Culture Makes a Comeback
Inside the Bourse du Commerce. Photographer: Jeanne Frank/Bloomberg
Plenty of new cultural and shopping destinations have opened just in time for tourism’s big restart. Here are a few ideas for how to spend your days, depending on whether you’re still Covid-cautious or ready to party like it’s 2019.
If you’re Covid-wary: Paris and its surroundings offer multiple green escapades, whether it’s the Jardin des Plantes and its zoo, Claude Monet’s Giverny residence, or the gardens of the Château de Versailles. If riding the commuter rail defeats the purpose, there’s always something happening in the Luxembourg Gardens, which now, more than ever, serve as a nucleus of Parisian life.
If you need a gentle reentry: Francois Pinault’s long-awaited temple to contemporary art, the Bourse de Commerce, opened on May 22 just a few blocks north of the Louvre. Its current exhibition showcases works by Cindy Sherman, David Hammons, and Urs Fischer—whose nine monumental wax sculptures are like supersized candles that are slowly melting under an enormous glass dome.
Pair it with a visit to the Musée Carnavalet in the Marais, which traces the city’s history from prehistoric to current times. It’s Paris’s oldest museum but also its newest, having reopened a week after the Bourse following a four-year renovation. Among the highlights: a room of objects belonging to the literary giant Marcel Proust.
If you want to pretend the pandemic never happened: Although all restrictions will lift on June 30, the government has yet to greenlight nightclubs. And while fashion shows are returning to a physical format—menswear fashion week will start on June 22, followed by Haute Couture week on July 5; the after-parties are still very much TBD.
Instead, the summer-long carnival known as Wonderland is coming to eastern Paris, allowing up to 1,000 people to simultaneously enjoy dance and yoga lessons, a skate ramp, a basketball court, and a petanque strip, as well as stand-up comedy shows and outdoor concerts.
How to Get Around
Biking is the new walking in Paris, thanks to a decision by the Mairie de Paris (city hall) to ban private car traffic on some major roads.
The Right Bank’s Rue de Rivoli, which connects the Place de la Concorde to the Bastille, is now essentially a cycling lane (nicknamed the “corona lane”). Tourists are able to rent bikes with the Velib app and get on one of the ubiquitous gray-and-green bicycles docked all across town.
“Paris will look at lot more different if you haven’t come since March 2020, thanks to the bike lanes and the terraces,’’ says Frederic Hocquard, who oversees tourism at the Mairie. “We’ve reorganized public space to make it more friendly and welcoming.’’
Parisians are also still commuting by bus, metro, tramway, and commuter trains. At rush hour, physical distancing isn’t really possible, but strict mask wearing is de rigueur; those who don’t comply face a €135 ($165) fine. Most drivers of taxis and ride-hailing service vehicles offer plexiglass barriers in their cars.
The Lingering Covid Etiquette
Getting ready for outdoor dining in Paris lockdown Photographer: Kiran Ridley/Getty Images Europe
When shopping, it’s still very common to see customers queuing up outside stores and waiting for a nod from a sales assistant to get in.
Masks are still mandatory, indoors and outdoors, except when eating, drinking, working out, or smoking. That said, Parisians are increasingly relaxed about lowering their face coverings when walking around town, especially as temperatures rise. Those who don’t respect the 11 p.m. curfew risk a €135 fine.
And while the French were reknowned for their two kisses on the cheeks—aka “la bise”—that habit has all but disappeared. For now, at least, they’re opting for elbow or fist bumps.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.