The name will probably sound familiar to fans of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. In the first installment of the series, the young wizards searching for the Philosopher’s Stone mention Nicolas Flamel as its inventor. And unlike most of the saga’s characters, he really did exist.

Nicolas Flamel (1330–1418), who according to legend succeeded in turning lead into gold after uncovering the secret of the philosopher’s stone, was a wealthy Parisian bourgeois who decided to build several houses to shelter the poor. He was a wealthy man (thanks to alchemy? Apparently not, far from it).

Over the centuries, this myth grew and transformed him into a figure of esoteric literature. After the death of his wife Pernelle (1320–1397), he had this building constructed to provide shelter for the poor of the neighborhood. In return, he asked them to recite their prayers morning and evening, as confirmed by the inscription at the entrance to the house.

He and his wife Pernelle were buried in the parish of Saint-Jacques de la Boucherie, of which only the Saint-Jacques Tower remains today. Nearby, two streets bear their names.

If the inscription on the facade is to be believed, the house was inaugurated in 1407. It is impossible to know whether it truly is the oldest house in Paris, but it is indeed the oldest one “known” today. That would make it 615 years old! Although Flamel initiated the construction of this charming residence, he himself never lived there.

Today, the building houses a gastronomic restaurant which pays tribute to the history of the place through its name: the Auberge Nicolas Flamel. Too bad meals are no longer offered free of charge as they were in the 15th century!

This is an old footage from my last visit to the Louvre, I had filmed part of the French Crown Jewels collection in the Galerie d’Apollon just a few months before the heist.

Strange feeling knowing moments like this can disappear from history overnight.

Square Louvois, located on Rue de Richelieu opposite the National Library, takes its name from the former Hôtel of the Marquis de Louvois.

The site originally hosted the Opéra de la rue de Richelieu (also known as the Salle Montansier), built between 1792 and 1793 for the actress Mademoiselle Montansier. It served as an opera house in Paris from 1794 until 1820. The building was demolished after the assassination of the Duke of Berry on 13 February 1820, who was killed outside the opera by Louis Pierre Louvel, a Bonapartist worker.

Following these events, an expiatory chapel was planned in memory of the Duke of Berry, but it was finally abandoned after the Revolution of 1830.

In 1835, the planned monument was removed, trees were planted, and the space was converted into a public square, and a fountain was then commissioned; the Louvois Fountain.

Completed in 1844 by architect Louis Visconti (at the request of King Louis-Philippe), the fountain is dedicated to four major French rivers: the Seine, Garonne, Loire, and Saône. You may admire four female allegorical figures sculpted by Jean-Baptiste Klagmann rest on the lower basin, while tritons riding dolphins decorate the base.

With its bright green plumage and piercing call, the ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri) can no longer be overlooked. Today, according to the latest estimates, there are about 8,000 of them in the Île-de-France region alone, and this number is continuing to grow.

This parakeet is sold as a pet around the world. In 1974, it first appeared in the skies of the Paris region. Although it was initially discreet and mostly confined to the areas around Roissy–Charles-de-Gaulle and Paris–Orly airports (possibly escaped from shipping containers), the species quickly spread across the entire region.

The Hôtel de Sens is one of the finest private mansions in the Marais, the historic district of Paris. Many people stop in front of this 15th-century façade. Visitors admire its corbelled turrets, mullioned windows, and French-style garden... Yet few people look closely enough at the façade to notice the cannonball hidden within it!

Beyond the remarkable beauty of this former mansion converted into a library, if you stand just in front of the entrance gate and look high above, you will spot a cannonball embedded in the building’s façade. You can easily see it from Rue du Fauconnier. This cannonball, fired during the riots of the July Revolution, has remained lodged in the stone ever since. It was fired during the revolutionary days of 1830. With the naked eye it is not easy to spot, but with a good zoom lens you can even read the date engraved in the stone: July 28, 1830.

The July Revolution, also known as the “Three Glorious Days” because it lasted only three days (July 27, 28, and 29, 1830), may not mean much to you. The fighting was extremely violent, and the army fired many cannon shots into the crowd. One of them remained stuck in the wall and is still there today!

Yet it was a crucial event in the making of modern France. It led to the fall of Charles X and the House of Bourbon and established the “July Monarchy” of Louis-Philippe I of Orléans. During those days, the people of Paris revolted against King Charles X. The political change was fundamental: the “July Monarchy” was no longer an absolute monarchy but a constitutional monarchy based on the Charter of 1830.

From a distance, it may seem surprising that a revolution against the monarchy ended up putting... another king on the throne! But Louis-Philippe, who came to power after the revolution, recognized democratic institutions and even republican assemblies around the “Citizen King.” People began speaking of freedom of the press, political parties, and elections...

He abdicated in February 1848, making way for the proclamation of the Second Republic. But the French do not like kings, and Louis-Philippe himself would also fall victim to another revolution!

🕒 Public athletics track hours
Mon–Sat: 12:00–14:00 & 18:00–22:00
Sun: 08:00–18:00

📍 Address
2 Avenue de Suffren 75007 Paris, France

🚇 Closest stations
• Bir-Hakeim (Metro Line 6)
• Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel (RER C)

Here is a restaurant you absolutely need to try if you love Japanese cuisine, and especially ramen.

As soon as you walk through the door, you are transported into another world. Kodawari Tsukiji offers a true immersion in the vibrant atmosphere of a historic Tokyo fish market. It serves delicious ramen at affordable prices in a setting that plunges you straight into Japan.

They also run another ramen restaurant focused on meat (at 29 Rue Mazarine, 75006 Paris), I’ll try it next time.

Place des Vosges is one of the oldest squares in Paris, perfect for strolling beneath its arcades or along the paths of its central garden. But at number 5, visitors may notice rails at the entrance to the carriage gate of the Hôtel de Rotrou.

Embedded between the cobblestones, the rails are still visible in front of the gate and along the carriage passage leading to the courtyard. Here stands a brick building erected in 1914 that housed the kitchens of the International Sleeping Car Company (Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits).

In these premises, until 1954, sandwiches and small dishes were prepared and packaged to supply Parisian train stations and the Wagons-Lits Grand Hotels. The rails were used to transport the food from the courtyard to Place des Vosges, where it was then loaded onto refrigerated trucks.

A small detail and a remarkable piece of Parisian history.

6,000! That was the number of seats available at the Gaumont Palace, a legendary movie theater in Paris, on Rue Caulaincourt in the 18th arrondissement.

Nicknamed “the largest cinema in the world,” the Gaumont Palace dominated the golden age of cinema between 1907 and 1972. Before becoming a movie theater, the building originally opened as the Montmartre Hippodrome for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, hosting circus performances, horse shows, and spectacular productions involving hundreds of performers and animals.

From 1911 to 1973, the Gaumont Palace was the paradise of movie-loving Parisians, devoted first to silent films and later to talking pictures.

To accompany films starring Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, or Max Linder, the Gaumont Palace had an orchestra of 30 musicians, and in 1931 a giant “Christie” organ was installed there. Miraculously saved from demolition in 1973, it is now housed in the Pavillon Baltard in Nogent-sur-Marne.

The Christie organ, entirely electric and made up of more than 1,500 pipes of tin, zinc, and wood, was installed 25 meters above the stage.

The Gaumont Palace was more than just a cinema. Often, the movie theater would give way to music-hall performances.

As for the films themselves, the highlight of the show, they were preceded by newsreels, a sort of early television news broadcast, followed by live acts featuring clowns, trapeze artists, singers, comedians, and more. During the intermission, the theater ushers sold ice cream, popcorn, and sweets, while advertisements featuring the famous “little miner” mascot were projected onto the screen. Nostalgia, when it grips you!

Movie screenings were true events. Programs began with “Gaumont-Revue du Monde,” presenting the week’s news, followed by documentaries, live attractions, and finally the feature presentation on a gigantic 35 mm screen. During intermission, spectators could enjoy tea rooms, bars, and promenade galleries inside the theater.

One of the theater’s greatest triumphs was the screening of Abel Gance’s “Napoléon,” which filled the auditorium for ten consecutive weeks. In 1962, the Gaumont Palace also installed a giant curved Cinerama screen measuring 600 square meters, then considered the largest in the world.

With the arrival of multiplex cinemas, single-screen theaters began to disappear. The Gaumont Palace closed its doors in April 1972 after the final screening of a cowboy film starring the unavoidable John Wayne. Developers began demolishing the building in early 1973. In place of the Gaumont Palace now stands, far less glamorous, a hotel and a DIY hardware store.

The demolition marked the disappearance of one of Paris’s greatest entertainment landmarks. Most of the theater’s archives were discarded during the destruction, leaving behind only fragments of the history of what was once considered the world’s greatest cinema palace.

Located in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne, the Parc de Bagatelle is a place for walking and relaxation covering 24 hectares. I had the chance to visit it and take a few pictures during my walk.

Created in 1775, the park and its château were built in sixty-four days following a wager between Marie-Antoinette and the Comte d’Artois. Designed in a typical Anglo-Chinese style of that period, the Parc de Bagatelle was conceived by Belanger and carried out by Thomas Blaikie.

The setting is so perfectly romantic that it almost seems unreal. Small bridges, rocks, caves, water mirrors and artificial waterfalls wind beneath the wooded canopy of gigantic trees. The gentle murmur of water accompanied my steps through the landscaped part of the park.

The Parc de Bagatelle is dotted with small gardens grouping flowers by species: the iris garden, the perennial plants garden, and the presenters’ garden. The entire park is one of the four sites of the Paris Botanical Garden. It was even possible to come across peacocks strutting about, completely unbothered by visitors, I managed to capture a few in photos.

The Parc de Bagatelle is also famous for its rose garden, where 10,000 flowers from 1,200 different species can be admired during their bloom at the end of spring. In front of the orangery, a magnificent flowerbed with shimmering colors prepared the eyes for the incomparable brilliance of the Bagatelle roses.

I really enjoyed the visit, it is a beautiful, very calm place, with not many people. Highly recommend.

In the second half of the 19th century, especially under the Second Empire, transport organization became a major concern due to increasing traffic in a rapidly expanding city. Under Prefect Haussmann, major urban works reshaped Paris and improved circulation, but central districts became increasingly congested.

The 1867 Universal Exhibition revealed the serious limits of surface transport, and rail appeared as the solution for mass transit. After 1870, many projects emerged, until the government decided in favor of a local, independent metro network for Paris.

As early as November 1898, the City of Paris began preparatory work: service galleries, sewer relocation under Rue de Rivoli, and water pipe modifications. Construction, which tore up parts of the city, was completed in record time (17 months).

Immediate success for Line 1

On July 19, 1900, at 1 p.m., Line 1 opened to the public between Porte Maillot and Porte de Vincennes, linking sites of the Universal Exhibition and serving events of the 1900 Olympic Games in the Bois de Vincennes. 30,000 tickets were sold for the launch.

The line was inaugurated discreetly during a heatwave to allow gradual use. Only eight stations opened at first; the others followed between August 6 and September 1, 1900, under engineer Fulgence Bienvenüe (who would later give his name to the Montparnasse–Bienvenüe metro station in 1933).

The success was immediate. By December 1900, millions of passengers had already used the line, and traffic kept increasing rapidly in the following years.

The first trains, made of wood and fully electric, reflected industrial innovation. Stations, with white tiles and electric lighting, impressed passengers and illustrated the modernity of the system.

A rapidly expanding network

From the start, traffic exceeded expectations, leading to the rapid construction of new lines. Expansion continued without interruption until World War I. By 1939, most of the inner-city network was completed.

By 1949, the network reached 166.2 km with 14 lines and 270 stations.

Since then, Line 1 has been extended to Château de Vincennes (1934), Neuilly-sur-Seine (1936), and La Défense (1992). It is now 16.6 km long with 25 stations.

Fully automated since 2013, Line 1 is the busiest line in the Paris metro network, with around 750,000 daily passengers.

Église Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile is a Roman Catholic church in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, designed in the Neo-Gothic style by Louis-Auguste Boileau and Louis-Adrien Lusson. Completed in 1855, it was the first church in France to employ an entirely iron-framed structure.

The design of the church sparked controversy, because of its industrial materials and stylistic choices. In 1856, a public debate in the Journal des Débats saw architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc criticise Boileau, describing him as more of a “mechanic than an architect” and dismissing the church’s Neo-Gothic design as a “pastiche of bad taste.”

Franz Reichelt surely dreamed of a different fate. This women’s tailor from the Opéra district, appreciated by his neighbors and colleagues, suddenly developed a passion for aviation, which was still in its infancy and already experiencing its first accidents.

At the time, people were thinking about parachute systems, and our man believed he had found the solution. He created a large suit made of rubberized fabric, extending from the shoulders to the calves, with wings comparable to those of a bat. The whole structure was supported by a light metal frame, which deployed via a system of pulleys and straps when the arms were stretched out like a cross.

A series of trials with little success

Cautious, he conducted several tests. Some seemed relatively conclusive, as the mannequin’s wings slowed the fall. He himself attempted a jump in Joinville from a height of about ten meters. There, the parachute was useless, but the straw on the ground fortunately cushioned the impact.

He also tried throwing a mannequin from the first level of the Eiffel Tower, again without success. To ensure success, he increased the surface area, from 6 to 12 square meters, eventually producing a parachute with a surface area of 32.5 square meters and a diameter of 6.5 meters. The device weighed nine kilograms.

Why on earth did Franz Reichelt decide to attempt the jump himself at the beginning of 1912? He had convinced himself that if his invention hadn’t worked, it was because he had used mannequins. With himself as a human test subject, the outcome would be entirely different.

Death captured on camera

The police prefect had granted permission… for a mannequin. But on that Sunday, February 4, in freezing temperatures, it was indeed Reichelt himself who prepared to jump, in front of about thirty people, including a cameraman recording the scene.

Before his jump, surrounded by friends helping him deploy his invention, he seemed to hesitate… but jumped anyway. His suit did not work; the parachute twisted and wrapped itself around him. Fifty-seven meters below, he was dead. His tragic attempt, captured in both press accounts and images such as the one from Le Petit Parisien, remains a stark reminder of the risks taken by early aviation pioneers.

Visited NINA’S, it’s mainly a tea shop (their whole thing is flavored teas inspired by Versailles, especially the Marie Antoinette one), but they lean a lot on historical branding.

It has a very “Versailles”-like atmosphere, with elegant decor, pastel tones, flowers, and a distinctly 18th-century aesthetic.

The menu highlights flavored teas, delicate pastries, and creations inspired by the French art of living.

You may also see a marble bust of Marie Antoinette, a handwritten letter attributed to her, and even a recreated “lost shoe” from 1793. Pretty cool.

A bit pricey, but original. I liked the ambiance and the whole “Marie Antoinette fantasy” they’re going for.

Official website; https://www.ninasparis.com/en/

If you’re walking along the Seine and reach the Pont de l’Alma, it’s worth stopping to take a closer look at the statue standing by the river. The Zouave has become one of Paris’s most unusual flood indicators, and locals still glance at it when the river rises.

The bridge was built under the Second Empire and inaugurated in 1856 by Napoleon III. It is named after the Battle of Alma in Crimea (1854), where French, British, Ottoman, and Piedmontese forces defeated Russia. The bridge was designed to connect the rapidly developing districts of Chaillot and Grenelle, and it also formed part of preparations for the 1855 World’s Fair.

Originally, four statues were placed on the bridge’s piers, each representing a branch of the French army that fought in the Crimean War: a Zouave (North African light infantry), a grenadier, an artilleryman, and a light infantryman.

The Zouave became the most famous of the four during the devastating 1910 flood, when the Seine reached 8.62 meters in Paris and rose up to its shoulders. The statue is 5.2 meters tall and weighs around eight tons. After that flood, Parisians began using it as a visual reference: when the water reaches its feet, the riverbanks are closed; at knee level, navigation on the Seine is stopped.

The other three statues were later moved elsewhere in France, but the Zouave remained at the Pont de l’Alma, becoming a small but enduring part of how Parisians read their river.

Just a short trip (around 90 mins) from Paris, and you’re in Monet’s gardens, one of the prettiest spots around.