No trip to a major European city is complete without experiencing its nightlife. Paris may have galleries and museums to entice during the day but you should take a night to wander the cafes and alleyways of St. Germain and neighbouring St. Michel. The Metro makes travelling across this diverse, cultural city a breeze and leaving early in the day, you can buy a pass, which gives you unlimited travel.
Stops along the way to visit the Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower, then across to the Arc de Triomphe at one end of the Champs-Elysees are a must. From here, you could choose to walk the full length of Paris’ most famous street, finding yourself at the entrance to the Louvre. Some of the world’s finest art treasures are housed here including that most mysterious of smiling ladies, the Mona Lisa. Planning to spend a few hours there before dinner is the perfect way to end a day out in Paris.
Of course, after a day like this, you will need to take time to sit on the street at a café and watch the passers-by. A short Metro ride from the Louvre will drop you on the doorstep of St. Germain and alfresco dining as day turns to night, bringing out the party crowd.
Be prepared to ponder the menus printed in French and don’t be afraid to ask your waiter or waitress for help. Of course, the locals prefer to speak their own language and even if they say they only speak “a leetle,” they are probably quite fluent. “A little” to the average European often means that they can hold a stilted conversation.
Don’t forget body language. Use your hands for numbers, a big or small glass of beer and of course, animal noises will help with working out what type of meat a particular dish might consist of.
I found the service in Paris second to none. Sit down and a waiter will be there with a menu and to take a drink order. Once you have worked out what to eat and possibly embarrassed yourself with the French you didn’t practice enough in school, you will be surprised to find your meal in front of you almost before the order could have made it to the kitchen.
Prices, too, were quite reasonable for what is a chic area to sit and people-watch while dining. Of course, if you are one of those who have to convert what you are spending back to your own currency, maybe you should stay at home. Take into account that our average wage might be 800 dollars and the average wage where you are is probably 800 Euros so it is all relative. The average I paid for dinner anywhere in Paris – a main, dessert, two beers or half a bottle of wine was around 35 Euros. St Germain was actually one of the cheapest places and the experience, as they say, priceless!
After dinner, stroll through the alleyways and do some late night souvenir or postcard shopping. There are a couple of large, independent music stores open late if you are looking for CD or vinyl copies of authentic French music or old jazz masters. Some of the many art galleries are also open for business and you can pick up great, original pieces at a reasonable price or just discuss your passion with the owner who is often the “artist in residence.”
St. Germain is only a couple of blocks from Notre Dame where Quasimodo, the famous hunchback proclaimed to his master that the bells were ringing! Meander across the Seine to the island and, if you pick the right night, you may gain access to and witness a service held in one of the world’s grandest cathedrals. The non-stop chanting of prayers and the only light from thousands of candles can be quite a vision even if religion isn’t high on your agenda of tourist sojourns.
Finding a venue to take in some local music is as easy as finding a pub in any English village with almost every genre on offer. No doubt you own a copy of a CD proclaiming to be the real McCoy but only here can you discover the true jazz culture and smoky piano bars filled with locals. If you are one for retiring early, a taxi across town to your hotel will cost about ten Euros but be prepared to take the next day off sightseeing as you may find yourself still wandering aimlessly as the sun starts to rise.
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