How does your “perfect Saturday” in the 9th begin?
To begin, I would take a stroll down rue des Martyrs. It’s a very lively street, being located near the neighborhoods of Pigalle and Abbesses. You’ll find small shops, little bars where you can have a drink with your friends in the evening and some charming places for dinner like Affair Family, a restaurant with a warm family atmosphere, whose menu takes you around the world. In the morning, I recommend stopping in Kooka Boora, an Australian cafe I especially like that serves up the best cappuccino in the capital! Next, I would do a little shopping in the department stores where you’ll find all the most celebrated brands.
Affair Family – 20 rue des Martyrs
Kooka Boora – 62 rue des Martyrs
Le Printemps – 64 boulevard Haussmann
Galeries Lafayette – 40 boulevard Haussmann
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All these activities work up an appetite! Where will you have lunch and what will you do during the afternoon?
I would return to rue des Martyrs for brunch at Rose Bakery where you can choose from excellent muffins, fresh salads, crisp little pizzas, or risotto and drink fresh fruit juice, all made from organic ingredients. Next, I would take advantage of the chance to explore one of the district’s most beautiful passages while digesting my meal, like Jouffroy and Verdeau, where I would attend an antique auction at Drouot, one of the most famous auction houses where you’ll mingle with antique dealers, collectors and the curious. At the end of the afternoon I would visit the Musée de la Vie Romantique (Museum of Romantics), to discover the personal affects of George Sand and numerous other exhibits on Romanticism. After that, if it’s a nice day, I recommend unwinding with a drink in the museum garden, a calm, elegant place, ideal for relaxing.
Rose Bakery – 46 rue des Martyrs
Hôtel Drouot – 9 rue Drouot
Le Musée de la Vie Romantique – Hôtel Scheffer-Renan, 16 rue Chaptal
What will you do in the evening, to bring this day to a beautiful close?
The 9th district is home to the Grand Rex theater. It’s the perfect opportunity to see an advance showing of a film, or a show or concert! After that, I recommend going to dinner at Amour, at the hotel of the same name. It’s a timeless restaurant with warm, vintage decor, and you can always count on it for French cuisine that’s both simple and sophisticated. Finally, if I feel like having a drink with some friends I would choose a bar like Sans Souci, to spend an evening in a casual, no-fuss setting, or Bouclier de Bacchus to savor fine wines or try wines from small wineries who deserve to be better-known. But if I’m in the mood to dance, I would head to Bus Palladium, a renowned French nightclub first opened in 1965, made famous by Salvador Dali and appearances by prominent artists like the Beatles.
Grand Rex – 1 boulevard Poissonnière
Restaurant Amour – 8 rue de Navarrin
Le Sans Souci – 65, rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle
Bouclier de Bacchus – 18, rue Saint Lazare
Bus Palladium – 6, rue Fontaine
A little anecdote about your neighborhood?
Yes, the 9th is where you can enjoy one of the best baguettes in Paris! Le Grenier à Pain is one of the bakeries of Michel Galloyer, world-renowned pastry chef, who ranked in the top 10 in the competition for Paris’s best artisanal baguette.
Le Grenier à Pain – 91, boulevard Poissonnière
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