Great deals in Paris

Paris, the capital of the arts, a hotspot of gastronomy, a Mecca of fashion and luxury… There is no shortage of superlatives to describe this enchanting destination that you will fall in love with.

• The Eiffel Tower painted red in its early days
• The Pyramids and the inverted pyramid
• The Champs-Élysées and its drugstores
• The Opéra Garnier and its little rats
• The banks of the Seine for the bookstalls
• The Panthéon and its great men and women
• The Invalides, Napoleon's hospital
• The Trocadéro for its esplanade
• The Luxembourg Garden or rather the Luco
• The Tuileries and the Ferris Wheel
• The Royal Palace or the courtyard of miracles
• Rue Mouffetard and its witch
• The Louvre, former royal residence
• The Musée d’Orsay which used to be a train station
• The Louis Vuitton Foundation, a futuristic liner

How to approach the metropolis, find your way around, or traverse it? I suggest overlooking it, and your gaze will rest on the palace roofs, the openings created by Baron Haussmann, and the arms of the Seine. On this occasion, you will realize how much the capital was built on hills: Butte aux Cailles, Montagne Sainte Geneviève, Montorgueil…

It's no surprise that musician Keren Ann chose to shoot her music video for "Ailleurs" in this unexpected place. If you enter a natural world and hear the flute-like singing of blue tits, it’s because the area has been greened and pedestrianized. Soon, you notice the remnants of the railway line; it connected Bastille to East Paris up until the 60s. Along the way, you cross the Jardin de Reuilly via a suspension bridge, then you come across the Charles Péguy square with its magnolias. Finally, you take the Viaduc des Arts which houses 70 arches. Here, art and decoration shops mix. Needless to say, the walk is refreshing and conducive to meditation...

A fresh wind blows on the right bank. The first district seems revitalized with the conversion of the Bourse de Commerce into a contemporary art museum, La Samaritaine undergoing rejuvenation, the Poste du Louvre finding a new purpose, and the Forum des Halles with its canopy...

The grand department store on the right bank of Paris has reopened its doors and wonder is evident on the faces of the onlookers. Both the monumental staircase and the murals, as well as the glass roof, have been faithfully restored, reconnecting with the styles of Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

Before delving into the history of this brand, do you know why it is named as such? La Samaritaine derives its name from a pump that supplied water to the Louvre area. Born from the union of Ernest Cognacq, a calico merchant, and Marie-Louise Jaÿ, the first ready-to-wear saleswoman at Le Bon Marché, the department store experienced rapid expansion. The business was run in a paternalistic manner and after the founder's death, graduates from HEC took over the reins of the family company. Soon La Samaritaine surpassed its competitors in size and relied on slogans such as "You can find everything at La Samaritaine." Unfortunately, the end of the "Trente Glorieuses" put an end to the consumerist fervor, and not even the wrapping of the Pont Neuf by Christo brought back the customers. Gradually, the department store refocused its activities on fashion but was taken over by the LVMH group in 2001 and eventually closed its doors in 2005.

In what way is the restoration particularly successful? Above all, the grand staircase has been perfectly restored. To this end, the 270 oak steps that made it up have been preserved. It took no less than 16,000 gold leaves to restore the ironwork's lost luster. The decorations in enameled lava signed by Jourdain have taken their place again. At the end of this staircase, you will come face to face with murals in blended colors illuminated by a zenithal glass roof, a pure delight. As for the facades, they bear the names of the old departments. Thus, one can read: Amazon or Hunting. Once you cross the forecourt arranged in front of the doors, heading towards Rue de Rivoli, one cannot help but notice the large facade that contrasts in its modernity with its panels of undulating glass, a creation of the Japanese architects Nishizawa and Sejima.

NB: do not miss the cafe installed on the top floor and extend your contemplation

You are familiar with its dome and the column halfway between the Forum des Halles and the headquarters of the Banque de France. François Pinault has turned it into an exhibition space to share his contemporary art collection with the public. He indeed owns a substantial collection of works from 350 artists: monumental sculptures, videos, sound works, a photographic collection... This collection is aimed at both novices and connoisseurs, and highlights emerging artists. To do so, the industrial tycoon chose an emblematic site of Parisian heritage. He entrusted the renovation to designer Tadao Ando, chief architect of historical monuments Pierre-Antoine Gatier, and the NeM agency. After 3 years of work, the former grain exchange, preserving the 15th-century column and the dome, has been enhanced with an internal enclosure that still allows the fresco to be seen. The Japanese architect has even defined the vocation of this place as "a tense and subtler dialogue between the new and the old." Inside the 9-meter-high concrete envelope, works are displayed and an external circular corridor, a staircase, and a gallery lead to the exhibition rooms. From this promenade, the view of the dome is breathtaking, both the fresco and the dome itself, but watch out for the pigeons!

Enjoy your stay in Paris and also discover the wonders in France. Check out the travel ideas and activities in France.