If you go: Piaf's Belleville

(AP) -- Paris' Belleville offers a rich history and a vibrant present-day scene.

EDITH PIAF MUSEUM: Free visits by appointment; phone 01-43-55-52-72.*

BELLEVILLE TOURS: Ca se visite! offers two-to-three hour tours by appointment; http://www.ca-se-visite.fr/ or 01-48-06-27-41.

CONCERT HALLS:

La Java, 105 rue du Faubourg du Temple; http://www.la-java.fr/. Piaf once sang here.

La Bellevilloise, 19-21 rue Boyer, http://www.labellevilloise.com/ or 01-46-36-07-07. Founded in 1877. Concerts, exhibitions, restaurant.

La Fleche d'Or, 102 bis rue de Bagnolet; http://www.flechedor.fr/ or 01-44-64-01-02. Indie-rock and electro concerts in former rail station.

La Maroquinerie, 23 rue Boyer; http://www.lamaroquinerie.fr/ or 01-40-33-35-05. Former leather tannery now a concert hall, restaurant and bar.

Culture Rapide, 103 rue Julien Lacroix; http://www.culturerapide.com or 01-46-36-08-04. Cabaret-bar offers DJ-nights, poetry slams.

RESTAURANTS:

Zoe Bouillon, 66 rue Rebeval, 01-42-02-02-83. Colorful soup bar; more substantial dishes at night.

Le Moai Blue, 97 rue de Melimontant, 01-43-66-91-91. Tasty Chilean food.

Le Vieux Belleville, 12 rue des Envierges, 01-44-62-92-66. Old-fashioned bistro; traditional French chansons with accordion accompaniment Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings.

Reuan Thai, 36 rue de l'Orillon, 01-43-55-15-82. Authentic Thai food.

Salon de The Wenzhou, 24, rue de Belleville, 01-46-36-56-33. Chinese restaurant.

Mon Oncle le Vigneron, 2, rue Pradier, 01-42-00-43-30. No menu: you eat what the chef gets at the market daily.

Le Baratin, 3 rue Jouye-Rouve, 01-43-49-39-70. Lively bistro, wine bar.

Le Zephyr, 1 rue du Jourdain, 01-46-36-65-81. Art deco 1930s-style bistro.

CAFES AND BARS:

Doigts de Fee, 356 rue des Pyrenees. North African bakery.

La Mer a Boire, 1-3 rue des Envierges, http://la.meraboire.com/. Panoramic view of Paris from the top of the Parc de Belleville. Concerts, exhibits.

Aux Folies, 8 rue de Belleville. Bar that once belonged to Folies-Belleville cabaret hall frequented by Piaf.

Les 3 Chapeaux, 48 rue des Cascades, http://www.les3chapeaux.com/. Restaurant-bar, free weekend concerts.

La Cave des Cascades, 101 bis rue Menilmontant, 01-40-33-42-53. Showcases small wine producers at bar in back.

MAMASHELTER: 109 rue Bagnolet, http://www.mamashelter.com/ or 01-43-48-48-48. Rates start at $113. New 172-room hotel designed by Philippe Starck. Rooms include kitchenette and iMac providing TV, internet, Skype. Free electric bicycles for guests.

SHOPPING:

On Tuesdays and Fridays a colorful, multiethnic market stretches between the Belleville and Menilmontant Metro stations.

Every May, artists of Belleville and neighboring Menilmontant open their studios to the public for a few days. Information from artists' collective Ateliers d'artistes de Belleville, 32 rue de la Mare, 01-46-36-44-09, http://www.ateliers-artistes-belleville.org/

Boutiques near Henri Krasucki square.

WANDERING:

Pere Lachaise cemetery; alleyways and streets; gardens of La Campagne a Paris on rue Irenee-Blanc, Mondonville and Jules-Siegried; panoramic view of Paris from the Esplanade on Rue Piat.

* Note: To call from the U.S., dial 011-33-1 instead of 01

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