10 Paris Experiences Travelers Rarely Mention
Beyond the icons, the real magic in Paris often hides in places not splashed across every guidebook. If you want a different kind of trip, here are 10 uncommon experiences worth adding to your list.
1. Wander Small Cemeteries Beyond Père Lachaise
While most visitors head to Père Lachaise, Paris is dotted with smaller cemeteries that feel more intimate. Montmartre Cemetery in the 18th arrondissement, set in a former quarry, has quiet lanes shaded by trees and the graves of Dalida, Degas, and Stendhal.
Montparnasse Cemetery in the 14th offers a peaceful walk past the resting places of Sartre, Beauvoir, and Baudelaire.
Both open around 8 am – early morning visits bring a calm that’s hard to find elsewhere in Paris.
2. Visit the Royal Tombs at Saint‑Denis Basilica
A short metro ride from the center, the Basilica of Saint‑Denis houses the tombs of nearly every French king and queen from the 10th to the 18th century.
The Gothic church is considered the first of its kind in Europe, and the carved effigies give a vivid picture of France’s royal past.
Take Metro Line 13 to Basilique de Saint‑Denis. Allow at least an hour to explore both the nave and the crypt.
3. Explore the 18th Local Neighborhoods
The 18th is more than Sacré‑Cœur. Around Jules Joffrin metro station, you’ll find bakeries, wine bars, and brasseries serving locals instead of tourists.
Lamarck‑Caulaincourt offers photogenic staircases and quiet corners lined with old apartments. At Château Rouge, the energy shifts, African markets spill onto the streets with fresh produce, spices, and colorful fabrics.
A few stops away, Marx Dormoy brings you to the Marché de La Chapelle and family‑run restaurants where a hearty plate won’t cost more than €15.
4. Eat at Le Louchebem
Near Les Halles, Le Louchebem has been feeding meat lovers for decades. It started as a butchers’ canteen and still serves cuts of beef, lamb, and veal in generous portions.
The specialty after the meal is an alcoholic sorbet, a quirky finish that regulars swear by.
Reservations are wise at dinner, especially on weekends.
5. Dine at Tour d’Argent
Dating back to the 16th century, La Tour d’Argent is one of Paris’s most storied restaurants. Its pressed duck dish is legendary, and the wine cellar holds over 300,000 bottles.
From its windows you can look out over the Seine and Notre‑Dame, especially beautiful in the evening.
It’s formal and pricey, but for many travelers it becomes the meal they talk about years later.
6. Cool Bookshops and Libraries
Paris still belongs to its readers. Shakespeare and Company, across from Notre‑Dame, is the most famous English‑language bookstore, with creaky floors and a cozy upstairs reading room.
For something quieter, the Bibliothèque Mazarine in the 6th arrondissement is the oldest public library in France, founded in the 17th century. It remains open to visitors who want to wander among its shelves.
7. Hidden Green Spaces
In Le Marais, the Anne Frank Garden has shaded benches, climbing vines, and a young chestnut tree grown from the one she wrote about in her diary.
Few tourists stumble in, and the quiet here contrasts with the lively streets around it. In the summer, it’s one of the calmest places to pause in central Paris.
8. Visit Bibliothèque Sainte‑Geneviève
Overlooking Place du Panthéon in the Latin Quarter, Bibliothèque Sainte‑Geneviève is a masterpiece of 19th‑century architecture.
Its long reading room, lined with arched windows and ironwork, is like stepping into a movie set for scholars. The library is open to the public – you’ll need to bring ID to enter the reading room.
9. Evening with Tango on the Seine
From late May through September, tango dancers gather on the stone steps at Square Tino Rossi in the 5th arrondissement. The music usually starts around 7:30 pm and continues until midnight.
Bring a bottle of wine and sit on the amphitheater steps as couples dance under the streetlights, with the Seine flowing just a few feet away.
To get there, take Metro Line 7 to Jussieu.
10. Get Inside the Beaux‑Arts de Paris
Tucked just off the Seine near Saint‑Germain‑des‑Prés, the Beaux‑Arts de Paris is the country’s oldest art school and one of the city’s most overlooked treasures.
Founded in the 17th century, it still trains artists today while housing galleries filled with paintings, sculptures, and architectural models from its vast collections.
Visitors can wander through vaulted halls and courtyards where generations of French artists studied.
The school occasionally opens temporary exhibitions to the public, offering a rare look inside an institution that shaped French art for centuries.
The nearest metro stop is Saint‑Germain‑des‑Prés on Line 4.