A book and a coffee

Located along the Canal Saint-Martin, Artazart bookstore is the perfect place to forget about your phone.

There are days when you just don't want to see anyone, make any plans, or—most importantly—check the time. No museums to visit, no reservations to keep, no schedule to follow. Just a little time for yourself. And what if that were actually the best way to enjoy Paris?

Rule number one: make no plans

Start by sleeping in. A real sleep-in. The kind where you lounge in bed guilt-free, take your time over coffee, and seriously debate whether you even need to get up.

At the Hôtel Château d'Eau, the day could easily end right there. A good book, a comfortable room, and your phone on airplane mode. Paris will still be there tomorrow.

But for those who still feel like stepping outside, we have an idea.

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One mission only: find the perfect book

Head to Artazart, at 83 Quai de Valmy, an independent bookstore right on the Canal Saint-Martin. The shelves here are packed with beautiful books on photography, design, illustration, and architecture.

You go in for a quick look, flip through one book, then two, then ten. You stumble upon an unknown photographer, an irresistible cover, or a book you had absolutely no intention of buying.

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Alexander Baxevanis from London, UK, CC BY 2.0,

A coffee, a bench, and that's it

Once you've found your book, there's no need to go far. Grab a coffee to go and settle in along the Canal Saint-Martin, on a bench or right by the water.

Watch the passersby, the canal boats, and the cyclists go by. Read three pages, then look up. Take a sip of coffee, turn a few more pages. Nothing spectacular, and that is exactly the point.

And when you feel like heading back, make your way to the Hôtel Château d'Eau. The book isn't finished, the bed is still there, and a little nap never hurt anyone.

For once, you haven't missed a thing. And that’s just fine.

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