In the mood for something cozy for fall in Paris? Think quaint bee houses in the Luxembourg Gardens, or a stroll through Paris’ accidental gingerbread house street. Think “cottagecore”. Fun fact: 31% of France is actually covered by forests, and that percentage grows by 0.7% every year. So we humbly ask: is there a better place to feel your cottagecore oats than la douce France? We’ve compiled a milk bucket’s worth of charming and cosy fall activities in and around Paris for your pleasure…
Parisian Cottage Core at Maison de Balzac
The French writer Honoré de Balzac was one of the most colorful characters of 19th century Paris. Visit his time capsule home-turned-museum, not terribly far from the Villa de Beauséjour, known as the Maison de Balzac.
It feels like a slice of the country in the city, sunken down amidst the the other towering apartments of the 16th arrondissement. Bonus points for the secret view of the Eiffel Tower.
Learn more on the museum’s website.
The Other Montmartre
For an undiscovered tourist-free alternative to Montmartre (the cupcake hilltop village of Paris), escape to a different corner of the city in the 20th arrondissement with just as much charm and just as many steps. In an undisturbed corner of the French capital known officially and affectionately, as La Campagne à Paris (the countryside in Paris), think of it as a smaller, secret Montmartre.
Built on a hill between 1907 and 1926, the roads that wind up to the top are connected by picturesque staircases that shortcut past enviable backyards. Every house is different and residents put their all into their patios, decorating them with garden gnomes and miniature windmills. There’s even a local grocery store just like Amélie’s, on rue du Capitaine Ferber, and old- fashioned storefronts with gorgeous typography. As for a preferred scenic route? I don’t have one. Dive down every staircase, poke your head round every gate and get absolutely positively lost on this leafy little hill.
(Use rue Irénée Blanc as a starting point, 20ème)
While you’re in the area, stop for lunch in a nearby twelfth-century village of the 20th arrondissement at Les Reveuses.
(15 rue Saint-Blaise, 20ème; +33 9 5058 76 86; open every day, 10.30am-midnight)
The Secret Gingerbread House Street of Paris
We got a hot tip from a reader a while ago about a magical little corner of Paris in the 16th arrondissement called the “Villa de Beauséjour,” dotted with ornate wooden houses that fresh from Hansel and Gretel. Turns out, they’re the vestiges of Russia’s structures from the Universal Exposition of 1867.
“The villa is a private road, now closed with a coded gate,” our kindly tipper says, “You used to be able to get in on weekdays by pressing the general ‘open’ button but now you have to wait for someone to come in or out and beg them to let you go see the dachas. It usually works.” Noted.
Find it at 7, boulevard de Beauséjour.
A real old Country Tavern in the Heart of Paris
Come with a big appetite or don’t come at all! Before you order at Le Quincy, the waiter cuts you a chunk from the house saucisson and brings sparkling wine as an aperitif. Then you meet “Bobosse”, the 80 something year-old owner and boss who insists on taking all the orders. And he doesn’t like it if you’re not hungry. Seriously do not try to just order a salad.
(28 Avenue Ledru-Rollin, 12ème; +331 46 28 46 76; open Tues-Friday, lunch & dinner).
Country Bumpkin Lane
Just off the main shopping street of a residential neighbourhood in the 14th arrondissement, tucked away ever so sneakily you could almost miss it, is rue des Thermopyles, a heavenly Parisian countryside hideaway. Vines curl around peeling pastel window shutters and arches of thick green foliage wildly frame the cobblestone path as if they were portals to a remote French village. Follow the rue des Thermopyles to the end and you’ll come across a local garden for picnics on the pelouse or a first date on the benches.
On the other side is la Cité Bauer, where neighbours sit and chat on their doorsteps, exchanging gardening tips. The prize for the most unusual façade most certainly goes to No. 19 Cité Bauer, for its impressive sculpted heart-shaped door. The words ‘Isten Hozott’ are inscribed into the ironwork inside the heart, which means ‘welcome’ in Hungarian. The house was in fact built in 1959 by a Hungarian artist, Alexandre Mezei.
If you have some extra time on your hands, take a five-minute detour to Villa d’Alesia nearby, where you’ll find another charming street dotted with a beautiful line-up of art deco façades, mostly ateliers, one of which belonged to Henri Matisse.
(Start your stroll at rue des Thermophyles, 14ème)
Countryside Cakes in Saint-Germain
Looking like the perfect tea salon on a village road, L’Heure Gourmande has the most underrated Sunday tables waiting in a hidden cobblestone passage. Try the Provençale quiches served with generous well-dressed salads, and if you have room, order the outstanding chocolate tart for dessert. The pace is slow, the kitchen is small and the ingredients are so fresh you’ll wonder if they don’t have their own garden patch nearby.
(22 Passage Dauphine, 6ème; +33 1 46 34 00 40; open every day, 12pm-7pm)
The Parisian Cottage Bistrot
Le Temps de Cerises is one of the last little houses of bygone Paris still standing in the heart of the city, and thanks to its unchanging eighteenth-century mosaic façade, the traditional French bistro earned itself the title of a historical monument. Inside, we could be stepping back in time fifty years, when the same photographs hung on the wall and the same old clock chimed on the hour, as if any of the regulars were ever in a rush to leave this timeless place. You’ll find the menu very friendly, even for the fussiest eaters.
(31 rue de la Cerisaie, 4ème; +33 1 42 72 08 63)
Weekend in a Rococo Wonderland (less than an hour from Paris)
Château de Courances is an under-the-radar treasure that’s still privately owned by a family, open to in-the-know château hunters at the weekend. In an hour’s drive, you can be running your hands through its crystal clear fountains at the chateau named after its abundance of flowing water (courances: running water currents), enjoying the stunning gardens that could take you all day to explore, sampling the cakes from the tea salon by the Japanese garden and indulging your inner child on the Rococo Fragonard swing.
The open season starts in Spring and ends in November (Courances.net) but if you want to stay overnight, there are cottages available on the estate to rent for very reasonable prices…
Take a look at the available properties here.
Venture further to a 200-yr-old Storybook Cottage
We’ve got a whole article about the joys of staying at French farms and country houses. La Thibaudière cottage in Normandy, just an hour’s train ride from Paris, is our next coup-de-coeur. Not only will you be situated in pin-drop silence greenery with access to forest footpaths, but you’ll be putting your feet up in a 200-yr-old Tudor style cottage.
There’s a wood burning fireplace, room for seven dwarfs guests, and two friendly donkeys named Germaine and Felicie in the adjacent barn (keep up with them on the cottage’s Instagram). Fun fact: the house was inhabited by Mick Jagger’s kids’ nanny. If walls could talk!
More information on Airbnb.
Join in on the Paris Grape Harvests
The Montmartre annual wine harvest has been a festive Parisian tradition since 1934, but its not the only place in town where Parisian grape farmers will be busy during the October harvest. Find one of the city’s best-hidden vineyards and my favourite view here and another unlikely vineyard at the end of a search for Paris’ Lost Wine Village. Obviously don’t miss the wonderful Musee de Montmartre which has a lovely café for lunch in the garden. Every Saturday at 2:30 pm, you can also take part in a guided tour of the vineyard of Montmartre (Paris still has working vineyards – I count eight). The ticket includes learning about the vineyard, a wine tasting of the Clos Montmartre and also access to the Museum of Montmartre, Suzanne Valadon’s studio and the beautiful temporary Camoin exhibition. Make your reservation at the museum de montmartre website. This is a great time as the harvest looms.
Le “Farm” de Paris
Located in the heart of the parc of Vincennes, La ferme de Paris is a patch of heaven, open for seminars and such on sustainability and environmentalism during the week, and open every weekend for free. Not only that, but visitors are encouraged to participate in farm duties on weekends. No better way to mingle with some chicken and sheep in the big city.
Learn more here.
An Offbeat Museum of Fantastic Mr. Foxes (& friends)
I have it on good authority that Wes likes a good snoop around a taxidermist. He’s known to meet journalists in Paris at his favourite taxidermy shop, the legendary Deyrolles, open since 1831, but I wonder if he’s been to my favourite museum hidden away in the Marais, la Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Museum of hunting and nature).
Probably the most underrated museum in the city, behind the terracotta blue doorway to two 17th century mansions, this place is an absolute gem. And the best part is– it’s completely empty! Away from the crowds of tourists, have this incredible museum to yourself for just 8 euros per entry and peruse the eclectic collection of exotic taxidermy and natural history curios.
In the arms room you can have a good rummage through all the drawers. The size of their collection is absolutely staggering and I could spend hours opening each drawer filled with the guns that belonged to fabled warrior kings, rare antique hunting equipment and ancient tools.
The Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature is not your typical stuffy and dusty old pompous museum. It has very much kept up with the times, mixing modern art installations and cabinets of curiosities alongside pieces that have been held in the French archives for centuries.
The collection has been put together from donations by Princes and legendary hunting parties from around the world, and for every animal on display, you can find its history documented in beautiful card catalogues. I can’t recommend this museum more highly, and who knows, perhaps you’ll bump into Wes.
Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, 62 Rue des Archives, 75003 Paris.
The Little Paris Bee School
We’ve tracked down the Paris and New York City bee villages alike for so many reasons (primarily: save the bees!), but especially because we’re suckers for anything miniature. This little Paris beekeeping school is tucked inside the Luxembourg Gardens on the Left Bank, and makes some 450 pounds of honey a annually. It’s sold every Autumn at the Orangerie du Luxembourg, just a few minutes walk up the garden path from the charmingly antique set-up.
Learn more about its history and exact coordinates in our full article on the school.
