You're reading: Escape to Paris for 48 hours to get memories for a lifetime

Ernest Hemingway came to Paris in his early 20s with his fame just around the corner.

In his memoirs he wrote: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”

Hemingway nailed it. Paris clings to you, with that champagne bottle you now use as a doorstop, the straw hat you bought for leisurely strolls or the French holy trinity of wine, bread and cheese for dinner.

With so many sites to visit in Paris, I suggest you pace yourself and stretch the pleasure across a few visits. If it’s your first time there, climb the Eiffel Tower and roam the Louvre for a day. Tick off all the touristy bits and then come back for another kind of impression – the city vibe.

Here’s my own little recipe for a weekend stay in Paris en plein air, or in the open air.

The Saint-Germain district in the 6th quarter is a good place to start. Named after an ancient bishop, it’s a haven of bookshops, coffee-houses, galleries and boutiques.

To appreciate the difference from mainstream Paris, get off at Notre Dame subway stop. Leave the crowds behind by walking along the Seine away from the hunchback’s cathedral. There are plenty of souvenir stalls with art-deco prints, old magazine covers and black-and-white postcards to tempt a collector in you. At the bridge Pont Neuf, turn left for the Rue Dauphin to discover an amazing neighborhood of quintessential narrow streets.

Passing the baguettes peeping from window shops and the spaniel that lives in a dress boutique, stop by the Hotel d’Aubusson. A converted 17th century stately home, it feels like one of those places where Napoleon once courted Josephine before they became emperor and empress. There’s an inner courtyard with small fountains, a fireplace in the drawing room and lots of art. The hotel’s prices are also designed for royal budgets, but you can always enjoy a live jazz evening in its restaurant.

Next to the hotel is a charming old-fashioned cinema still showing black-and-white classics in a red-velvet hall fitting no more than 30 people.

If you fancy a giant fresh salad for lunch or even a simple coffee, turn right at Rue de Buci. Dozens of tables set on sidewalks will introduce you to the authentic eating culture in Paris. Forget about personal space and squeeze into a wicker chair with a good view of the street. If you like people-watching, this is the place for it. Stylish couples, sophisticated ladies with pugs on a red leash, Parisians on bikes with books and baguettes squashed at the front – it’s a delicious feast of modernity.

The Church of St. Sulpice is the second largest in the city after Notre Dame. Located in Saint-Germain, it has an unorthodox front with mismatched towers. Forever under reconstruction, as most big churches are, I love it for the antique art market sprawled outside. Prints, books and maps come from the same age as the noble 16th-century houses around the square.

At the intersection of Rue Bonaparte and boulevard Saint-Germain, many writers had their intellectual center of gravity. Hemingway was one of them.

There will be plenty of museums to savor but you can’t miss the home of impressionists at Musee d’Orsay in the same 6th quarter. It has the largest collection of works by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Gauguin, Lautrec and Van Gogh. Give it half a day.

Even if you are tired, I advise against sleeping in Paris when you have only a weekend there. Get a bottle of wine and some cheese and join young people at Pont des Arts. This metallic pedestrian bridge connects the Institut de France and the Louvre. At night, it turns into one solid bench with hordes of students savoring wine and playing guitars. There’s no police and no binge drinkers jumping off the bridge. It’s simple, friendly and bohemian.

Next morning head for Le Marais district. It’s known for old bourgeois homes, the Paris Jewish community and cool gay couples. If you can’t tie them all together, the residents sure can. This quarter is among the most desirable to live in Paris.

If you get out at Marais metro stop, you will see the monument to Bastille, the famous prison. The July column signifies the place where the fortress once stood before it was demolished at the start of the French Revolution in 1789. Have breakfast in a street cafe at Rue de La Roquette and stroll to the Place des Voges, built by Henry IV. Victor Hugo lived here once.

Rue des Francs-Bourgeois is a sweeter extension of the Voges square. It’s one of the rare streets in the capital where shops stay open on Sundays. Small boutiques offer pastel-colored, loose-fit clothes and flat shoes.

Many first-timers find it shocking, but the French are very relaxed about their clothing. French women are not haunted with dress-to-impress attitudes. Simple linen outfits highlighted only by a light scarf or a straw hat couple well with Parisian architectural elegance and bohemian feel.

If you haven’t done burlesque shows in Las Vegas, make sure to book a night at the Parisian cabaret. Lido at the manicured Champs Elysees Avenue does not look as authentic as Moulin Rouge in the seedy sex shop district.

But the show was probably the best I’ve seen in my life. It had dozens of costumes, from Egyptian princesses to Brazilian dancers, and impressive stage props with ice-rinks and waterfalls. I thought the girls were a little stiff, looking more like fitness instructors rather than dancers. But you may beg to differ.

To round up your stay with a good night club, check out one of the country clubs in the Bois de Boulogne at the western edge of the city. A small ferry will take you across the lake to Le Chalet des Iles for a night of music, champagne and dancing. Around 4 a.m., you’ll find a basket of warm croissants by the lake to sweeten an already-perfect sunrise in Paris.

This city stays with you for life. I think that’s what Hemingway had in mind when he called it a movable feast.

Staff writer Yuliya Popova can be reached at [email protected].