Something for the Weekend (April 13th - 15th)

Spring is the time of births and rebirths, so it is entirely suitable that this weekend in Paris will see the unveiling of a new space as well as two freshly renovated ones.



'Les Docks' finally opens...
After delays that have seemingly dragged on for several years, it is a brave decision to schedule the official opening of Les Docks (or is it the Cité de la Mode et du Design - the name isn't very clear) for a Friday the 13th! Previously a dockside warehouse alongside the Seine near the Gare d'Austerlitz, the space was redesigned by architects Jakob + MacFarlane and was originally supposed to open in 2010. It is already home in part to a fashion school, but this weekend sees the opening of public areas including shops and cafés as well as exhibition spaces. The more spectacular rooftop zones will open closer to the summer, and will include a terrace nightclub.

Launching the new spaces are exhibitions on the creations of Balenciaga and Comme des Garçons, organised in association with the Musée Galliera (itself currently closed!).

Full information here: http://www.paris-docks-en-seine.fr/



...and the Palais de Tokyo 'reopens'... 
The city's leading modern arts venue reopens its doors this Thursday and Friday for 30 hours non-stop - then closes them again for a week before the official re-opening on the 20th. The renovations have increased the size of the space, making it the biggest contemporary art centre in the world, but expect it to look like a work in progress for quite a while yet (possibly forever).

http://www.palaisdetokyo.com/



...and the Trabendo too 
I have to admit that when I received notice that the Trabendo - a rather sweaty live music venue in the Parc de la Villette - was to reopen this weekend, I hadn't even noticed that it had been closed. It was originally designed as a jazz venue (called Hot Brass), but had veered more towards rock over the years, but the owners felt that it lacked the charm necessary to attract crowds over to this corner of the city. Redesigned in 'post-bahaus' style (whatever that is), it now also contains an outdoor 'guingette' bar and cheap(ish) drinks which should bring people to its doors in the summer.

The official re-launch is this Saturday, with a free concert featuring a rare appearance in Paris from ex-member of Spacemen 3, Sonic Boom.

More information here: http://www.letrabendo.net/


Ca et Là
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Pavillon Neuflize OBC, the creation laboratory of Palais de Tokyo, an exhibition will be held at the Fondation d'entreprise Ricard and beyond. Actually, it is the 'beyond' part that is important (and interesting) as almost nothing will be display at the Fondation d'entreprise Ricard. Instead artists who have been involved with the lab over the last 10 years will be displaying creations on sites across Paris (and the rest of the world in some cases!).

Full information on the particpants and locations on this spectacularly unuser-friendly website: http://aaa.closky.online.fr/this&there/. And if you think that website is tricky to navigate, try checking out the event's accompanying map! 

More details on this event soon on Invisible Paris, featuring a creation by Davide Bertocchi in the Palais d'Iéna.



Les dimanches au galop
Free horse racing fun for all the family continues this Sunday with another chance to experience the city's most prestigious track, Longchamp.

More information here.

Sponsored post: Seeing the best of Paris on a budget

Paris is a great destination for a short break from the UK - it's easy and quick to reach and is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Even if you don't have much cash to splash, you can still enjoy all the French capital has to offer.

Here are some top tips on getting the most out of a trip to Paris if you're on a budget.


Go for a walk

Much of Paris's appeal is in its architecture and it'd be a shame to miss out on all the wonderful buildings that line its streets by relying solely on the metro system to shuttle you from one monument to the next.

So, head to a tourist information office - or even ask in your hotel - and pick up a free map of the city. You should be able to navigate your way around the main sights relatively easily on foot - after all, you're not likely to miss the Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triomphe!

Don't miss out on Notre Dame Cathedral - the building is astounding and, as it's free to enter, it's worth stepping inside to fully appreciate the architectural design of this place of worship. If you're feeling energetic, climb the 387 steps of its tower for some amazing views of the Parisian skyline.

One of my favourite spots in the city is the Sacre Couer. The best thing about walking to this beautiful church is that you'll be able to explore the winding streets of Montmartre along the way. Once you get there, take a few minutes to soak up the image of the stunning white domes on the steps leading up to the monument.

Climb the Eiffel Tower

If you're desperate to see the views from the top of the Eiffel Tower, the cheapest way to do it is to climb the steps. Buying a ticket that involves a bit of legwork will cost less than half of the fare to jump in the elevator, currently €4.70 (£3.99) as opposed to €8.20 for the lift to the second floor or €13.40 for a ride to the very top.

I actually prefer going up the stairs, as it gives you a chance to really appreciate this massive structure. You'll gradually be able to see more of Paris as you climb and, when you reach the top, you can feel very smug that you've walked up all those stairs, rather than taking the easy option!

A word of advice - take refreshments with you, otherwise you'll be paying a premium if you want to buy a drink or some food from the restaurant at the top!


Visit a museum

If you want to explore the Louvre during your trip, make sure you buy a ticket for one of the days when it has late-night opening (Wednesday or Friday when it's open from 9am to 9.45pm) to make the most of your entrance fee, which is €10 if you only want to see the permanent collections, or €14 for access to these and temporary exhibitions. If, however, you're not so bothered about seeing the Mona Lisa in all its glory, you can always head to one of Paris's galleries offering free entry.

The Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris doesn't charge to browse its permanent collection, although you will have to pay if you want to see any of its temporary exhibitions, while the Centre Georges Pompidou Ateleir Brancusi and Le Plateau - Centre d'art contemporain are both completely free.

Alternatively, you could go for something truly unique, like a visit to the Musee du Parfum, which is dedicated to the art of perfume making; or the Musee National de la Legion d'honneur et des ordres de chevalerie, where you can see all manner of installations relating to the history of French decoration since the time of Louis XI. Both offer free entry all year round.


This post was written on behalf of idealshortbreaks.co.uk, a site offering inspiration and recommendations to help you plan the perfect short break.

Something for the Weekend (April 6th - 8th)

It's Easter weekend which as well as chocolate and rabbits, also means public holidays and possible closures. Friday is not a holiday in France, but Monday is, and it is this day which may pose the most difficulties.

Closed on Sunday and Monday
All municipal museums (Musée Victor Hugo, le Petit Palais, le Musée des Arts modernes..)

Closed on Monday
The Musée d'Orsay and the Musée Auguste Rodin

However, here are some suggestions for activities that will definitely be going ahead. 

Les dimanches au galop
Free horse racing fun for all the family continues this Sunday with the first meeting of the season at the city's most prestigious track, Longchamp.

More information here.


Easter egg hunts
Easter is pretty much synonymous these days with crawling around under bushes looking for eggs. This year, this need not only be an activity for children, as an adults version has also been organised across Paris.

A list of events for children can be found here. Many are in the large parks outside Paris, but there are some being organised in museums or at the Buttes Chaumont park: http://www.sortiraparis.com/loisirs/guides/38528-paques-les-meilleures-chasses-aux-oeufs-a-paris-et-aux-alentours

For adults, I already featured the event on the blog earlier this week: http://parisweekends.blogspot.fr/2012/04/giant-easter-egg-hunt-in-paris-with-big.html


Beauté animale
One of the most interesting exhibitions in the city currently is being held at the Grand Palais. The exhibition features around 130 creations from the Renaissance to the present day, and only works in which the animal is shown on its own and for itself, without any human presence, are included. The creations, fascinating in themselves, also tell us much about the links between art and science, and how creatures have influenced - and still continue to influence - artists.

Full information on the exhibition, as well as online ticket purchasing, can be found here. 


Free Soup!
If you're at the Grand Palais on Saturday, why not get yourself a free bowl of Tom Ka Thai soup? Interestingly, this 'happening' is not to promote a new brand, but actually an art installation (Soup/No Soup) launching the La Triennale show.

More details here: http://www.latriennale.org/en/grand-palais


A Sring Ball
Although the weather promises to be grey or damp, you can still get into a Spring mood by going to a ball. The event will be held both inside and outside La Rotonde alongside the canal at Stalingrad. There will be free events outside in the late afternoon/early evening (jugglers, fire eaters, grafitti lessons, music) and a more traditional (well, if burlesque dancers and body painting can be considered traditional) ball indoors later on. 

http://le-bric-a-brac-bar.com/

A giant Easter Egg hunt in Paris - with big prizes!

Urban Pulse is a new social media application for Paris which aims to 'vous faire sortir de chez vous'. To launch their new concept, the creators have organised a giant Easter Egg hunt across the capital using their app.

Thousands of eggs (in reality coloured bits of paper) will be hidden across five parts of Paris - Bastille, Saint-Michel, Montparnasse, Châtelet et Haussmann. Discovering these gives you points, and you can gain additional points by finding the two-metre high egg that will be walking across Paris during the weekend, or the 'funky-crazy' rabbits that will be riding across the city on Velib bicycles (why is this all starting to sound a bit like Donnie Darko...?)

Participants must flash the different QRCodes on these eggs (or animals) with the Urban Pulse application (which you can download for free on the App Store and Google Play) in order to win prizes which include a five-day trip to New York. The first QRCode is included here - en avant première - in the image above.

For full information, see http://urbanpulse.fr/sortez-de-chez-vous/gagnez-un-voyage-a-new-york/

Something for the Weekend 30th (March 30th - April 1st)

Art and design events are like buses - you get none for ages, then three come along at once. Paris is hosting three such events this weekend, but you'll need to have plenty of spare cash if you want to visit all of them! For those with less flexible wallets, you'll also find some ideas of things to do for free below.

Reminder: April 1st, as well as being a day when you might find yourself with a fish on your back, is also the first Sunday of the month this time around, so that means plenty of free museums. You can find a complete list of the participating museums here.



1.618
Of the three art and design events this weekend, this is clearly the most pretentiously named and themed, but also potentially the most interesting. It takes its name from the so called 'golden ratio', (ie, if the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one), a figure that is supposed to represent perfect aesthetic balance, and has the goal of highlighting 'sustainable luxury' (using a very clumsy 'the event of an other luxury' in its English tagline). It is primarily an event for professionals, but the general public can visit - if they have €18 to spare.

One additional advantage of this event is that it gives you the chance to visit the underused Cité de la Mode et du Design on the Seine.

More information here: http://www.1618-paris.com/concept_1618.php?lang=en


Pavillon des Arts de Design
The Tuileries gardens now seem to be the default venue for design events, despite the fact that it means hosting them inside large marquees. Although a city park, the Tuileries gardens are in fact owned and run by the French state, and more particularly the Ministry of Culture, who obviously see them as a way of making a little supplementary revenue. Once again, this event - which has a more sober and classical angle - has a hefty entrance price (€20).

Full information here.  


Art Paris Art Fair
The third event, the strangely named Art Paris Art Fair, is being held at the Grand Palais. Focussing more on contemporary art, it provides a fantastic location for browsing (and presumably few visitors will be buying) under the glass ceiling. Once again, a €20 entrance fee may put off more than one casual visitor.

Full details here: http://www.artparis.fr/2012/en


Portes Ouvertes La Chapelle
If you're looking for something a lot more 'roots', La Chapelle is the place to go this weekend. Situated at the foot of Montmartre, this working class district is being slowly smartened up (or spoilt according to your viewpoint), but this weekend 'open doors' event will enable you to visit some of the old industrial sites that are now being used (often temporarily before renovation of demolition) by theatres, artists or just by weekend gardeners.  

The most interesting event of all? Probably a visit to the Bois Dormoy shared garden, which is in fact almost like a hidden miniature forest! On Saturday afternoon, there will even be a mini-music festival under the trees.

http://portesouverteslachapelle.blogspot.fr/#!/2012/03/2eme-edition-des-portes-ouvertes-de-la.html



Crossing Borders
Street art in galleries is always hit and miss, but when it is a show that brings together some of the world's leading artists in the field, it should at least offer some interesting pieces. The very short show - lasting only 5 days - officially opens on Sunday, but if you wander along on Saturday evening, you may just be able to get in to the 'vernissage' event, where several of the artists will be present and 'performing'. 

From Sunday 1st to Thursday 5th April
Full details here: http://www.mystreetartgallery.com/


Meet Young Film Makers
Finally, a message posted in last week's comments, but which sounds sufficiently interesting to be mentioned again here:

"Don’t forget meeting young film makers on March 31st, Cinema Action Christine (4 Rue Christine, 75006 Paris). Time: 13:40 (1:40 pm). Check it out here - you can order your ticket online, just 6 euros for a block of several films:


http://ecu.festivalgenius.com/2012/films/fragmentsoffreedom_alexandrearchimbauds_ecu2012


Come and meet a group of creative film makers on Saturday with interactive question and answer sessions after each film!"

Something for the Weekend (March 23rd - 25th)

Spring truly has arrived in Paris, so if you're in the city this weekend, it should be perfect. Here though are a few ideas that could make it even better. 

Activities

Dimanches au Galop
As mentioned here earlier this week, the Dimanches au Galop initiative returns this Sunday. The principle is a simple one - free entry for all the family each Sunday to one of the race courses around Paris for an afternoon of horseracing. To keep everyone amused, there are also many other activities on offer, or just wide open spaces and picnic tables.    

Sunday 25th, Hippodrome d'Auteuil
Full information here

Le Salon des vins des vignerons indépendents

Wine fairs should not be about consuming vast quantities of wine, but if you do so at this particular event, nobody will bat an eyelid. As it features only small, independent producers, there is none of the snobbery of larger events, but still plenty of quality produce to sample (and purchase). Simply pick up the complimentary glass at the entrance then visit as many of the stands as you like.

More information here: http://www.vigneron-independant.com/auxsalons/

For a free invitation for two people, click here, fill out the form and click Enter. You should then receive the invitation by e-mail.



Cheap books - for a good cause
SOS Helpline, an English language listening service in Paris, is organising a fund-raising book sale this Sunday. Paperbacks 1 Euro, Hardbacks 2 Euros, all money going to this very worthwhile cause.

SOS Help Book Sale
Sunday, March 25th, 12 pm to 4 pm
Orrick Law Offices
31 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75016
http://www.soshelpline.org/

An Eco-Trail in Paris...
Paris is of course the city of the flâneur, but some people like to attack it with a bit more vigour. This weekend you can take part in 'a unique cross-country race in urban surroundings' completing trails, hikes and nordic walks over 80, 50 àr 30km, with each race ending at the Eiffel tower. If you'd prefer just to enjoy the sun, the event will probably at least offer a few good photo opportunities. 

More information here

And Eco gifts...
For a more leisurely time, visit the Marché Bio Ecolo (Organic and fair-trade market) this Sunday. As well as the gifts, food products and massages, you'll also be able to discover the interesting interior of the La Cartonnerie venue.

Full details here: http://marche-bio-ecolo.com/

Les Dimanches au Galop: back on course this weekend!

Les Dimanches au Galop, held each Sunday in spring, is an attempt to turn horse-racing into a fun, family activity, and most definitely a successful one.

Paris has several impressive race tracks on its fringes, and incredibly most of the time these are almost empty, even during race meetings. With wide open green spaces, comfortable facilities (snack bars and picnic tables for those on a budget, or more impressive track-side restaurants for those looking to make it a real day out), it is always a surprise to find these venues so underpopulated.

On Sundays in March, April and May though this is different. By offering free entry (although entry prices to even the most important races of the year remain eminently affordable) and a whole host of activities for kids, the organisers have successfully managed to attract a faithful following for the events. Don't worry about overcrowding though - the multi-tiered stands offer space enough for everyone, and you'll easily be able to get a comfortable grandstand view of the races.

Gambling is carefully controlled in France, and outside of a race course you can only bet in licensed bars and place accumalor bets (the first three/four/five horses to finish). At the race course though you can place any sum you like on as many horses as you want.

Although gambling remains an important part of the sport (and of course what has made France an attractive venue for racehorse owners), the Dimanche au Galop event is more about the sideshow events for children. Alongside the pony rides and horserace themed activities, new this year is a race simulator - which promises to put you in the position of a jockey during a race!

Programme: 

• 25 March: Hippodrome d’Auteuil
• 1 April: Hippodrome de Saint-Cloud
• 8 April: Hippodrome de Longchamp
• 15 April: Hippodrome de Longchamp
• 22 April: Hippodrome d’Auteuil
• 29 April: Hippodrome de Longchamp
• 6 May: Hippodrome d’Auteuil
• 13 May: Hippodrome de Longchamp

 
Click here for more information: http://www.dimanchesaugalop.com/