Paris Guide
Activities
1 Cordon Bleu 8 rue Léon-Delhomme, 15e 
01.53.68.22.50 
www.cordonbleu.net International chain of cooking schools offers cookery demonstrations followed by tastings (morning or afternoon sessions, some in English; 48-hr advance booking; €45), or day-long hands-on sessions (again some in English, two weeks' advance booking required; €142). M° Vaugirard/Convention.
2 Ecoles Grégoire Ferrandi 28 rue de l'Abbé-Grégoire, 6e 01.49.54.28.03 www.egf.ccip.fr Antoine Schaefers runs friendly sessions for amateurs on Wednesday evenings 6.30–10.30pm. Along with a dozen-odd Parisians, you help prepare a demonstration three-course meal, then sit down to eat and discuss it. You'll need good French, however, as there's no translation. €70 for the evening; longer courses also available. M° St-Placide/Montparnasse-Bienvenüe.
3 Promenades Gourmandes 187 rue du Temple, 3e 01.48.04.56.84 www.promenadesgourmandes.com At the other end of the scale from the Cordon Bleu school is this one-woman show, run by Paulle Caillat, who speaks flawless English. You take a trip to the market then back to the kitchen for a three-course demonstration, with lots of hands-on work. This level of personal attention doesn't come cheap: the full day costs €360. M° Temple.
4 Les Amiraux 6 rue Hermann-Lachapelle, 18e 01.46.06 46.47 Handsome 1920s pool – as featured in the film Amelie – surrounded by tiers of changing cabins. M° Simplon.
5 Armand-Massard 66 bd Montparnasse, 15e 01.45.38.65.19 Three underground pools – 33-metre, 25-metre and a 12.5-metre kiddies' pool – with lots of space to lounge about in between. M° Vavin.
6 Butte aux Cailles 5 place Paul-Verlaine, 13e 01.45.89.60.05 Housed in a spruced-up 1920s brick building with an Art Deco ceiling, this is one of the most pleasant swims in the city. There's a children's pool inside, and in summer a 25-metre heated outside pool. M° Place-d'ltalie.
7 Château-Landon 31 rue du Château-Landon, 10e 01.55.26.90.35 Two pools, including one for children. M° Louis-Blanc.
8 Henry-de-Montherlant 32 bd Lannes, 16e 01.40.72.28.30 Two pools, one 25-metre and one 15-metre, plus a terrace for sunbathing, a solarium – and the Bois de Boulogne close by. M° Porte-Dauphine.
9 Jean Taris 16 rue Thouin, 5e 01.55.42.81.90 A 25-metre unchlorinated pool in the centre of the Latin Quarter and a student favourite. There's a small pool for children and swim groups for those with disabilities. M° Cardinal-Lemoine.
10 Pailleron 32 rue Edouard Pailleron, 5e 01.40.40.27.70 Completely refurbished in 2004, this is one of the coolest pools in the city – a 1930s Art Deco marvel surrounded by tiers of changing rooms and arched over by a gantrywork roof. During school holidays it's open late (Mon– Thurs 8am–10.30pm, Fri & Sat 9am– midnight, Sun 9am–6pm). M° Bolivar.
11 Aquaboulevard 4 rue Louis-Armand, 15e 01.40.60.10.00 www.aquaboulevard.com The pool has wave machines and some incredible water slides, and there are Jacuzzis and a grassy outdoor sunning area. €25 (€10 for children aged 3–11). M° Balard/Porte-de-Versailles/RER Bd-Victor.
12 Georges-Vallerey Tourelles 148 av Gambetta, 20e 01.40.31.15.20 Two pools – one 37-metre – and a solarium. €2.60. M° Porte-des-Lilas.
13 Les Halles Suzanne Berlioux 10 place de la Rotonde, niveau 3, Porte du Jour, Forum des Halles, 1er 01.42.36.98.44. Very centrally located, this 50-metre pool with vaulted concrete ceiling sports a glass wall looking through to a tropical garden. €3.80. RER Châtelet-Les-Halles/M° Châtelet.
14 Pontoise-Quartier Latin 19 rue de Pontoise, 5e 01.55.42.77.88 Art Deco architecture, beautiful blue mosaic interior and a 33-metre pool. Juliette Binoche memorably swam here in the Kieslowski film Three Colours: Blue. On weekdays outside school terms, features weekday night sessions until 11.45pm. Pool €3.70. There are squash courts too. M° Maubert-Mutualité.
15 Roger-Le Gall 34 bd Carnot, 12e 01.44.73.81.12 Most of the extras are reserved for club members, but anyone can swim in the 50-metre pool (open in summer; covered in winter), though it's a bit of a hike from the centre. €2.60, or €5 after 5pm. M° Porte-de-Vincennes.
16 Les Bains du Marais 31–33 rue des Blancs-Manteaux, 4e 01.44.61.02.02 www.lesbainsdumarais.com As much a posh health club as a hammam, with a rather chichi clientele and glorious interior. Offers facials, massage and haircuts, and you can lounge about in a robe with mint tea and a newspaper. Sauna and steam room entry costs €35, massage/gommage is €35 extra. There are exclusive sessions for women (Mon 11am–8pm; Tues 11am–11pm; Wed 10am–7pm) and men (Thurs 11am–11pm; Fri 10am–8pm), as well as mixed sessions (Wed 7–11pm; Sat 10am–8pm; Sun 11am–11pm) for which you have to bring a swimsuit. M° Rambuteau/St-Paul.
17 Hammam Med 43–45 rue Petit, 19e 01.42.02.31.05 www.hammam-medina.com A bit far away from the centre, but it's one of the nicer hammams in the city, offering great mud treatments. Women: Mon– Fri 11am–10pm & Sun 9am–7pm; mixed (bring a swimsuit): Sat 10am–9pm. €39 hammam and gommage; €55 with massage. M° Laumière.
18 Hammam de la Mosquée 39 rue Geoffroy-St-Hilaire, 5e 01.43.31.38.20 One of the most atmospheric baths in the city, with its vaulted cooling-off room and marble-lined steam chamber. It's not intimidating – this is a proper public baths, where people come to wash as well as relax. It's very good value at €15, though towels are extra, and you can also have a reasonably priced massage and gommage. After your bath you can enjoy mint tea and honey cakes around a fountain in the little courtyard café. Times may change, so check first, but generally women: Mon, Wed, Thurs & Sat 10am–9pm, Fri 2–9pm; men: Tues 2–9pm, Sun 10am–9pm. M° Censier-Daubenton.