Chantilly’s Private Princely Apartments Reopening

There are many things that make the Domaine de Chantilly unique (and, in my opinion, much more interesting to visit than Versailles). Its last resident was Henri d’Orléans, Duke d'Aumale, and son of the last King of France, Louis-Philippe. His family’s princely apartments, the only remaining examples from the Monarchie de Juillet in France, will be reopened this month after several years of careful renovations.

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Inexpensive Houseplants by Plantes Pour Tous

If the title of this article has you wondering what the big deal is, move along, this isn't for you. For the rest of us -- plant addicts (or repeat offender houseplant murderers) who can't seem to go a week without bringing home a new green leafy friend -- Plantes Pour Tous just might be the best thing to hit Paris since the Métro extended its weekend hours. 

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Free Noctural Entrance to the Louvre Every 1st Saturday

The Louvre Museum is already open evenings until 9:45pm every Wednesday and Friday, but now it's also open every first Saturday of the month FOR FREE from 6pm-9:45pm. 

Meant to entice the locals to visit the museum again (or for the first time), the main two wings Denon and Sully are open to freely visit on your own, while the Richelieu wing is open for guided visits only (in French), which can be reserved on the Louvre's FB page a week before the first Saturday. These extra activities include live music, flashlight tours, storytelling, and games. 

Tip: As the Louvre Museum broke every possible record for attendance in 2018 (over 10 million visitors!), save yourself a headache by purchasing your ticket in advance or using the "Affluences" app to see in real-time how long the lines are at the three main entrances. There will always be lines for security, even when there's free entrance, but in general Wednesday and Friday evenings from 7pm-9pm are usually the least crowded.

Recycling in Paris Just Got Easier

Now that most Parisians are used to dropping off their Christmas trees at at the city's 174 recycling points since the Mairie de Paris (City Hall) introduced the practice in 2016, this year they're making it even easier to recycle everyday items in Paris!

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Cut Down on Packaging: New Paris Shop to Buy Cleaning and Beauty Products in Bulk

I know a lot of people are trying to cut down on packaging, but it hasn't been easy to buy in bulk using your own containers in Paris. But now the Italian chain Negozio Leggero (Italian for “Shop Light”) has finally opened a location in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement near République.

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Parisians: Recycle Your Christmas Tree

Don't leave your Christmas tree on the curb for the landfill when you can drop it off in one of 174 collection points around Paris (mostly in parks and green spaces) to be recycled into mulch. 

http://www.paris.fr/recyclonsnossapins

Each year the City of Paris accepts trees for recycling from December 26-January 26th. They should be:

- without a plastic bag (take it out and throw out the bag once you drop it off)

- without any decorations, flocking or tinsel (and if you're still doing that to your tree you probably don't give a sh** about the planet anyway)

- cut or rooted, both are accepted as long as they're real trees and not plastic trees

Most of the collection points are open 24/7, just check the website for the one closest to you. 

NOTE: This article is an updated version of the same from 2016.