Hidden Gems for Romantic Getaways in Paris, Episode 529

Episode Transcript
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Annie (00:15):
This is Join Us in France, episode 529, cinq cent vingt-neuf.
Bonjour, I'm Annie Sargent, and Join Usin France is the podcast where we take
a conversational journey through thebeauty, culture, and flavors of France.
Today, I bring you a trip report withKatherine Butler from France Voyager.

(00:36):
Join us as we uncover romanticvacation ideas in Paris, from
hidden speakeasies and scenic walksto unparalleled honeymoon trips.
Catherine's delightful anecdotes andexpert recommendations make this an
unmissable guide for anyone planning aromantic getaway in the City of Love.

(00:57):
Don't miss this episode, itis full of great suggestions.
This podcast is supported by donorsand listeners who buy my tours and
services, including my ItineraryConsult Service, my GPS self-guided
tours of Paris on the VoiceMap app,or take a day trip with me around the
Southwest of France in my electric car.
You can browse all of that in myboutique: joinusinfrance.com/boutique.

(01:22):
Patreon supporters get new episodesas soon as they are ready and ad-free.
If that sounds good to you, be likethem, follow the link in the show notes.
For the magazine part of the podcast,after my chat with Katherine today, I'll
discuss how to get medical care in Parisand France in general, should you catch
the flu, which is going gangbustersright now, this January in France.

(01:47):
Or maybe you'll have an accidentthat requires medical care.
This question comes up all thetime, and there's a phone number
you should save in your contacts,and a webpage you should bookmark.

(02:09):
Bonjour, Kat Weiss Butler andwelcome to Join Us in France.

Katherine (02:13):
Bonjour, Annie.
Thank you for having me.

Annie (02:15):
It's wonderful to talk to you.
So you actually do a blog and a podcast,several blogs and one podcast so far.

Katherine (02:25):
Yes, it's a lot.

Annie (02:27):
Yes, it's a lot of work.
So your blog is Francevoyager.
com

Katherine (02:32):
Mm hmm.

Annie (02:33):
And your podcast is the World Wide Honeymoon Travel Podcast.
So you're into thehoneymoons type of thing.
I assume you've had your own, orhave you had lots of honeymoons?

Katherine (02:45):
Well, we had our like actual post wedding honeymoon.
We did three weeks in SoutheastAsia for that, but then we have many
honeymoon-esque trips that we do aroundthe world, both to write about it and
talk about it, but just also because wewant to go and do these things as well.

Annie (03:01):
And you know, it's something that we've talked about on the podcast
a little bit, but it's true that Parisgets a lot of interest from honeymooners.
And so that's a wonderfultopic to talk about.
So I'm going to ask you to begin withshare some great honeymoon ideas, like
for people who are going on a honeymoonin Paris, what are some romantic things

(03:23):
that they can do while they're in Paris?

Katherine (03:25):
Oh, goodness.
So many, so many choices.
I mean, of course, there are somany that are kind of like the
stereotypical, seeing the Eiffel Towerat night, doing the Seine River cruise.
But there are some also really uniqueideas as well, such as along in
the 5th Arrondissement, the littlemini amphitheaters along the Seine,
where they do the tango dancing, youcan go and do a little tango there.

(03:47):
Just going up to Montmartre is abeautiful place and just strolling around.
I personally love the Rue de l'Abreuvoir.
I may pronounce it wrong.

Annie (03:57):
Rue de l'Abreuvoir.
Yes, you and everybody else inthe world, Rue de l'Abreuvoir.

Katherine (04:00):
It's gorgeous.
Yes, of course.

Annie (04:02):
Yeah.

Katherine (04:03):
And of course, there's lots of shopping and things that you guys can do.
I personally like the idea of perfumeshopping together, I think that that's
a fun place, and Paris is, I mean,France has got tons of perfume, but
Paris specifically has perfume shopsanywhere and everywhere, especially
in places like Le Marais, and youcan go perfume shopping together.
I think that's a lot of fun to do andkind of pick out your signature scent.

(04:26):
Or even take a perfume making classat the Musée du Parfum over in Opera.
Those are really great places.
Of course, you've got to check outthe main, like the museums, and the
monuments and the, you know, all ofthat stuff is, of course, quite popular.
And then, of course, the dining scenein Paris is quite popular as well.
There's, you know, three Michelin starrestaurants if that's what you want to do

(04:48):
on your honeymoon and you want to splurge.
There's just regular, really deliciousbrasseries and restaurants and things
like that, that you can go to justdepending on what you want to try.
I just think even just wanderingthe streets of Paris is just
a fantastic way to really getto know the city and enjoy it.
Because each neighborhood is sodifferent and it's got its own little

(05:09):
personality that you can enjoy.
And another big thing woulddefinitely be making a picnic
in a park somewhere, of course.
One of my favorite parks isactually Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

Annie (05:19):
Yeah.

Katherine (05:20):
A cute park, it's more local, it's got some hills and stuff, it's got
like a cave, it has a temple on the topof the hill, and this beautiful pond
with like ducks and geese and stuff,and plenty of places to just sort
of lounge around and have a picnic.
And it's a little bit quieter and a littleless busy than like Jardin du Luxembourg
or the Tuileries and stuff like that.

Annie (05:38):
Yes, it's also a little bit out of the way.
So, for people who only have a fewdays, perhaps stick to the parks
closer to the city center, or theclosest one to where you are staying.
I mean, they're not all quite as scenicas Parc Monceau or Parc des Buttes

Katherine (05:55):
hmm.

Annie (05:56):
but they all have somewhere very nice where you can have a picnic.
And of course the picnic bythe Eiffel Tower is a classic.
People like to do that.

Katherine (06:06):
I mean, you haven't been able to do that most of this
year with the Olympics and stuff,so hopefully they clear out all
the fencing and everything soon.

Annie (06:12):
It'll come back.
It'll come back.
Hopefully, by the time this episodeis released all the clear out of
all the Olympic venues will be done.
Yeah.

Katherine (06:22):
Yes, and of course going to the sidewalk cafes and stuff, I
mean, I think there's just so muchto do based on your own tastes for
your own romantic honeymoon in Paris.

Annie (06:32):
What makes a good honeymoon or romantic getaway, I think is not to
get too, how should I put this nicely?
Try not to get too crazy about the list.

Katherine (06:46):
Yes.

Annie (06:47):
When you are in Paris, there are wonderful cafes, restaurants,
brasseries, parks, everything elsethat are going to be really pleasant.
And I think some, maybe honeymoonersmight have the feeling that, oh, this
is my one chance to go to Paris, soI have to see all of these things.

(07:08):
You can do that, you can plan a lot, butif you do that, at least be careful to
not be zooming around all over the city.
Pick a neighborhood and stay inthat neighborhood for the day.
And in that neighborhood, you know,even the neighborhoods that are not
like, well, Montmartre, is very popular.

(07:29):
There's a lot of people, I wrote atour of Montmartre, it's a Voicemap
tour, where I kind of have youstart off the beaten path because
everybody does it in the same circuit.
If you just follow the crowd, you willsee the same thing as everybody else.
And Montmartre just hasa lot of beautiful stuff.
So, I think it might be worth for youto do a little bit of research or use

(07:53):
a tour like mine to just keep you, keepgoing in the areas that are not as,
like where not everybody goes, you know.
Because you'll have a better time.
But as far as not, don't sweat the smallstuff, like you will find a place to eat.

Katherine (08:12):
Yes.
Whether you have a reservation or not.

Annie (08:15):
Exactly.
I mean, you might not get yourfirst choice, but you'll get your
second, or third and it'll be fine.
Anywhere you go, you know, youdon't need to go to a wine tasting.
Any cafe you go to, if you would like aglass of wine, just order a glass of wine.
Anywhere will serve you a glassof wine of any color you want.
You know, it's really simple.

(08:37):
Those are the things youshould not worry about.
Because they're everywhere.
Same with the croissantand the bakeries and stuff.
There are people who just get obsessedwith, oh, I have to have the best one.

Katherine (08:48):
Yeah.
Try them all.
Go to a bunch of them.

Annie (08:50):
Yeah, exactly, go to a bunch of them.
That's exactly what I say.

Katherine (08:53):
See which one's the best on your own.

Annie (08:55):
See the best on your own.
There's hundreds of them.
So, actually that's the mostcommon business in Paris is
a boulangerie pâtisserie.
They're everywhere.

Katherine (09:08):
Yeah, truly.
That and it feels like apharmacy is everywhere as well.

Annie (09:11):
That's true.

Katherine (09:12):
Pharmacie Pâtisserie.

Annie (09:14):
Yes.
That's very true.
So in the list you sent me, youmentioned Christmas markets.
Of course, if you go in December, Parishas some wonderful Christmas markets.
The Grand Boulevard area, so the GalerieLafayette is a beautiful part of Paris
to walk around at Christmas time.

(09:37):
Very busy sometimes, but the Printempsstore is also beautifully decorated.
It's marvelous.
And there are a bunch of smallerChristmas markets all over the city in
the parks, you know, things like that.
Do you have a favoritethat you like to go to?

Katherine (09:53):
I, well, actually, if you go out to La Défense, that's a quite fun one.
And La Défense is kind of a lesservisited place for tourists because it's,
I mean, it's the business district.
It's got the tall skyscrapers thatthey push to the edge of the city, you
know, and so it's very modern looking.
And it does have a modernkind of Arc de Triomphe.
And that's where, at that base,the esplanade in front of it

(10:15):
is where they have the biggestChristmas market in Paris.
And it's, you know, it's not like TheAlsatian Christmas markets that look
super cute and charming with all thearchitecture, but it has lots of great
food, there's music, it's got some lights.

Annie (10:28):
Younger people as well.
You know, if you are in your 20s or 30s,La Défense is a good place to go because
it's the business district, there areyounger people who are working there.

Katherine (10:39):
Exactly.
And again, you still have thisbeautiful view of the modern day Arc
de Triomphe out there, which actuallyruns like a straight line from, you
know, the original Arc de Triompheyou can see, so that's pretty cool.

Annie (10:51):
Yeah, so it's Grande Arche de la Défense is what it's called.
And yes, it is one of the monumentson the Paris historical axis, which
incudes the Grande Arche, the Arc deTriomphe, the Luxor Obelisks, also the
statue of Louis the XIV by the Louvre.

(11:11):
That's straight line.
All of this.
And they did this because theywanted to show off that they could
do a straight line miles away.
You know, and now, becausethis was under Louis XIV that
they decided on all of this.
And back then it was hard to,they didn't have GPS, okay?
How do you do a straightline over that big distance?
They showed off they could do it.

Katherine (11:33):
And they did it.

Annie (11:34):
And they did it.
Yes, and it's still good.

Katherine (11:36):
Another good one is of course in the Tuileries, they have their
big Christmas market as well with theferris wheel and there's some rides
for kids and stuff, but there's lotsof like booths to get like a raclette
or a glass of champagne or somethinglike that, which is a lot of fun.
You can go and hang out and walkaround that Christmas market as well.
So those are the two ones thatI've been to and enjoyed a lot.

(11:58):
The last time I went to Paris around theholidays, I think it was right before the
one next to, in the Saint Germain area,that was right before that one opened.
But that's another onethat a lot of people like.
And then, I think it's Ruedes Abbesses in Montmartre.
There's another Christmas marketaround there that I really wanted
to check out, but it just wasn'topen when we were there at the time.

Annie (12:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And you will also find one, on alittle park right by Notre Dame.
I mean, they do a lot of different ones.
There used to be oneon the Champs Élysées.
It's not there anymore.
I'm not sure if it'll ever come back.
But yeah, there was one.
I think the vendors got tired of the cheapstuff being sold at the Christmas market.

(12:45):
They're like, this is the Champs Élysées,it has to be expensive and fancy.

Katherine (12:51):
Yes, yeah, but there are definitely some Christmas markets around
the city if you want to come, especiallyfor your honeymoon or just romantic
getaway around the holiday season.
But yeah, like you were sayingearlier, I think the prettiest part
is walking along where the GaleriesLafayette and like the Printemps are.
I really enjoy going up to the rooftopof Galeries Lafayette around that time
of year because then you get this hugeview of the city with all the lights.

Annie (13:13):
Definitely.

Katherine (13:14):
It's just absolutely stunning, especially if you're going around sunset,
which is like 4pm that time of year.

Annie (13:19):
Right.
So yes, it's, it's early.
Yes.
It's early that time of year.
So, you know, all of thesethings that we mentioned are
in different parts of the city.
So, I don't want you to get the ideathat you can go around to all of these
things, that's not a good way to do it.
If you want to explore the Grand Boulevardarea with the Galerie Lafayette, then go

(13:40):
to the Opera, which is also in that area.
You know, stay in that area.
Don't like, whew, all over,like, you're not a bird.
You can't do it that fast.

Katherine (13:50):
Yeah, you don't want to try to see it all and then not really
see anything, you know, so you kindof have to take your time in the
different arrondissements of Paris.

Annie (13:59):
And you also mentioned for people who visit in June, we have the
Fete de la Musique, which is excellent.
That's on June 21st every year.

Katherine (14:08):
Yes.
And that, yeah, that is just asort of a dance the night away,
sort of celebration of summer.
And yeah, I mean, there's lots ofmusic and dancing and stuff, so you
can enjoy that as a couple together.

Annie (14:21):
Right.
And if you want to look for, whatadvice do you give people who want to
look for events, like look for livemusic, look for things like that?

Katherine (14:31):
What advice?
I mean, Google is free.
Well, yeah, I mean, there's lots ofhelpful information out there that
list exactly when dates are for things.
But I will say for things like theChristmas markets, those are always
going to be at least, at the veryleast, the beginning of December
through, like, before Christmas.
And then, you know, Fete de laMusique is going to be during summer

(14:51):
solstice, so that's when that'sgoing to be, you know, Bastille Day,
or the Fête Nationale is going tobe July 14th, and stuff like that.
But other things you'll have to lookup, I think it was the Harvest Festival
in Montmartre, where they have thegrapes and the wine and stuff from the
one vineyard in Montmartre is goingto be released, and they have other
events that tends to change throughoutthe year, or throughout that month.

Annie (15:14):
Yeah, so that one in Montmartre, it's a once a year thing, they sell,
I mean, the wine there is not great.
You don't buy it for the wine,you buy it for the bottle.
The people are bottle collectors wantone, because they only make maybe 500
bottles, and they are sold at a veryhigh price because it's a charity.

(15:36):
It helps, I can't remember, I talked tothe vintner, it was a few years ago, I
don't remember what he told me it wasfor, but it's an annual event, it's
nothing like harvest, normal harvest.
It's more like aDisneyland type of harvest.

Katherine (15:49):
Yeah, because they have other things going on around there too,
during the festival that they'll havelike performances and things like that.
Yeah.
And some wine tasting.

Annie (15:57):
Yeah.
It's a festive moment.
The places I like to look for live eventsand things, of course, Google, there's
Time Out in Paris, that's pretty good.
Paris Secret, ah, I can't remember, then,Paris Je T'Aime, that's a good one where
it's the tourist office of Paris andthey list things that are relevant to

(16:18):
whatever week or month you are visiting.
So always go to these.
And of course, look around in the Metro.
They advertise a lot of thingsthat will be of interest to,
you know, if you want to go out.
Let's see, then youtalk about the Temples.
The temples of lovethat they have in Paris.

Katherine (16:35):
Yes.
Yeah, I mean, one of them is actuallyin the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont,
that is the Temple du Sybille.
So it's not an actual Templeof Love, but it looks like it.
And it's on the top of the hill thatyou can go and see and check out.
I believe the other one is in Boisde Vincennes, there's the lake there,
that has the Temple of Love there.

(16:56):
And then also if you go out to Versailles,and especially to Marie Antoinette's the
Petit Trianon, that's where you can findthe gardens and the other love temple.
And that's a very popular place forcouples, especially the one of Versailles,
because that one's going to be themost well known of the love temples.

Annie (17:14):
And it would be fantastic if you went in late spring, early summer when
there's the most flowers, you know.
I don't think going to Versaillesin January or February will be
that enchanting because, you know,gardens are dead, very few people,
you know, that's good for a jog.

Katherine (17:37):
And if you want actually just go to Versailles without as
many crowds, like going inside of thechateau itself, and you don't want to
go in the summer, it's like swamped.

Annie (17:45):
Yeah.
It is very busy, it has a bigpark, if you go in the summer,
there's room for a lot of people.

Katherine (17:51):
Even Grand Trinon and Petit Trinon are a lot less crowded than
like the chateau itself and the gardensimmediately next to the chateau, like
right in front of it or behind it.

Annie (17:59):
I'm reading a book about Marie Antoinette.
And one thing that surprised me isthat they explained that she wanted
the Petit Trianon and the GrandTrianon to be as simple and plain as
possible for the time, because she wastired of all the fuss of Versailles.
And it's true that they are muchless decorated and opulent as

(18:26):
the other parts of the château.
But I didn't realize it was MarieAntoinette that wanted it that way.

Katherine (18:31):
Yeah.

Annie (18:31):
It's pretty cool.
All right.
You mentioned in your notes, the CanalSaint Martin, I'm not sure I love that.

Katherine (18:39):
Oh, I like Canal St.
Martin.

Annie (18:40):
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Explain why.
Sell it to me.

Katherine (18:44):
Okay, well, first of all, it's quite large.
I mean, it's a big canal, so it'snot like there's one, there's
maybe not so great of areas, butthere are some better areas to it.
So especially near the JardinWilmen, or Quai de Valmy,
those are some better areas.
I like walking around there.
I like having picnics there.
Those areas are a little bitnicer to go to in the Canal St.

(19:04):
Martin area.
There's also lots of cafes andbars and restaurants in the area
that you can go to and check out.
Yeah, and it's a lot less crowdedthan other places, like again,
the Tuileries and Jardins duLuxembourg and things like that.
So, I personally like going to Canal St.
Martin.

Annie (19:18):
So, it's a little bit out of the way as well.
It has locks, you might see thelocks in action, I did several times.
You have the little passages, so it's thewrought iron passerelle over the canal.
If you watched Amélie Poulin, there's onepoint in the movie where she's skipping
stones and she's doing it from one ofthe passerelle of the Canal Saint Martin.

(19:43):
It's a nice place for photos.
I think when you're on a honeymoon, youprobably want to take a lot of photos.

Katherine (19:49):
Yes.

Annie (19:50):
So hire a photographer, is an excellent idea.

Katherine (19:53):
Yes.
That way you get actual professionalphotos that you can have together.
I also wouldn't necessarilytrust setting up a tripod and
taking a photo with your iPhone.
There's a lot of pickpockets out thereand I could just see someone quickly when
you're not looking just run off with that.

Annie (20:06):
It's possible.
It's possible.
You know, I wrote a Eiffel Tower tourthat includes a lot of the best photo
shots around the Eiffel Tower withthe Eiffel Tower in the background.
And I, so I've spent, you know,two weeks going back to the Eiffel

(20:26):
Tower every single morning becauseI would go early in the morning to
go when there were fewer people.
And I always ran into professionalphotographers and couples, and I wrote
the tour in, I can't remember if itwas January or February, but it was
cold and the ladies were always frozen.
So they always had this big coatthat they would take off at the last

(20:49):
second to be in their wedding dress.
But you have to go early.

Katherine (20:54):
Yes.

Annie (20:55):
Right at sunrise, and it is absolutely gorgeous, I mean the sunrise
by the Eiffel Tower, it's glorious.
If you want to do that without aprofessional photographer, if you
have a selfie stick, bring a selfiestick and something to set it off.

Katherine (21:12):
A spouse with a long arm.

Annie (21:13):
Yeah.

Katherine (21:14):
That's what we do.

Annie (21:15):
With the Eiffel Tower, you need an awfully long arm.

Katherine (21:18):
That's very true.

Annie (21:19):
I think a selfie stick helps if you're going to try and do that.
And then there's a bunch of spotsright around Camoens is one of them,
Avenue de Camoens, I can't remember,or Rue de Camoens, I'm not sure.
It's all in my tour, but Idon't remember all the spots.

Katherine (21:32):
Rue De l'Université, that's a popular one.

Annie (21:34):
Rue De l'Universite at the bottom, yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, it's the Eiffel Tower,you can't go wrong with that.
But also if you want reallybeautiful photos, well, take
a tour of the Opera House, forinstance, because it is gorgeous.
It's gorgeous in there.
Like, it's more beautiful than Versailles,because it is newer than Versailles.

(21:55):
It's in that same style, butit is opulent and beautiful.
And you have this beautifulstaircase, you know, you can just
pose and, and do some fun things.
Another one that you sent to me is on theColonnes de Buren, so it's a photo of you
and your husband on the Colonnes de Buren.
I like that.

Katherine (22:13):
Yeah, I think that's a fun photo spot, you see a lot
of people on Instagram with thosephotos, of course, at the columns.
But yeah, I think that's a cutespot to take couples photos.
My husband and I do that every time we go.
We think that's always a lot of fun.

Annie (22:25):
Yeah, yeah.
And I mean, you don't need to, youdon't necessarily need to dress up
like the one that you sent me of theColonnes de Buren, I mean, you dress
like everyday dress, but it's lovely.
It's lovely.
And you can see the columns in thebackground, so this is near the Louvre.
That would be something you dowhen you're visiting the Louvre
area, the Colonnes de Buren.

(22:46):
Also, you could go, if you are bookish,you could go into the Bibliothèque
Nationale de France, and take a photowith Bibliothèque Richelieu in the back.
It's very cool.

Katherine (22:58):
Even going to the Louvre, like outside near the pyramid and where some of
those, the fountain areas are, especiallydo it either early morning or after the
Louvre is closed, because then you don'thave all the crowds and people and stuff.
And you can actually get some reallyfun angles and poses that look like
there's really nobody in there butI think that's a really cool spot
to take photos of course, as well.

Annie (23:18):
And do, I don't know when you're going to be there, so look at sunrise
and sunset time in Paris on those days.
Because if you show up somewhereto take your photos at sunrise or
sunset, depending on where you areexactly, you will have way better
photos during the Golden Hourthan any other time of the day.

(23:40):
Now, obviously, if you're on a honeymoon,maybe you don't want to get up at five
in the morning to be in front of the,I mean, the people who go in summer,
you have to be there really early.
Sunrise is really early, you know, butit's worth it because these are photos
of your wedding, like, you know, special.

Katherine (23:57):
Yeah, and you're right, a lot of people will either come with their
wedding dress and take photos or justtake, you know, wear nice clothes and
do that for their honeymoon as well.

Annie (24:07):
Yes.
And from the Pont Bir-Hakeim, thisis also near the Eiffel Tower, so
on the Pont Bir-Hakeim you havethis beautiful statue, that was a
gift of I think the Dutch to France.
It's called La France Renaissanteor La France Renaissance, I'm not
sure, it's in my tour of the EiffelTower, but from that statue, so you

(24:32):
stand in front of the statue and youhave the Eiffel Tower behind you.
Gorgeous, gorgeous.

Katherine (24:38):
There's so many good Eiffel Tower spots all
over place, like Pont d'Iéna.
Pont d'Iéna yeah, that's good.

Annie (24:44):
But everybody goes to Pont d'Iéna.

Katherine (24:46):
But in the morning, I mean, they go everywhere all these spots
now, now with all these blog posts up,everyone's going to the, like, Rue de
l'Université used to not be as crowdedyears ago, now it's like, I just went
a couple months ago, and it was justjam packed with people, I mean, it
was the middle of the day, but, yeah.

Annie (25:02):
Yeah, no, it's...
it's true.
That's the thing that's kind of sad.
Everybody wants to go to the same places.
So, it's good and it's bad.
Because there are so manybeautiful places in Paris.
You don't all need to havethe photos in the same place.
But that's just, that's how I feel.

Katherine (25:18):
Yeah, I was even going to say, when you were talking about the Eiffel
Tower and seeing that, I really likeseeing the Eiffel Tower from Montmartre,
not from the Sacré Cœur, because youcan't really see it there, but if you
keep walking past to, like, Square Nadar,keep walking there, or even just, there's
so many places, because Montmartre ison the hill, there's so many little,
like, areas where you can spot it.

(25:38):
There was one time I remember finishingup dinner and walking out and there was
the Eiffel Tower and it was lit up andit was sparkling because it was on the
hour and I was like well this is magicaland delightful and I was not expecting it
because I'm up in Montmartre but becauseit's up on that hill you get so many great
viewpoints, and places where there aren'tanybody else looking at the Eiffel Tower.

(25:59):
And so that's really coolto go and check out as well.

Annie (26:02):
Yeah, that's true.
And yes, the Eiffel Tower sparkleson the hour every hour after sundown.
So you have to, again, you haveto know when sunset is, where
you are, when you are going, andit sparkles for five minutes.
And then it's off for the restof the hour until the next hour.

Katherine (26:18):
Yeah, and I want to say it shuts down at like, I think most
of the year it's like 11:45 ish.
And then in the summertime, it's likeone o'clock in the morning because
the sun doesn't set until like 10.
So it really only gets like a few timesto sparkle before it's done for the night.

Annie (26:36):
You mentioned a few cocktail bars that you like.
Tell me about those.
I never go to cocktail bars,so please tell me about those.

Katherine (26:42):
Oh, I love a good cocktail bar, especially like a speakeasy type bar.
I really like Caster Club andthat's sort of in the Odeon area,
like the Saint Germain area.
That's a really cute bar.
It's just, you know, it's got the dimlighting, they'll make like custom
drinks for you, you can order offthe menu, they've got some fun music
playing in the background, so kindof your classic cocktail bar, but
it's sort of a little bit hidden.

(27:03):
I really like No Entry, which is...
it's, oh gosh, what's the famousBig Mama restaurant that all the
influencers go to, because it's likegot the, like the aesthetic, it's near
Montmartre, it's in the Pigalle area.
Okay, I'm going to look it up.
I've been to one in Toulouse andI was not impressed, so I didn't...
so...
Mama Shelter, you said?
No.
You know the Big Mama group that does allthe Italian restaurants around the city?

(27:26):
I'll look it up.
Oh, Pink Mama.

Annie (27:28):
Ah, Okay.
So, Pink Mama is a fun place, huh?

Katherine (27:32):
Well, it's a popular place.
No, the bar though, there'sa speakeasy at Pink Mama.
So Pink Mama is this very popularItalian restaurant, it's where like
all the big influencers and everybodygoes there because it's got this like
Instagram aesthetic to it for sure,and it's like decent Italian food.
But there's a bar there that's actuallyreally cool called No Entry and you
have to go to, you go in the basementand it's literally looks like a freezer

(27:53):
door and it says No Entry on it.
And you open it and then that's, it's aspeakeasy in there and that's really cool.
Lots of great drinks there as well.
Yeah, that's another like fun cocktailbar that you can go to while you're there.
I believe there's also, I haven't beento this one, this one's on my list,
but Candelaria, it's like a taco shop,but then it's a taco shop in the front,
and you can go and like enjoy the tacosthere, and then you go through a door

(28:16):
and it's a speakeasy in the back as well.
So there's some fun speakeasiesyou can go to around Paris, which
are a lot of fun, have some goodmusic, some ambient lighting, and
then just delicious cocktails.

Annie (28:26):
Candelaria is one that you could go to either when you are in the Marais
area, exploring the Marais area, it's onthe north end of the Marais, or if you
are heading out to the Canal Saint Martin.
Yeah, probably, probably I would do itif I'm in the Marais, because it's not
an obvious line to Canal Saint Martin.

Katherine (28:47):
And you can do, I mean, yeah, you could literally
spend the whole day in Le Marais.
That's where you can go perfume shoppingand just lots of great shopping,
there's some good museums in that area.
Yeah.
Tons of museums.
You've got some great cafes andrestaurants and then, yeah, go
grab some cocktails at Candelaria.

Annie (29:02):
Yeah, the Marais is really a big area.
The Centre Pompidou is there, but it'sgoing to be closing for five years, but
there are many other great museums there.
There's a Picasso Museum, there's,let's see, what else is there?

Katherine (29:16):
The archives.
There's Archives, which isfun, yeah, because that's free.

Annie (29:21):
And

Katherine (29:21):
you enter into a fun, old French Hotel Hotel Particulier,
which has some archives.
Of course, there's theCarnavalet Museum is also there.
The Paris History Museum.
Yeah.
I always get that one confused wherethey're at with that and the Cluny
Museum, which I love a Cluny Museum.

Annie (29:39):
The Cluny Museum is closer to Notre Dame, yeah, the Saint Germain area.
The Cluny Museum is very closeto Shakespeare and Company.
If you're going to be exploring theLatin Quarter, you start at Notre Dame,
you go to Shakespeare and Company, andyou go to the Cluny, or you take my
tour and it'll just navigate you there.

Katherine (29:59):
Exactly.

Annie (30:00):
Because there's a lot of stops along there.
It's a beautiful, beautiful area.
You like vintage shopping.

Katherine (30:06):
I do.

Annie (30:07):
Okay, I don't do any of that, so tell me about that.

Katherine (30:09):
Well, again, in Le Marais, with the great shopping, there's tons of good
vintage shopping that you can just kindof pop in and see different vintage shops.
They have some that are fancy andhave like old, like vintage designer
goods if you have that kind of budget,because it's not like they're like
dirt cheap $1 Louis Vuitton bags there.
They're still really expensive,especially because they're vintage.
But there's also great places that justhave like older clothing that's fun.

(30:32):
And I think that's a lot offun to go vintage shopping.
I mean my husband and Ido that here in Cleveland.
So yeah, it's a great place topick up clothes together and try on
different things and see what you like.

Annie (30:43):
You mentioned the Marche aux Puces de Saint-Ouen.
I did a whole episode about it.
There's some tips on how toget there, not to run into...
because Saint Ouen is notthe fanciest area of Paris.
Right, so let me see...

Katherine (30:58):
You have to kind of walk through some okay areas.
I mean, I'm...
I don't know, I'm from Cleveland,so I'm just like, I was like,
Saint Ouen was like, ah, it's fine.
But..

Annie (31:08):
Yeah, but not everybody's from Cleveland.

Katherine (31:10):
Yeah, but yeah, I know that I took the metro up
there because it's quite far.
It's north.
It's pretty far up there, but you canget there via metro and then you do
kind of have to walk through an area andthen you're surrounded by vintage shop
after vintage shop, selling anythingfrom like old records, to art, to
furniture, if you've got that in yourbudget and you can ship that home.

Annie (31:31):
Yeah.
So episode 332 of thepodcast was all about this.
And if you want to go to the SaintOuen flea market, exit at the Garibaldi
metro station, rather than the Portede Clignancourt metro station, which
is where Google is going to send you.
So, just choose to get off at Garibaldi,it's a much better experience.

(31:55):
Also, the Saint Ouen marketis only open Friday nights,
Saturday and Sunday, I think.
The rest of the week it's closed.

Katherine (32:02):
Yeah, or has like limited hours maybe some of the days.

Annie (32:05):
Yeah.
Check the hours.

Katherine (32:07):
It's a really fun place to go around and walk
around, even just to peruse, youknow, if you like vintage things.
Or if you want to pick up a few things.

Annie (32:15):
Sure.
Yeah.
If you have the budget, it's great.
This is not a cheap place.

Katherine (32:18):
I mean, there's some stuff that's not too terribly bad, like if
you're going to pick up some old recordsor, you know, some old things like that,
postcards, that sort of thing, but thenif you're like, oh my gosh, this, look
at this 19th century couch or something.

Annie (32:32):
Vintage mirror, or frame, or you know...
they cost a lot, they are not cheap.

Katherine (32:40):
But yeah, that's a cool place to go and wander
around together as a couple.
I would say, also, I was going tothrow out one of the museums, I think
this is a playful fun date idea,it's the Museum of Fairground Arts.
And I know that they do have, mostof the tours are in French, so if
you know some French, that's helpful.
But they do have stufffor non French speakers.
They do have some leaflets andthings like that that you can do.

(33:01):
And then at the end of the year, theyactually have a little festival where
it's the only time of year where it'sopen, where you don't need a guided tour.
And this is really cool because youget to actually, it's a museum, but
you also get to, it's so interactive,you can actually play the fairground
games and ride the rides from theturn of the century fairground stuff.
And I went and did this, and it wasso fun, and I think this is a really

(33:22):
fun date idea in Paris, just becauseit's very playful, you get to play
games against each other, you can goride on some of the rides together,
and I think that's a really cool,unique setting, and it's out in Bercy.

Annie (33:36):
Yes, in Bercy.
It's called Les Musée des Arts Forains,and we did an episode about it.
It was episode
467.
And at Christmas time, if you go betweenChristmas and New Year, that's the only
time they do this, as far as I know, it'sopen to the public all the time, and all

(33:56):
the rides work, all the machines work.
Whereas the rest of the time, a fewof the rides work and a few of the
machines work, but not most of them.
And it is just in French.

Katherine (34:06):
And you have to do the tour.

Annie (34:07):
When I went, obviously I speak French, but there were some people
in the group that didn't speak Frenchand the guide would kind of do a brief
summary of what he was talking about.
A beautiful place, it's prettygood for photos as well.

Katherine (34:19):
Yeah, because I think that they rent it out for private
events as well throughout the year.
I think people do weddings thereor events and things as well.
I'm sure that that wouldbe an epic wedding spot.

Annie (34:31):
Yes oh yes, that would be very nice to do it there.
If you go, even if you don'tgo at Christmas time, I
think it's worth a visit.
It's really whimsical and reallyjust very, very different.
It's not what people thinkabout if they go to Paris.

Katherine (34:47):
Yeah, I went during just, I just took a tour.
You book it online.
I speak some French, so I was able tokind of get by with it, which was nice.
But yeah, they do kind of help out thepeople that don't speak French as well.
They try to either, you know, give you abrief or give you a leaflet to look at.
But I mean, it all translatesthe same as far as riding the
rides and playing the games.
So you still get to do that.
You get to, it's a lot offun to get to do together.

(35:09):
And I think that's a really fun dateidea for couples to do in Paris.

Annie (35:12):
And there's also a nice mall, there's a kind of a mall nearby if
you want to get some food, there's apark nearby, so it's like Musée des
Arts Forains, then the mall, then thebig garden, I can't remember what the
garden is called, but I'll find it.

Katherine (35:29):
Yeah.
Is that close to Bois de Vincennes?

Annie (35:31):
Yeah, it's in that part of the city, ah, c'est le Parc de Bercy is
what it's called, yeah, the Parc deBercy is the name of the park there.
On one side you have the Parc deBercy, on the other side you have the
Musée des Arts Forains, and if you'rein that area, you could have a meal
at Le Train Bleu, the fancy diner.

Katherine (35:49):
Yeah, in the train station.

Annie (35:51):
Yeah.
It's at the Gare de Lyon, andit's, you know, it's very nice.
La Coulee Verte, so the, kind ofthe train tracks walk is there.
That's more for families though, Imean, it's fine if you want to do
it as a couple, but it's, lots ofpeople go with their young kids.

Katherine (36:09):
I think it's a fun stroll.
Yeah, it's, so the former VincennesRailway, and it goes between the
Viaduct des Arts, and basically goestowards the Bois de Vincennes, and
it's about 2.9 miles, so you can go fora run or a walk, depending, I don't,
my husband and I are runners, so wewould just run it, but it's a cool,
it's cool, and it actually inspiredNew York City's High Line, in Chelsea.

(36:31):
So I think that's a really cool,and that's also a very popular
date night, date spot to kindof walk around in Chelsea and
New York City, is the High Line.
So yeah, it's very similar to that.
And yeah, I think that's a cool walkthat you can do in Paris outside
of going to the parks and walkingalong the Seine, especially I, yeah.
Again, like one of my husband and Ifavorite things to do in Paris is just

(36:52):
walking along the Seine, especially inthe morning when it's more quiet and
just kind of seeing the city wake up andjust walking along the Seine, strolling
together, getting in to enjoy just kindof that peace and quiet of the morning.

Annie (37:04):
If you walk between the Jardin des Plantes and the cathedral, Notre
Dame Cathedral, it's lovely alongthere, you know, on both sides, it's
different things, but it's very nicealong there, just right along the river.

Katherine (37:19):
Yeah.
And if you just keep walking along like,I did a run one time, I was training
for a half marathon and I did a run fromthe Pigalle area where I was staying
down to like where the Eiffel Towerwas, and so that was even fun because
I ran along the Seine and stuff andyou can like, go along and then there's
the Eiffel Tower and it's, you know...
Again, another great viewpoint that'snot going to be crowded is along
the Seine near the Eiffel Tower.

(37:40):
At least in the morning, it's notvery crowded compared to like, Rue de
l'Université or Champ de Mars or Trocadérothat's going to be swarmed with people.

Annie (37:47):
Yeah.
Yeah.
You mentioned take a cooking class,which is a good idea if you enjoy that.
There's some that are very short cookingclass and that, I mean, to find those
you would find to on Get My Guide,Get Your Guide or whatever, Viator.
They have a list of them.
Do you have a favorite?

Katherine (38:05):
I've done the macaron making class, and that was fun because
I always felt really intimidated bythat and so getting to actually make
them and be like, okay, it's not ascrazy as I thought it was going to be.
But it was yeah, it was really cool.
It was at a chef's home, which was cool.
And she just taught us howto make different macarons.
And it was, it was a really coolexperience to get to do that.

Annie (38:25):
One that I've enjoyed is called Pause Dej, which means Pause Déjeuner.
So it's like your lunch breakand it's at l'Atelier des Chefs.
It's in the Marais.
And so you kind of reserve thatand you go, you cook for half
an hour, you have a chef that'sgoing to show you some techniques.
I mean, it's pretty basic, okay?

(38:47):
He's going to show you how to holdyour knife right, how to chop right,
how to, you know, where you canfillet your chicken or whatever.
And then you cook it andthen you sit and eat it.
So it takes about half an hour.
But the macaron, I like the macaronidea because that, that takes some
technique to make some macaron.
I'm not very good at it.
I haven't practiced very much becauseI can just buy them anywhere I go.

(39:07):
I'm in France.

Katherine (39:08):
Yeah.
And they have like croissant makingclasses as well and stuff like that.
Like it's crazy.
So if you want to like, if you're more ofa beginner and you two are just learning
how to cook together, then maybe it'ssort of a beginner class would be a
great idea and you want to get some ofthe French cooking techniques perhaps.
But yeah, if you want to up yourgame, maybe challenge yourself a
little more, do some macarons oreven a croissant making class.
I've made croissants just on myown before and it was a stressful

(39:30):
experience to say the least.
It took me at least, I think it tookalmost three days from start to finish.

Annie (39:36):
Yeah.

Katherine (39:37):
The whole time you're just hoping that the butter doesn't melt.

Annie (39:40):
Yeah.
No, I think there's...
look, I wrote a cookbook.
I wrote a pandemic cookbook becauseI was bored during the pandemic.
It is called 'Join Us at the Table'.
And I stayed away from difficult thingslike making croissant because that takes,
I mean, you know, pastry chefs in France,they go to school for three years.
They get used to handlingbutter, and cream, and flour.

(40:05):
There's some technique to this.
And if you just follow a recipe,it's not going to be as good.

Katherine (40:10):
Yeah, it can be really, it can be very, very tough to do.

Annie (40:14):
Yeah, It's difficult.
Another thing you mentioned is visitingThe Musee de la Vie Romantique.
Very nice.

Katherine (40:22):
And it's, so it's not necessarily a museum about romance.
It's technically about that time periodwith romantic painters, because it was
owned by Ari Scheffer, Dutch artist, AriScheffer, the house was, and then he has
harps and he used to host famous, youknow, he had like a salon where he hosted
like, Eugene Delacroix, which is a famous,Romantic painter and stuff like that.

(40:43):
George Sand, like lots of peoplelike that, but you can go through
the house and it's got worksfrom him and his contemporaries.
But I think it, it's a cute museum.
I really enjoy it.
But the real fun thing there isthe tea room right next door to it.
It's in this beautiful courtyard.
You can go and have a tea or a coffeeand a pastry together and it's just,
it's like got little trees and it'sjust like a peaceful little place in the

(41:05):
city to go and check out and just havea nice like quiet afternoon together.
We can chat and catch up and havesome tea, and a pastry, and stuff
and definitely check out themuseum while you're there as well.
It's very nice.
But yeah, the tea room is a really lovelyspot to go during your time in Paris.

Annie (41:21):
So another great place I like to go for a quick drink or tea
or something is the Petit Palais.
So, this is by the Champs Élysées.
It's actually between theÉlysées Palace and the river,
and it is absolutely stunning.

(41:41):
For people who are not into museums,it is free, most of the exhibits, they
sometimes have special exhibits forwhich you have to pay a little bit,
but it's a world class museum that'sfree, and it has a marvelous café area.
So, there you go.
Beautiful gardens, just lovely.

(42:03):
And for the Olympics, theywent all out with the flowers.
Oh, it was stunning.
But the Petit Palais is a favorite.
So if you're in the area ofthe Champs Élysées, definitely
stop by the Petit Palais.
I think it's romantic becauseit's gorgeous and you can
take beautiful photos.

Katherine (42:22):
Architecture, the flowers because it's in the garden in the
Petit Palais, which is gorgeous, yeah.
I would also say speaking of cafes, I,something that we really enjoy doing
is finding the best hot chocolate.
You got to determine which isthe best hot chocolate in Paris.
And yeah, I think what we really like todo, and my husband has different ones,
I personally like Carrettes, I like theone at Place des Vosges because it's not

(42:44):
as crazy as the other one, but it's justbeautiful because Place des Vosges is
stunning, it's the oldest park in Paris,or the oldest square in Paris, I believe.
And it's just, the architecture aroundit is stunning, it's a gorgeous park on
its own, but the Carrette there is justa beautiful place, it has this thick,
creamy, delicious hot chocolate, andit comes with this big, huge thing of
whipped cream, you can have with it.

(43:05):
So I really enjoy that for getting thatat breakfast time, getting a little hot
chocolate and a pastry for breakfast.
My husband loves Les Deux Magots.
So that's a famous literary cafe that'sin Saint Germain, it's gorgeous as well.
And he loves the hot chocolatethere, the ancient hot chocolate.
So we'll try that there.
And then of course, you've got togo to Angelina, which has spots
all over, I feel like, but, I knowthere's one close to the Louvre.

(43:28):
That's where I went to last time.

Annie (43:30):
That's the original location, yes.

Katherine (43:33):
Yeah.
And that is also well known fortheir hot chocolate, as well.
So I challenge people to like, Oh,if you want to find the best hot
chocolate, why not try them all?
Or not try them all, but try thoseand see which one is the best one.
And I really, I will say the atmosphereat Les Deux Magots and Carrettes are
better than Angelina, I would say.
And I think their hot chocolatesare better, honestly, but...

Annie (43:53):
Agreed.

Katherine (43:54):
...those are good spots to go and chill and hang out together.

Annie (43:57):
Angelina is just way too busy.
Too many people.
Like, you will wait twohours just to have a drink.
Like, oh, I'm not that motivated.

Katherine (44:04):
And Les Deux Magots is just, it's such, I mean, of course, it's quite
popular, it's the famous cafes withHemingway and all of that went there,
but the people watching there is justfantastic because it's on that sort of
busy boulevard and corner there, andthere's just such great people watching.
So you sit outside and you can just sortof watch the world go by as long as you
want to, and sip your hot chocolate.

(44:24):
They've also got good coffee, andmaybe have a pastry and just sort of
slowly enjoy your breakfast together.

Annie (44:31):
If you take my tour of the Saint Germain des Prés area, I take
people to many more beautiful spotsin that neighborhood, because this
is one where it's small streets,little back alleys, things like
that, it's absolutely gorgeous.
So, we've been talking a long time,we have to stop, Kat, but you, in
the file you sent me, you mentionedseveral restaurants that you enjoy,

(44:53):
so I will list them in the show notes,and also hotels that you like, and
some with view to the Eiffel Tower.
I haven't stayed at any of them.
I mean, Relais Bosquet et Gustave.
I haven't stayed at it.
Have you stayed there?

Katherine (45:09):
Which one was it?

Annie (45:10):
So you mentioned for Eiffel Tower views, Hôtel Relais Bosquet.

Katherine (45:14):
I have not stayed in that one's on my list of staying at, but
I've stayed in so many Paris hotels.
I actually have a blog post onFrance Voyager about where to stay
in Paris and I've stayed in almostevery single one of those hotels.
Some of them are a bit pricey.

Annie (45:26):
Yeah.
Yeah.

Katherine (45:27):
If money was no option, this is the one I would stay at, but...

Annie (45:30):
The Shangri La, The Shangri La.

Katherine (45:32):
Yeah, can't stay there.
That one's pretty pricey.
I would, I think that if moneywere of no object, I think Maison
Suquette would be stunning.
It's just got this Arabian, Napoleonsort of architecture, and it has
like a hamam and a spa, and it justlooks very, it looks just beautiful.
Both, you know, just theinterior decorations, the
salon, and the rooms and stuff.

(45:52):
If I, that's a five star hotel, thatone I'm looking at staying on to, like,
I'm going back to Paris in February, andI was looking at that one, it's like a
little bit cheaper in the off season.

Annie (46:01):
Sure.

Katherine (46:02):
But yes, some great ones.
I personally, my husband and I recentlystayed at Hotel Odeon Saint Germain.
That one's a good one.
It's actually got quite a lot of space inthose rooms, which is sort of like rare
in Paris, but it's a cute, cozy room.
I also really like Hotel Atmospheres.
I've stayed there a lot.
I also really like staying there bothwith my husband, but also when I travel

(46:22):
with my in laws and my parents, wherelike their knees aren't so great.
So they've got like elevators,they've got the walk in showers,
but also it's a cute hotel.
It's in the Latin Quarter, andit has like beautiful views.
You can just open your window and see thebeautiful views of the boulevard below.
Yeah, and then I also really like HotelSaint Marc, which is close to the opera
area, and that actually you can rent outthe spa, like, hamam area, privately.

(46:46):
So that's a really great spotfor a honeymoon if you want just
like to spend an hour together.
They have a pool area with the jets,they have a hammam steam room, and
you can rent that out at the hotel.
And they also have beautiful rooms,and it was a stunning bathroom
when I stayed there as well.
So those are some really good hotelsthat are also pretty affordable, if
you don't want to splurge on the fivestar hotels when you're in Paris,
because those get and add up fast.

(47:09):
They're very expensivesometimes, but yeah...

Annie (47:11):
Fantastic.
So I'll list all of those and you can alsofind them on Francevoyager.com as well.

Katherine (47:18):
Yes.

Annie (47:19):
All right.
Well, happy listening to the worldwidehoneymoon travel podcast, everybody!

Katherine (47:26):
Yeah.

Annie (47:27):
And thank you so much for talking to me, Kat.
You've been very lovely and I wish youmany, many wonderful trips to France.

Katherine (47:34):
Oh, thanks.
It's been great talking to you, too.

Annie (47:37):
Merci beaucoup.

Katherine (47:39):
Merci.

Annie (47:40):
Au revoir.
Again, I want to thank my patrons forgiving back and supporting the show.
Patreon supporters get new episodesas soon as they are ready and ad-free.
Please be like them, followthe link in the show notes.
Patrons get more exclusive rewardsfor doing that, you can see all

(48:03):
of that at patreon.com/joinus.
And a special shout out thisweek to our new Join Us in France
champions, Brenda Ray, SusanGilbert, and Liz from New Zealand.
And to all my current patrons, it iswonderful to have you on board in a

(48:26):
community of travel enthusiasts andFrancophiles who keep this podcast going.
And to support Elyse, goto patreon.com/ElysArt.
I won't read any new reviews of myVoiceMap tours today, but if you listen to
this episode as soon as it comes out, I'vejust arrived in Paris and I'll be updating

(48:48):
my Ile de la Cité Notre Dame tour.
It will be ready next week.
I'll also explore Paris, ofcourse, try new restaurants, go
to places I haven't seen yet.
It's always fun to spend time in Parisand my focus is going to be on Notre Dame
de Paris, which I'm really excited about.
Podcast listeners, of course, geta big discount for buying these

tours from my website directly: joinusinfrance.com/boutique. (49:09):
undefined
I am still offeringitinerary planning sessions.
I use a service called Calendlyto book my appointments, and
they sent me a recap for 2024.
Last year, I booked 169 meetings,and the Bonjour planning

(49:30):
service was the most popular.
And June was my busiest month.
I'll warn you right now.
I'll block out at least two weeks in June2025, because I want to go on a cruise.
And it's my birthday, and myanniversary, and it'll be right after
my daughter's wedding, and the bootcamp.
So I'll need some time off.

(49:50):
Don't leave it till the last minutes.
You can see all the detailsand how it works, or book it
at joinusinfrance.com/boutique.
And if you're looking for theAmazon affiliate link, go to
joinusinfrance.com/Amazon.
Okay.
Let's talk about how toget medical care in France.
First of all, the emergencynumber in Europe is 112.

(50:15):
That's the equivalent to the American911 that everybody knows about because
of movies and things like that.
So 112 is a Europe wide number.
They can speak English as wellas many European languages.
112 is what you call for any emergency.
They can get the fire brigade, thepolice, the ambulance, et cetera.

(50:36):
For medical emergencies only,anywhere from France, you can
also dial 15 from any phone.
But I'm not sure how that would work fromyour American cell phone, but it will work
from your hotel phone, but that's onlyfor emergency situations, so you can do
112 or 15 if you just need medical stuff.

(50:58):
Now, what to do if you're in Parisand you catch the flu, or you need
to see a doctor for any reason?
Paris has a service called SOS Médecinsthat offers medical emergency services
and unscheduled general medical care24/7 in Paris and in the surrounding
departments of the Ile de France.

(51:20):
When you call them,they make an assessment.
They may do a house call.
They often do that.
Or recommend that you visitone of their doctor's offices.
They have offices in the 3rd,13th and 15th arrondissement.
To reach them on the phone,you call plus 331 4707 7777.

(51:45):
So that's five sevens in a row.
311 4707 7777.
Prices are a little bit higher thanregular doctor's visit in France and
you do pay more for a weekend or a nighthouse call, but generally it'll cost you
less than a hundred euros for the visit.

(52:06):
You can book anappointment online as well.
Browse to sosmedecins.fr/EN.
And then it's all in English.
I'll put a link in theshow notes, of course.
What if you're not in Paris?
We have other groups doing SOS Médecinstype of services, they call themselves

(52:32):
SOS Médecins or something of the sort.
You can type SOS Médecins and the name ofthe town where you are in your browser.
Many French cities havea service like that.
For example, in Toulouse,it's sosmedecins31.org.
So they use the department number.
In Bordeaux, if you wantit to extrapolate, maybe it

(52:54):
would be sosmedecin33.org.
Well, it's not.
In Bordeaux, it's sosmedecin-bordeaux.com.
So they have a com, in Toulouse theyhave a org, in Paris they have a
.Fr, clearly they didn't coordinatewhen they bought their domain names.

(53:15):
But if you search for SOSMédecins, most cities have one.
All over France we also have what'scalled Maison Médicale de Garde,
these are doctor's offices thatstay open late and on weekends.
They take turns doing that.
And to find out who does thatnear you, talk to a pharmacist.
That's the on call kindof doctor's office.

(53:38):
I think it's the same in the US.
Don't they take turns?
I'm not sure.
And anyway, we also have Australia, NewZealand, we have people from all over
the world listening to this podcast, butMaison Médicale de Garde is the ones that
are going to be open late and on weekends.
Any pharmacy can assess you andrecommend what you need to do.

(54:00):
Do you need to go to the ER?
Are they going to helpyou find a local doctor?
They can recommend somethingthat's appropriate for your need.
What if you need a dentistbecause you broke a tooth or
get a sudden dental abscess?
That's a little bit trickier, but Isuggest you go to the nearest dental
office and see if they can patch youup, fit you in between two appointments

(54:23):
or something, until you get home.
I'm sure many dentists would dothat, you might have to wait till
the next day or something, buthopefully you could get in somewhere.
French people make medicalappointments using a platform called
Doctolib, but that's designed forpeople who are here long term.

(54:45):
Many French doctors on Doctolib do nottake any new patients, or they won't give
you a first appointment until a monthor two later, so it's really not a very
good way to find a doctor who can seeyou today or tomorrow, unless you have
a relationship with that doctor, butclearly, if you're just visiting, you

(55:06):
don't, so it's not the right way for you.
If you're staying in a hotel, theyprobably know a doctor who can make
house calls, talk to the concierge,and of course, you can always go
to the emergency room, but, I mean,if you're bleeding, maybe yes.
If you think you broke something, yes.
But if you just have a flu, Idon't think the emergency room

(55:28):
is the right place for that.
Overall, if you're feeling unwell, do seea doctor, even if you have to pay full
price with no insurance, it will be cheapcompared to what you would pay in the US.
I realize many of you are listening fromCanada or Australia or England, where
medical care may not be as expensive.
But hey, if you're sick,get some help, okay?

(55:49):
We have lots of doctors and they're quitecompetent and many of them speak English,
not all of them, that's the advantage oflooking on DOCTOLIB because there you can
see which doctors say they speak English.
So, that might be something youwant to look at to make your choice.
My thanks to podcast editorsAnne and Christian Cotovan

(56:10):
who produced the transcripts.
Next week on the podcast, an episodewith Steve Weaver about how to fall
in love with France beyond Paris.
So much to talk about there.
And remember, patrons get an ad-freeversion of this episode, and I hope
that if you can't become a patron,at least you listen to the ads.

(56:31):
Don't skip them.
Skipping ads is evil.
Thank you for listening, and Ihope you join me next time so we
can look around France together.
Au revoir.
The Join Us in France travelpodcast is written, hosted, and
produced by Annie Sargent, andCopyright 2025 by AddictedToFrance.
It is released under a CreativeCommons attribution, non-commercial,

(56:53):
no derivatives license.

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