what to do in Paris | A French Collection

Place du Quebec, Paris

Place du Quebec and L'Embacle Fountain

Place du Quebec is a small square in Paris in the heart of Saint Germain des Prés. Place du Quebec is at the bustling junction of rue de Rennes, rue Bonaparte and Boulevarde Saint Germain which, despite its size, is actually one of the busiest crossroads in Paris.

Place du Quebec is probably my most walked across squares/places in Paris because of where I stay when in Paris. My often stayed at hotel is just a few hundred metres from Place du Quebec, on rue du Four, and when not staying at this hotel, it is the arrondissement I hang out the most in anyway.

Place du Quebec is only a two minute walk from the pretty Place de Furstemberg, a one minute walk from Café Bonaparte where I frequently eat late at night, directly opposite Église Saint Germain des Prés and diagonally opposite the iconic café Les Deux Magots. So, you can see how central it is to many of the famous places to visit in the 6th arrondissement of Paris.

Canal Saint-Martin

Discover Canal Saint-Martin

Do you remember Amélie skipping stones at the locks in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 2001 film Amélie? This scene was shot at the legendary Canal Saint-Martin. Crossing the 10th and 11th arrondissements, the canal is often bypassed by tourists. This haven of peace and quiet is a favourite place for walkers who enjoy watching the barges navigate the series of locks and road bridges.

From the Villette, the boats travel down the 4.5 kilometre long canal Saint-Martin to the Seine. Nine locks help the boats to reach the Seine 25 metres lower down.

Top 10 Secret Parks in Paris

Square du Vert-Galant, a secret park in Paris

Paris is well known for its secret parks and amazing large and beautiful public gardens. But are the secret parks in Paris really a secret? Well, to Parisians not so much. These parks are the backbone of their everyday life - somewhere to read a book, catch up with friends, have a picnic, or grab some sunshine in the warmer months.

Top 10 Secret Parks in Paris

With so many residents living in apartments, public gardens, parks and squares are essential to balance life indoors with some outdoors. Nestled between buildings frequented by resident neighbours, tucked into hidden locations or on the outskirts of the city, these gardens are a little harder for visitors to stumble upon.

We call our list of parks "secret" because to first-time visitors to Paris, or indeed return visitors, many of these parks will be unknown. Off the tourist track, lesser visited and not frequently included in travel guides, they require a little more effort to find and enjoy. But enjoy you will, I promise.

Notre Dame Cathedral Bees Survive the Fire

Notre Dame Cathedral Bees Survive The Fire

Notre Dame Cathedral is just one of the famous buildings in Paris that have active beehives on their rooftop and as the fire raged through the Cathedral on 15 April 2019 the survival of the rooftop bees and their beehives was on many peoples' minds.

On Monday the 15th April, the day of the disastrous fire, I was gazing up at the scaffolding and taking photos only an hour before the fire broke out and the fate of the bees crossed my mind on hearing about the fire, having researched and published my article Paris' Rooftop Beehives in 2015 all about Paris' hidden beehives and their keepers.