PARIS 2026

A quick two-night visit to catch up with friends from Australia who are on a European trip. The Eurostar is not as packed as predicted and we get through formalities faster than expected. We have a taxi waiting at Gard du Nord and 30 minutes later we are at the Voco Hotel in Montparnasse.

Le Dome on Boulevard de Montparnasse is ten minutes away and provides a classic café feel with an emphasis on seafood – a good venue for dinner after walking to it it past a range of sex shops.

The next day we take a cab back north across the Seine to the Place de la Concorde to visit the Musee Orangerie. Here two elliptical rooms are decorated by full size murals painted by Claude Monet. There is also a compact exhibition downstairs featuring tasters of Picasso, Renoir, Cezanne and many other masters.

Strolling back across the river, we arrive at the Rodin Museum, set in Hotel Biron, a manor house built in the early 18th century. The sculptures in the immaculately landscaped grounds include all the classics including The Thinker and The Kiss.

Every thoughtful statue pose you can imagine is featured, along with a hefty dose of disturbing contortions inspired by the artist’s obsession with the Gates Of Hell.

After a hearty pizza and a nanny nap, we take dinner at La Coupole, also on Boulevard de Montparnasse, which includes various flamboyant dance sculptures and an art deco dancefloor downstairs.

Returning the following morning, we have the unexpected pleasure of turning up so promptly that we are able to gain an hour by getting on the train before our scheduled one. All good stuff.