On The Subject of Parisian Cafés...

I have no idea how many cafés there are in Paris. Certainly I have visited a great many over the years. So here is another one that you should certainly earmark for a coffee next time you visit the eternal city: Café Au Petit Fer à Cheval.

 

It is situated at 30 rue Vieille-du-Temple in the Marais, the oldest part of Paris, with its opulent palaces and mansions that date back to the time of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. While tourists flock here for culture and chic shopping, locals know the Marais more as the city's prime gay neighbourhood. Au Petit Fer à Cheval - the Horse Shoe Bar - is a friendly, cosmopolitan locale that attracts a stylish clientele, and the couple of tables out on the pavement are desperately sought out as the rue Vieille-du-Temple is the Marais' main thoroughfare. Just opposite the bar, check out La Belle Hortense, a bookshop that doubles as a winebar.