Belle Époque Hotspots across Paris and its outskirts drew increasingly large crowds through the 1870s to early 1900s. As technology and transportation improved, the growing middle class was able to escape city heat and crowds by taking day trips to smaller towns where they could let their hair down.
Following were a few favorite Belle Époque Hotspots that enjoyed reputations as the coolest places for summer fun.
Treehouse Cafes Flourished Near Paris
Robinson Treehouse cafes offered Parisians a quick getaway to the countryside. With great food, local wine and exhilarating activities. Visitors played among the trees of Le Plessis-Piquet.
The colony began in 1848 when Joseph Gueusquin had an idea to place his establishment above all earthbound competition. Drawing inspiration from popular books Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe and The Swiss Family Robinson by. J.D. Wyss, he relocated his open-air cabaret skyward, into the branches of an enormous chestnut tree.
Dubbed Au Grand Robinson, Gueusquin’s cafe among the leaves was an instant success.
Unfortunately for him, competitors soon created their own Robinson Treehouse Cafés along the rue de Malabry, propelling the sleepy village into a must-see destination. Tree swings, donkey races, and meals in baskets hoisted up trees on ropes all added to the good times at what became one of the favorite Belle Époque Hotspots. (More)
La Grenouillére Frog Pond Was The Place To Be Seen
If Instagram could time travel, La Grenouillére Frog Pond would hit the top ten destinations for the beautiful people. One of the most popular Belle Époque Hotspots (1850-1930), it was a short train ride from Paris.
The restaurant was located on a pontoon boat on the edge of the island on the Seine. It offered boating, bathing, dancing, wining and dining. it featured an enormous ballroom, catering hall and bar. A large weeping willow tree grew in the center of the small island near the restaurant.
It was known as the flowerpot (Pot de fleurs) or Camembert because it resembled a wheel of the famed cheese. Accessible by gangplanks from the restaurant, it was a source amusement as tipsy Grenouillére Revelers tiptoed back and forth.
The sometimes risqué Belle Époque Hotspots created a visual feast for artists working en plein air (in fresh air). Among them were Claude Monet and Pierre Auguste Renoir. (More)
Floating Picnics Were All The Rage
One of the Belle Époque Hotspots inspired Pierre Auguste Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party (1882). Shown in the Seventh Impressionist Exhibition in 1882, critics generally consider this one of his best works.
In it, he depicts a floating picnic aboard a riverboat on the Seine River in Chatou, France. It is a group of 14 friends and colleagues plus one small dog. All are enjoying good food and wine off the Maison Fournaise restaurant.
This diverse group represented modern Parisian society. Among them: businessmen, socialites and shop girls, actresses and artists, writers and critics.
Renoir considered the hotspot one of the most beautiful in Paris. According to VisitParisRegion, it:
“attracted Sunday pleasure-seekers flocking to the Seine. It also attracted the Impressionists, who were charmed by the landscapes and the peaceful flow of the river along its banks. Among the buildings that still grace its shores, Alphonse Fournaise’s restaurant has stood the test of time. Since 1860 his establishment has welcomed artists including Monet, Sisley, Manet, Morisot and Pissarro.” (VisitParisRegion)
Folies-Bergere Shocked And Delighted Nineteenth-Century Audiences
November 30, 1886. Under new management, the Folies-Bergere music hall at 32 Rue Richer in the foothills of Montmartre premiered its first flamboyant revue-style production. Titled Place aux Jeunes, it featured chorus girls in outrageous costumes that transformed the venue into one of the most successful Belle Époque Hotspots.
The Folies-Bergere often shocked its nineteenth-century audiences but always delighted them with a wide range of leading-edge performers from avant-garde dancers to comedians, trapeze artists and even the highest paid female singer of the day. It included a long list of world-renowned performers and spawned careers of many more.
Performances as well as the robust social scene inspired many famous painters and illustrators. Among them were Edouard Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec and Jules Cheret. (More)
Swimming Became A Popular Pastime.
From the mid-1800s, forged their way to new playgrounds including sea resorts and coastal amusement parks to attract residents from increasingly crowded cities. The railway from Paris to beach towns expanded. Swimsuits
According to Historical France, beach towns became among the favorite Belle Epoque Hotspots.
“sea resorts such as Deauville in Normandy and Biarritz in Pays-Basque became places to be seen in all seasons. Before, there were very few people except the very wealthy who had the time and the money for a ‘trip to the seaside’; subsequently, the coastal regions became more a little more accessible (but not yet to all). “ (Historical France)
Bathing suits in the early part of the Belle Epoque were still long, heavy affairs. They were inappropriate, if not dangerous for swimming.
“In fact, most people still did not know how to swim. In the larger beach resorts, wooden stakes were installed not far from the shore and ropes were then attached. Happy bathers were able to hold onto the ropes and float and splash to their hearts’ content. Heavy woollen outfits did not help, as wool is hardly conducive to bathing.” (Historical France)
Kellermann Swimsuits shunned pantaloons at a time when women’s bathing costumes included a dress over bloomers, shoes and a hat. Champion swimmer and performer, Annette Kellermannshattered social norms.
An evangelist for serious swimming as the key to lifelong health and beauty, she wore the typical men’s two-piece costume with a tee shirt and fitted shorts to the knee, give or take a few inches.
Eventually she streamlined that to her famous one-piece Kellermann swimsuits that were worn by men and women at all the beaches with reputations for being Belle Époque Hotspots.
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