This summer, the city of Paris announced plans to open a museum to showcase the work of architect Hector Guimard. He is the man behind the iconic Paris Metro entrances, several Art Nouveau buildings in Paris, and some very beautiful furniture and decorations in museum displays around the world.

And better still: The museum will be housed in one of the very few buildings remaining in Paris that Guimard designed himself (The Hotel Mezzara in the 16th arrondissement).

I've been a fan of Guimard and Art Nouveau for years, so let's take a deeper dive into the topic in general, with the help of this 2023 episode.

What is Art Nouveau? Who was Guimard, really, and why was his work so important? Where can you find it in Paris? And what's his legacy?

All those questions are answered in this episode, with help from tour guide Boris Petrovic from Paris in Person (find his Art Nouveau tour here) and from Paris head auctioneer Christophe Lucien.

Do you like this podcast? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support this show and get extras.

The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson.

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The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.

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Walking Tours

I jumped in the Seine river - an activity that's legal again for the first time in 100 years. Here's what happened.

Want to do it too? You have until August 31st, here's more info (in English).

Music: Sunset on the Seine, an original by Pres Maxson.

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The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website

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Walking Tours

So what is the best-known street in Paris? And if that seems obvious, then what's number two? And three?

After last week's pod with Parisians Abiola and Margaux sharing their take on popular Paris streets, we surveyed our audience for an official answer.

Here it is, presented by Oliver and Lina. Thanks to all who participated. Read some more of the comments here on Substack.

Fitting music this week, again, is from Pres Maxson.

Thanks

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The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website

Weekly newsletter

Walking Tours

Before you listen too far, make a mental note of what you think are the three most popular streets in Paris.

Then listen to two typical Parisians as they take on this unusual question.

Of course, most people would agree on number one... but where do we go from there. Fitting music this week is from Pres Maxson. Thanks to Abiola and Margaux for their voices.

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The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website

Weekly newsletter

Walking Tours

This week we scale the Eiffel Tower with its managing director Patrick Branco-Ruivo.

What are his tips for visiting? His favourite view? And what would he ask if he had Gustave Eiffel himself on the telephone?

Join us on this exciting opportunity to explore one of the world's most iconic landmarks with the maestro behind it all. And hang around - we'll get some exclusive access to the underground section at the end.

Videos:

• 10-minute video on YouTube here
• 45-minute video on this link

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheEarfulTower

Music by Pres Maxson.

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The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website

Weekly newsletter

Walking Tours

I'm not proud to say it, but we got scammed pretty hard. Here's the full story.

Mentioned at the end of the episode: Our walking tours of Paris: http://www.theearfultower.com/tours

Music by Pres Maxson.

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The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website

Weekly newsletter

This week on the podcast, it's The Earful's two interns Thomas Farnham and Genevieve Victoria Gorain. And it's time to hear how they went with their bucket lists after their two-month internship is over.

Here's the post with all ten ideas they mentioned in the episode.

Also mentioned in this episode:

• The Earful Everywhere podcast (currently in Italy): https://theearfultower.substack.com/p/its-here-the-official-launch-of-the
• Our walking tours of Paris: http://www.theearfultower.com/tours

Music by Pres Maxson.

***********

The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website

Weekly newsletter

Meet Corinne Menegaux, the managing director of the Paris tourism board (Paris je t’aime).

We discuss Paris, the legacy of the Olympic Games, and what's coming next. We also talk about her Paris, her job, and how she'd spend her last day in this city.

Find more about Paris je t'aime here: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/

Also mentioned in this episode:

• The Earful Everywhere podcast (currently in Italy): https://theearfultower.com/2025/05/15/lets-explore-italy-with-the-earful-everywhere/
• Our walking tours of Paris: http://www.theearfultower.com/tours

Music by Pres Maxson.

***********

The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.

Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.

For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links:

Website

Weekly newsletter