By Chantal Cooke

‘My goal is to be the best entertainer on the planet’ shouts Robbie Williams to a 30k strong crowd of screaming fans. The opening chords of ‘Let me Entertain You’ ring out, the dancers are gyrating, Robbie is strutting, and the audience is going wild.

Robbie Williams live at the Paris La Defense Arena was the culmination of a two-day trip to the city, that showed me a side of Paris I hadn’t seen before.

I spent the entire visit in the La Defense district which is only three stops from Gare Du Nord (the Eurostar terminus), and less than ten minutes on the Metro direct to the major sites that have made Paris famous. But this trip was not about those iconic locations, it was about experiencing something new and different – and La Defense delivered.

La Defense is a business district measuring around 560 hectares. 200,000 people work here, over 50,000 call it home, 2,800 companies occupy over 3million square metres of office space, there are over 350 shops, around 50 restaurants, a 24-screen movie theatre, plus the Paris La Defense Arena, the largest indoor venue in Europe.

At its centre is the Grande Arche – a giant open cube shaped office building. So colossal in size it can’t help but be the focal point of the area - and that’s saying something as the buildings around it are pretty spectacular too. Huge glass towers loom over the walkways reflecting light and each other.

Planners made a conscious decision to ensure each building has a different shape, so the area didn’t end up with a cluster of identical, bland tower blocks sucking the life out of the surroundings. Instead, you have balls, cones, buildings that widen as they reach up to the sky, circular towers, twisting ones, and a stunning butterfly shaped structure of poured concrete. Which will be why Manon Legros from Echappée Belle works here; ‘I am obsessed with poured concrete,’ she tells us during a tour of the architecture of the area. This is not a phrase I ever expected to hear, but her enthusiasm for the area turns a stroll around a modern business district onto a lesson on just how stunning modern architecture can be when planners and designers work together to ensure both beauty and functionality.

These ultra-modern buildings are complemented by the trees, shrubs and flowers that have been carefully planted throughout. There are three community gardens, 3847 trees, 11 parks, and a new five-hectare park planned as a central artery though the district. ‘The vegetation has been carefully chosen to provide colour and interest through the seasons with as little maintenance and ‘interference’ as possible.’ explains Theo de Gally from Jardins de Gally as he takes us on a tour of the myriad green areas dotted through La Defense, from small triangles of foliage to open parks, from lush roof terraces to a giant chimney that is home to a vertical garden and a flock of roosting wood pigeons.

One of the challenges of planting within La Defense is the lack of depth. The entire area is pedestrianised, but underneath it is a maze of metro lines, roads and car parks, meaning that the soil depth varies from a tiny 25cm to a not much deeper one metre. This can make planting trees a challenge, so when it was decided that the thoroughfare past the giant red spider (more on that later) needed some shady areas, deep rooted trees were not an option. Instead, large moveable planters were created, with a trellis extending out from a narrow base containing a combination of small sails and climbing plants to provide some respite from the mid-summer sun.

In case you are worrying about giant spiders, let me reassure you this one doesn’t move, or bite or scuttle past you – it is in fact a huge red metal sculpture that bears only a passing resemblance to an arachnid, but enough for people to call it the ‘red spider’. It is one of over 60 pieces of outdoor art you can enjoy. Jean Miros ‘couple with a flower’ sits near the Grande Arche; its incongruous red and blue colours shining like a beacon. A metal cast of a thumb, over 12 metres tall, rises up not far from the Arena, and the original sculpture of three figures commemorating the defence of Paris in 1870-71, that gave the area its name, is still in its original position (well, give or take a metre or so).

For art lovers the Zoo Art Show is a must. I’ve always been a little snooty about graffiti as a legitimate art form, but this exhibition changed my thinking. With three floors and dozens of rooms showcasing the creations of 500 different artists this is not your usual gallery. 360+ graffiti artists visited the building over a nine week period and sprayed their art direct onto the walls, doors, floors and ceilings creating a riot of colour, styles and imagery. Some contain hidden pictures only spied with the aid of coloured glass or a black light. If you already love graffiti art then this is a must, and if you are still to be convinced, then take the leap and leave with an entirely new perspective.

The Zoo Art Show wasn’t the only experience that changed my thinking; the Eternelle Notre Dame immersive virtual reality experience also had an impact. Housed inside the Grande Arche, you don a pair of Virtual Reality goggles and step into medieval Paris as craftsmen work on the beautiful cathedral of Notre Dame after a fire toppled its spire and gutted much of the interior. Get taken on a tour, meet the people involved, watch stonemasons and carpenters, explore the renovated interior and climb aboard a wooden platform that lifts you up to the roof with far reaching views of the countryside around Paris of the 13th century, then head inside to explore the oak beams that hold up the spire, and be lifted to the ceiling to see the knave from above. This experience may be virtual, but feels it incredibly real and is probably as close to time travel as we’ll ever get. Definitely one to do with friends or family as only people who have done it will understand just how immersive it really is.

I came away from my two days staying in Paris La Defense with a different view of France’s capital city. If you’ve never visited the main tourist attractions of Paris, then you really should – they are iconic for a reason. But rather than stay in the centre consider basing yourself at La Defense. If you’ve already been to Paris and feel a bit ‘been there, done it’ then La Defense will provide a fresh perspective and a totally new experience.

There are four reasons to visit Paris La Defense; location, cost, food, and activities.

Location: Paris La Defense is close to Gare du Nord and a quick hop to the centre of Paris. Buy a Paris Metro Card (Pass Navigo) and hop and off as you need.

Cost; hotels are around 40% cheaper here than in the centre and the rooms are bigger. There are 20 hotels, offering over 3000 rooms, from large name brands like Renaissance and Hilton to quirky boutiques like Mama, so plenty of choice. I stayed at the Melia situated next to the Takis Fountain with amazing views across Paris to the Eifel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louis Vuitton Museum and Montmartre. If you can’t choose where to stay then pop along to the others on your list for a meal, as all have restaurants and terraces to enjoy.

Food: For meat-eaters there is a lot choice, vegetarians are more limited, and eating decent vegan food is, unfortunately, close to impossible. Assuming animals form part of your diet, then check out Muse within the Hilton which is home to Nina Métayer named the Pastry Chef of the Year, or one of the many choices within the giant Westfield shopping centre, or Eclipse with its view over the colourful tiled fountain towards the Grande Arche or the uniquely decorated restaurant at Mama with its funky murals and colourful paint.

Activities: Continental Europe’s largest Westfield Shopping Centre with all the brands you’d expect – and many more. Outdoor art, the Zoo Art Experience, plenty of cool green spaces and water features, the Eternelle Notre Dame VR experience, and the biggest Arena in Europe (you’ll need to book in advance if a band you love is performing), food, cafes, bars, and plenty of pop-up activities to amuse you.

If you’re looking for a few days away, but don’t want to spend hours on a plane, then Paris La Defense fits the bill; it’s close, it’s easy to access, it’s full of fun, and there is a plenty to keep entertained.

FACTBOX

Discover Paris La Défense, a vibrant district at the gates of Paris. For more info visit www.parisladefense.com

Video: Watch a great overview of Paris La Défense on YouTube