Surprise! Agriculture thrives in corners of Paris

A recent article in The New York Times highlighted the thriving apiculture in Paris, where honeybees are said to produce a crop tasting of lychee and red berries. Beekeeper Audric de Campeau is quoted saying his Paris hives surprisingly produce twice the yield of the ones he tends in the rural Champagne region. I did not know that a beekeeping school still exists in the Luxembourg Garden, while hives are set atop the National Assembly building, the Palais Garnier opera house, the venerable Tour d'Argent restaurant and other buildings.

Nicolas Geant tends his bees on the roof of the Grand Palais. Photo courtesy of untappedcities.com.

You can read more and see the colonies on landmarks like the Notre Dame cathedral in this article on the Untapped Cities website.

Bees aren't the only farming done within the Paris city limits. What could be more French than a vineyard, this one set on the charming hilltops of Montmartre.

This could be a scene in Burgundy, but it's in the Montmartre district of Paris, where a vineyard thrives.

This comprehensive article gives a nice overview of the past and present of Clos Montmartre. If you'd like to swing by for the harvest, visit the Fete des Vendanges de Montmartre website.

Right nearby is the Au Lapin Agile cabaret, where Picasso and other artists hung out during the early years of the 20th century. I don't think the food is anything special, but the setting and history are.

Au Lapin Agile, in Montmartre, near the vineyard.

There was another recent attempt to introduce agriculture to Paris, but it appears to have fizzled. In 2013, the city tested a scheme to let sheep graze in some parks, in theory keeping the grass trimmed at some cost savings over using lawnmowers. I haven't seen any news since, so I suspect the damage caused by the animals hooves and habit of nibbling down to the roots made them less than ideal stewards of the greenery.

This 1 bedroom apartment in Montmartre would make a good base for visiting the vineyards and other attractions of this charming "village," that while overrun with tourists at places like Sacre Coeur and Place du Tertre, is largely residential.

You can see examples of other apartments we can offer at www.likelivingthere.com, where you can fill out a Trip Plan that will help us recommend appropriate properties. Or just drop an email to info@likelivingthere.com with the basic details about your plans and we'll respond promptly.