Take a turn at Rue Bonaparte and walk to the Boulevard Saint-Germain. There you can feel the liveliness of a Parisian street at night. Children of the choir sing in front of Saint-Germain-des-Pres Church, and street artists perform with music on. After a five-minute walk, you will find yourself standing before Café de Flore, where Sarte and Beauvoir used to meet and have coffee. I had my dinner there on my first day in Paris. It’s a little expensive, but how many chances will you get to dine at where the ghosts of Andre Breton and Guillaume Apollinaire linger?
After dinner, you can walk back to the Seine and when you reach Notre Dame, you also reach the famous Shakespeare and Company. I heard from an Australian girl I met on the train that if you are a published writer, you can actually board here. But how many literature lovers would leave Paris without visiting Shakespeare and Co.? I know I wouldn’t. there you can have a good pick of second-hand books outside of the bookstore. Sometimes there are reading and music events in the store. You can always check the information on their website.
Since you are in Paris, don’t waste the night on clubbing! Take a boat trip down the Seine and enjoy the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame in the dim light. Count the bridges the boat has crossed and feel the flow of the Seine. Only then will you finally understand why Hemingway called Paris “a moveable feast”. Cruising on the Seine, you somehow feel the magic of Paris, as if you could take Paris away with you to any place in the world – because Paris has become part of your body and part of your life.
Tips from a hopeless romantic: