My Favorite (and Not Too Touristy) Spots in Paris*

Did you know French (mostly Parisian) people call Paris Paname, when they are talking about it as an exotic place? Well, Paris is an exotic place, especially if you've never been there, you probably romanticize it (or not). And in reality it has so much history and hidden gems that it is a treasury that has no end; it keeps going on and on. And if you are going to Paris, thinking about going to Paris or dreaming about going to Paris someday, I would love you to see it the way I do, because Paris is more than only the Eiffel Tower and The Arc de Triomphe (although these are nice places too).

Arènes de Lutèce

Arènes de Lutèce is one of the only remains of the Gallo-Roman period that is still visible in Paris. This arena was built between the first and the second century. And the funny part is, they 'lost' it for a while, but found it again when they where building the Rue Monge (in between 1860-1869). The one and only Victor Hugo and other intellectuals tried to save it, which made it possible to still visit it today and stand on a place that is so old and has seen fights but also served as an amfitheater. Of course it isn't like it was, but when you are there it still gives you a good impression. And I don't know how, but this spot is so calm you don't even realise you are still in Paris. There are almost no tourists, which is odd for Paris. Because of it's history and the calm atmosphere in a very busy city it has become my favorite spot.

Just so you know: Lutèce is the old name for Paris.

Canal St. Martin (ou Canal Saint-Martin)

Ditch the Seine and go sit at the St. Martin Canal! At least that seems to be what a lot of parisians think and do. During warm spring and summer evenings you really have to walk a while to find a good spot (well, not as long as you have to wait in line for the Louvre), but it is so worth it. There are people playing their guitars or just playing their own music on their phone (which isn't always what you want to hear, but still) and some wine (or beer) maybe a bit of food, some good company and you have a perfect parisian way to spent your evening.

But also during the day it is worth it to just sit on a bench with a book (or without) and just observe what you see and relax from the big, busy city (because it is never too crowded).

Just so you know: Napoleon the First ordered the construction of it to supply Paris with fresh water.

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Maybe it is too warm to walk much, maybe you don't feel like standing in line for a public attraction that will take hours, or maybe you just want to have a break of the busy city that Paris is. Then you can go to one of the parcs that Paris has. And depending on the time and day the Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg will probably be very busy and filled with tourists. But Parc des Buttes Chaumont is a good alternative and has it's own character. It is a huge parc which can give you a beautiful view from Paris (if you're climbing the stairs, which is not obligated of course) and has a nice and calm atmosphere. Maybe getting there is not as fast and easy as going to the Louvre, but it's worth your time.

Just so you know: The Temple of Vesta (Tivoli, Italy) inspired the Temple de la Sibylle which you can find in the parc.

Palais de Tokyo

If you are into contemporary art, then this is the place to go to. The last time I went here it was weird, but I soon realized that I loved it. They have a lot of different expositions, that change a lot over time so if you don't go twice in the same week you won't get bored! And when you are walking to the museum (when you come by metro) you have a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower.

Just so you know: Palais de Tokyo is the biggest contemporary art museum in Europe.

The New York Comedy Night in Paris

This is a hidden spot, that one of my close friends here in Paris told me about, and it is a very small and hidden, but overall a very intimate comedy club (fully in English). It is every Friday night at 9:30PM (but remember we are in France so it probably have a French starting time, which means it can possible start at 9:45PM or something. But still, just be there on time), but right now (April 2017) they are under construction but they hope to open again in May. It is really funny and worth spending your time there.

Just so you know: The comedians come from everywhere over the world and so does the public (although the public is mostly French).

Les Deux Plateaux & Passage du Perron

Me and my friends call this the Secret Garden, because well it is kind of hard to find. But you probably know the pictures where people stand on black and white cylinders in all sizes, well that's the place (Les Deux Plateaux). But if you walk a bit further you come in a lovely green area with beautiful trees and plants (Passage du Perron). It is a small park, but not too full of people luckily. It's a very nice place to sit down and relax for a second, read a book, write or draw.

Just so you know: Les Deux Plateaux is also known as the Colonnes de Buren and is designed by Daniel Buren.

WHSmith & Shakespeare and Company

These are my favorite bookstores in Paris (besides FNAC) and both totally worth a visit. Shakespeare and Company is known for it's very small and cosy but beautiful old interior style. This is a bookstore you should at least visit once in Paris, but it can get very crowdy in there so go during the week or early in the morning in the weekends. WHSmith is bigger and has more categories of books (they also sell some typical English food) to offer and is a very nice bookstore that never feels too crowded and I would highly recommend to visit it.

Just so you know: The books they sell are mainly in English (and WHSmith also has a lot of magazines, if you are searching for a specific title). Staff in both stores speak French but of course also English.

Street art

Even when Paris has so many museums, sometimes you don't have to go inside one of them to see art. Because Paris also has a living Street art culture. You can walk around by yourself and just stumble upon things (that's what most of the time happens to me) or you can follow walking tours through a specific area where there is a lot to see (I did this once with Fresh Street Art Tour Paris, but note that it was fully in French, although they have English options too). And for this one I would love to give you some specific addresses to go to, but I don't have a lot, because normally when I come across one, it is unexpected and I never note the exact place. So what I would advice you is just going to walk around (Le Marais and the 13th have some nice ones, but more specific I can't be) and find them.

Just so you know: there is a pixel version of the Mona Lisa hidden somewhere. And Obey dropped some of his work in Paris too.

And my final advice is just to get out and about in Paris, walk and see where you end up. Because Paris never stops giving you new things to see.

Bisous,

Rebecca

Addresses

Arènes de Lutèce49 Rue Monge75005 ParisMetro: Place Monge (sortie 2)

Parc des Buttes ChaumontMore info1 rue Botzaris75019 ParisMetro: Buttes Chaumont

Palais de TokyoWebsite13 avenue du Président Wilson75116 ParisMetro: Léna

The New York Comedy Night in Paris

Facebook38 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle75001 ParisMetro: Bonne Nouvelle

Les Deux Plateaux & Passage du Perron

8 Rue de Montpensier (Palais Royal)75001 ParisMetro: Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre

WHSmith

Website248 Rue de Rivoli75001 ParisMetro: Concorde (sortie Rue Cambon)

Shakespeare and Company

Website37 Rue de la Bûcherie75005 ParisMetro: Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame

Passage du Perron

Streetart