Cambridge Society of Paris

Exclusive visit to the BnF Museum
2025-06-24 18:00 - 20:30 (Europe/Paris) | BNF (Bibliothèque Nationale de France), 58 rue de Richelieu, Paris, 75002, France
Visit to the Museum of the BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

24th June 2025 from 18h (visit starts at 18h30)
An exclusive guided visit of the BnF Museum
Join us for a unique and enriching experience at the BnF Museum, a hidden gem in the heart of Paris. The BnF Museum boasts an extraordinary collection showcasing the rich heritage of French literature, history, and culture.
Organised by committee member Vijay Phadke, we will be hosted by Marta (of Les Visites de Marta), renowned for exceptional guided tours in Paris. Marta previously hosted our visit to the Van Gogh exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay in December 2023.
Upon arrival, members will proceed through security checks, store any bags at the cloakroom, and collect audiophones before assembling in the courtyard, where Marta will be waiting to greet everyone.
From 18h at the BNF Museum Groups Entrance: 58 rue de Richelieu 75002.
The closest metro is Bourse, on line 3
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Price: €25 for Cambridge Society of Paris, Oxford University Society in Paris, or English Speaking Union Members. Members of these three organisation may invite up to two guests for €30 per guest.
Price is all-inclusive of entrance fees, guide charges, and audiophones / headphones.
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An optional dinner will follow the visit at DAROCO, 6 rue Vivienne, Paris 75002 (close to the BnF exit point). Cost expected around €35 per person. Payment for the meal will be at the restaurant by each diner.
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Contact: events@camsocparis.org or vmp@phadkelaw.com for more information

Talk, drinks, and buffet with Oxford: Cold War Espionage - Deborah Lawrenson
2025-06-26 19:00 - 22:30 | Marilou Restaurant, 46 rue de la Victoire, Paris, 75009, France
Secret women of the Cold War

Our friends at the Oxford University Society in Paris are organising a talk by Deborah Lawrenson, alongside drinks and buffet/tapas/desserts at the Marilou Restaurant, 46 rue de la Victoire, Paris 75009.
Cambridge Society members can sign up at the Oxford rate using code CAM007 at the following page:
https://www.oxfordinparis.com/event-6191353
Deborah Lawrenson spent her childhood moving around the world with diplomatic service parents – Kuwait, China, Singapore – before reading english at Trinity Cambridge. Initially a journalist (including a stint as a Fleet Street gossip columnist) she has published eleven novels ranging from historical fiction to whodunnits set in France.
When researching the shadowy world of espionage in 1950’s Cold War Moscow for The Secretary she was able to draw on a unique source, her mother’s diaries, which tell of bugged apartments and KGB tails. And much more…
Deborah will help us to relive that period, and reflect on why so few female spies appear in literature. She will also share her experience of coming to see her enigmatic, deeply private mother in a new light.
Venue : Marilou Restaurant, 46 rue de la Victoire Paris 9ème
Metros : Line 7 Le Peletier / Chaussée d’Antin ; Line 12 Trinité / N.D. de Lorette
Cost : 35 € includes drinks and buffet/tapas/desserts

Annual General Meeting
2025-07-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Maison de la Vie Associative et Citoyenne du VIIe, 4 rue Amélie, Paris, 75007, France
The Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held on Tuesday 1st July 2025 at 7pm at the Society’s registered office, the Maison de la Vie Associative et Citoyenne du VIIe, 4 rue Améile, 75007 Paris (métros Invaldes, lines 8 and 13, and LaTour Maubourg, line 8).
The meeting will be followed by light refreshments and a presentation by one of the students who has recently been awarded a Trevor Brown Bursary?
All memebers may attend, either in person or online, although it is requested that those intending to come along register using the “ticket’ section below.
Full details, including the agenda, a proxy form, a committee nomination form and the link to attend online will be sent to members by email.

Oxford and Cambridge "First Wednesday" Monthly Drinks
2025-09-03 19:00 - 22:00 | Frog XVI, 110 bis Avenue Kléber, Paris, 75016
First Wednesday drinks
BACK TO THE FUTURE!
Yes, after 7 years at various Frogs, we are returning to MURPHY’S HOUSE for our Monthly Drinks from 1st October.

All Oxford and Cambridge Alumni, whether or not members of the Paris Societies, are cordially invited to join us for our Monthly drinks get-together at this centrally located bar – very close to Opera metro and Auber RER stations – at 10 rue de la Chaussée d’Antin, 75009 Paris.

We have arranged to use the first floor area, but if you don’t find us ask the staff where we can be found. However, do note that this is a European Champions’ League date with both PSG (away) and Monaco (at home) playing so there may be noise from the screens in other areas of the pub.

Argentinian Wine Sampling
2025-09-23 19:00 - 21:00 | La Casa de Los Franceses, 31 Boulevard de Courcelles, Paris, 75008, France
Argentinian Wine Sampling exclusive event
Event sold out

23 September 2025 at
LA CASA DE LOS FRANCESES
31 Bd de Courcelles – 75008 Paris

For this occasion, a specially curated personalized selection of Argentine wines is selected and designed to take you on a unique journey through most emblematic grape varieties. The tasting will also highlight bottles from vineyards located at different altitudes — from 250 to 1,800 meters above sea level — offering a remarkable diversity of styles and expressions.
The private tasting room is available for our members and we will have exclusive access to the entire venue, creating an intimate and memorable setting.
Come and enjoy the rentrée with Argentinian flair…

The nearest metros are Monceau (Line 3), and Villiers (Lines 2 and 3).
Tickets are €25 per person. Event sold out – a waiting list is available and, if there are any cancellations, tickets will be allocated to the waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information about the event, you can contact Vijay Phadke, Events Coordinator.

Cambridge Society of Paris Annual Dinner 2025
2025-10-24 19:30 - 23:00 | Maison de Polytechniciens, 12 rue de Poitiers, Paris, 75007, France
You are invited to the
Cambridge Society of Paris Annual Dinner
with Debbie Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University
19h30 to 23h30
Friday 24th October 2025
La Maison des Polytechniciens, 12 Rue de Poitiers, 75007 Paris
Booking is now closed.
A small number of places may become available due to late cancellations. If you are interested in going onto the waiting list for these, please contact Tony Banton, Treasurer. However, please note that it may not be possible to take into account any dietary requirements.
l’Hôtel de Poulpry

The mansion was built in 1703. The house has accommodated several political and artistic organizations over the centuries. Successive occupants have left their mark with the installation of elegant fireplaces and balconies. The name “Poulpry” comes from one of its owners in the late eighteenth century.
The house is now the base of the Association des Amis des Polytechniciens and is also made available to other groups for their events.
Our Guest Speaker

Professor Deborah Prentice became the University of Cambridge’s 347th Vice-Chancellor on July 1, 2023.
An eminent psychologist, Professor Prentice carried out her academic and administrative career at Princeton University, which she first joined in 1988. She rose through the academic ranks and took on administrative responsibilities of increasing scope, chairing the Department of Psychology for 12 years, serving as Dean of Faculty for three years, and then serving six years as Provost, with primary responsibility for all academic, budgetary, and long-term planning issues.
Her academic expertise is in the study of social norms that govern human behaviour – particularly the impact and development of unwritten rules and conventions, and how people respond to breaches of those rules. She has edited three academic volumes and published more than 50 articles and chapters, and she has specialised in the study of domestic violence, alcohol abuse and gender stereotypes.
Ticket Application
The Cambridge Society of Paris is delighted to invite you and your guests to one of the landmark events of the CamSoc year.
Members of the Cambridge Societies of Paris, Belgium or Luxembourg may apply for one or two members’ tickets. The price for aperitif, dinner and drinks is €75 per person. Additional guests are also welcome, although their ticket price is €90 each.
For our younger members, under 30 years of age, tickets are €55 per person, again with one guest being able to be invited at the same price, irrespective of the age of the guest. Additional guests are €90 each.
Alumni of Cambridge University who are not members of the Paris, Belgian or Luxembourg Societies may also join us, with tickets available at €90 per person.
To apply for tickets, use the plus sign to the right of each ticket type to select the tickets you would like to book. Please note that applications for more than two of the Standard Members tickets or U30 Members tickets will not be accepted.
If you have any questions about the Dinner, please contact Tony Banton, Treasurer.
Dress: Black tie (or lounge suits if preferred).
Please note that refunds will only be possible for cancellations received by Wednesday 12th October 2025.

Musée d'Orsay - Sargent Exhibition - Dazzling Paris (1874-1884)
2025-11-13 17:30 - 19:00 | Musée d’Orsay, Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Paris, 75007, France
Sargent Exhibition – Dazzling Paris (1874-1884)
Event sold out

13 November 2025
An exclusive guided tour organised by the Cambridge Society of Paris. Visit the Musée d’Orsay to see a specially curated exhibition of Sargent Paintings – a rare opportunity for members to view the exhibition. Marta, our highly competent guide, will peacefully take you through the collection with live commentary.

John Singer Sargent (Florence, 1856 – London, 1925), along with James McNeill Whistler, was the most famous American artist of his generation and certainly one of the greatest painters of the 19th and early 20th century. Revered in the United States (his Portrait of Madame X is regarded as the Mona Lisa of the American art collection conserved by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York), he is also famous in the United Kingdom, where he spent most of his career. In France, however, his name and work remain largely unknown, a situation that the exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay hopes to change in the autumn of 2025.Assemble at 17:30 on the esplanade of the museum by the sculpture of the Rhino (on the river bank) Esplanade Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, 75007 Paris. Priority access is provided, but we need to pass the security check, leave any bags or coats in the cloakroom and get the audiophones. Please be there on time to be sure to enter on time as our tour slot is booked for 18:00 and we must not be late starting. Marta will be there to greet us and has made all necessary arrangements.
Price: €30 per person. all-inclusive of entrance fees, guide charges, the audiophones / headphones
Optional Dinner is possible after the visit at the Café Orsay in the same street as the Museum. Good food and reasonable fixed menu options available. Cost around €40 per person. Please indicate if you intend to stay on for dinner when making your tour reservation. Payment for the meal will be at the restaurant by each diner.
Event sold out: and there is already a long waiting list so it is no longer possible to register for this event.
Contact: events@camsocparis.org for more information.

Fontainebleau Day - Saturday 29th November
2025-11-29 10:00 - 16:00 | Fontainebleau
An invitation to live like a sovereign for a day, right in the heart of Fontainebleau!
Saturday 29th November 2025

After last year’s successful event, CamSoc’s very own committee member and Fontainebleau resident Sylvie Leger is again very kindly organising a visit to the town across Saturday 29th November.
Sylvie will host a lunch at l’Hôtel Mercure Château de Fontainebleau Demeures de Campagne, followed by an address from a speaker from Fontainebleau’s INSEAD business school, before leading the way to the town’s exquisite Château (summer residence of France’s sovereign rulers for eight centuries) for a visit to the internationally renowned Salon du Chocolat.
Coming to Fontainebleau, a town of character next door to Paris, will give you the opportunity to feel immersed in a stunningly welcoming universe. Spending one day in Fontainebleau will not only give you an insight into the splendours of its famous Château, but also a chance to live like a Bellifontain(e)!
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AGENDA
Lunch & Speaker
12h00: Lunch at l’Hôtel Mercure Château de Fontainebleau Demeures de Campagne a few steps away from the Château.
After lunch, there will be a speaker from the INSEAD Business School.
Tickets for the lunch, which includes soft drinks and wine, are €52 per person.
Salon “Impérial Chocolat & Gastronomie”
After the speaker’s address: Sylvie Leger will lead the group to the annual Salon taking place at the Château itself (outdoors and indoors), supervised by the famous chef Fréderic Cassel who owns a store in Fontainebleau.
The making of chocolate, tasting, chocolate sculptures of animals, and famous Parisian monuments are amongst the highlights. For those staying longer, the salon lasts two days: Saturday 29th November and Sunday 30th November.
Tickets for the Salon are €9 per person.
Fontainebleau Visit
16h00: Sylvie will guide a walking visit of the highlights of Fontainebleau (weather permitting!) for those interested, starting from outside the Salon.

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TICKETS
Registration for the Lunch (€52 per person) and the Salon (€9 per person) are available through the ticket section below. You can attend just the lunch, or just the Salon (in which case meet at the restaurant at 14:00 to get your ticket) but we hope most of you will come to both. You are also welcome to purchase Salon tickets separately via the official website or on-site, if you wish to visit on a different day.
If you have any questions about the day, please contact Sylvie Leger.

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION
i) Train from Paris
You are welcome to make your own way to Fontainebleau, but if you follow the schedule below, Sylvie will be waiting to guide you on arrival at Fontainebleau-Avon station. If you make your own way to the restaurant, please be there by 12 noon.
Departure from Hall 1 Gare de Lyon, 10h08 – Arrival time at Fontainebleau-Avon 10h57
(Stops: Melun; Bois le Roi; Fontainebleau-Avon. The train ride lasts 40 minutes. The train continues to Montargis or other towns. They are surface trains.
Tickets are €2.50 one-way as long as you have a Navigo card, which means your metro/RER travel to Gare de Lyon is also included. You will need to present your Navigo pass when you leave the station (do not go down the stairs). If necessary, you can load your pass with the amount required for the return trip to Paris at Fontainebleau-Avon station.
ii) Bus to Fontainebleau
Upon arrival at Fontainebleau-Avon station, Sylvie will be there on the platform to welcome you.
A 10-minute bus ride will take us to the town centre and so the Château. Tickets are €2.50 one-way (€1.49 if you have a Navigo Easy Pass). It is bus Line 1 if you miss the 10h16 train and so need to make your way to the restaurant on your own.
Bus and train tickets are not included in the event registration to accommodate those wishing to make their own way.
iii) L’Hôtel Mercure Château de Fontainebleau Demeures de Campagne
Address: 41 rue Royale, 77300 Fontainebleau.
3-course meal
Soft drinks and wine included
iv) Salon du Chocolat
Address: Château de Fontainebleau, Place Charles de Gaulle, 77300 Fontainebleau
v) Return to Paris
Sylvie will indicate the bus station in town, so that everyone can go back to the railway station according to their own schedules. There are trains approximately every 30 minutes back to Paris, Gare de Lyon.
For those of you who would like to stay overnight and enjoy the Sunday morning market, there are many options. Sylvie can easily advise you if you need directions or inspiration.
If you have any questions about the day, please contact Sylvie Leger.

Carol Singing at the Travellers Club
2025-12-09 18:30 - 20:00 | The Travellers Club, 25 avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris, 75008, France
This event is SOLD OUT

Christmas is coming, and the Oxford and Cambridge Societies, ably assisted by members of the English Speaking Union and The Arts Society – Paris, will once again be raising the roof at the Travellers Club on the Champs Elysées at the now traditional Carol Singing. Mince pies and mulled wine will be served.
The singing will again be led by Christopher Wells and John Thompson
Event sold out

Oxford and Cambridge "First Wednesday" Drinks
2026-01-07 19:00 - 22:00 | Murphy’s House, 10 rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, 75009, France
First Wednesday drinks
We will meet at MURPHY’S HOUSE for our Monthly Drinks on 7th January.

All Oxford and Cambridge Alumni, whether or not members of the Paris Societies, are cordially invited to join us for our Monthly drinks get-together at this centrally located bar – very close to Opera metro and Auber RER stations – at 10 rue de la Chaussée d’Antin, 75009 Paris.

We have arranged to use the first floor area, but if you don’t find us ask the staff where we can be found. We will have a dedicated member of the bar staff to take our orders, but please remember everyone is responsible for paying for their own drinks so please do not leave with out settling up.
Please make sure you pay for your own drinks before leaving. On two of the last three First Wednesdays, the last person to leave has had to pay for those of you who “forgot” – which is just not fair…
