If your need to capture some bucolic bliss in this often very congested city, and this is in every sense of the word as Paris’ dense parameter is the precursor to much crowding and a profusion of polluted moments. In any case, this is how we Parisians often feel. If you just want to watch and not be with the crowd, take a seat at this snack bar/ restaurant in one of the most beautiful parks in Paris, the Buttes Chaumont. Get there early to  claim a ring side seat as here you will experience the true urban fauna at its most diverse and purest form. You wouldn’t go for the food, but when you get bored of watching the world go by, the park boasts grottos, lakes, a water fall and lovely walks interspersed with sloping lawns. The best thing for recharging your batteries before you go back to people watching again.