Opened in 2011 by the people at Magnum Photo Agency (their Paris bureau is a few streets away), Le Bal is an institutional exhibition space dedicated to the documentary image. For the most part that means lots of photography exhibits but they like to mix up the shows with videos and especially books. They hold conferences with a great line-up of guest speakers and screen documentaries and other films at the nearby Cinéma de Cinéastes. Be sure to check out the bookshop where you can browse through their connoisseur’s collection of high-end photo books and limited edition zines. Le Bal Café is a great place to meet friends for a quick drink or sit down and taste Anna and Alice’s Anglo-French cuisine. And if you’re wondering why it’s called Le Bal, the space was once a dance hall cum brothel in the roaring ‘20s.

My studio and collective gangster's place

We are very into contemporary illustration that’s why we absolutly love Arts Factory. It’s an art gallery dedicated to the illustration French scene. It’s great. Just go, you will want to buy everything.

Jardin du Palis-Royal - 1780  Secret place. Between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, a wonderful french-style garden. In the 1780’s, Philippe IV of Orleans (later named “Philippe Egalité” ) acquired the whole place. Extravagant and overly indebted, he decided to build shops around his gardens and rent them out. Convinced by the idea of having a theatre, the Duke thus decided to build the “Comédie française”.

Paris, unlike London, Brooklyn and err Chester, isn’t famed for its zoo. That’s because there isn’t anything quite as big here, but if its quality as opposed to size you’re looking for then the zoo in the Jardin des Plantes won’t leave you disappointed. There are about 1800 animals here, a third of which are endangered species, like the Amur leopard, pictured. The reptile house has big snakes and snap-happy crocodiles. There are even kangaroos and some other animals you wouldn’t have thought hardy enough to adapt to the cold chill of the Paris winters. The only drawback is the monkey house, which is a rather forlorn place with depressed-looking chimpanzees and gorillas gazing through shit-stained glass cages.