Whiling Away an Afternoon in a Parisian Cafe: The cafe is where passionate meetings of writers, artists, philosophers, thinkers, and revolutionaries once took place -- and perhaps still do. Parisians stop by their favorite cafes to meet current lovers and friends, to make new ones, or sit in solitude with a newspaper or book. Whether you order a small coffee or the most expensive cognac in the house, nobody will hurry you from this quintessentially Parisian activity.
Taking Afternoon Tea à la Française: Drinking tea in London has its charm, but the Parisian salon de thé is unique. Skip the cucumber-and-watercress sandwiches and delve into a luscious dessert like the Mont Blanc, a creamy purée of sweetened chestnuts and meringue. The grandest Parisian tea salon is Angélina, but you might want to stop by Berthillon for one of their scrumptious ice creams.
Strolling Along the Seine: Such painters as Sisley, Turner, and Monet have fallen under the Seine's spell. On its banks, lovers still walk hand in hand, anglers cast their lines, and bouquinistes (secondhand-book dealers) peddle their mix of postcards, 100-year-old pornography, and tattered histories of Indochina. Clochards (beggars) seek a home for the night under its bridges, and the Bateaux-Mouches (river cruise boats) ply its waters. For a spectacular view of the Louvre, cross the city's first iron bridge, the pont des Arts, one of only four pedestrian bridges. Paris's oldest and most famous bridge is the pont Neuf (New Bridge), from which you have an excellent view of the Palais de Justice and Sainte-Chapelle on Ile de la Cité.
Spending a Day at the Races: Paris boasts eight tracks for horse racing. The most famous and the classiest is Longchamp, in the Bois de Boulogne, the site of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Grand Prix . These and other top races are major social events, so you'll have to dress up (buy your outfit on rue du Faubourg St-Honoré). Take the Métro to Porte d'Auteuil, then a bus from there to the track. The racing newspaper Paris Turf and weekly entertainment magazines have details about race times.
Calling on the Dead: You don't have to be a ghoul to be thrilled by a visit to Europe's most famous cemetery, Père-Lachaise . You can pay your respects to the earthly remains of Jim Morrison, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Oscar Wilde, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret, Edith Piaf, Isadora Duncan, Abélard and Héloïse, Frédéric Chopin, Marcel Proust, Eugène Delacroix, and others. The tomb designs are intriguing and often eerie. Laid out in 1803 on a hill in Ménilmontant, the cemetery offers surprises with its bizarre monuments, unexpected views, and ornate sculpture.
Discovering Hidden Montmartre: This is Paris's most touristy area. However, far removed from the area's top draw, Sacré-Coeur, is the neighborhood of the true Montmartrois. Wander the back streets away from the souvenir shops. Arm yourself with a good map and seek out such streets as rue Lepic (refresh yourself at the Lux Bar at no. 12), rue Constance, rue Tholozé (with its view over the Paris rooftops), rue des Abbesses, and rue Germain-Pilon. None of these is famous, but each boasts buildings whose detailing shows the pride and care permeating Paris's architecture. Discover dozens of other streets on your own. At dusk, sit on Sacré-Coeur's top steps and watch as Paris turns into the City of Light.
Checking Out the Marchés: A daily Parisian ritual is ambling through one of the open-air markets to buy fresh food -- perhaps a properly creamy Camembert or a pumpkin-gold cantaloupe -- to be eaten before sundown. You can take part in this time-honored tradition by purchasing the makings for a picnic in a park or even in your room. Like artists, the vendors arrange their wares into a mosaic of vibrant colors: Sanguine, an Italian citrus with juice the color of a brilliant orange sunset; ruby-red peppers; and golden-yellow bananas from Martinique all dazzle the eye. Our favorite market is on rue Montorgeuil, beginning at rue Rambuteau, 1e (Métro: Les Halles). During mornings at this grubby little cluster of food stalls, we've spotted some of France's finest chefs stocking up for the day.
Window-Shopping in the Faubourg St-Honoré: In the 1700s, the wealthiest Parisians resided in the Faubourg St-Honoré; today the quarter is home to stores catering to the rich, particularly on rue du Faubourg St-Honoré and avenue Montaigne. Even if you don't buy anything, it's great to window-shop big names like Hermès, Dior, Laroche, Courrèges, Cardin, and Saint Laurent. If you want to browse in the stores, be sure to dress the part.
Exploring Ile de la Cité's Flower Market: A fine finish to any day (Mon-Sat) spent meandering along the Seine is a stroll through the Marché aux Fleurs, place Louis-Lépine . You can buy rare flowers, the gems of the French Riviera -- bouquets that have inspired artists throughout the centuries. Even the most basic hotel room will feel like a luxury suite once you fill it with bunches of carnations, lavender, roses, and tulips. On Sundays, the area is transformed into the Marché aux Oiseaux, where you can admire rare birds from around the world.
Going Gourmet at Fauchon: An exotic world of food, Fauchon offers more than 20,000 products from around the globe. Everything you never knew you were missing is in aisle after aisle of coffees, spices, pastries, fruits, vegetables, rare Armagnacs, and much more. Take your pick: Tonganese mangoes, Scottish smoked salmon, preserved cocks' combs, Romanian rose-petal jelly, blue-red Indian pomegranates, golden Tunisian dates, larks stuffed with foie gras, dark morels from France's rich soil,
Finnish reindeer's tongue, century-old eggs from China, and a Creole punch from Martinique reputed to be the best anywhere.
Attending a Free Concert: Summer brings a Paris joy: free concerts in parks and churches all over the city. Pick up an entertainment weekly for details. Some of the best concerts are held at the American Church in Paris, 65 quai d'Orsay, 7e (tel. 01-40-62-05-00; Métro: Invalides or Alma Marceau), which sponsors free concerts from September to June on Sunday at 6pm. You can also attend free concerts at Eglise St-Merri, 78 rue St-Martin, 4e (tel. 01-42-71-40-75; Métro: Hôtel-de-Ville). These performances are staged based on the availability of the performers, from September to July on Saturday at 9pm and again on Sunday at 4pm.
Attending a Ballet or an Opera: In 1989, the Opéra Bastille was inaugurated to compete with the grande dame of the music scene, the Opéra Garnier , which then was solely for dance and soon closed for renovations. The Garnier reopened a few years ago, and opera has joined dance in the rococo splendor created by Charles Garnier, beneath a controversial ceiling by Chagall. The modern Bastille, France's largest opera house, with curtains by designer Issey Miyake, features opera and symphony performances in four concert halls (its main hall seats 2,700). Whether for a performance of Bizet or Tharp, dress with pomp and circumstance.
Watching the Show at the Folies-Bergère: Often denounced, the campy showcase at the Folies-Bergère has been pleasing audiences since 1868, even though classic acts like Maurice Chevalier, Mistinguett, and Josephine Baker (who performed her famous banana dance here) vanished long ago. True, the Tour Eiffel cancan is a bit corny and the show has become less daring, but those ladies in their sequins, feathers, and pom-poms still evoke a Paris of days gone by, immortalized on a Manet canvas. The show, tacky or not, seems to go on forever.
Sipping Cocktails at Willi's: Back in the early 1970s, the first-timer to Paris might have arrived with a copy of Hemingway's A Moveable Feast and, taking the author's endorsement to heart, headed for Harry's Bar at "Sank roo doe Noo." Harry's is still around but now draws an older, more conservative clientele. Today's chic younger expats head for Willi's Wine Bar, where the longhaired young bartenders are mostly English, as are the waitresses, who are dressed in Laura Ashley garb. The place is like an informal club for Brits, Australians, and Yanks, especially in the afternoon. Some 300 wines await your selection.
