If you love horses, you love spring, you love Paris and you love free entries – then look to Sundays at the Les Dimanches Au Galop. (Horse galloping on Sunday!)

Dates still ahead: April 14, April 21, April 28, May 5, and May 12.

This is an around-the-world equestrian trip: horse racing, pony racing, Bajutsu (the Japanese art of riding and mounted sword-fighting, stick handling and javelin throwing, where horses are trained to veer off at a moment’s notice, ignore sudden shocks, and preform technical climbs and downhill dodges, etc.); the Vaulting Cossack (the Russian art of trick riding, executing the Cossack Drag or Death Dragon) and the Hungarian Post (where tricks are performed while standing on two horses at the same time); and then the French thoroughbreds and horse culture come in: including the rugged Breton à l’Ardennais via the French saddle, antiques carriages and more.  You will want to bring a camera! And, again, your kids, teens and lover.  This is an event to be shared!

All events are held outdoors, so don’t forget your hats or umbrellas on the sunny days, and bring a picnic (the staff at Hotel Britannique will be glad to suggest the perfect spot to pick up picnic goodies) – unless you want to bang out some euros at the panoramic gourmet restaurant Hyeres III (go ahead and splurge on the Derby Menu, which consists of the scrumptious plates of shrimp tails in vanilla oil, tomato and mango tartar, followed by veal fillets with polenta fries, a goat cheese and cranberry salad and finished off with exotic sorbets.  Plus, champagne and wine and wine and wine!

You can drive to the Hippodrome, of course, but as you’re right around the corner from the largest underground metro station in the world – Châtelet – go public transport. You can ask the desk or take the directions from here:

-> walk out of the Hotel Britannique and go left
-> take a left at the corner
-> Châtelet metro is down the block on your left
-> take line 4 (direction Porte d’Orleans)
-> the 3rd stop, switch at Odeon to line 10 (direction Boulogne Pont de St.-Cloud)
-> the 12th stop will bring you to Porte d’Auteuil-Hippodrome.
-> disembark! The signs will be everywhere!

Available there:

• Reception and information kiosk
• Rental Binoculars
• Souvenir shop
• a couple of cheap places to eat

Free entry!

Address:
Hippodrome d’Auteuil – Lakes Route – 75016 Paris

Click Here for a Printable Map of the Paris Metro

Theatre du Chatelet : just a few metres from the Hotel Britannique

Don’t delay in buying your tickets at the Theatre du Chatelet and booking your room at the Hotel Britannique, as these exceptional performances are bound to appeal to large audiences. Indeed, this is the first time this unique adaptation of the Peony Pavilion has been performed in Europe! After having conquered Beijing, where it was staged in 2008, this Chinese classic opera has had rave reviews wherever it has performed, from Shanghai to Tokyo and from Suzhou to Hong Kong. Note: The Peony Pavilion, which tells the love story between Liu Mengmei and Du Liniang, is a huge epic told in 55 acts, composed in 1598 by the Chinese poet Tang Xianzu. It is probably one of the most beautiful examples of the Kunqu opera genre.

Theatre du chatelet – a scene of the Peony Pavilion

The Peony Pavilion : At the Theatre du Chatelet from 10th to 16th February 2013

• Cast: Yu Jiu Lin, Zhu Hui Ying, Lu Fu Hai, Shen Guo Fang…
• Dates & Times: Sunday 10th February at 4 pm, Monday 11th February at 8 pm, Tuesday 12th February at 8 pm, Wednesday 13th February at 8 pm, Thursday 14th February at 8 pm, Friday 15th February at 8 pm, Saturday 16th February at 8 pm
• Ticket prices : from €25.50 to €92.50
• Theatre address: 2 Rue Edouard Colonne – Paris 1^st arrondissement
• Metro station: Châtelet (lines 1, 4, 7, 11, 14)
• Information and booking and reservation on the site of the Theatre du Châtelet

Par Nature exhibition promises visitors an amazing experience! It takes them on a real journey through the different spaces of the 104 to discover a series of monumental works. Created by artists from across the whole world, they evoke the relationship between man and nature and invite visitors to reflect on this perpetual quest.

Par nature exhibition: some reasons to go

If you like contemporary art, don’t miss this exhibition under any circumstances! Nature, the theme running throughout the whole 2012-2013 season at the 104, is represented in a highly original way. Each artist offers up, through a metaphorical work, his or her own interpretation of the relationship between man and his environment. Poetic, political or mythological, these original installations inspire in visitors a fascinating reflection. What if, behind the idea of nature, there was the wider question of freedom?
Don’t miss the most extraordinary work of the Par nature exhibition. From here to ear, by the musician and visual artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, presents 65 little birds creating their own music as they flutter their way around instruments and microphones!

www.104.fr

Ice rink Paris, the very words to make you want to put on your skates and take a turn on the ice! For a particularly magnificent setting, try the largest rink ever created in France, set up under the nave of the Grand Palais until 6th January.

Ice rink Paris, a seasonal pleasure

Built for the universal exhibition in 1900, the Grand Palais is one of the capital’s emblematic sites, regularly hosting major exhibitions and prestigious events. From 13th December, its glass roof – the biggest in Europe – will shelter a giant ice rink where adults and children can enjoy all the thrills and spills of skating in a fairytale setting. It is the first time in its history that this century-old monument has been transformed into an ice palace!

Come and enjoy this unique occasion and the specially-created 1800m² rink. Around the ice, special areas have been designed for you to relax and watch the skaters in action or enjoy some of the shows and activities organised every day.
Ice rink Paris, three words guaranteeing a whole host of fabulous memories!

www.sortiraparis.com

Christmas lights on the Champs-Elysees mesmerise passersby of all ages every year. Once again this winter, the 200 trees on the famous avenue will sparkle with thousands of lights throughout the festive season! Take advantage of your stay at the Hôtel Britannique to come and admire these superb illuminations, switched on every day from 5 pm to 2 am.

Christmas lights Champs-Elysees: a dream backdrop

If you are lucky enough to be staying in the capital during the festive season, make sure you head to the most beautiful avenue in the world at nightfall to see the majestic plane trees lining the Champs-Elysees lit up. This magical scene, created by the Belgian agency ACT Lighting Design, was switched on by the actress Diane Kruger on 21st November. Until 10th January you can admire the light rings which adorn each of the trees along the avenue, also lit up by sparkling garlands and powerful spotlights. The sight of the Champs-Elysees decked out in this way is quite simply breathtaking!

Did you know? On New Year’s Eve, the lights along the Champs-Elysees will be left to sparkle all night long right through to dawn.

www.parisinfo.com

Christmas market, two words which conjure up all the magic of the festive season. All across the capital, come and discover the pretty villages brimming with arts and crafts, Christmas decorations and gourmet specialities.

Christmas market, chalets to be discovered across the city

A Christmas market devoted entirely to arts and crafts can be found close to the Hôtel Britannique. A number of talented artists proudly display their work on their stalls set up at the crossroads of the Huchette quarter, Boulevard Saint Germain and Notre Dame, just 30 m from the cathedral’s esplanade!
Thanks to line 1 of the metro which stops at Châtelet station, just next to our hotel, within a quarter of an hour you can be strolling through the Champs-Elysées Christmas Village. On the most beautiful avenue in the world, 160 white chalets are erected for the duration of the festive season. Attractions are laid on for little ones, who might even catch a glimpse of Father Christmas riding off each evening on his sleigh! While you’re there, visit the nearby Maison de l’Alsace, where you can sample some of the region’s delicious specialities.

www.parisinfo.com

To celebrate Christmas a special programme has been organised for the general public until 2 February, combining celebrations, mangers, vigils and concerts.

Unmissable services for all the faithful, the messes are at the heart of the Notre Dame’s programme for this Christmas.

On 24 and 25 December, there will be many celebrations under the cathedral’s nave: international mess, Christmas vigil, Midnight mass, evensong… contemplation and prayers will blend with the musical emotions produced in turn by the great organs and the choirs. Several musical events will be organised. Concerts, recitals, choir singing, enhanced by the exceptional setting, promise music lovers some wonderful moments of enchantment.

The cathedral’s manger, like the Christmas tree on the forecourt, will both be in place until 2 February, inviting visitors to contemplate or even meditate.

From Masses to concerts, with the choirs breaking out into song, just as with the silent communions, Christmas will be religious.

Notre-Dame’s Christmas programme in Paris, until 2 February 2012:

• Further information :
  • Notre-Dame de Paris
• Notre-Dame de Paris : 6 parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean Paul II – Paris 4ème
• Access :
  • Metro :
    • Line 4, Cité or Saint-Michel Stations
    • Lines 1 and 11, Hôtel de Ville Station
    • Line 10, Maubert-Mutualité or Cluny La Sorbonne Stations
    • Lines 7, 11 and 14, Châtelet Station
  • RER: Lines B and C, Saint Michel – Notre-Dame Station

Hotel Britannique Paris, Charming Hotel Paris, 3 star Hotel Paris

Local specialities, snowshoe trail and small wooden chalets: until 2 January, the Trocadero has been transformed into a true Christmas village giving Paris the appearance of a ski resort.

This is the 3rd year of Trocadero on Ice and it’s the ideal occasion to enjoy the charm of mountain life… in the heart of the 16the arrondissement of Paris!

The event, full of fun activities and delicious food, provides an express return trip to one of the most beautiful French mountain regions.

The Eiffel Tower has replaced the Mont Blanc, the paths of the Trocadero have become snowy paths and a large igloo stands in for a mountain hut for visitors suffering frozen limbs: The stage is set.

The Iron Lady seems to watch benevolently over this pretty Alpine scene, where the winter sports enthusiasts can come and enjoy a 200m long snowshoe trail, dedicated to mountain animals and a 400m skating rink where they can glide to the music.

The rest will find their happiness in the village chalets, a celebration of craftsmanship and tasty regional specialities.

Trocadero on Ice :

• Until 2 January 2012
• Allées du Trocadéro, Tour Eiffel – Paris
• Metro: lines 6 et 9, Trocadero, Passy, Iéna and Bir Hakeim stations
• RER C: Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel station
• Further informations: www.trocadero-on-ice.fr

Hotel Britannique Paris, Romantic Paris Hotel, 3 star Hotel Paris

Together with a large Christmas market which brings together craftsmen and food producers, many events have been organised to the delight of both young and old alike.

Just a few steps away from the famous boutiques, the Avenue des Champs-Elysées has taken on a very special atmosphere: at the centre of Christmas trees and chalets, the hectic pace of the city suddenly seems far away.

Visitors amble with pleasure past market stalls, being tempted as much by the talent of the craftsmen displaying their creations as the flavours of the regional products available to taste and buy.

And since they look forward to Christmas and the festive season more than anyone else, children will also be the centre of attention! The exhibition Age Magic created especially for them, presents environmental issues in a playful and amusing way, with animated stuffed toys.

Finally, young and old can have fun on the ice trail, built for the very first time, as well as the nearby Big Wheel, for a unhindered view of all Paris.

Champs Elysées Christmas Village :

• Until 2 January 2012, 10:00 – 23:00, Sunday to Thursday, and 10:00 – 24:00 on Friday and Saturday
• Metro :
  • lines 1, 8 et 12 Concorde Station
  • lines 1 et 13 Champs-Elysées Clémenceau Station.

Hotel Britannique Paris, Charming Paris Hotel, 3 star Hotel Paris

Un peu d’histoire sur le Clos Montmartre

Do you know the Clos Montmartre in Paris ? It’s the only vineyard in Paris. This may surprise you at first. But let’s go back in time a little.

In the 16th century, Montmartre was a village on the edge of Paris. Its residents were mainly wine growers whose vines spread over the hill and down to the plain.

Over the centuries, the current location of the Clos Montmartre has been variously an open air café, and scrub land. In 1929, thanks to Francisque Poulbot, the famous illustrator from Montmartre, this land was transformed into the Square de la Liberté (Freedom square). Then in 1933, the City of Paris created the Clos Montmartre (a clos is an enclosed field), by planting 2000 grape vines. Ever since, Montmartre has celebrated its annual grape harvest.

The Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival

Many events are planned over the 5 days of the Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival. Wine growers from different French regions will take part in a costume parade, handing out glasses of wine and bunches of grapes.

Stilt men dressed in Medieval costumes, brass bands, and traditional folk dancers will add a festive touch to this unique event in Paris.

This year, the Grape Harvest Festival will take place from October 5-9 and will also join in the celebrations for the Outre-Mer year; Montmartre will therefore be not only celebrating its vines and grape harvest, but also the French islands.

Guided tours of the vineyard, shows, a big concert in which artists from France and Outre-Mer will take part and a superb fireworks display will all be held on the top of the hill, surrounding the Sacré Coeur.

This very popular event showcases the best in gastronomy and regional produce. Many regional culinary specialities will be displayed to the delight of visitors who will be able to enjoy tasting and buying anything that takes their fancy. Sausages, honey and cakes, as well specialities from tropical islands, such as spices, etc. Without of course forgetting the bottles of wine from the Clos Montmartre, for which all the profits go to charitable projects in the 18th arrondissement (district) of the city (to which Montmartre belongs).

For further information, please visit online: Montmartre Harvest Festival.

Montmartre Harvest Festival :

21, Place du Tertre – 75018 Paris

Hotel Britannique Paris, Hotel Britannique Paris, Romantic Paris Hotel, 3 star Hotel Paris