La Guinguette - The scene could be right out of a Renoir painting

Guinguettes - riverside pavilions: live music and dancing - have been a part of the French culture for centuries. Their heyday came during the Bel Century, when hundreds lined the rivers outside Paris.

But a few remain, like Martin-Pecheur) and here you'll find a magical, carefree place; almost out of a dreamy sun-splashed impressionist painting and if you are like me, this type of entertainment draws the nostalgic city dwellers seeking an escape into the past.