May Day is May 1, and is France’s Labor Day. So if you are in Paris on May 1, expect banks, shops, the post office and some restaurants to be closed. You might even get lucky and catch a May Day parade!
May 8 is another holiday, marking V-E day, or the end of World War II. Expect much of the same closings as May 1.
And finally, May 25 is the Ascension Day. As this is a religious holiday and not a state holiday, you will find more shops and restaurants open, although some may be closed to commemorate the day.
Many people looking for a hotel in Paris are looking for something nice yet affordable. That leads us to this article from today’s New York Times, “Paris Chic, on the Cheap”.
Among the inexpensive hotels they recommend are:
Hôtel Langlois 63, rue Saint-Lazare; Ninth Arrondissement (33-1-4874-7824; www.hotel-langlois.com).
Hôtel Chopin, 46, passage Jouffroy; Ninth Arrondissement (33-1-4770-5810; www.hotelchopin.fr).
Hôtel Amour, 8, rue Navarin; Ninth Arrondissement (33-1-4878-3180; www.hotelamour.com).
Hôtel Verneuil, 8, rue de Verneuil; Seventh Arrondissement (33-1-4260-8214, www.hotelverneuil.com).
Hôtel Muguet, 11, rue Chevert; (33-1-4705-0593; Seventh Arrondissement www.hotelmuguet.com).
Hôtel Lindbergh, 5, rue Chomel, Seventh Arrondissement (33-1-4548-3553; www.hotellindbergh.com).
Hôtel de Varenne, 44, rue de Bourgogne; Seventh Arrondissement (33-1-4551-4555; www.varenne-hotel-paris.com).
Hôtel Eldorado, 18, rue des Dames; 17th Arrondissement (33-1-4522-3521; www.eldoradohotel.fr).
Hôtel de Nice, 42 bis, rue de Rivoli; Fourth Arrondissement (33-1-4278-5529; www.hoteldenice.com).
Hôtel Windsor Home, 3, rue Vital; 16th Arrondissement (33-1-4504-4949; www.windsorhomeparis.fr).
Hôtel des Grandes Ecoles, 75, rue Cardinal Lemoine; the Fifth Arrondissement (33-1-4326-7923; www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com).
New Orient Hotel, 16, rue de Constantinople; Eighth Arrondissement (33-1-4522-2164; www.hotel-paris-orient.com).
Best boulangeries in Paris
By Linda Dannenberg
Travel + Leisure
When it comes to iconic baguettes, flaky croissants and melt-in-your-mouth pains au chocolat, the French capital delivers.
Croissants
The shop: Vintage glass panels frame the façade of Maison Kayser (14 Rue Monge, Fifth Arr.; 33-1/44-07-17-81; closed Mondays), a destination boulangerie in the Latin Quarter. Eric Kayser turns out 60 different breads each day, among them the Malesherbes, a square-tipped baguette. His finely crafted viennoiseries — France’s traditional breakfast pastries — are as notable as his breads. The Kayser café is the perfect spot for a light lunch; a plat du jour, desser and coffee are about $15.
Don’t miss: His croissants, decadently plump, with a golden exterior that flakes at the merest touch and a meltingly tender center.
Sourdough loaves
The shop: On weekend mornings, expect to find a queue snaking down the sidewalk from Dominique Saibron’s contemporary glass, wood, and stone emporium, Le Boulanger de Monge (123 Rue Monge, Fifth Arr.; 33-1/43-37-54-20; closed Mondays). Fans (you’ll be one!) can’t get enough of his petits pains aux lardons et comté, slim, chewy rolls with bits of bacon and melted Comté cheese, or escargots cannelle, cinnamon-filled pinwheels of croissant dough with a buttery crumb topping.
Don’t miss: The best-selling pain bio au levain, a delicately tangy organic sourdough loaf.
Miche
The shop: Master baker Lionel Poilâne died several years ago, but his daughter Apollonia keeps the business flourishing. At this original (and decidedly diminutive) wood-paneled headquarters of the world-famous boulangerie Poilâne (8 Rue du Cherche-Midi, Sixth Arr.; 33-1/45-48-42-59; www.poilane.fr ; closed Sundays), the bread is still baked in an antique wood-fired oven just downstairs.
Don’t miss: The big, round miche; this dense sourdough loaf made from stone-ground flour can be decorated to your specifications and makes a fabulous gift. The rustic, free-form apple tart is another perennial favorite.
Baguettes
The shop: Philippe Gosselin, Grand Prix winner of the city’s Best Baguette in Paris award, supplies bread and croissants to Jacques Chirac and the Elysée Palace. A classic baguette at Gosselin (125 Rue St.-Honoré, First Arr.; 33-1/45-08-03-59; closed Saturdays) is made from white flour, water, sea salt and leavening and has irregular air holes throughout from natural fermentation. “The baguette is the bread of Parisians,” says Gosselin. “It has a life span of just six hours.”
Don’t miss: The shop’s lunchtime array of baguette sandwiches, from ham-and-Gruyère to shrimp-and-avocado.
Pain aux raisins
The shop: Established in the firmament of great Paris bakers for the past 30 years, Basile Kamir is also one of the most influential. An advocate for things done the old-fashioned way, he lobbies for using stone-ground organic flours, forming loaves by hand, and long rising times. His Moulin de la Vierge (166 Ave. de Suffren, 15th Arr.; 33-1/47-83-45-55; closed Thursdays) is steeped in nostalgie, with vintage glass and ornate moldings.
Don’t miss: The excellent pain aux raisins, a sumptuous swirl of soft croissant dough, eggy pastry cream, and raisins.
Pain au chocolat
The shop: A striking Art Deco boulangerie complete with starburst light fixtures, 1930’s mirrors, and curved display cases, Boulangerie Bechu (118 Ave. Victor Hugo; 33-1/47-27-97-79; closed Mondays), in the heart of the chic 16th Arrondissement, is also a tearoom. Christian Marceau’s retro d’or ficelle, a skinny, crisp variation of his “retro-style” pale-gold baguette, makes a perfect breakfast with apricot jam and café crème.
Don’t miss: Pain au chocolat orange, an addictive variation on the classic treat, with citrusy notes enhancing the dark chocolate or the unusual, yet delicious, coco-banane, with lush flavors of coconut and banana.
Croissants aux amandes
The shop: After a visit to Père Lachaise Cemetery, resting place of Piaf and Proust, stop at La Flûte Gana (226 Rue des Pyrénées, 20th Arr.; 33-1/43-58-42-62; closed Sundays and Mondays), where Valérie, Isabelle and Marianne Ganachaud, daughters of the legendary Bernard Ganachaud, produce the house’s venerable baguette.
Don’t miss: Croissants aux amandes, originally conceived as a way to use day-old croissants, with an almond cream-and-kirsch filling, and brioche vendéenne, a template for the ultimate brioche, buttery with a hint of fresh vanilla.
Fougasse
The shop: A short walk from the Eiffel Tower, earnest young boulanger Thierry Dubois is baking his way to a growing reputation among the diplomats and doctors of the Seventh Arrondissement. At his peach-hued Pain D’Épis (63 Ave. Bosquet; 33-1/45-51-75-01; closed Saturdays), Dubois offers a range of specialty breads — baguettes, boules and ficelles — all from the same unique mixed-flour dough, a line that he calls Royale.
Don’t miss: The fougasse, a ladder-shaped loaf dosed with olive oil and baked with fillings that change daily — black olives one day, chèvre and tomatoes the next.
Hopefully this won’t hurt your travel plans, but things at ORY and CDG should be a bit hectic Thursday and Friday. Plan accordingly! Contact your airline for more information.
May 19 is your chance to experience a really unique even in Paris: La Nuit des Musees. This night, museums throughout the city will be open late, allowing you to see their art through beautiful lighting effects. There will be talks, concerts, screenings and shows at the various museums throughout Paris.
And the best part? The museums are free that night. Most are free of charge as of 7:30 or 8:00 p.m.
Here’s the short list of participating museums, and their hours:
The Louvre will be open until 11:45 p.m.
Picasso Museum will be open until 11:00 p.m.
Pompidou Center will be open until 1:00 a.m.
Cluny Museum will be open until 11:45 p.m.
Musee d’Orsay will be open until midnight.
Invalides will be open until 1:00 a.m.
Rodin Museum will be open until midnight.
For more information on other participating museums in Paris and throughout France, go to the site: www.nuitdesmusees.culture.fr
Dates and times
• From 19-05-2007 to 19-05-2007
Les Grandes Eaux Musicales de Versailles:
From April 7 to September 30, 2007, you can enjoy the gardens of Versailles and their fountains set to music. All of Versailles’ fountains and pools are timed to produce a ballet accompanying beautiful music by French composer Jean-Baptist Lully. It’s truly a remarkable experience you don’t want to miss.
PARC DU CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES
78000 VERSAILLES
RER C: Versailles Rive Gauche
Dates and times
From April 7 - September 30, 2007
Every Saturday, Sunday and some public holidays: Monday 16 April (Easter), Thursday 24 May(Ascension), Saturday 14 July and Wednesday 15 August.
Itinerary: 11am to 12 noon: la Grande Perspective;
11.15am to 11.30: le Bosquet des Trois Fontaines;
11.45am to 12 noon: le Bosquet des Rocailles;
3.30pm to 5pm: la Grande Perspective and all the pools and groves;
5.20pm to 5.30pm: finale at the Bassin de Neptune (except days of the Fete des Nuits)
Outdoor event
