Paris -- what are your favorite "hidden gems"?

My spouse and I will be visiting Paris for nearly five days later this year. It will be our second visit to this beautiful city. On our first, which was years ago, we saw the "famous" places most first-time visitors see, as well as spent a great deal of time walking around and taking it all in, as Paris is a city in which one should do exactly that! :)

For our upcoming trip, there are a number of places that we just did not get to the first time around (including the Opera Garnier, Sacre Coeur, the Rodin Museum, and Les Invalides), that are on our likely list.

But I would love to hear from folks about their favorite "less famous" places or hidden gems or just other things that you'd recommend to a second-time visitor.

Thanks in advance!

Two of my favourites - the "Passages couverts" and the "Promenade Plantée"

The first are the fore runner of today's shopping malls only not the same size!

And the second is an elevated green walk on a former railway line. I think that this was where the idea for the High Line in NYC came from. Each of them have many websites in English as well as French, so you should be able to find the information you need.

Bonnes vacances!:)

One of my absolute favorite things to do in Paris is take a picnic dinner to Champs de Mars and eat in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

Favorite museum is l'Orangerie to see the Monet's. So simple yet incredibly breathtaking.

Drink a glass of fresh-squeezed (albeit overpriced) orange juice in the gardens of Versailles.

My wife and I are cinema buffs and loved the Paris Cinema Museum. It is a bit off the beaten path, and deals mostly with the history of old cinema (the invention of motion pictures, silent films, etc.) If it's something you are interested in, it's well worth a couple hours of time. It's also covered by the Museum Pass.

Not exactly little known...but might get missed by those rushing through Paris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Chapelle

Musee Nissam de Comando. Near Parc Monceau.

An old house owned by a Jewish family who perished in WW2.

Truly magnificent.

The Cirque d'Hiver ("Winter Circus"), located at 110 rue Amelot. The Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris, in the Marais district. The Père Lachaise Cemetery in the 20th arrondissement on Boulevard de Ménilmontant. And (especially good if you have children) the Catacombs, 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy.

For our upcoming trip, there are a number of places that we just did not get to the first time around (including the Opera Garnier, Sacre Coeur, the Rodin Museum, and Les Invalides), that are on our likely list.

 

Thanks in advance!

On our recent visit we took a free/by tip walking tour from the Moulin Rouge to Sacre Coeur and it was informative as well as a pleasant walk. You can spend some time at the church and then take the funicular down the hill. We just felt more in tune with the community/area.

We discovered Les Invalides on another waliking tour and went back to tour it. It was a pleasant surprise and my DW even enjoyed it.

We walked from Notre Dame to the Luxemburg Gardens and had a picnic lunch there before going to the Pantheon. Both the gardens and the Pantheon were not planned as we missed our "walking tour meeting time" so we "winged it" with cartoonish map.

Sometimes you just stumble onto places that you had no intentions of visiting but are very enjoyable.

My spouse and I will be visiting Paris for nearly five days later this year. It will be our second visit to this beautiful city. On our first, which was years ago, we saw the "famous" places most first-time visitors see... But I would love to hear from folks about their favorite "less famous" places or hidden gems or just other things that you'd recommend to a second-time visitor.

For a repeat visitor...

Hardly a hidden gem, but the Marais district (3rd and 4th) is a great place to stroll. It's the oldest neighborhood in Paris, so there are bits and pieces of walls that date back to the original walled city. Lots of homes of the nobility still exist, although most have been converted to museums (e.g. the Picasso Museum and the Paris Historical Museum). The streets are a hodge podge and show what Paris looked like before Napoleon and his architect Haussmann razed so many building to make the grand straight boulevards for which Paris is famous. Finally, great art galleries and interesting shops and restaurants are tucked in every imaginable courtyard throughout the district.

The exquisite Place des Vosges is in this district but it is atypical in that it is grander, planned space unlike the medieval-era "streets".

And keeping the medieval theme going, consider going across the river to visit the Museum of the Middle Ages (previously called the Museum de Cluny since it is partially housed in the Cluny Abbey). This museum houses wonderful stained glass, tapestries (the most famous being "Lady with the Unicorn") and more. There is an audio guide available in English, but it is not handed out where you pay for admission so you might walk by not realizing you're entitled to one with admission. We got lucky and visited at a time when a concert was scheduled. Amazing acoustics in the vaulted space.

And once you're in the 6th on the Left Bank, consider visiting the Pantheon where the greats of the nation are buried. When you're down in the crypts, seek out an employee who will help you find some of internationally famous people buried in the Pantheon. Some of the names may be revered among the French, but meant less to us than Louis Braille or Pierre and Marie Curie.

Thank you all for the excellent suggestions above (and readers, please keep them coming)! I already had some of them on my list, but many were totally new. (BTW, we are staying in the Quartier Latin, so it will be an easy walk to the Pantheon, which we had already planned to visit on this trip.)

We have done a number of the things already noted, and will do some of them again, such as walking through the Marais. In fact, one of my distinct memories of our first trip to Paris was walking through the Marais at night; we were on a narrow street that seemed of another era, there were shops with Stars of David on them, and suddenly a siren sounded -- that very distinct European siren sound that you hear in WWII movies. And for a moment I felt as though I were in ****-occupied Paris in the 1940s. It was actually chilling.

DW and I have long been Paris lovers and our most recent visit just reinforced how much we enjoy the city. As to "hidden gems" for those that love the Impressionists we think the Marmottan-Monet Museum is a place not discovered by many tourists. But for us, one of the most important decisions made when visiting Paris is where to stay. On our multiple visits we have explored nearly all of the decent Arrondissements (neighborhoods) and have found ourselves returning to the 5th, 6th, and parts of the Marias (3rd and 4th). But of all those areas, our favorite has become the area known as St Germain des Pres (we prefer the area on the Seine side of the Blvd St Germain. It is an upscale trendy safe neighborhood with a large selection of restaurants in most price ranges.

Hank

Thank you all for the excellent suggestions above (and readers, please keep them coming)! I already had some of them on my list, but many were totally new. (BTW, we are staying in the Quartier Latin, so it will be an easy walk to the Pantheon, which we had already planned to visit on this trip.)

You didn't ask about restaurants, but I'll volunteer two , both in the 5e: Le Terrior Parisien and Les Papilles (Tastebuds).

Les Papilles: (30 Rue Gay-Lussac, 5th arrondissement) very crowded dining space totally compensated by sublime cooking. Reservations essential. The kitchen is so tiny, that there is only one menu served each night to every patron. This menu changes daily so pick another day if you don't feel comfortable with any night's offerings. Very, very, very limited adjustments possible for any of the set menus.

Le Terrior Parisien: (20 rue Saint-Victor, 5th arrondissement) very modern surroundings; French classics lightened up and sourced locally.(e.g. delicious onion soup -- hearty broth, well caramelized onions BUT no thick gooey top of cheese. Cheesy croutons instead)

In fact, one of my distinct memories of our first trip to Paris was walking through the Marais at night; we were on a narrow street that seemed of another era, there were shops with Stars of David on them, and suddenly a siren sounded -- that very distinct European siren sound that you hear in WWII movies. And for a moment I felt as though I were in ****-occupied Paris in the 1940s. It was actually chilling.

Goosebumps.

Was the Shoah Memorial in the Marais (4e) yet completed on your first trip to Paris? If not, I recommend this place highly. It's not the older memorial near Notre Dame. ( 17, rue Geoffroy-l'Asnier is the official address, but I remember an entrance directly off rue d'lHotel de Ville)

Here's the link to the web site: http://www.memorialdelashoah.org/index.php/en/#_=_

And if you have visited, considering going again on a Sunday afternoon. The Paris memorial runs a bus every Sunday at 2:00 PM to the new memorial (2012) in Drancy, France. (Drancy was the site of the internment camp where most French Jews were held on their journey to the extermination camps in the east.)

And on a much lighter note...

Since you'll be in the neighborhood once you head to the Opera Garnier, considering visiting the great French department store, Printemps (original Haussmann branch). Gorgeous art nouvelle architecture and an amazing stained glass central ceiling. Prices beyond comprehension. (I bought a tee shirt for my infant granddaughter and spent around 10 Euro. I think this was the cheapest item in the entire infants department which featured designer boutique after designer boutique.)

http://departmentstoreparis.printemps.com/store/haussmann/

DW and I have long been Paris lovers and our most recent visit just reinforced how much we enjoy the city. As to "hidden gems" for those that love the Impressionists we think the Marmottan-Monet Museum is a place not discovered by many tourists. But for us, one of the most important decisions made when visiting Paris is where to stay. On our multiple visits we have explored nearly all of the decent Arrondissements (neighborhoods) and have found ourselves returning to the 5th, 6th, and parts of the Marias (3rd and 4th). But of all those areas, our favorite has become the area known as St Germain des Pres (we prefer the area on the Seine side of the Blvd St Germain. It is an upscale trendy safe neighborhood with a large selection of restaurants in most price ranges.

 

Hank

Agree totally with you. I always stay on Rue Jacob and/or Rue De Seine in the 6th. Very famous because many well known people stayed there, including Hemmingway. It is interesting to stroll around the neighborhood to the famous cafes like Deux Magot and Cafe De La Paix, as well as wonderful bakeries like Laduree and Pierre Hermes. Many art galleries, antiques, and intresting boutiques everywhere and very safe to walk at all hours. Since I always travel alone I need a place where I can feel totally safe and this area fits the bill. It is more expensive than many oher arrondisements but totally worth it IMO.

I have been to Paris countless times over the years but just went inside the Opera last May when I visited, highly recommend it, especially the gorgeous Chagall ceiling. Also, do not miss Galleries Layfayette nearby, and wonderful photo opportunities taken from the roof.

There are so many hidden places in Paris and the best way to discover them is just to walk out the front door, turn left or right and stroll down the street with no particular destination in mind. You will be surprised what you find that way.:D

(I bought a tee shirt for my infant granddaughter and spent around 10 Euro. I think this was the cheapest item in the entire infants department which featured designer boutique after designer boutique.)

Whoops! The price couldn't have been 10 Euro. At today's exchange rate -- admittedly early June rates weren't quite that good -- 10 Euro is somewhat less than $11.50. There's nothing remarkable about that price. After seeing the insane prices, we felt we'd found a bargain at a shirt costing between $25 and $30 (size 6 months).

This is a great thread, thank you so much. We'll be there for four days in October. Staying in the Latin Quarter. I'll put some of these places on my Google Map for future reference.

Pet Nit Noy, I presume you mean Terroir Parisien? Both are close to where we are staying, so I'll add them to my map, thanks!

Could you give a few hotel suggestions?

DW and I have long been Paris lovers and our most recent visit just reinforced how much we enjoy the city. As to "hidden gems" for those that love the Impressionists we think the Marmottan-Monet Museum is a place not discovered by many tourists. ...

 

Hank

Thank you. Fortunately for us, we DID discover it on our first trip. :) Totally loved it and have also recommended it to others.

You didn't ask about restaurants, but I'll volunteer two , both in the 5e: Le Terrior Parisien and Les Papilles (Tastebuds)...

 

Thank you for this and for the other suggestions in your post. I hadn't asked specifically about restaurants on here because I didn't want this immediately to go off into a restaurant discussion (I am thinking that deserves its own thread), though I certainly welcome restaurant suggestions here!

Food wise, among other things I will be in search of the best Nutella crepes from street vendors (and elsewhere). I am totally addicted. :)

Pet Nit Noy, I presume you mean Terroir Parisien? Both are close to where we are staying, so I'll add them to my map, thanks!

Yes. You've typed it the correct way.

Regarding hotels, our personal preference is to rent a furnished apartment (this is very practical for a week or longer) which allows us to stay in parts of St Germain des Pres where there are no reasonably priced hotels. However, in the 5th (Latin Quarter) we used to enjoy a hotel called Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. This is a very small French-style hotel and is certainly not luxurious like the Ritz :). But we loved staying that mostly residential neighborhood and being close to the charming Place Contrascarpe and not too far from the Blvd St Germain.

Hank

DW and I have long been Paris lovers and our most recent visit just reinforced how much we enjoy the city. As to "hidden gems" for those that love the Impressionists we think the Marmottan-Monet Museum is a place not discovered by many tourists. But for us, one of the most important decisions made when visiting Paris is where to stay. On our multiple visits we have explored nearly all of the decent Arrondissements (neighborhoods) and have found ourselves returning to the 5th, 6th, and parts of the Marias (3rd and 4th). But of all those areas, our favorite has become the area known as St Germain des Pres (we prefer the area on the Seine side of the Blvd St Germain. It is an upscale trendy safe neighborhood with a large selection of restaurants in most price ranges.

 

Hank

I totally agree with Hank.

We have been Paris lovers since 1999 and once we discovered St Germain, we made that our home base. We like it because it is not that touristy, it's more of a neighborhood.

We will be returning this fall and we are renting an apartment in that area.

I would also be interested in hotel recommendations. Will only be in Paris for a few days so not sure a apartment rental would be a option. Thanks in advance.

There are several reputable companies which allow you to rent an apartment for a minimum of 3 days. It's a great way to feel part of the life in the arrondissement. And great to have somewhere other than just a hotel room to relax in between bouts of serious pavement pounding and sight-seeing.

Overseas friends of ours always do this on arrival in Europe.

"And keeping the medieval theme going, consider going across the river to visit the Museum of the Middle Ages (previously called the Museum de Cluny since it is partially housed in the Cluny Abbey). This museum houses wonderful stained glass, tapestries (the most famous being "Lady with the Unicorn") and more. There is an audio guide available in English, but it is not handed out where you pay for admission so you might walk by not realizing you're entitled to one with admission. We got lucky and visited at a time when a concert was scheduled. Amazing acoustics in the vaulted space."

I'll second this suggestions. I've been there several times and the tapestries are exquisite. There are also Roman ruins - I believe in the Abbey part.

If you like fashion, try the Palais Galliera. http://parismusees.paris.fr/en/palais-galliera-museum-fashion

It's only open for special exhibits. I visited last September and the exhibit was on fashion from the 50s. The Parisian women, in what looked like vintage couture, were as interesting to see as the exhibit itself.

I will also add my favourites - Hotel Dauphine on Rue Dauphine in the 6th arrondissement is a fab boutique hotel. This is in a great neighbourhood. Steps from cafes and restaurants and the best pub - Pub St Germain in the Odean. A tiny little cobblestone alleyway with gorgeous pub and restaurants. And for a hidden gem I would recommend a walk down rue mouffetard for the markets and a really authentic French street.

Cheryl