Living and learning in Paris
Making Paris your campus
Paris has been a thriving student city since the Sorbonne was established circa 1253. It now has 13 French universities and over 50 other Higher Education institutions. There are currently 200,000 students living in Paris, of whom a quarter come from outside France. More than half live in central Paris, and are concentrated on the left bank of the Seine, where the Institute is located.
As one of the most exciting and stimulating cities in the world, it is an ideal place to immerse yourself in the French language and culture. As a student you can enjoy all that Paris has to offer with your student card, which will get you valuable discounts around the city.
Cinema, the arts and sports
Paris is perfect for film lovers - you can catch anything from commercial to art-house pictures. It is said that there are more films being shown in Paris than anywhere in the world. Take advantage of festivals such as the three-day Printemps du Cinéma when ticket prices fall to €3.50, the open-air screen of the Cinéma en plein air , or Paris Cinéma when, for two weeks, you can view premieres and retrospectives.
The city is also home to a thriving performing arts scene with numerous musical, dance, theatrical and comedy performances on offer .
Paris has fantastic facilities for both participating in and watching sports. It is often easy and inexpensive to get last minute tickets for big events, including the Roland Garros tennis tournament; international football and rugby matches at the national Stade de France , which is located 15 minutes from the city centre and where France won its first ever World Cup in 1998.
Museums, galleries and famous landmarks
Paris has over 150 museums and galleries to suit all interests, from fine art to photography. These include the famous Musée du Louvre which houses antiquities, decorative arts and paintings such as da Vinci's Mona Lisa and works by Raphael and Botticelli; the Centre Pompidou which includes the Musée National d'Art Moderne ; the Musée Picasso , the Musée Rodin and the Musée d'Orsay . Special rates are often available for students and national museums are free on the first Sunday of every month.
Paris is also home to world-famous landmarks such as the Sacré-Coeur, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower - once the world's tallest structure.
- Musée d'Orsay
Parks and waterways
Green spaces in Paris include the Jardins du Luxembourg and the Tuileries as well as one of the most beautiful parks, the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont . Closer to home, the Institute overlooks the Esplanades des Invalides , which students take advantage of during the summer months for relaxing and picnicking.
The Canal Saint-Martin, which runs through the north-eastern districts of the Rive Droite (Right Bank) is another of Paris' attractions. There is also the Seine with its many bridges, including the famous Pont des Arts , the Pont-Neuf or the spectacular Pont Alexandre III , which is located near the Institute.
Shopping
As one of the most celebrated fashion capitals, Paris has designer boutiques, department stores such as Printemps and the Galeries Lafayette , and high-street shops. There are also plenty of fashion outlets with collections at reduced prices, and flea markets such as the marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen and de Montreuil for second-hand and vintage clothing.
Street markets for fresh foods, flowers and bric-a-brac are great places to spend a day soaking up the atmosphere. The multi-ethnic Marché d'Aligre is reputed to be one of the cheapest food markets in the city. You can also find excellent bookstores, music stores, and most other shops that you would expect to find in a big city.
Bon appétit
Fresh produce is readily available from markets and supermarkets, including freshly baked baguettes from your local boulangerie . Living in Paris is an ideal opportunity to sample the wines, cheeses, patisseries and other delicacies for which France is renowned.
For those who enjoy eating out, Paris is heaving with a range of restaurants, bistros and cafés. From Vietnamese to Portuguese, North African to traditional French, there is something for every culinary taste. Street cafés are an ideal place to stop and enjoy a drink and watch the world go by.
Nightlife
There is a great variety of bars and clubs to choose from, offering all music genres. The best European DJs, live acts and bands usually always stop in Paris when on tour. You can also find traditional English and Irish pubs around the city.
Other areas of interest include the Latin Quarter on the Rive Gauche (Left Bank). Home to the Sorbonne, Collège de France and the Ecole Normale Superièure , this is the hub of student activity. Equally notable, the area of Montmartre is where artists such as Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec lived. More recently, it was the setting for the film, Amélie . The narrow streets of the Marais, one of Paris' oldest districts, are the focus of the gay scene, with lively bars and clubs.
Further afield
Studying abroad offers the perfect opportunity to explore a new country. There are the magnificent châteaux of Versailles, Rambouillet, Fontainebleau, Chambord and Chenonceau in the Loire Valley to see, as well as the cathedral at Chartres, and Eurodisney of course.
Or why not travel further afield to cities such as Lille (European City of Culture 2004), Strasbourg, Lyon or Bordeaux?
Ten things to do as a student in Paris
- Experience culture by moonlight at La Nuit Blanche when galleries and museums host one-off installations and bars, clubs and swimming pools stay open into the small hours
- Broaden your musical horizons and dance in the streets at the annual Fête de la Musique, with free concerts across the city
- Lie in the shade of fake palm trees on Le Paris-Plage in the summer, when 3,000 tonnes of sand transform the banks of the Seine into an urban beach
- Join thousands of others for the weekly Friday Night Fever - a three-hour rollerblading trip around the city
- Ice skate on the outdoor rinks of Paris sur glace when the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville and a floor of the Eiffel Tower amongst others are transformed into ice rinks
- Experience the very essence of Parisian flânerie or "milling around", take a stroll along the Seine
- See a major sporting event at the Stade de France
- Listen to jazz in the Parc Floral during its June and July summer festivals
- Celebrate Bastille Day on July 14, France's national day, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison and onset of the French Revolution in 1789. A lively street ball is held and culminates in a massive firework display. (the Place de la Bastille is still a favourite spot for demonstrations)
- Explore the Parisian suburbs and take the opportunity to interact with students and individuals from all over the world.
More ideas
You can refer to weekly listings publications such as Pariscope or L'Officiel des Spectacles or websites such as www.parisetudiant.com [new window]
