Paris food guide

Bangkok shopping pick : Chatuchak Weekend Market : One of the largest markets in the world: Its land size is huge, covering an area of 35 acres. The number of stall is vast with 8000 stalls. The place brims over products of all kinds as a result. While Chatuchak covers everything you can ever imagine, unique sections worth checking out are rare to find antiques, ceramics, home furniture, and souvenirs. Best place to buy Thai handicrafts in Bangkok: Get some beautiful handicrafts while touring Chatuchak market if you plan to bring home something truly Thai. The product range is huge; the quality is high; the prices are competitive among shops. These are simply the reasons.

Let’s start big, shall we? Siam Paragon Mall is one of the largest malls in all of Asia. Its department store alone covers 50,000 square metres. And over 250 retail shops comprise of another 40,000 square metres of glorious shopping space. But what brought Siam Paragon at the top of this list is its reputation as the place to be when you’re out shopping for international high-end brands. Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Hermes are just a few. Siam Paragon also hosts a few car showrooms namely Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, BMW, Aston Martin and Lotus. For us nomads hunting for coworking spaces, there is actually a pretty good alternative at this mall. Head to the True Café on the third floor for a fresh coffee and same fast wifi. At the ground floor, Siam Paragon is covered with restaurants and food courts. This is one of my favourite places to grab a bite to eat when shopping around here. Thai and international food from all corners of the globe can be found here, you won’t go hungry. And if you want to submerge after lunch, go ahead, the fish at Sea Life located just underground of the mall are waiting for you! See extra travel news about Paris, Bangkok or Los Angeles on Bangkok Shopping guide.

Coming in at a whopping 2.5 kilometers in length, the trail at Lumphini Park may be too long for visitors to tackle in one go. That said, this park provides visitors with a number of things to see and do. In addition to jogging or cycling the path, the park is home to a number of sporadic aerobic classes that visitors can jump in on. Paddle boats can be rented by those who want to take to the water for the day and slowly explore the lake which sits at the park’s core. Chinese-inspired gazebos, sunbathing monitor lizards, a concert in the park; visitors never know what they are going to stumble on upon visiting this massive green space in the heart of the city.

Siam Center’s design is a clever marriage between nature and technology. Who would’ve guessed wooden panels and LED screens would look so good together? Here you really must check out all the unusual shop designs! Siam Center houses international brands such as the largest Forever 21, Nike, Steve Maddex, Levis and more. It also boasts national Thai labels such as Jaspal, Baking Soda, Kloset and Greyhound Original.

This splendid collection of Impressionist art is beautifully presented in an expansive space (formerly the Belle Epoque-era Gare d’Orsay railway station). The collection represents the work of all the masters of Impressionism. The artists range from classic Impressionist masters Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, and Pierre-August Renoir to Post-Impressionist artists such as Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cezanne, and Vincent van Gogh; the Pointillists (Georges Seurat, Paul Signac); and Bohemian artists like Toulouse Lautrec. Some of the museum’s most famous pieces include Claude Monet’s The Magpie, Gare Saint-Lazare, Poppy Field, and Luncheon on the Grass; Vincent van Gogh’s self-portrait and Starry Night; and Renoir’s Dance at Moulin de la Galette, which depicts a festive party scene in Montmartre.

Wat Arun is something of a triumphant complex, dating back to ancient battles between the former Siam and Burma. Having fallen to the Burmese, Ayutthaya was reduced to rubble and ashes. But General Taksin and the remaining survivors vowed to march “until the sun rose again” and to build a temple there. Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, was that temple. It is where the new king later built his royal palace and a private chapel. If you climb to the top of the prang just before sunset, you are rewarded with an unforgettable view as the sun sinks over the Chao Praya River. Even if you don’t plan to be doing any climbing, sunset is really the time to take in this place in all its glory. Source: hotel booking tricks.

Paris shopping pick : Grand Magasins on Boulevard Haussmann, Rue Tronchet & La Madeleine Start exploring this shopping area in Paris by strolling around the Place de la Madeleine. The streets surrounding the church—with its stately neoclassical temple design—are lined with trees and elegant shops, cafes and gourmet food shops such as Fauchon. Follow Rue Tronchet from La Madeleine and you’ll head directly toward the huge department stores Printemps and Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann (See Department Stores section below for more details). Along the way you’ll pass lots of neat shops. Keep your eyes out for a super handbag and luggage store called La Maroquinerie Parisienne on the right as you approach Boulevard Haussmann. The streets here are lined with shops all along Boulevard Haussmann leading toward the beautiful Opera Garnier. Stop in the huge Monoprix store near Galeries Lafayette for a uniquely Parisian shopping experience. This area is a shopping haven all day long and also after dark when the Opera creates a dramatically beautiful backdrop.

The Luxembourg Gardens are the best known park in Paris after the Tuileries. The gardens were laid out in the 17th century when the Palais du Luxembourg was built, but they were given their present form in the 19th century by the architect J.F. Chalgrin. The central feature of the park is the large octagonal fountain-adorned pool, which is flanked by two terraces lined with statues, orderly geometric rows of flowerbeds, and manicured shrubbery. This part of the park exemplifies French classical style, with many chairs spread about for visitors to use. Another key feature is the picturesque 17th-century Fontaine de Medicis, a fountain basin hidden under trees opposite the east front of the Palais du Luxembourg, the palace that King Henri IV created for his wife Marie de Medici. Nearby is the Pavillon de la Fontaine, a little cafe with pleasant outdoor seating in a shady forest setting.

Paris restaurant pick : The one haute-cuisine restaurant in Paris that’s really, truly worth it? L’Astrance. Chef Pascal Barbot has the most elegantly lyrical gastronomic imagination of any chef working in Paris today, and it’s expressed by dishes that are often spectacularly simple, like his buttermilk and burnt toast crumb soup. The dish is not always on the menu, but if you tell them you’re desperate for it when you make your reservation, Barbot and maitre d’hotel Christophe Rohat are such nice guys, they might make it for you. Otherwise, you should beg for the mille-feuille of white mushrooms, apple, and foie gras.