A Spotlight on the 12th Arrondissement of Paris, From Markets to Green Trails
Plus, the tangy history of Dijon mustard, & ideas for those dark, rainy days
Dear Readers,
One Parisian district that’s easy to overlook is the 12th arrondissement, stretching southeast of Bastille, west of the enormous Bois de Vincennes park, and curling along the Seine on the right bank.
The neighborhood— in reality a series of micro-neighborhoods, from family-friendly Bercy to the Rue de Charonne area with its trendy restaurants and bars— is curiously lacking in “big-ticket” tourist attractions. But this is precisely part of its charm. The 12th may not have a lot of places that make it onto “top-10-Paris” lists, but who cares?
From enormous markets to sprawling parks and green corridors, fantastic bakeries, restaurants and bars, and a history that’s deeply intertwined with both the revolutionary French spirit and the advent of the industrial era in Paris, there’s much here for curious travelers to soak in and enjoy.
We start with a look at one of the major cultural and culinary epicenters in the 12th, the historic Aligre market (and covered Marché Beauvau). Foodies and chefs regularly cite it as their preferred spot for uber-fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, cheeses, wine and beer, fresh flowers and baked goods, among other products.
Dozens of vendors preside over stalls heaped high with bright-scarlet cherries, fragrant melons, artichokes that look as if they’ve been delicately hand-painted in stripes of pale purple and white, yellowish mounds of earthy chanterelles, and oranges so acidic and sweet you can nearly taste them on the air as you pass.
Towards the back of the square, there’s also a brocante (antiques market) where you can sift through jumbled piles of anything from old books, posters and exhibition catalogues to china, used clothes and shoes.
It’s surrounded by some of the city’s finest bakeries, cheese shops and wine bars— including this bakery that won my heart and palate for both its bread and beautiful pastries a couple of years ago.
And its solidarity-centered “communard” spirit remains alive despite the area becoming (for a few) an emblem of misguided food-snobbery. Read our full guide to the Aligre market and surrounds to make a morning or afternoon of it.
Next up, and just a few blocks from the market, the Promenade Plantée is a nearly-three-mile green corridor that wends from the Place de la Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes.
But this is no ordinary park. At some points reaching a height of more than 30 feet/10 meters above street level, the Promenade Plantée– also known as the “Coulée Verte René Dumont” (translating to “planted promenade” or “green corridor”)– is an ambitious feat of urban renewal and poetic landscaping. It’s an inspired re-imagining of a space that once harbored a railway line, and is unique in Europe.
It affords not only much-needed gulps of fresh air and greenery, but also fine architectural perspectives, glimpses at local street art, access to multiple parks and lawns, and a more pleasant way to reach the eastern “lungs of Paris” at Vincennes on foot.
From restaurants to cinemas and parks, continue your exploration of the 12th by seeing my other suggestions for what to see & do in the area, here.
Turning now to the very important matter of the French mustard shortage (at least when you like to keep your fridge well stocked with the stuff): the crisis piqued my interest in the history of the condiment, leading me to write yet another (possibly over-detailed) historical account of how a popular French food item came to claim its fame. And as others have observed, including in the BBC piece I link to just above, “Dijon” mustard has been increasingly distanced from the Burgundy city where it was traditionally made.
This has led the region to create a separate label, “moutarde de Bourgogne”, for mustards that are genuinely sourced and produced in the region. So don’t be surprised when you realize that that jar of Dijon in your fridge is actually produced somewhere in Ontario, Canada.
Finally, for those of you who’ve booked trips to France this winter, make sure to peruse our guide on how to enjoy rainy days in Paris (also mostly applicable elsewhere in France.) The short, wet days can be challenging from a standpoint of both morale and logistics, but there are (I promise) ways to embrace and take advantage of them.
Well, that’s a wrap for now. Thanks, as always, for your continued support and readership. Whether you’re currently planning a trip or just browsing for a bit of inspiration, you can find plenty of ways to do both at the Paris Unlocked website.