No matter how often I return to Paris, I still always discover something new here! As the second largest city in Europe (après London) I like finding the charming, less travelled trails in Paris. Off the beaten path, here are 5 unique ways you can experience the City of Lights!
1. Taste the flavours of Paris
When in Paris you must eat like the locals. Galavant the fresh markets on the pedestrian streets of Rue Cler, Mouffetard, Montorgeuil, and Rungis for the best cheese, freshest baguettes, fluffiest pain au chocolat, and to cool off, savory ice cream at Berthillon and chocolate at La Maison du Chocolat. Take an intimate, and local Flavors of Paris walking tour to hidden shops in St. Germain, tasting the purest chocolates, vintage olive oils, and balsamic dressings, then learn the art of wine pairing at O Chateau. Get your hands dirty to learn the secrets of perfectly baked macarons, tartin, baguettes and traditional french cuisine with a local chef. Pack a basket and a bottle of Bordeaux to picnic under the glimmer of the Eiffel Tower on the Champs de Mars.
2. Kick up your feet at Paris’s hidden jazz cellar
Skip the pricey and very touristy Moulin Rouge and head to where the locals go for a lively nightlife in a basement. Few people know about Paris’ hidden jazz manouche scene and experiencing it at Caveau de la Huchette is a must! This 60-year-old cellar dates back to the 16th century but locals and jazz bands popularized it in the 1940s. It’s the perfect opportunity to jazz it up with the locals and take in Paris’ off-the-beaten path. Friday and Saturday nights (€14) or opt for the less crowded Sunday to Thursdays (€12).
3. Discover Paris’ underworld
Most visitors to Paris indulge in the beauty of the city above ground but, pack a flashlight and rubber boots and head to Paris’s underworld! Thousands of 200-year-old skeletal Parisians are known to be buried 130 steps in the tunnels beneath and stacked on top of one another in Les Catacombes. What was once created to solve the city’s crowded cemeteries above ground, over time it has become Paris’ underground art of skulls in symmetric patterns. You can skip the common entrance across the street from the Denfert Rochereau (€8) and go for one of the many secret entrances scattered across the city in manholes and under metro tunnels but enter at your own risk! Some areas are not maintained, not to mention the €60 fine you get if you’re caught by the cataflics, or special police who patrol the catacombs.
4. Montmartre
Experience the artistic wonders between the cobblestone streets of Montmartre. This place screams inspiration. Artists paint in the streets and musicians play for the passersby. The Eiffel Tower offers great city views, but perhaps the more stunning (and free) view of all of Paris is at Montmartre’s Sacre Coeur. Walk the back street of Rue Cavalotti. Here lies Paris’ hidden outdoor art museum, a true testament to Montmartre’s long-cherished art scene. You can help the locals revitalize the little shops by painting personal touches on the blinds as you walk by. Venture through Porte de Clignancourt for a treasure hunt in the world’s largest antique market. A prime place to lose yourself – the market sees as many as 180,000 visitors each weekend! The Vendanges de Montmartre is also one of the best ways to experience authentic French wines.
View from Montmartre
5. Paris by Night: Pari Roller
Join the locals for Pari Roller, the traditional, 30km night skate across Paris. It’s now the world’s largest tour of its kind as 15,000 locals descend on the city each week (move over Tour de France!) Pari Roller gives you a new way of seeing the city as the tour weaves through different avenues and squares. The advanced group meets for free each week on Friday at Place Raoul Dautry in the 14th or on Sunday afternoons for a slower-paced skate.
What is your favourite way to experience Paris?
How do you travel like a local?
A Canadian journalist turned blogger, Cristina is a 20-something food addict and traveller who traded in the conventional 9-5 to live life by her own terms. Her passion for Europe has taken her to more than 25 countries and 45 different cities. Her next chapter in travel is volunteering her way around the world. When she’s not eating, travelling or writing, she works as a Social Media and PR freelancer in Toronto.
I love Caveau de la Huchette, somehow I discovered that really early in my experience with Paris. I need to go again soon!
I’d like to tell you about a great vegan cupcake place on Rue Mouffetard called Vegan Folies. They are seriously delicious and you wouldn’t even know they were vegan. And organic. mmmm.
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Oh neat! Our apartment was right around the corner from Rue Mouffetard but I don’t remember coming across that one. I’m going to look for it next time I’m in Paris!
Great tips, I'm bookmarking this for our trip in April. I haven't been to Paris in 10 years, so I'm pretty excited. I'll look for those secret catacomb entrances and I'll consider doing that food tour and the roller skate meetup!
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Thanks Cassie! So happy to hear you’re returning to Paris. April is a great time to visit. Be sure to come back and tell us all about it!
So pleased to have found your blog this morning! We love Paris and thought we had explored it fully during a recent trip, but as and when we make it back, we will definitely follow some of your tips. The underworld sounds excellent. My tips probably count as more mainstream than less travelled, but they still made for a great weekend away! lifeafteryes.com/the-lovers-guide-to-paris/
There are lots of great cities where visiting the touristy sites are a must. Paris is one of them! Every time I go back I always keep 2 stops open on my trip: the Eiffel Tower – lying on the Champ de Mars staring at this massive structure is so peaceful for me. Oddly, so is watching the cars zoom around the Arc.