After finding my way into Paris on the Orly airport bus, for the fine price of only 6 euro, and changing at Denfert-Rochereau to make the local connection to the metro, I am already feeling like a local. Tune into Radio Aligre (FM 93.1) and its highly regarded, uncompromised avant-garde music show called “Songs of Praise“; the artist in me is ready to hit the streets of Paris.

Here Are The Top 10 Reasons for Artists to Love Paris

Reason to Love Paris #1: Canal Saint-Martin

My trip to Paris starts with a stroll along the Canal Saint-Martin. According to my inflight magazine, this is the place to see. I was there for the bridges, of course, but you will enjoy it just as much for the cafes, shops, bars, and cultural venues along the waterway. The Centre d’animation Jemmapes, the local cultural center, is housed in a red brick building along the canal. Across the canal is a range of cute knickknack and fashion shops catering to the Parisian bobo (bourgeois-bohemian) set. Le Jemmapes, a small bar next to one of the modern green bridges, has a relaxed atmosphere and cheap vodka. Enjoy the bright red crockery with your coffee, or chill out on the benches and watch the world float by.

>>Also Read: Cruising the Canals of Paris

Reason to Love Paris #2: Point Éphémerè

I went to Point Éphémerè on a Sunday afternoon for the Pure Presence hearing project by locus sinus; it streams sound from a different place around the world every six minutes. It’s located in a decaying waterside warehouse that has been turned into a thriving hub of artistic community enterprises. The bar looks out over the Canal St Martin, and there is a gallery where I saw fantastically designed musical instruments at the Octopus Festival; one a nostalgic wall of postcards that each played a different story when you opened them; another was a piano of pipes that you could switch off and on at will; the third a spatial audio design of the sonic city, experienced through headphones as you walked across the sensors that triggered various sounds to create this aural landscape. Cool.

Reason to Love Paris #3: Maison des Métallos & Villette Sonique

If you haven’t quenched your thirst for aural adventure, find your way to this renowned experimental music venue. At Maisons des Métallos anything could be happening, from the Bruits de Fond (sonic experiences and singular music), to an installation for 100 ventilators to an electro-sensorial composition. Part of the sprawling park of Le Villette, Villette Sonique (in the grand hall), is host to a selection of rock, pop, and international electro acts. It promises the independent scene, deranged specimens, fantasies, and virtuosos in general.

Reason to Love Paris #4: Palais de Tokyo

The Palais de Tokyo is one of my favorite art haunts, with a fantastically opulent facade of statues, used by the local kids as a skate park. Its cafe also has one of the best views of Paris. The building interior is decrepit-chic, with the “demolition site” feeling kept deliberately to highlight the temporary nature of the venue. This time the art confused me, but I am always willing to experience something new, and I was excited to discover hand-printed, black-and-white photocopies calling for information about the romantic conceptual French artist Sophie Calle, who is known for having hired a private detective to follow her in the past. I’m working on my dossier, and you never know, it may become part of her next work. Art meets life meets art and spins round again.

Reason to Love Paris #5: Némo Festival

I attended the opening of the Némo Multimedia Festival at the Biarritz cinema near the Champs Elysee, with cutting edge animation, live performance, and video clips. It’s a fabulous, glamorous event and location. The cinema is lush, comfortable, and well worth checking out (in case you need a few hours in the dark after all the over-stimulation of one the world’s most famous cities).

Reason to Love Paris #6: La Bellevilloise

La Bellevilloise is a famous industrial complex, now home to a myriad of cultural activities, including an African dance center, a heavy-metal bar (the night I was there, anyway), and the gallery where I saw another of the Nemo Multimedia Art Festival exhibitions. (This one featured 3D glasses quite heavily, with someone climbing a bridge in 3D, and a beautiful changing projection onto a desk and chair.) A friend dragged me around the corner to one of the last squat bars in Paris for cheap drinks and a genuine punk atmosphere. Be warned, if you approach from Mentilmontant metro (line 2), there is a very steep hill, so unless you need the workout, try using Gambetta (line 3) and exit Martin Nadaud. The building has an intriguing history of workers’ culture and even inspired its own symphony, the fanfare bellevilloise.

Reason to Love Paris #7: Boulevard Périphérique, and Beyond

Heading out over the Boulevard Périphérique may seem a daunting prospect, but it’s well worth the trip to Mains d’Oeuvres, an ultra-happening arts venue that is strongly connected to the local community (take Metro line 4 all the way to the end – Porte de Cligancourt; or Metro 13 to Garibaldi). The area is actually a small village, and I had a lovely bus ride back into Paris, seeing the Pigalle area, going through Montmartre and along Blvd Lafayette, before jumping out to make my metro connection.

Vision’R festival brought together VJs from all over the world to play here; I had the great fortune of catching the Complaints Choir, consisting of a litany of everyday maladies set to music and beautifully sung by the assembled voices. There is a restaurant, concert venue, and (upstairs) a mysterious Star Trek conference room.

Reason to Love Paris #8: Sèvres

Sèvres’ National Museum of Ceramics and Parc Saint-Cloud. One is a magnificent building in a gorgeous setting, only a 30-minute ride out to the end of Metro line 9 at Pont de Sèvres. Walk across the bridge, and you’re at the museum with a fantastic collection of ornately decorated ceramics. The factory behind is still in use; however, it has no commercial function, only producing ceremonial plates for royalty and special occasions. Tucked away out the back of the buildings is the old school of ceramics, where the current artists have their studios and create fantastic happenings and events.

The beautiful forest you can see going up the hill is Saint-Cloud park, stroll through the winding paths to a spectacular view across Paris, and enjoy finding the hidden sculptures and ruins randomly dotted throughout the trees.

Reason to Love Paris #9: The Whale of Versailles

A little further out is Versailles, where I managed to see the palace only at a distance and from a moving vehicle while paying a visit to the Contemporary Art Centre, part of the Architecture School. I was thrilled to discover the Whale of Versailles here, although I think the artist, Christian Gonzenbach, may have moved his creation elsewhere by now. Still, it’s a fascinating counterpoint to this most historical and highly visited of sites, giving an insight into contemporary creation and culture.

Reason to Love Paris #10: Porte de Montreuil Flea Market

Paris’ largest flea market is at Porte de Clignancourt (officially known as Puces de Saint Ouen). This is the one to head to for antiques and more valuable second-hand goods. It’s open weekends and Mondays and is popular with international visitors. Less frequented is the cellar trash piled up on stands at Porte de Montreuil, so of course, I headed straight for this one.

A mix of new imported junk that you can find in most cheap markets anywhere in the world, the real treasure was the piles of clothes and accessories priced at 1-2-3 euros each. Dig through a few of these, and you are bound to find some hardly worn designer gear. It’s a fun way to spend the afternoon, and as recycled clothing is starting to make an impact on the sustainability landscape since the resources required to produce new clothes are a phenomenal drain on our natural and human ecology.

Two of my favorite food markets are also in Paris. On Fridays, the Blvd Richard Lenoir is packed with fresh produce stalls. The stallholders love to flirt, calling out oolala at the drop of a beret, I love that French Joie de vivre. I randomly stumbled across the Wednesday market at Iena, on my way to the Palais des Tokyo, and was again tempted by the sumptuous array of treats; I found a fantastic bargain on stylish bowling bags from the man at the top of the stalls.

Packing all my prizes into this, I was able to leave Paris with a rediscovered sense of joy, memories of some amazing art and music, and a great new wardrobe.

>>Also Read: Best Flea Markets in Paris