Repetto
22 rue de la Paix
A total tourist cliche, but if you can handle the swarms of women trying on ballet flats and dance shoes, you must visit the flagship Repetto store and buy a pair. The back wall is lined with traditional ballet pointe shoes, and if you're lucky like I was, you'll see an adorable French girl trying on her first pair of pointes at the barre.
Pierre Herme
72 rue Bonaparte
The battle of the best macaron in Paris rages between Pierre Herme and the iconic Laduree. Herme's chocolat au lait and fruit de la passion macaron has me squarely on his side. It's like biting into a deliciously flavoured cloud. The jasmine, strawberry and balsamic vinegar and rose petal-flavoured macarons aren't too bad either.
Riverside booksellers
Walking everywhere should be mandatory for tourists in Paris, as should the walk along the promenade beside the Seine. The bookselling vendors who line this walk are quintessentially Parisian, with their little green wooden book boxes that display second-hand books ... and often tacky souvenirs, but they don't sound as romantic and charming.
Au Petit Bonheur La Chance
13 rue St Paul
A small store overflowing with cute vintage and antique treasures, with old-fashioned stationery, jars, tins, cafe au lait bowls and other crockery, linen, stamps, cards, notebooks, colouring books, toys and more. Everything is quite haphazardly arranged, adding to the charm of it - you could return many times and find something small to buy. There are a few other good antique stores along this street too.
Merci
111 blvd Beaumarchais
A concept store with a twist founded by Bonpoint creators Marie-France and Bernard Cohen, this airy space feels like your own little secret hidden away from the street. Housed in an old factory, the large three-storey shop has separate areas for furniture, childrenswear, designer clothing mixed with designer vintage (some designed especially for the store), an Annick Goutal perfumery and a small restaurant.
The best bit is the book cafe, where you can sit and read with a cafe au lait alongside a wall lined with secondhand books (apparently there's an English section, but I couldn't find it). The twist to all of this? All proceeds go to charity.
Laduree Le Bar
75 avenue des Champs-Elysees
Bypass the line for takeaway macarons and desserts and head straight to the back of the Laduree tea room on the Champs-Elysees to the beautiful and flamboyant Laduree bar. Here you can have a cocktail, coffee, dessert or light meal while taking in the incredible interior designed by Roxanne Rodriguez.
Cobweb-like detailing snakes up the walls which are embellished with butterflies and tree branches, while the chairs are works of art in themselves. I came back twince for a glass of rsse and a chocolate dessert.
THE LOCAL FILM-MAKER - CELIA CANNING
Le Mouton a Cinq Pattes
138 blvd Saint-Germain
Go past all the mens' suits (unless it's a suit you're looking for) to the back for a good, undisturbed rummage in bins of designer seconds, throw-aways, who cares? From T-shirts to evening gear, wearable to eccentric, €8 to €200 ($14 to $357) there's always a bargain. Warning: the lighting in the cubicles is highly unflattering.
L'Etoile de Montmartre
26 rue Duhesme
How Parisian cafes can get away with serving coffee tasting like molten, rusty girders for so long beats me. Not only is the coffee at Etoile de Montmartre decent, there's a lovely casual, light and airy ambience. Reading and games corners make it a great place to hang out. One of my favourite early morning work spots.
Studio 28
10 rue Tholoze
A beautiful retro cinema with a good selection of French and (subtitled) foreign movies. As the session times change every week on a Wednesday, it's useful to consult an Officielle du Spectacle, which also comes out on a Wednesday.
L'Ebauchoir
43 rue des Citeaux
A consistently good and innovative restaurant for at least 15 years. Not good for intimate discussions with the hard of hearing. A good idea to book, as it's popular.
Sagane
63 blvd Magenta
One of those places where you can spend all day trying on shoes with no one hassling you. Rows and rows of amazing shoe brands classed by size. Cheaper than anywhere else.
La Cave du Roy
31 rue Simart
A must for anyone interested in wine. Jean-Luc (the proprietor), Camille and Etienne enlighten and inspire to a point when you wonder why we do anything else in life but drink wine. Be it a bottle to go with a particular dish, an aperitif or a gift, you're always pleasantly surprised. The store also stocks, incredibly, more than 70 different brands of absinthe (which, despite once being illegal, was the juice du jour and inspiration for many of France's great artists, including Toulouse Lautrec). Closed between 1pm and 3.30pm, Sundays and Monday mornings.
La Mascotte
52 rue des Abesses
Every Tuesday evening we meet at the Mascotte with a dear friend of ours to enjoy a glass of sancerre with half a dozen oysters while his daughter and our son have their ballet lesson at the Conservatoire rue Veron. Your classical no-frills bistro frequented by "des habitants du quartier hauts en couleurs" (colourful locals), this is quintessential Paris. Closed Mondays.
Chez Angelina
226 rue de Rivoli
Their hot chocolate is pure liquid decadence. Chez Angelina is always a good place to bring a visitor or a friend for a dose of authentic and affordable Parisian chic.
The Canal
avenue Corentin Coriou, Parc de la Villette
Hire a bike for an hour or more as close as possible to the Cite des Sciences (le Parc de la Villette). Following the canal, pedal east going away from Paris. The open, uncluttered, semi-industrial, unmessed-with landscape gives a great sense of freedom and timelessness.
Le Jardin d'Acclimatation
22 rue Pergolese
For me, the main attraction for going to this park is the little train. It picks you up near the metro station of Porte Maillot and you weave through the woods until you get to the Jardin d'Acclimatation entrance. It's magic. Half of me is in a Tarkovsky film, the other half in childhood. And when I'm bouncing round the track on those metal horses inside the park, I'm transported back to the 19th century when the impressionist painters went for their picnics there.
* Zoe Walker flew courtesy of Cathay Pacific, who fly daily to Paris, via Hong Kong. For information on fares and schedules go to cathaypacific.co.nz.
* Celia Canning has lived in Paris for nearly 30 years and escapes to Normandy every July and August to avoid the heat of summer.
