Les Docks - Cite de la Mode et du Design



Opened along the bank of the River Seine with a very contemporary design, there is something here for all ages and it incorporates designers shops, places to eat, temporary exhibitions, a bar lounge with club and an area to enjoy the scenery on the roof terrace, plus much more.

About  Les Docks - Cite de la Mode et du Design



Les Docks - Cite de la Mode et du Design is a building that is located on the site of old general stores and the contemporary design of this building was the realisation of architects Jakob and MacFarlane, and with its bold, daring architecture, it has been classified as one of the impressive contemporary monuments in Paris.
Green facade of Cite de la Mode et du Design
Only having been open since around 2010, The Docks - City of Fashion and Design, as it translates to in English, has been designed to incorporate a variety of different spaces for many functions.

This includes a lovely roof terrace, which provides a green space full of different plants and fabulous views of the River Seine with some of its quays, that was designed by the landscape gardener Michel Desvignes and this is also home to a cafe.

The daring venue with the unique green structure on the side of the building is home to designer showrooms, shops and places to eat including the Cafe Oz, which is a brand that has been running for over 20 years, with another being located at Place Denfert-Rochereau.

In fact, located on the rooftop terrace you can enjoy music from DJs along with snacks and cocktails, with it not closing until dawn, plus there is also a club that has been designed as a dark underground space based on a 90s theme of a neo-punk aesthetic, where you can enjoy electro music to the early hours.
Yet temporary exhibitions are also held here, which means that the Docks - Cite de la Mode et du Design is also classified as one of the museums in Paris, and even hosts temporary exhibits from the Musee Galliera from time to time.

You will also find that there is something for everyone at this unique venue and tourist attraction no matter what your age, plus there are always different events taking place throughout the year on different themes from roller skating through to comic book heroes, and many others.

There is also a snack restaurant offering homemade artisan style hotdogs, fries, soups and salads that is open from 11am daily, so you will always be able to discover something different, enjoy a drink, have something to eat or just admire the views, and entry including to the roof terrace is completely free of charge to all.

Visiting the Les Docks - Cite de la Mode et du Design

Roof top walkway at Cite de la Mode et du Design
Roof top gardens at Cite de la Mode et du Design
You will find this centre open seven days a week all year round from 10am through to midnight, although from what we can gather there are certain days such as 25th December that it may close, so it is worth checking prior to turning up.

But located in the 13th Arrondissement on the banks of the River Seine, when it come to getting to the Docks - Cite de la Mode et du Design, this is very easy with public transport in Paris, as the Gare d’Austerlitz train station is only a short walk away, which serves the Metro lines 5 and 10 along with the RER on Line C.

However, on the opposite bank and again a walk away of approximately 10 minutes you also have the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris, which serves lines 1 and 14 of the Paris Metro and lines A and D of the RER trains.

But there are also buses lines 24, 57, 61, 63, 65, 87, 89 and 91 along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via lines N01, N02 and N31 that will get you close by to this unique tourist attraction in Paris, which is located in between the Jardin des Plants and the Bibliotheque National Francois Mitterrand library.