As long as I had been in Paris, the Tour Saint Jaques had been under scaffolding, hidden by the screens that cover them. I had no idea what was underneath all that white. A complete mystery to me, I heard that it had been under scaffolding since 2001 waiting for the argument over who was [...]

There are falcons nesting under the roofs of Paris. The story is that, as we – I am now speaking of Parisians – have invaded their space, having built our big buildings on the dunes and marshland and in the woods and valleys that were their natural habitat, they have had no choice but to [...]

The World Press Photo 2011 expo is hosted by (fashion designer) Azzedine Alaïa, in his gallery in the Marais. These are the photos of 2011 that have won World Press Photo recognition. This is photojournalism with a push towards creativity. The contest to select the top photos was held in February, and over 108,059 photos [...]

As a young boy, I longed to live in the fantastic worlds of Jules Verne, to explore the depths of the ocean in the Nautilus with Captain Nemo. I had not told Philippa this, but as we set off to visit the Musée des Arts et Métiers (Museum of Arts and Trades) in the 3rd arrondissement, she [...]

Here is another of these Paris jewels that I never knew of. This is L’hôtel de Saint-Aignan, a magnificent building built between 1644 and 1650 and bought by Paul de Beauvilliers, duc de Saint-Aignan (now you know why it’s called that way!), in 1688. It’s located at 71, rue du Temple, right in the heart of the Marais. [...]

At the tail end of the 18th century and into the mid 19th, builders in Paris were keen on creating a new kind of retail shopping experience — the covered passage lined with shops and lit by skylights. At one point, there were 150 of these galleries, primarily situated on the Right Bank in the area known as [...]

When it comes to Paris markets, the Marché d’Aligre is about as lively as they come. Situated between rue de Charenton and rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine in the 12th arrondissement, the market actually comprises two markets, the indoor Marché Couvert Beauvau and an outdoor street market. The indoor market sells a wide variety of food from [...]

The City of Paris commemorates the 140th anniversary of one of the bloodiest civil wars in French history with a free exposition In the Heart of the Paris Commune at the Hôtel de Ville through May 28. There are over 200 photographs, engravings and documents describing how the events of this rebellious Communist uprising (or people’s [...]

You think a wired city means just Apple stores and cybercafes? Think again! Here a new Paris museum, la Gaité Lyrique, has just opened: dedicated entirely to the digital. This is a legendary 1862 theatre transformed (for 83 million euros) into a Centre Pompidou for iPhone users. Among its features: art, music, games, films, talks and performances. [...]

Not a lot of surprises on Lonely Planet’s list of most iconic human-made structures. But there’s a eyebrow-raiser in the text of the entry: How many electricians does it take to change a light bulb on the Eiffel Tower? A whole team is required to maintain the 10,000-odd light bulbs that illuminate the 324m (1060ft) tower. [...]