Is Paris the perfect city for walking?

Hello everyone,

Quick question: What is it about Paris that makes it so synonymous with a good walk?

A historian might suggest that the city was built for walking – ever since the Pont Neuf rolled out some of Europe’s first pedestrian sidewalks 400 years ago.

A resident might say that walking is more practical than the Metro in what is a (relatively) small world city.

A flaneur (or flaneuse) – someone who likes to wander aimlessly – probably wouldn’t even answer because they’re off lost in their thoughts somewhere on the Left Bank.

But who better to ask than Jessie Kanelos Weiner, a Chicago native who has lived in Paris for the past decade? She is the co-author and illustrator of Paris in Stride.

She recently visited the Earful Tower studio to discuss the book. We also talked about what makes Paris so perfect for walking, her favourite place for a stroll in the city…. and she gave us the exclusive on the subject of her upcoming book!

Listen to the episode here and be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

While we’re on the subject of walking, you might be aware that I’m a big fan of walking too. Every week (and sometimes several times a week) I go on a walk around Paris with one of my podcast guests.

And I stream the whole thing live for my Patreon supporters. In fact, you may have seen the walk I did around the Marché d’Aligre with Jessie last year. Heck, maybe you saw the live event I did with her at a bookshop on the Left Bank too!

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There are 5,800 restaurants in Paris. This one might be the most photographed. (La maison rose, Montmartre).

A post shared by The Earful Tower (@theearfultower) on Mar 10, 2019 at 8:59am PDT

In fact, there are loads more walks to see if you sign up on Patreon, but there are also plenty of tips for great walks in Paris right here on this site.

For example, you might be interested in checking out the best street to walk down in every of the 20 Paris arrondissements.

And here are another 20 top streets according to Earful Tower followers.

Enjoy your stroll, wherever you may be having it, and even moreso if you’ve got The Earful Tower plugged into your ears 🙂

Important links:

Get Jessie’s book, Paris in Stride, here. Visit her blog here and her website here. Subscribe to The Earful Tower on Patreon here.

If you want to learn French with Camille’s method, find the French Today audiobooks here.

That’s it! If you like these tips, be sure to check out The Earful Tower’s Guide to Paris.