PageRank Checking Icon

easyJet Holidays Paris City Break Expert

Over 300 pastry shops for just $4.99!

About Secrets of Paris

American-born travel journalist and guidebook author Heather Stimmler-Hall created the Secrets of Paris in 1999 to share the hidden side of the City of Light. Discover what you've been missing:

* Private Customized Tours
* Free Paris Resource Guide
* Calendar of interesting Paris events
* Opinionated Hotel Reviews
* Monthly Secrets of Paris newsletter
* Secrets of Paris Videos

Read more about the Secrets of Paris here

Calendar of Paris Events

April 29
Sip wine and enjoy appetizers in the company of David Lebovitz, with music by Cat Jahnke, all for a good cause! Help support the SOS Helpline, the emotional support line in English by attending their "Apéro-Dinatoire" evening, at Verjus Restaurant (just outside Palais Royal, 47 rue Montpensier, 1st) from 6-9pm. The fee is €60/person, and I will be there as Master of Ceremonies for the evening. RSVP on their website. See you there!

May 19
Tonight is La Nuit Européenne des Musée, a free all-night museum festival with special events and expositions to lure even the most reluctant culture-phobes through the door. Stay tuned for the program on the official website...

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL CALENDAR

Heather's Lady's Guide to the Sexy City

 Sign-up to the Secrets of Paris newsletter and get "Heather's Top Ten Tips for a Stress-Free Visit to Versailles"

Secrets of Paris gives 10% of all tour fees
to the French food bank, Les Restos du Coeur

Heather's Recommended Paris Films

Here is a random selection of my favorite French and foreign films set in France -- mostly Paris! Click on any title and it will take you directly to the Amazon.com website. For shipping or DVD zoning issues, you might prefer to look for these items in the Amazon France or the Amazon UK sites.

  • Paris, Je T'Aime (Two Disc Limited Collector's Edition)
    starring Fanny Ardant, Juliette Binoche, Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Marianne Faithfull

    This is the DVD of the 20-short shorts (one for each arrondissement of Paris). Love the one with Steve Buscemi!

     
  • Moulin Rouge (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
    starring Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh

    I just adore this beautifully-filmed modern version of Moulin Rouge, especially the soundtrack!

     
  • Two Days in Paris
    starring Albert Delpy, Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg, Adan Jodorowsky, Chick Ortega

    This was described in the US press as a "romantic comedy", but I think that makes it sound a bit cheesy, and this film definitely has an edge to it. Especially fun to watch with people who can't stand Paris. ;-)

     
  • Something's Gotta Give
    starring Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet, Frances McDormand

    Okay, only the last scene is shot in Paris, but everyone loves that scene! The restaurant is Le Grand Colbert, and the bridge is the one right in front of the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall -- you can see it in the background).

     
  • Amelie
    starring Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta, Serge Merlin

    An absolute adorable French film with VERY little dialog at all. More of a fantasy Paris (very "cleaned up"), charming and uplifting.

     
  • La Vie en Rose (Extended Version)
    starring Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Emmanuelle Seigner, Jean-Paul Rouve

    The tragic life story of one of France's greatest singers of all time, Edith Piaf (aka La Mome).

     
  • Ratatouille
    starring Ian Holm

    A-dor-ab-le!  A great film for Francophiles of all ages. And it just might make you look at those metro rats in a new light!

    (just kidding...there are no rats in the metro...those are just small French dogs) 

     
  • Before Sunrise
    starring Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert, Hanno Pöschl, Karl Bruckschwaiger

    I wasn't a huge fan of the first film, Before Sunrise, but this one is particularly memorable, especially for its very French way of stretching dialog to the maximum and the ambiguous ending. And how great to see all of the Paris landmarks I know and love!  Warning: this will disturb you if you ever wondered if you made a mistake in choosing your spouse...

     
  • Queen Margot (La Reine Margot)
    starring Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Vincent Perez, Virna Lisi

    The French don't often do action films very well, but this exciting adaptation of the riveting Alexandre Dumas novel "Reine Margot" will have you on the edge of your seat. Based (loosely) on the real history of the St-Bartholomew's Day Massacre in the 16th century Wars of Religion, you may need to watch it more than watch to be able to follow the plot, even with the English subtitles! And Vincent Perez is absolutely dreamy, as always.

     
  • Delicatessen (Special Edition)
    starring Eric Averlant, Robert Baud, Pascal Benezech, Jean-Luc Caron, Dominique Defever

    This was my first favorite French film, a classic black comedy set in a post-Apocalyptic France where there is no meat...so where is this town's butcher getting his? It's a visually stunning film with rich colors and memorable characters.

     
  • Eric Rohmer's Six Moral Tales - Criterion Collection