Paris in August?
Despite the heat wave, “it's delicious because there's no one there!
“replies a mother behind her stroller who, like a true Parisian, does not stop!
“It's calmer, more accessible, less stressful.
People are less nervous.
Everything is much easier,” similarly observes Debra, a 43-year-old sommelier.
“I may be working, but it's still a bit of a vacation, continues the quadra, installed on the terrace rue de Bretagne (IIIe) in front of a café-croissant.
As there is much less traffic than usual, it is perfect for cycling.
And I'm taking the opportunity to rediscover places I no longer go to, like the Bois de Boulogne, the Buttes-Chaumont park, the Tuileries… I even went to the left bank!
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At a nearby table, Joseph exclaims: “August is the best month of the year for Parisians!
“Ex-retired restaurateur, this man who now lives in Charenton (Val-de-Marne), returns “almost every morning” by metro, to have his coffee in the Marais where he was born 66 years ago .
"Not only is traffic more fluid, but in addition to Paris at the height of summer, it speaks all languages," he points out.
A way to travel while staying in the capital.
"It's my moment"
This month of August in Paris pleases them so much that some even make sure to adapt their schedule to it to make the most of it.
This is the case, for example, of Benjamin.
This video game designer has found the parade for a head to head between Paris and him.
“This summer I had three weeks of vacation.
I asked them straddling July and August: two in July to travel a bit, see family and friends in Niort (Deux-Sèvres), and one in August.
And then there, August, it's my time for me!
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"Sometimes, the rest of the year, this city comes out of my sight, but this month... We're making up!"
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Benjamin, designer
Come to think of it, this 30-year-old who lives in the 19th arrondissement has actually been doing this for... "At least five years, say so," he mused aloud.
Not necessarily a week, but I necessarily take days to savor this calm.
I think I'm in love with Paris in August.
Sometimes, the rest of the year, this city pops out at me, but this month... We're making up!
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T-shirt stamped with the word "South" which suggests the holidays, Claire does not seem to be working... And yet, this fifty-year-old who has just "returned from Corsica before leaving again in the south", exercises well in this mid-August, his job as a telecommuting finance executive.
“It's quiet, the pace is different.
So, I do tasks that I don't usually have time to do,” she says, taking advantage of a break to have a coffee with her student nephew.
“Tourists save our turnover”
Waiter at the brasserie Le Progrès (1, rue de Bretagne) which since 2018 has not had a break in August, Kevin confirms... "There are a lot fewer people than usual because from July 15 to August 20, the neighborhood is empty of its inhabitants.
We feel a slowdown in Parisian dynamism.
People have more time.
The atmosphere is more relaxed.
It can be seen in the outfits of the customers, many are in shorts.
" Patron of this brewery since 1997, Didier Bouyssou adds: "By having fun, tourists, French or foreign, save our turnover in August".
The other side of the coin, bakeries lowering the curtain in turn because of annual holidays, Parisians must change their habits during the summer break.
At Les Enfants Rouges (3rd), the oldest market in Paris founded in 1615 by Louis XIII under the name of "marais du Temple market", all the stalls are closed, with the exception of the small florist at the entrance.
Nevertheless, the restaurants remain open to welcome tourists.
Never mind, Colette, 72, goes to get her fish at the Oberkampf market (11th): “I walk a lot, it's my gymnastics for me!
On her return, the septuagenarian stopped at her favorite terrace to enjoy a glass of white while reading her newspaper.
Read also“In August, it’s the best time”: guided tours of Paris by bike, a rolling business
Populated by holidaymakers who picnic on its benches in the shade of the lime trees, the garden of the Royal Palace (1st) is also very popular with Parisians in August.
In search of coolness in the summer torpor, many come to sit around the fountain, their toes fanned out on the edge of the pool, like Constance, 26 years old.
“I came to read a book in this dream place.
It's cool, there aren't many people, I easily found a chair", confides this young actress who makes no secret of the reason why she spends part of the summer in the capital: "I I stayed there to be with my boyfriend who works in human resources”.
A Parisian from the 9th arrondissement, she concludes: “It's a different atmosphere, it's not all over the place.
I use it to tidy up my house.
I also planned a few outings to the museum.
The only downside... "As I live under the roof where it is sometimes very hot, the fan has become my best friend!"
