The Good Life France Magazine Winter 2018 | Page 91

I’d booked us into a comfortable but unremarkable hotel on rue de Rivoli. From there, we could walk in just about any direction and find gems.

Being smack bang in the middle of Marais district gave us a slice of history, colourful characters, small intriguing shops, street music, culture galore and a clutch of museums.

One of my favourite chill out areas is a short walk away. Place des Vosges has style. It’s the oldest planned square in Paris built in 1605, commissioned by King Henri IV – and it really IS square!

Underneath the elegant archways are high-end retail and galleries. Nothing has changed - it was a very fashionable and expensive square to live in during the 17th and 18th centuries. And, you'd need a wad of Euros to buy a townhouse there today – but it’s free to enjoy the park as is the Victor Hugo museum in the square.

Disover more of Gai and Neil's visit to Paris in the video above...

The broadcast series of Village to Villa - Living Like Locals is on Amazon Prime and The Good Life France website.

Website: www.villagetovilla.com