In true Earful Tower tradition, here’s the end-of-year look at what you were all reading and listening to the most. It was a colourful year, featuring a mammoth A to Z season in the second half of the year. Here are our top five blog posts and podcast episodes of 2023.

5) How to find the famous Paris “Rose Line”

This was a post about how to find the French Meridian Line, mapped out by bronze medallions on the streets of Paris. This “Rose Line” was made famous by the Da Vinci code, but we learned it’s not actually called that at all… and that the search for the markers makes for quite the treasure hunt. (The hunt took us to the Paris Observatory, the inner staircase of which is pictured at the top of this page).

4) 5 golden rules for the French Riviera

We spent a month exploring the French Riviera and it was incredible. Charming hilltop villages, vibrant markets, rugged cliffs, pristine beaches… and sun-soaked colour. We even made it into a mini-season on the podcast. This post went over some basics so that you can make the most of your own trip.

3) Six In-Seine Paris secrets

Here are some Paris secrets from the whole Earful Tower team. This post featured a secret from a podcaster, a photographer, tour guides, an artist, and a boat captain – all Parisians – and all sharing tips and tricks for this city. Including: getting into hidden passageways, into the Louvre without queuing, finding the tucked-away staircases that lead you to the best views and much more. Are you ready?

2) The best Paris arrondissements for tourists (and the worst ones)

To celebrate the publication of our 2024 PDF Guide to Paris, we put together our very official rankings of all 20 Paris arrondissements – from worst to best. Results were based on the data from our Countdown season, where we spent 24 hours in each of the 20 arrondissements.

1) 12 things to do on a rainy day in Paris

And at number one, with 20,000 readers….

Paris may be beautiful in the rain but that doesn’t mean you have to get wet. Luckily, the city is very well equipped with hideouts and warm shelters for you to wait out any storms. Here are 12 of our favourite ways to make the most of your Paris rainy days.

Top podcast episodes

It wasn’t just the blog, of course. The podcast has always been the biggest arm of the Earful Tower and here’s what you were listening to the most. These are the top episodes by download, followed by the top five with special guests.

4) A farewell to the lovely Rue Cler

In this episode, you’ll hear me and Lina walking along a stunning Parisian street called Rue Cler. But it’s a bittersweet walk, as it was the last time we walked it as local residents.

If you don’t know rue Cler, it’s a market street in the seventh arrondissement. We walked from the intersection of rue de Grenelle at the Bleu Olive Cafe all the way to the end of the street on the south side (so north to south). Read the accompanying blog post here.

3) Six In-Seine Paris secrets from six Paris experts

In this episode, the season 13 finale, the whole team was on a private boat on the Seine River sharing our six favourite Paris secrets.

2) Paris Bucket List: Things to do in 2023

In this episode, we revealed our top five things that we wanted to do this year in Paris – and we also shared the lists of some prominent Parisians including Australian Ambassador Gillian Bird, France expert Véronique Savoye, the eternal Comte de Saint Germain, baker Molly Wilkinson, and blogger Shannon Pratuch. Read the accompanying blog post here.

1) What to do on your first Paris trip

Despite six years of this Paris podcast, I’ve never focused on a tourist’s first Paris trip – so here are my tips, including a checklist of monuments and a smattering of cultural suggestions. There must be a lot of first-time visitors out there, because this episode proved very popular. Read the accompanying blog post here.

Top podcast episodes (by special guest)

Often the podcast features the voice of a special guest. Here are the most downloaded episodes that featured such a guest.

5) The insider’s guide to an ancient Paris market

In this episode, we took a stroll through the bustling marché Beauvau in the 12th arrondissement with Joseph Loughney of the Early Bird Cafe. Read the blog post here.

4) French antiques: from Provence to the world

Susannah and Hugh Cameron are two Australian antique curators based in sunny Provence.

Their initial interest of street brocantes and finding the perfect French decor for their home soon turned into a passionate search for the most exquisite French antiques and the creation of their online boutique, Chez Pluie. Read the blog post here.

3) The comedy of living in Paris

Meet Sarah Donnelly, an American stand up comedienne in Paris. She joined the show to discuss the comedy of living in Paris, her stand-up show, and her infatuation with France’s handsome president. Read the blog post here.

2) Six classic restaurants on the Left Bank of Paris

We revisit a chat with writer John Baxter about Paris and its compendium of history. We especially dig into the Left Bank and its classic restaurants

This episode was originally released for Patreon members, and includes a lot more than just restaurants, including La Philharmonie de Paris, the poet Hart Crane, French actress and courtesan Liane de Pougy, and actress Kitty Carlisle Hart. Read the blog post here.

1) A walk down the perfect Paris street: Rue Montorgueil

In this podcast episode, you’ll hear me and Veronique Savoye walking along a stunning Parisian street called Rue Montorgueil.

It’s a market street in the first and second arrondissement. We walked from the corner of Rue Tiquetonne all the way to the Sentier Metro station (so south to north). We talked about things we saw (in real time), how this market street has been changing, and also about Paris, France, the city of Tours, Emily in Paris, and the influence of McDonald’s on France. Read the blog post here.