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Neighbouring Belleville and Ménilmontant are excellent examples of staunch working-class quartiers making the irreversible leap onto the hip-and-happening track. Previously, northeastern Paris had been known for little more than having a comprehensive mix of communities, most noticeably Arab and North African. Things get lively on market mornings at Ménilmontant, and afterwards market sellers and shoppers feast on falafel and couscous in the local restaurants, but otherwise there’s not a lot going on. The paucity of recognized daytime attractions means the area is marginal as far as visitors are concerned, the exceptions being Père Lachaise cemetery and the Canal St Martin. By night things liven up considerably. Rue Oberkampf is the place to hang out for media wanabees, boho artists (authentic ones live locally in studios on the rue St Marthe), and French B celebs still concerned about displaying the right credentials. The latest whisper on the street is that Oberkampf is passé – saturated by the influx of youf from the banlieues – so the endlessly moving image-conscious have nipped round the corner to up-and-coming rue St Maur and place St Marthe.
Sights
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
75019. M Buttes-Chaumont.
A manmade magical mystery of a park, complete with grottoes, footpaths, a waterfall and even a suspension bridge. Everything is artificial, right down to the undulating terrain which gives the park more substance and viewpoints than other parks in Paris: the hills were created by dynamite explosions . It was built on wasteland – a former quarry and rubbish dump – and was a result of Baron Haussmann’s vision to give a rather grotty area an aesthetic boost. Rent a boat, take a donkey ride, play on the swings or relax on the café terrace. It is a favourite park amongst Parisians.
Canal St Martin
75010, 75019. M République for quai de Valmy, M Stalingrad for quai de la Seine.
Constructed in the 19th century as a shortcut for traffic on the Seine, the canal St Martin is attractive, but only in parts, the parts with the footbridges and barges. There are recently built signs of life, including a cinema and shops, along the quai de Valmy and quai de la Seine, but the best way to experience the canal is from the water . Local interest in the canal has further increased as 19th-century canalside houses and warehouses in this former industrial area have been reinvented as yuppie flats. There are few decent places to eat and drink around the Canal St Martin. Chez Prune is a good choice, but hardly a secret, so arrive early for lunch at weekends.
Cimetière du Père Lachaise
16 rue Repos, 75020, T 01 43 70 70 33. 6 Nov-15 Mar, Mon-Sun 0800-1730, 16 Mar-5 Nov, Mon-Sun 0800-1800. Free. M Père Lachaise, Gambetta.
The most celebrated cemetery in France was opened by Napoleon in 1804, in the same week as he became emperor. His intention was to create a cemetery so popular that Parisians would trip over each other to buy plots. He had prestigious remains moved here, including those of medieval lovers Héloïse and Abélard, and writers Molière and La Fontaine. Napoleon’s ploy worked, and the cemetery grew to 44 ha in size, with over one million inhabitants, tree-lined cobbled streets and signposted divisions. Residents are housed individually, in family mausoleums, in the communal grave known as the Hill of the Dead, and as ashes in the square drawers of the columbarium. Père Lachaise has become a place of pilgrimage for many. They come to pay their respects to singers Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf, composer Frédéric Chopin, and writers Honoré de Balzac and Oscar Wilde. Jim Morrison’s legal tenancy at Père Lachaise has come to an end, but despite the fact that there are some who would like to see him relocated, this is very unlikely to happen. Free maps at the entrance indicate who’s buried where. To find out current plot prices, enquire at the grand, limestone building to the left of the entrance on boulevard de Ménilmontant.
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