Parisian.

How to get there:

From London, Eurostar is the best, cheapest, greenest way and within two and a half hours you are in central Paris. Once you hit the Gare du Nord go downstairs and take the metro (only 1.60 euro for a single ticket)across town on line 2 to Charles de Gaulle Etoile and then go one more stop on line 1 to Argentine, which takes 20 minutes. Alternatively take a taxi, though daytime traffic can be grindingly awful.

Getting around:

You don’t need a car in Paris, but should you feel the need for four wheels try a chauffeur driven 2CV for a few hours.  

STAY WHERE?

Just down from the Arc de Triomphe but discreetly hidden off Avenue de la Grande Armee on Rue d’Argentines is Hotel Mon, a small converted townhouse done out in rock star chic, dark shadowy hues of black and red, with music and appropriately modish objets to make this one of the classiest stops in the city.

The darkness inside is boldly interrupted by a bright white reception table, adorned only by an equally bright white Apple Mac, and a friendly English-speaking welcome from staff who look like they’ve just escaped the catwalk for the day.

There’s a bar-restaurant-hangout adjoining the reception area, complete with obligatory velvet ropes outside, but the emphasis throughout Hotel Mon is on quiet. Beware, there’s a gargantuan jar of ironic chewy sweets. Don’t touch – they are platinum level 100% moreish.

To get to your room there’s one of those tiny Parisian elevators, a moving pillar-box red leatherette kiosk where two people can journey up, but only if they already know each other really well. The rooms are warm and comfortable, smartly kitted out with everything that’s new in boutique hotel land, including a flat screen TV with over 700 channels.

The queen size beds dominate – you’re there to sleep after all – and for once (in Paris) you’re in a very quiet part of town. Given that you’re less than a kilometre from all the hedonistic action you could possibly want, this is something very special.

The calm can be continued at the Mon Spa, where a series of programmes designed to soothe, recuperate, and delight are offered. Everything from beauty treatments and pedicures, to hair styling and oriental massage

Advertised room rates start at €199 but search around.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL, 1,2,3...

(1)    What's that thing?

A walk through the 16th in the general direction of La Tour Eiffel (you can't miss it - Big iron structure. Lights up at night) will bring you to the Trocadero, a large piazza with gardens and fountains affording a spectacular vista across the Seine, (the tower was originally a temporary erection for the 1889 World Fair that was only saved from demolition by it's coincidental, secondary use as a platform for radio masts). The walk itself is pleasant, through quiet residential streets where small bars and cafes have their place, shops are for residents and the tourist tat that has enveloped much of central Paris is absent. Avenue Raymond Poincare is a good route, with small side streets offering all manner of pleasant distractions. The Trocadero itself is grand (you'll be accosted by street-sellers trying to offload tourist rubbish at inflated prices - dozens on a busy day - just ignore them) and has probably the best view in Paris. The adjoining museums, l'Homme and Marine, showcase human development and naval history respectively - the latter having a must-see-for-boys exhibition of model ships. The cafes here are all pretty steep, but pleasant for a lunchtime salad when the sun shines. Depending on tree foliage, the Café du Trocadero has the edge over Malakoff and Kleiber in the best view department. 

(2)    Fashionistas

Fashionistas are mercifully only a short cab ride away from Avenue Montaigne, where Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Chanel await your credit card. More serious students of fashion should visit the Museé de la Mode de la Ville, housed in a 19th century palace at 10 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie where the history of fashion and accessories is displayed through 70,000 items, including the dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Normal retail therapy can be achieved locally around Place Victor Hugo (Rue des Belles-Feuilles or Rue de la Pompe) where you'll also find excellent food shops (Fromagerie Lillo and Androuet, plus Au Poulet de Bresse) or the elegant boutiques along Rue de Passy, particularly around Passy Plaza and Marche Passy, the covered market. This is where well-heeled Parisians actually do their shopping.

(3)    Culture Vultures

After a few hours in the 16th it's possible to forget that you're one of Europe's richest cultural cities. But while the museums and galleries in this part of town may escape the hordes, they're just as worthwhile. The selection is wide and varied from Balzac's House to a museum of wine. The best are the Counterfeit Museum which has everything fake from coinage and handbags to Worcestershire Sauce (!), Museé Dapper for African Art, Baccarat crystal and glass, France's greatest collection of pens (Sundays only) and the Marmottan which has more Claude Monet paintings than anywhere else. The Guimet houses France's finest collection of Asian art. But sadly the Dental Museum is only open Wednesday afternoons by appointment.

The 16th is Paris's largest arrondissement and uniquely has two postcodes (75016 and 75116). Taxis are plentiful, the boulevards wide and quiet, the shopping streets narrow and endlessly fascinating.

LET'S DO LUNCH

No such thing as cheap

Tourism in Paris can suffocate even the most ardent enthusiast, but the 3 Cafés bordering Place du Trocadero somehow remain aloof from the scrums overwhelming the eateries around Notre Dame and The Louvre. They are pleasant, if pricey places to sit outside and enjoy the day, overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Salads are fine, and they can cook an omelet fines herbes, which is always a good sign. Wine is by the carafe and the coffee is good. €12 for an omelette and a glass of wine. I've never seen the point of sitting inside any of them

Enjoyable

Around Place Victor Hugo there is a selection of similar looking bistros. In Café le Victor Hugo (no 4) a very acceptable tartine (with pork rillets) is €5.50, an omelet mixte the same, with a carafe of the house chardonnay, and chips, lunch for two in this sidewalk staple comes to €27, service compris.

Le Petit Retro and Scossa are both good, as is "The Honest Lawyer".

Down Rue de La Pompe which is actually French, despite it's odd name

Worth it

For a truly spectacular lunch which you will never forget, La Table de Joel Robuchon will charge you €55 for one of the taste sensations of Paris. Msr Robuchon is now a global brand, from Vegas to Tokyo, but here in the 16th (16 Avenue Bugeaud) you can be assured of 2 star Michelin quality dining. Five courses (including wine) served in this dark, faultless temple of gastronomy, where everything tastes as it should.

AN APERITIF

The 16th is edged by the Seine dividing the Trocadero from the Eiffel Tower and it's from there that you can cruise the river, Kir Royale in hand, for an hour in the evening aboard a bateau mouche. For €11 per person you can float down the river to Notre Dame and back, past all the great riverside sights - the Louvre, Museé d'Orsay etc. It's spectacular and should be done once.

DINNER IS SERVED

The 16th is quiet at night and if that's what you want then restaurants like Zag and Paul Chene are good, in among a plethora of tiny sushi bars which dot the landscape. The bible for Parisian dining, Hungry for Paris by Alexander Lobrano describes L'Astrance "the most exciting modern French restaurant in Paris" but since this is £100 a head territory we'll leave that for serious foodies. Mr Lobrano also recommends Le Petit Retro and La Stella, (both off Ave Victor Hugo) with which I heartily concur; much cheaper options starting at about €30 per head.

But since you're at the correct end of the Champs Élysées so why not saunter down there and enjoy a little joie de vivre? It's always busy, and prices along the main drag for nondescript food will make your head spin. So head for Rue Marbeuf, where there are several reasonable bistros including at No 21 Le Bistro Marbeuf which is the real deal. Pleasant staff, dark wood and a bistro menu that doesn't break the bank (see Robuchon, above) overseen now by a relatively new owner, the original patron having retired. It's traditional Lyonnaise cooking so there's plenty of charcuterie, pike quenelles and hearty beef dishes. The beef tartare is excellent, the andouillette and sausages big and beefy.

This isn't the Holy Grail, but proof that Paris is still capable of producing decent neighbourhood restaurants, even in the midst of tourist central.

DRIVE BY

For an hour or so...
Tour Paris by 2CV. A fleet of these brightly coloured 60 year old cars has been refurbed and brought out to play. With prices starting at €19 each (if there's 3 of you, €29 if there's two, €58 if you're on your own) and climbing via a number of tours around town, they're fun and afford a better view than that from the back of a cab. Of course people will be looking at you too!

For the day...
The Bois de Boulogne borders the 16th and is Paris's biggest park, twice the size of Central Park in New York and modelled on London's Hyde Park. It's all things to all Parisians and in summer there is no more pleasant place to have a picnic than here.

It's divided into several sections and overall entry is free. Simply walk down Avenue Foch and you're there. The most interesting areas to head for are in the North West, the Parc de Bagatelle with quite stunning gardens and the Jardin Shakespeare, where the plants all feature in works by the Bard.

After dark, avoid the place like the plague, dark avenues such as Allee de Longchamp conceal all manner of prostitutes, from perfectly sculpted Brazilian Trannies to quite startling ladies of the night. Not fun.

Overnight...
Having said that (about avoiding the Bois de Boulogne at night) if your budget doesn't stretch to The Ritz or the Georges V this year, why not try camping? Prices start at €11 per night under canvas and €59 for a mobile home, rising according to season and occupancy. Le Camping du Bois de Boulogne is over on the western side, beside Pont de Suresnes (Metro Porte Maillot then shuttle bus).