The World's
First Guide to
The Left Bank
As Featured on RTE Radio 1
Liveline with Joe Duffy
"Superb! Beautifully produced. 120 different places on the Left Bank. A really lovely book."
As Featured on
"A delight to be dipped into at random or read from cover to cover when you need to be steeped in Left Bank lore to feed your dreams of Paris or just to learn new things about the city you love or live in."
A New Guide to
The Right Bank
of Paris
1st Edition
Now Available
The latest edition of
A Flaneur's Guide
as Featured on
RTE, ParisUpdate & Bonjour Paris
A Flaneur's Guide to the Right Bank Paris covering all the delectable eats, sights, attractions, walks and hidden nooks and crannies along the famous Passages and "Axe Historique" of the one and only Rive Droite!
A Flaneur's Guide
to Dublin's
Fair City
A modern guide to the streets, sounds and stories of Dublin, A Flaneur’s Guide introduces you to the People, Places and Pastimes of this Gaelic, Viking, Norman and now Global melting pot of myth, music and minds, evolving in front of your eyes.
Home to mythmakers, musicians and martyrs, distillers, drinkers and dramatists, discover Dublin's winding streets, Northside and Southside.
A Flaneur's Guide to Paris The Right Bank
1st Edition November 2022
A Flaneur’s Guide to The Right Bank of Paris explores the People, Places and Pastimes of this Axe Historique, from the Bastille to the Louvre, from the Tuileries and the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, from a night at the Opéra to a quiet prayer at the Madeleine.
Discover a goldmine of addresses with bars, cafés and restuarants or off-the-beaten-path romantic walks as you weave your way around Les Passages, the rue de Rivoli, Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the Parc Monceau and La Villette.
Retrace the footsteps of Barbara, Baron Haussmann, Coco Chanel, Charles de Gaulle, Colette, Frédéric Chopin, Jeanne d’Arc, Marcel Proust, Marlene Dietrich and more.
Have tea at Verlet, see a movie at Le Grand Rex, sip a cocktail at Harry’s Bar, murmur memento mori at Père Lachaise and sonder down the Champs-Elysées. Breakfast at Angelinas, lunch at Le Valois, dine at Le Train Bleu, bargain-hunt at Les Puces and send bon baisers from La Rive Droite.
A Flaneur's Guide to Paris The Left Bank
1st Edition Published October 2020; 2nd Edition July 2021
Home to Poets, Artists, Composers, Singers, Designers, Architects, Monks and Maidens, Philosophers and Poseurs. From Antiquity to the Middle Ages and onto Post-Modernity, stroll through the streets of the Latin Quarter and the Boulevard Saint-Germain, visit the Luxembourg Gardens, Place Saint-Sulpice and other major attractions, discover museums large and small, cafés and brasseries, temples and tombs, all in the hands of our veteran flaneur, richardb, with plenty of inside tips and things to do in the mythical Left Bank before, during and after your stay.
Buy A Flaneur's Guide
flaneur [fla-noeur] noun:
a person who strolls around in a seemingly meaningless way; a connoisseur of the street, an informed observer, a lounger, a loafer, a lover of city life in all its infinite variety.
Features
Arranged alphabetically from A to Z, A Flaneur's Guide lets you wander at will through the streets, parks, museums, monuments, bars, cafés and restaurants of these legendary cities. With anecdotes and off the beaten path instructions, this collection of vignettes with original photographs is aimed to accompany visitors of all ages and experience. See our Blog entries for recent samples added to the Guide.
Paris
The Left Bank
Paris
The Right Bank
Dublin
People
Learn about Picasso, Léo Ferré, Jacques Derrida, Yves Saint Laurent, Catherine Deneuve, Jim Morrison, Rodrigo, Descartes, Hemingway, James Joyce, Eileen Gray, Sainte Geneviève, Baudelaire, Delacroix, Marie Curie, Apollinaire, Louis Braille, Agnès Varda, Oscar Wilde et autres...
Places
Visit the Musée D'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Place Saint Sulpice, Boulevard Saint Germain, Rue du Bac, Place Dauphine, Académie Française, École Militaire, Institut du Monde Arabe, Bibliothèque Nationale, Jardin des Plantes, Hôtel Lutetia, Monnaie de Paris, Luxembourg Gardens, Arènes de Lutèce, Paname et encore...
Pastimes
Go to Balzar, La Palette, Chez René, Le Petit Lutetia, the PMU, Action Cinemas, FIP, Montparnasse, Luxembourg Gardens, the British Council, Collège des Irlandais, American University, Bouillons, Rodin Museum, the Latin Quarter, Paradis Latin, Pont des Arts, Gallimard, rue de la Huchette et plus si affinité...
People
Hang out with Balzac, Barbara, Chopin, Coco Chanel, Baron Haussmann, Charles de Gaulle, Colette, Marcel Proust, Jeanne d'Arc, Marlene Dietrich, Johnny Hallyday, Jacquemart-André, Dalida, the Bougliones, Nijinsky, La Môme Piaf, Victor Hugo and more...
Places
Discover the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Bourse de Commerce, the Hôtel de la Marine, the Louvre, the Marais, Oberkampf, Parc Monceau, Châtelet, the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the rue de Rivoli, the Canal Saint-Martin, La Villette, the Arc du Triomphe, the Passage Brady, the Champs Elysées, the Place des Victoires, the Palais Royal et pleins d'autres...
Pastimes
Take tea at Verlet, or a cocktail in Harry's Bar at sank roo doe noo, sing at Le Boeuf sur le Toit, mix perfumes at Fragonard, dine Chez Paul or at Le Train Bleu, shop a little at the BHV or La Samaritaine, or just wander through the many Galeries and Passages de la Rive Droite...
People
Learn about Arthur Guinness, Brendan Behan, Countess Markievicz, John Jameson, James Joyce, Maud Gonne, Samuel Beckett, Sinéad O'Connor, Bob Geldof, Jonathan Swift, Imelda May, Seán O'Casey, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats and the rest...
Places
Visit the Phoenix Park, the GPO, Baggot Street, Saint Stephen's Green, the National Gallery, Dún Laoghaire, Trinity College, the Hugh Lane, Temple Bar, George's Street Arcade, Casino Marino, SoCoDu, Glasnevin Cemetery, the Winding Stair, Iveagh Gardens, the Royal Hibernian Academy, the RDS and more...
Pastimes
Go to Bewleys, the Dawson Lounge, Smyth's, the Palace, visit a snug; dine at Matt the Thresher's, La Cave; stroll around the IFSC, visit Hill 16, see a show at The Abbey Theatre or the Gate Theatre, walk the custom-made Independence Trail, go to a traditional music session at O'Donoghue's and have the craic, ar muin na mhuice...
Whether it is your first time visiting these cities and you are looking for insider advice, or whether you are a seasoned visitor and want to go under the hood, A Flaneur's Guide will bring you to places you may never have seen and reveal fascinating local stories of times past and present. For those who want a little bit more, opt for the Flaneur's Club choice and go one step beyond on your next visit with a personalised itinerary designed for your stay to be used in conjunction with the Guide.
Reviews
A Flaneur's Guide to Paris - The Left Bank
“Superb! Beautifully produced.
120 different places on the Left Bank. A really lovely book”.
Joe D., Liveline, RTE Radio 1, Ireland
“A delight to be dipped into at random or read from cover to cover when you need to be steeped in Left Bank lore to feed your dreams of Paris or just to learn new things about the city you love or live in.”
Heidi E., ParisUpdate.com, France
“I am so enjoying reading entries. Au fond je flâne à travers ce livre! This A to Z of the Left Bank is interesting and informative; quirky and humorous. I can almost hear richardb talk!”
Eilish H., Dublin, Ireland
“It is a wonderful book, open it at random, read, let your imagination soar and soon you will be in Paris.”
Norman B. and Philippa C., Toronto, Canada
"A Flaneur's Guide refreshes the parts of the Left Bank that other guides cannot reach."
Martin G., Paris, France
“I received the Left Bank Guide yesterday and I must say I can’t put it down. Have been to Paris every year for the past 24 years. Love everything about it and the book is so descriptive that I feel like I am right there in St Germain des Près.”
Marianne P., Bronx, New York, U.S.A.
“A very informed guidebook and the first hand descriptions of the Left Bank sites creates a magic and suspense that will make the reader want to drop everything and book the next flight out.”
Keith D., Swords, County Dublin, Ireland
“The Flaneur's Guide to The Left Bank is a must-read combination of
fascinating history, deep knowledge of where to stroll and gems of places you would never find on your own. Even though I have spent a lot of time on The Left Bank, I found myself taking copious notes to guide my next trip. I also recommend the Individual Itinerary that richardb provides for a small extra fee. It was surprisingly tailored to our interests and our experience with the area.”
Barbara H., Durango, Colorado, U.S.A.
“What a delightful way to start our day... over coffee and breakfast we went through your recommendations. My husband was delighted
with your photographic suggestions as part of the Individual Itinerary.”
Pamela M., Saskatchewan, Canada
“A Flaneur's Guide - Paris The Left Bank is an absolute peach of a book and a must-have for any visitor wanting to get the most out of their visit to Paris. It is a treasure trove of gems, both historical and current, waiting to be discovered, and presented in delightful, digestible pieces sure to complement your next café noir or vin rouge at your soon to be favourite café or brasserie.”
Padraic S., Vancouver, Canada
"Definitely not one of your boring run-of-the-mill Paris Guide Books, A Flaneur's Guide to the Left Bank is crammed full of fascinating info you would never find in a 'normal' guidebook: lots of local knowledge, snippets of folklore and gossip, historical facts, places to eat well off the beaten track, all backed up with some lovely retro photographs. I absolutely loved it, and read it in one go as soon as I got my hands on it. In my view, it's essential reading for any visitor to Paris, can't wait for my next visit!"
Pete E., Greystones, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
“I thought I knew Paris very well but I have discovered some places waiting for me to explore!”
Péig C., Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland
“I have been going to Paris since the 1950s and this is like no other guide book I have ever read. I see and discover new things in here I have learned nowhere else.”
Betty S. PhD., Sarasota, Florida, U.S.A
“The first book I have finished in a long time.”
Jamie P., Dublin 3, Ireland
