“A Moveable Feast!”: Discovering Hemingway’s favourite spots in Paris

Located on the iconic Rue de Rivoli, this bookstore has a long history of involvement in the literary world. It all starts in 1520 when the Galignani family, then based in Venice, were among the first to use a printing press, publishing various works in latin. In the late 17th century, the family later settled in Paris. They opened their first store in 1801 which featured an English reading room, and during this time, they created the Galignani Messenger, an English-language paper. In 1856, they settled at the Rue de Rivoli shop, which is still their address today. While the newspaper was discontinued, the store still upholds the tradition of stocking a wide and varied selection of English-language books. If you head to the back of the store, where the English department is, you’ll see a framed note from Ernest Hemingway himself who would frequent the shop. While you’re there, why not pickup a copy of Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, his memoirs of his time in Paris published posthumously? 

The shop is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm. You can check out their website ahead of your visit. 

Another iconic Parisian bookstore, Shakespeare and Company was a key part of Hemingway’s time in the city. When he frequented the store and became good friends with its owner, Sylvia Beach, it was located on 12, Rue de l’Odéon. The store we know today located on the banks of the Seine, opposite Notre Dame Cathedral, was opened by George Whitman in 1951 as the original’s “spiritual successor”. 

A seller of new and used books, Shakespeare and Company is a great place to bask in Paris’ bohemian and artistic side and find some new reading material. Please be aware that this is a rather popular tourist destination nowadays and you can expect long queues to get into the store, especially in the high season or on weekends. The obvious thing to purchase here are books, used new, or even special editions, but they also sell an array of cute tote bags, notebooks and mugs to commemorate your visit to the shop. 

The shop is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm, and on Sundays from noon to 7pm. You can check out their website ahead of your visit. 

Two of Paris’ most iconic literary cafés, Ernest Hemingway was a regular at both establishments during his time in the city. Both Les Deux Magots and the Café de Flore were places where great literary figures such as Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and of course, Hemingway came to focus on their art and write. The American author also featured Les Deux Magots as a meeting spot for characters in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. Although both cafés are now very popular tourist destinations, they manage to retain that authentic charm that gives them a timeless quality. 

Both cafés are open daily from 7:30am until 1:30am.  

When Hemingway returned to Paris in 1924, he settled in Montparnasse, in the city’s 6th arrondissement, which he believed to be a newer artistic hub, being frequented by the likes of Marc Chagall, Henry Miller and even James Joyce. Not far from his apartment on Rue Notre Dame des Champs was La Closerie des Lilas, a traditional neighbourhood brasserie he favoured and in which he spent many hours sat writing The Sun Also Rises. 

A more upscale restaurant today, the place still dazzles with its stunning exterior and warm lighting, perfect for a nice dinner in one of Paris’ most romantic areas. The restaurants can be very busy, so be sure to make a reservation ahead of time. 

Open on Thanksgiving day 1911, Harry’s New York Bar is a true institution of American expatriate life in Paris. Located on Rue Danou, the space was acquired by American jockey Tod Sloan and converted from a bistro into the mahogany covered bar we know today. Sloan hired barman Harry MacElhone from Dundee, Scotland to run the place, which he did with great success, so much so, that he bought the establishment from Sloan in 1923. The bar first became popular among American servicemen during the first World War before eventually becoming the beating heart of the American expatriate community in Paris. 

Over the years, its clientele has included the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth and even the Duke of Windsor. Harry’s New York Bar is said to be the place where iconic cocktails such as the French 75, the Sidecar and the Bloody Mary were invented. Head to their piano bar downstairs to see the very piano where George Gershwin composed An American in Paris in the 1920s.

The bar is open daily from 12pm to 1am, with live music starting at 10pm. With over 400 cocktails to choose from their menu, this is the perfect spot for a late night pick-me-up in the spirit of Mr Hemingway.  

This wonderful green space in the centre of the Montparnasse area is one of the city’s most beautiful gardens and it’s easy to see why it has appealed to so many artists. To Hemingway, this would have been a sort of backyard while he was living on Rue Notre Dame des Champs. It is said that the author would come here with his son Jack and hunt pigeons when his family were struggling financially. The gardens are great for a stroll or to sit down and do a bit of reading.

Head to the Latin Quarter to see Hemingway's first apartment in the city. Located on 74, Rue Cardinal Lemoine, you’ll really get a sense of what charmed the author upon arriving in Paris in 1922. You’ll notice a commemorative plaque on the building which reads: 

"From January 1922 to August 1923, on the third story of this building, with his wife Hadley, lived the American writer Ernest HEMINGWAY (1899-1961). This quartier was the true birthplace of his work and the uncluttered style that characterises it. This American in Paris maintained good relations with his neighbours, including with the owner of the bal-musette next door.

"Such was the Paris of our youth, the days when we were very poor and very happy."– Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast”

We strongly recommend taking your time to walk through the neighbourhood as there’s no better place to start understanding what, in Hemingway’s eyes, made Paris a “moveable feast”.

The Hotel d’Angleterre is where Hemingway and his first wife Hadley spent their first night in Paris. The stunning establishment is still thriving today and offers visitors a stay in the heart of Saint-Germain-Des-Prés. The rooms are classic and comfortable and the luxurious interior is completed by a delightful and quiet outdoor space. The perfect place to enjoy Paris through Hemingway’s lens.