Recently in Paris Category

In the 1920s, a grand mosque was built in Paris in honor of the North African colonies who came to France's aid during World War I. The gorgeous pink marble building is covered in Byzantine details and looks just like the ones in Morocco. Of course, Paris is home to a large Muslim population, who pass beneath its arched entrance on days of Islamic worship. But you don't have to be Muslim to enjoy the offerings of this splendid fifth arrondissement landmark. The mosque includes a wonderful Arabian style bath, garden, restaurant, tea room, and market.

Visitors pass through the mosque's courtyard to enter the Hammam, where a series of steam baths get hotter as you progress through the ancient Middle-Eastern bathing ritual. Compliment your bath with a massage or exfoliating treatment for a truly enriching experience that will leave your skin velvety soft. Once you're properly cleansed and relaxed, continue your Arabian afternoon with a cup of aromatic mint tea in the salon de the, or a tagine or couscous dish at the adjacent restaurant. Then go peruse the shelves of the souk. All those brass incense burners, colorful cotton tapestries, and earth toned clay bowls will make you wonder if you've been transported to Marrakech. Just don't expect to venture back to your peaceful room at Le Méridien Montparnasse in a caleche (Moroccan horse-drawn carriage). Look for a car with a "Taxi Parisien" sign on top and ask the driver to turn the station to 88.6. "Radio Soleil" plays Arabic music all day.

Paris is home to some of the most sensational tea salons on earth (Ladurée, Mariage Frères, Fauchon). But there's one lovely little house of tea that's not so typically French. In fact, it's quintessentially Japanese. The Buddhist Pantheon (Panthéon Bouddhique), part of the Musee Guimet, is a quiet sanctuary complete with a Zen garden, a tea pavilion, and one of the world's most exceptional collections of Buddhist statues.

A ten minute walk from the magnificent Prince de Galles, Paris, the Buddhist Pantheon is housed in the former 1913 mansion of American banker Alfred Heidelbach. Ancient artworks and artifacts from Japan and China date back to the 11th century, including hundreds of statues of Buddha and bodhisattvas, arranged as they would have been in the venerated Buddhist chapels of Asia. The exquisite galleries open upon gardens of wondrous tranquility. Water flows beneath simple wooden footbridges, filling the air with the sound of tiny trickling waterfalls. Tall bamboo and graceful Japanese maples lead the way to the authentic tea pavilion, where tea ceremonies are performed regularly.

The Buddhist Pavilion is one of those secret Parisian delights, tucked away beyond the bustle of the city streets. While the mobs are flocking to Notre Dame Cathedral, go here and soak up the ambience of Zen serenity. Where in Paris do you go to find a quiet moment of peace?

Paris is one of the most historical cities in the world. Evocative streets, breathtaking gardens, and mysterious riverbanks overflow with the stories of centuries past. It's easy and wonderful to succumb to the charms of this most romantic of all European capitals, but on your next visit, why not stroll in the footsteps of 18th century royals and revolutionaries?

A company called Classic Walks leads a guided tour of pivotal French Revolution sites, four days a week, from March through October. The two-hour excursion begins outside the Tour Moubourg metro stop, a lovely 20-minute stroll across the Seine from the elegant, Art Deco era hotel, Prince de Galles, Paris. Amicable and knowledgeable English-speaking guides lead the group to monumental attractions like Les Invalides. The former ammunition depot was looted by revolutionaries, who used the weapons to storm the Bastille on July 14, 1789, officially kicking off the French Revolution. Events like this, as well as major figures such as King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, are discussed as the tour winds its way through the streets of Paris, stopping at other important sites like the Tuileries, where the royal family were kept under house arrest, and the Conciergerie, a holding pen for hundreds of French aristocrats en route to the guillotine. Once you've got a clear picture of how this extraordinary era of French history went down, mull it over with a slice of cake at Le Procope, a 17th century restaurant where Robespierre once dined.