When I got some spare time one of my favourite things to do was jump on the RER A from our beautiful suburb of Maisons-Laffitte into central Paris. I have often taken my little girl Aimée with me to hunt out lesser known places in the French capital. This is the Paris I’ve been exploring after having exhausted the popular tourist spots. You know: the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and so on. Follow me on exploring the secret and offbeat Paris and prepare to be surprised on many many occasions!
Secret and offbeat Paris
Soon after our arrival in Paris in 2014, I found myself attracted to historic street corners, quirky places, beautiful buildings and little alleys. Those thing that aren’t necessarily described in a guidebook. These hidden areas tell endless tales. They show a side of Paris you don’t normally discover… unless you live here or spend longer holidays to have time to discover Paris in depth.
Rue des Rosiers (4th arrondissement) © French Moments
So much to share!
There’s so much to share about secret and offbeat Paris. I’ve taken literally ten thousand photos on my quest to explore unexpected Paris.
Armed with my camera, I have explored each of the 20 arrondissements of Paris.
I’ve been to most of the city’s museums
And I’ve met many locals that were only too happy to talk to me about their neighbourhood.
I’ve seen Paris from above and underground, in the depths of winter and in the height of summer, in the pouring rain and bright sunshine.
And I never fail to find something new or a different photo angle to add to my collection.
The Clisson gate, Paris © French Moments
You will find all my articles on secret and offbeat Paris below.
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Enjoy reading and as always, do write a comment or let us know if you want some particular places covered!
Our pages on SECRET AND OFFBEAT PARIS
Discover the historic Rotunda at La Villette, Paris
The Rotunda at La Villette (Rotonde de La Villette) is one of the last surviving…
Where to find the last vespasienne in Paris
Once Paris totalled over 1,200 vespasiennes. These public urinals were part of the Paris street…
The mystery behind the oldest graffiti in Paris
This is one of my favourite secret places of Paris. It is find on the very…
Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil, Paris
Unknown for most of the Parisians the elegant Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil is a botanical…
Discover the Museum of Romantic Life in Paris
Hidden away from the touristic districts of Paris, the Museum of Romantic Life is a…
The only Breton Lighthouse in Paris is no more
By the train tracks of the Montparnasse station that serves Brittany once stood a Breton…
The Alsatian brasserie Au roi de la Biere, Paris
Check out number 119 rue Saint-Lazare if you are in the neighbourhood of Gare Saint-Lazare.…
What are guard stones in Paris?
Isn’t it strange that so much art and detail are put into things we do…
Where to find the last tall sand boxes in Paris
You would hardly notice them. The tall metallic cases that are standing on the Paris pavements used…
Amazing places to see on a Paris by night tour
Both in Winter or Summer, the City of lights stays lively all night long. You…
Discover Place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris
The Lion of Belfort is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Bartholdi that stands below the…
Berlin Wall Section in Paris
Last week during a walk across the 16th arrondissement I stumbled upon a historic piece…
Discover the Montmartre Cemetery in Paris
The Montmartre Cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris is the second largest operating cemetery of the…
That day when the glass pyramid of the Louvre disappeared!
How the glass pyramid of the Louvre disappeared? The offender is French street artist JR who…
Rue Berton, a remnant of the countryside in Paris
There are a number of rural-looking streets to discover in Paris. One of them is…
The Paris Challenge: 100 places to discover in Paris
I’ve been working hard in feeding this website over the past six years. There has been…
Where to find the Texas Embassy in Paris?
Did you know that a carving on a façade indicates where the Texas Embassy in…
Why the Canal Saint-Martin is worth discovering?
Do you remember Amelie skipping stones at the locks of a canal in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s…
Rue Saint-Jacques: Paris’ oldest street
Did you know that rue Saint-Jacques is the oldest street of Paris? Let’s find out…
Empêche-pipi or how to prevent wild peeing in Paris
Paris is full with little oddities and unusual things to see. One of them are…
The blank wall of the Hotel de Saint-Aignan, Paris
The Hotel de Saint-Aignan hides an odd feature that most visitors to the Museum of…
The Billettes Cloister, Paris’ last medieval cloister
This is one of my favourite offbeat Paris spots in the 4th arrondissement, one you…
Rue des Cascades: a provincial atmosphere in Paris
The quiet and rural-looking rue des Cascades is a residential street in the 20th arrondissement…
Where to find the Salvador Dali Sundial in Paris
You don’t need to go inside a museum or an art gallery to enjoy works…
Horse meat butcher shops in Paris
How selling horse meat was made possible whilst it was considered a taboo food until…
Where to shoot the best views of the Eiffel Tower?
If you are planning a trip to France and have a good camera, here are…
Statue of Liberty on the Île aux Cygnes, Paris
It is either visible from the top of the Eiffel Tower, from the Front-de-Seine or…
The triumphal arch of Porte Saint-Martin in Paris
The triumphal arch of Porte Saint-Martin is situated in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Built…
Discover the Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris
The Montparnasse Cemetery in the 14th arrondissement of Paris is the second largest operating cemetery of the…
The Sentier des Merisiers, Paris’ narrowest street
A few months ago, I came up with a post on Paris’ last dirt street.…
What you should know about the Pompidou Centre
The Pompidou Centre in Paris: one of the most visited museums in France. The iconic…
Why the Morris Column is an iconic image of Paris
The Morris column (colonne Morris in French) is a tall and elegant dark green advertising…
Discover the chic street of rue Fortuny in Paris
Rue Fortuny in the 17th arrondissement is little known by many tourist guides in Paris.…
Discover the rue des Thermopyles and Cité Bauer
Rue des Thermopyles: what an odd name for a street. Situated in a part of…
The Secret and Offbeat Paris I want to share with you
When I got some spare time one of my favourite things to do was jump…
Paris door knockers and handles
Knock knock who’s there? Today I’d like to show you some beautiful and extravagant Paris door knockers and…
Top 10 things to know about the Élysée Palace in Paris
The Élysée Palace, situated in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, is the official residence of…
The secrets about the Moulin Rouge in Paris
Ohh la la… Le Moulin Rouge is one the most famous cabarets in the world. It…
Half-timbered house in the Rue de Braque, Paris
I thought there was only three major half-timbered houses in Paris until this morning when…
Why the Flame of Liberty became a shrine to Lady Diana
20 years ago, Diana, Princess of Wales died as a result of a fatal car…
Discover the original tombstone of Napoleon in Paris
Whether liked or hated, Napoleon Bonaparte still fascinates today. Since its exile to the remote island…
Top 10 Tallest Churches of Paris
Out of the hundreds of churches in Paris, which ones are the tallest? Maybe against…
Discover the surprising Dragon fountain in Paris
The Dragon fountain of Paris is certainly one of the most surprising monuments found in the…
Discover the Swedish church of Paris
Situated in the 17th arrondissement is the little known Swedish church of Paris. The sanctuary is…
Things you should know about Square Jean-XXIII, Paris
Who has never seen this picture postcard view of Notre-Dame with a curtain of ivy…
The triumphal arch of Porte Saint-Denis in Paris
The triumphal arch of Porte Saint-Denis is situated in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Dating…
Half-timbered houses on rue Francois Miron, Paris
From the medieval past of Paris, only a few residential houses remain in the historic…
What is the story behind the public benches of Paris?
When you visit Paris you’ll hardly notice them. But they are found in the hundreds throughout the…
Discover the Passy Cemetery in Paris
The Passy Cemetery in the 16th arrondissement of Paris is the one of Paris’ largest operating cemeteries. The…
Little hidden away spots on the Île de la Cité, Paris
Recently we took advantage of a beautiful sunny day to climb the towers of Notre-Dame.…
Discover the inner outdoor garden of the Petit-Palais
I wanted to go there for a while and waited for the perfect Summer day.…
What to know about the Saint-Michel Fountain in Paris
There aren’t many wall fountains in Paris. The Saint-Michel fountain on the Left Bank is…
The first and tallest skyscraper of Paris
In 1781, New York was still a British settlement and Sydney, Australia had not yet…
Passage Boudin: a surprising alleyway in Paris
This little lane will surprise you if you are walking in the neighbourhood of Charonne.…
The Dome church of Les Invalides and Napoleon’s tomb
The glittering golden roof of the Dome church is an unmissable landmark in the Parisian landscape.…
Explore the unusual streets of La Campagne à Paris
Situated in the 20th arrondissement not far from the busy boulevard Périphérique, the curious neighbourhood…
In the footsteps of Dalida in Montmartre
Who was Dalida? This is the inevitable question people ask me when walking on a…
Queen Elizabeth II Flower Market in Paris
The delightful Queen Elizabeth II Flower Market in the 4th arrondissement of Paris was named in…
The Jewish street of rue des Rosiers, Paris
Rue des Rosiers is situated in the Marais. The name of the street means “street…
Where to find the inverted pyramid of the Louvre, Paris
You may have thought that the Louvre Palace in Paris had only one glass pyramid.…
Rue de Verneuil and Serge Gainsbourg’s House, Paris
Have you heard of rue Verneuil in Paris? Probably not, but surely you’ve heard of…
La Cité Florale: A surprising neighbourhood in Paris
La Cité Florale (Floral City) is an idyllic village in the 13th arrondissement of Paris…
The refrigerator’s ancestor in Paris
Not many people know of the presence of the refrigerator’s ancestor in Paris. Find your…
The Castel Béranger: Art Nouveau by Hector Guimard
Castel Béranger is one of Paris’ most extravagant buildings, built in the Art Nouveau style…
This is Léon, the last Gas streetlamp in Paris !
Malakoff does not rank amongst my favourite destinations in the Paris region. I knew very…
The Mouzaïa district or the Quartier d’Amérique in Paris
Not far from the Buttes-Chaumont, on the fringes of Paris lies a quiet patch of countryside situated in…
The elegance of Place Saint-Georges, Paris
Although small in size, the circular Place Saint-Georges owes its elegant look to the beautiful townhouses…
The Sens Hotel: a fine Loire chateau in Paris
When I organised walking tours in the Marais district, I always made sure to reveal…
Discover the old Ivry windmill near Paris
Ivry-sur-Seine does not rank amongst my favourite destinations in the Paris region. I knew of…
The Cité des Fleurs: French elegance in Paris
The Cité des Fleurs (City of Flowers) is a pedestrian street situated in the 17th…
The Abbesses métro station in Montmartre
The entrance to the Abbesses métro station is a masterpiece of Art Nouveau architecture. Designed…
Au Nègre Joyeux: a controversial signage in Paris
Au Nègre Joyeux (At the Joyous Negro’s) refers to a former chocolate factory that was…
And Paris’ highest street is…
A few days ago, one of our students in French asked us a tricky question:…
Discover the house of Jean Hérouet in Paris
When you walk along the busy rue des Francs Bourgeois in the Marais district, you’ll…
Parc de Boulogne Edmond de Rothschild
The vast Parc de Boulogne Edmond de Rothschild is situated between the Bois de Boulogne…
Fountain of the Croix-du-Trahoir, Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris
Today the intersection of rue Saint-Honoré and rue de l’Arbre-Sec is part of one of the nicest parts of Paris.…
Conciergerie Clock, Paris
The beautiful gilded Conciergerie clock is hang on the Clock Tower of the Conciergerie. It is situated…
The Mystery Behind the Chimney of the Eiffel Tower
Only a very small number of Parisians and tourists know of the existence of what…
What is this suspended iron bar in rue Rataud about?
Another oddity in the 5th arrondissement in Paris, not far from rue Mouffetard: the suspended…
Where to find the last level crossing in Paris
Who would expect to see a level crossing in Paris? Well, funnily enough, there is one…
The iconic Wallace fountains in Paris
While exploring Paris, you’ve probably spotted some of the Wallace fountains. These iconic elements of street…
Where to find the Statue of Liberty hidden in Paris?
There are a few replicas of the Statue of Liberty that are found across Paris:…
The Art Nouveau cupola of the Galeries Lafayette
The Galeries Lafayette is the name for an upmarket Paris department store originally founded in…
Boules-aux-Rats, Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois church in Paris
There is a mystery that scholars and historians have not yet succeeded to resolve. Perched…
What makes the public clocks of Paris popular?
Some of the public clocks of Paris date back to the Middle Ages. Many more…
Impasse de la Santé, Paris’ last dirt track
In our Countryside in Paris series, the impasse de la Santé is an interesting one.…
Why does the statue of Montaigne bring luck?
Did you know that some statues in Paris are believed to hold magical properties? For…
Discover the secretive Place de Valois in Paris
So you’re heading to the Palais Royal and its beautiful enclosed garden. Instead of entering…
Discover the Cour du Commerce Saint-André
Situated in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, Cour du Commerce Saint-André is a curious little…
Where are the remains of the Roman forum in Paris
The Roman forum in Paris – then known as Lutetia – was situated in the…
Would you go to the Catacombs of Paris? I just did!
Below the pleasant district of Denfert-Rochereau (14th arrondissement) with peaceful residential streets and lively Haussmann-style avenues…
What about the iconic Street-Name Plaques of Paris?
The street-name plaques of Paris are so famous they have become iconic features of authentic…
Church of Notre-Dame de la Compassion, Paris
Caught between the Périphérique and the Convention Centre at Porte Maillot, the church of Notre-Dame…
The iconic newspaper kiosks of Paris
Whether you’ve been to Paris or have seen photos and movies shot in the French…
Where to find the last boot scrapers of Paris?
When visiting Paris you might take notice of tiny remnants of days gone by, wondering…
The Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons, rue de Grenelle
You have to walk on the narrow street of rue de Grenelle in the 7th…
Secrets of the statue of Napoleon at Les Invalides
Enter in the historic Hôtel des Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris and head to the…
When the Jardin d’Acclimatation was a human zoo
At the entrance of the Jardin d’Acclimatation is a commemorative plaque which does not draw…
Rue Crémieux: one of Paris most colourful streets
The colourful street of rue Crémieux is situated in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, not…
Where to find Paris’ most beautiful doors?
Who would have known that one day I’d be writing on Paris’ most beautiful doors!…
Fire warning device in the Marais, Paris
Not far from the St. Paul-St. Louis church stands the last fire warning device in…
We’ve found Napoleon’s hat in Paris
Last weekend we were walking in the streets of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the 6th arrondissement of…
An elephant head near Les Halles, Paris
How many people passing by the busy street of rue de la Cossonnerie actually know…
Christmas Nativity Scene at Saint-François-Xavier, Paris
One of the most beautiful Nativity Scenes in Paris is found inside the church of Saint-François-Xavier in the 7th…
Quick guide to the Relief Map museum in Paris
My family and friends know how much I love maps. When I visited for the first time…
Where to find the Berlin Wall in Paris
On 9 November, Germany and Europe commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall. The generation…
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