Also visit the quarter
Apart from its undeniably original décor, the 20 Prieuré Hotel is in an ideal location.
- Le Marais (5 mins on foot)
- The oldest quarter in Paris, built on reclaimed marshland, home to the kings of France until the 16th century, home to immigrants and artisans in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Marais has become the heart of the Paris gay community over the last twenty years. This quarter is to Paris what Madonna is to music: a style that is constantly reinventing itself, talent in abundance, a frenetic rhythm…in short, a quarter that is lively, animated, trendy, laid-back, insolent, and exciting.
- Bastille (10 mins on foot)
- A chateau no longer stands in the famous square, just the famous Opéra. The bustling, dynamic Bastille is the headquarters of Parisian students; they stroll up and down the Port de l’Arsenal during the day and at night they gather in the Rue de la Roquette. There is still an atmosphere of revolution in the Bastille, a revolution of customs, beliefs, life and youth.
- Shows (2-10 mins on foot)
- Theatre has a place of honour in the République quarter, Bataclan, Palais des Glaces, Cirque d’Hiver, Théâtre Dejazey…, mythic places that produced and witnessed the debut of the great names in show business. From the one-man show to street theatre, performance is top of the bill just a few short steps from the 20 Prieuré Hotel.
- Canal St Martin (5 mins on foot)
- It was Napoleon who came up with the idea of this canal stretching over 4 kms. Walking northwards along the canal you should look out for the “Hôtel du Nord” where the film of the same name with Arletty and Louis Jouvet was made. On fine days Parisians stroll along the canal in the shade of majestic sycamore trees. In winter the canal is transformed into a ribbon of ice, reflecting life and the rhythm of the seasons…
- Art throughout the ages (10 mins on foot)
- The history of Paris unfolds as you walk; the medieval Lutèce is visited at the Carnavalet Museum, Victor Hugo’s enigmatic house on the Place des Vosges will satisfy his fans, there is modern art in the Picasso Museum, while the Dadaist Centre Pompidou has turned Parisian heads with its extravagance. As for Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust and others who are no longer with us, they can be found in the shade of the sycamores in the Père Lachaise cemetery.