For this citytrip we used a new-old way of transport: Paris is in easy reach by train from Brussels. But instead of getting a Thalys high-speed train, we used the Izy train. Lowcost train traveling has arrived!
It takes one hour more, the cheapest tickets are those where you can only sit in the hallway, and the almost-for-free ones are those for standing up for three hours.
Anyway, we picked the perfect weekend to be in France’s capital. Not too busy in the quarters we went to, and we got a glimpse of the Tour de France madness (but got out before it got just too crazy).
We started this trip by spotting some nice street-art at Rue Riquet (18 and 19th district), just in walking distance from the main railway station Paris Nord.
Further on, along Canal de l’Ourcq towards Parc de la Villette (19th) we dicovered some more spots. At the same time this was a very nice walk which ended at the parc. Big enough to find a nice place to relax and enjoy the pleasure of peoplewatching 🙂 Don’t forget to take a look at the beautiful philharmonic building!
We walked back towards the city center on the other side of the river, ending in Canal de Saint-Martin. We even found ourselves at a beach! No, not a real one, but a summer festival street beach, with swimming in the Seine allowed! Before dinner we went to Belleville (20th), to spot some more street art, but also to find a very nice lookout at the parc. The Eiffel Tower felt like in hand reach!
Just one more streetart spot for the day: Oberkampf and Rue St-Maur.
This day was an exhausting one, and by the time we arrived at our hotel at La Défence, we couldn’t move one inch further!
Paris isn’t just the Eiffel Tower and the Seine. Although we did walk around the Tower, and had our pictures taken at the Arc de Triomphe, we made this essentially a street art trip. And the best place to see a lot at a short distance is the 13th quarter. With a guide in our hands, we walked almost around the entire 13th, including Chinatown. We got to see some truly amazing pieces of art!
On our last day we stayed in the La Défence quarter. There is a lot more to see than just the modern counterpart of the Arc de Triomphe: modern architecture, art pieces (even of Miro), a crazy self-driving ‘people mover’,.. (see the map here).A fun and relaxing way to end this weekend!
We stayed at CitizenM La Défence. We got an opening promotion, our room rate included breakfast. Can’t fault this brand new hotel! Tip for the best fish and chips in Paris: The Sunken Chip.
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