La Bourse de Commerce, revamped by Tadao Ando to accommodate the Pinault Collection, has therefore (finally) opened its doors. Definitely worth a weekend in Paris. Take the opportunity to visit the 5 exhibitions of the moment: Moriyama / Tomatsu at the MEP, Henri Cartier-Bresson at the Carnavalet Museum and at the BNF, Marc Riboud at the Guimet Museum, and Peder Severin Krøyer at the Marmottan Museum. Follow the guide. Weekend in Paris.
Let’s sleep in Paris
Well, obviously, there is plenty to choose from. You don’t really need Monsieur Bernard to find a nice hotel in the second most visited city in the world (after Bangkok). But Mr. Bernard’s unwavering loyalty obliges him to fulfill his duty, in this case, to recommend 6 spots to choose from depending on the number of travelers accompanying you and your budget.
The Hoxton
So let’s start with a no brainer: The Hoxton, the Parisian branch of the eponymous English chain which has set its sights on a former 18th century mansion close to the Grands Boulevards. Moldings and Hungarian point parquet alongside Gras lamps and a workshop glass roof in a 1950s atmosphere. 172 rooms designed by the Humbert & Poyet firm, divided into four categories: Shoebox (13-17 m2), Cozy (17-21 m2) , Roomy (19-30 m2) and Biggy (23-36 m2), from € 99 to € 599. As a bonus, everything you need to have a good stay: kitchen available to guests, terraces scattered around the hotel, restaurant with patio and cocktail bar.
Hotel Henriette
If you are a real rebel and want to avoid the epicenter of Parisian “boboïtude”, i.e. the 9th, 10th and 11th arrondissements, but you don’t disdain a cool, stylish and affordable hotel, head to the Hotel Henriette in the Gobelins-Mouffetard district. 32 perfect rooms (rattan furniture, succulents, ethnic rugs, linen sheets, fifties lamps, antique pieces…) from € 99.
Hotel Les Deux Gares
But if you prefer to be a stone’s throw from Boboland, you can book with your eyes closed at Hotel Les Deux Gares. Adrien Gloaguen, the boss of the Touriste group (Panache, Beaurepaire and Bienvenue in Paris, Chrysos hotels in London) joined forces with his childhood friend the lawyer Antoine Raccat, to open this high place of Parisian hype (we talk about the restaurant a little further down). They hired the British artist-designer Luke Edward Hall who went a bit wild with colors and patterns. 40 rooms slightly more sober but almost as vibrant as the lobby from € 120 .
Hotel Jules & Jim
If you only swear by the Marais, get off at Jules et Jim. Left: the Jules building, an old refurbished precious metal processing workshop. Right: the brand new Jim wing, whose rooms on the eighth floor offer a panoramic view of Paris. Luxurious materials (walnut woodwork, glass, stone and raw concrete), cozy bar, pretty paved courtyard with large outdoor fireplace. Top class from 190 € per room.
Hotel Amour
Since its opening by the trio, André, Emmanuel Delavenne, Thierry Costes, about fifteen years ago, the cult hotel on rue Navarin has made children: Grand Amour Hôtel and Amour Nice. But we must admit that the eldest of the family, the Hotel Amour, is still the sexiest. Cool neighborhood, trendy clientele, rooms decorated by Pierre Le Tan, Alex de Betak, M / M, Para…, and reasonable prices (for Paris). A table football in the cellar, a courtyard and a brasserie among the most popular in Paris, and 29 rooms from 135 to 350 €.
Generator
It is an understatement to say that Generator Hostels have revolutionized the world of youth hostels. Maybe even the whole world. Common areas as stylish as they are welcoming, well-designed dormitories, and friendly double rooms at an unbeatable price. The Generator Paris is no exception to the rule. As a family, as a tribe or as a couple, if you are young (in age or in spirit) and do not want to spend a fortune, do not go further. As a bonus, the rooftop with a view of all of Paris.
Yooma
Less backpackers, the Yooma, designed by Ora Ito, is undoubtedly the ideal choice if you are coming with your family. With its rooms for 4 or 6 with funny hiding beds, its pop, graphic and arty decor, declining Mondrian-style primary colors and wall bands by Daniel Buren, it should win the vote whatever the age of your beloved offspring! Rooms for 4 people from 140 €.
Let’s eat in Paris
Here again the choice is huge. Here are two restaurants taken not completely at random.
Café Les Deux Gares
Well, if you sleep at the Hôtel Les Deux Gares, the case is settled, you eat at the Café Les Deux Gares. But if you sleep elsewhere, you can still come and dine there. Behind the bar, Frederic Lesire, the boss. In the kitchen, chef Jonathan Schweizer, supported by Frédérico Suarez, cooks up a cuisine that is as simple as it is demanding. On the menu, whelks mayo with herbs, leeks in redcurrant vinaigrette, white tuna from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, cod with pil-pil sauce and pointed cabbage, secreto of Iberian pork, roasted old carrots, milk flower ice cream and olive oil. Ça c’est Paris !
Frenchie Bar à Vins
Otherwise, you can obviously try to book a table at the Frenchie, Gregory Marchand’s flagship. Or dine opposite, at the Frenchie Bar à Vins. If promiscuity does not scare you – you even consider it as a potential source of conviviality -, the plates to die for will not make you regret your stay at this address that the whole world envies us. As for wines, let yourself be guided by the owners, the selection being up to the plates.
Saturday morning in Paris
Moriyama / Tomatsu at the MEP
For this one, we’ve been waiting for a while. Postponed several times due to a what you know, here it is finally on the bill of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie until October 24, 2021. So, the exhibition “Moriyama – Tomatsu: Tokyo” was conceived by artists Daido Moriyama and Shomei Tomatsu – before the latter’s death in 2012 – as a way to celebrate their city around a first artistic collaboration. Nine years later, the exhibition is finally showing. More than 400 works, most of them for the first time in Paris, retracing the careers of two sacred monsters of Japanese photography. Unmissable and ideal to start your morning, the doors of the MEP opening at 10 am on weekends.
Henri Cartier-Bresson at Musée Carnavalet
For its reopening after long months of work, the Carnavalet Museum is playing it classic with a retrospective dedicated to the master Henri Cartier-Bresson. The fundamentals. And don’t count on monsieur bernard to complain about it. On display until October 31, 2021, the exhibition entitled “Revoir Paris” presents original prints including around thirty unpublished works, publications, as well as audiovisual recordings of the artist.
Let’s have a lunch in Paris
Les Enfants du Marché
Since you are in the area, do like any good self-respecting Parisian, have lunch at the Marché des Enfants Rouges. No reservation there, so it’s a bit of a fight, but at some point, you should be able to find a seat at the counter or on a table in one of the alluring stalls from the market, for example, at Les Enfants du Marché or Chez Taeko.
Saturday afternoon in Paris
Merci
Since you’re five minutes away, move to Merci to see how it goes. Everything is beautiful there, a bit expensive, but a visit to this Mecca of Parisian shopping is quite a must for anyone who has never set foot there.
Henri Cartier-Bresson at the BNF
Since you love Henri Cartier-Bresson, which, although not pleading for your originality, makes you a person of sure taste, know that the BNF is programming “Le Grand Jeu”, a unique project around the photographer’s Master Collection. Created in 1973 by the artist himself at the request of his friends and collectors Dominique and John de Ménil, the Master Collection brings together “the 385 best photographs of Cartier-Bresson in the best possible prints”. Printed in six copies distributed around the world, it offers an exceptional panorama of the universal and intimate work of “the eye of the century”. Why deprive yourself of it?
Cire Trudon
If you have to bring back a gift for your great-great-aunt, you couldn’t find a better present than a Trudon candle. Because as everyone knows, Trudon is to the candle what Molière is to comedy, Cioran to aphorisms, James Bond to secret agents, in short, the quintessence.
Deyrolle
As long as we are into the Parisian classics, except if you are allergic to taxidermy, a visit to Deyrolle is essential. You could leave with, depending on your mood, a stuffed unicorn, a frame with weird insects in it, or more simply a map of the cows of France.
Saturday evening dinner’s
Le Chateaubriand
Book a table at Chateaubriand and you’ve kind of hit the jackpot. Since Inaki Aizpitarte took over the address on a blessed day in 2006, the Basque chef has managed to keep his table at the top of Parisian bistronomy. Unique menus 45 or 75 €.
Sunday in Paris
Peder Severin Krøyer at Musée Marmottan
Until September 26, 2021, the Musée Marmottan Monet presents the first monographic exhibition ever devoted in France to one of the greatest masters of Danish painting, Peder Severin Krøyer (1851-1909). Dividing his time between Copenhagen and Skagen, a small fishing village where the North Sea and the Baltic meet, Peder Severin Krøyer painted the blue hour like no one else. And to start a Sunday in peace and serenity, it’s quite perfect. Doors open at 10 a.m.
Marc Riboud at Musée Guimet
A stone’s throw from Marmottan, the Guimet Museum is hosting a retrospective dedicated to Marc Riboud. Until September 6, 2021, this is a great opportunity to (re) immerse yourself in the photographs of the famous member of the Magnum agency who bequeathed all of his work to the National Museum of Asian Arts. All in all logical given the number of emblematic photos taken by Riboud during his travels in the East and the Far East.
Sunday’s lunch
Since your next visit is La Bourse de Commerce, it might be a good idea to have lunch nearby, at Carla Rebeiz’s Eats Thyme for example. Labné, baba ganoush, delicious salads, man’ouché (bread cake) to go with it all, and products to take away from the grocery store.
But if you are not in the Lebanese mood and you fancy a high-end street-food, return to Greg Marchand’s rue du Nil to feast on pastrami, pulled pork, fried chicken and marvelous hot dog at Frenchie To Go.
La Bourse de Commerce Pinault Collection
And so, to end your artistic marathon in style: the Pinault Collection at La Bourse de Commerce. François Pinault called on the brilliant self-taught Japanese architect Tadao Ando to transform the Bourse de Commerce into a museum worthy of hosting the collection of the Breton billionaire. And if the choice is not particularly original, it is undoubtedly sure as the Japanese star is knowledgeable about museum architecture: go and see in Naoshima (or on the internet if you have not planned a trip to Japan in the immediate future) what he is capable of.
So, Charles Ray, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Marlene Dumas, Tatiana Found, Julie Mehretu, Philippe Parent, Martial Raysse, the sure value of contemporary art. It goes without saying that you will of course book your ticket in advance. As with all Parisian exhibitions elsewhere.
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