The history of Paris starts in the Île de la Cité: the first inhabitants of Lutèce are said to have lived in this island, before Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars. Then, the Romans developed the Left Bank (thus the name “Latin Quarter”), and later, medieval kings the Right Bank.

Nowadays, it’s difficult to imagine that the Cité is the oldest part of Paris: Haussmann’s renovation of Paris destroyed the small streets which testified to its historical role and homogeneity (refer to this page), and the omnipresence of police and justice institutions break all its charm. Therefore, most tourists only visit the two big spots of the island: Notre-Dame cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle, famous for its stained glass windows.

But thankfully, two areas have been slightly preserved. In the West, the deserted and quiet Place Dauphine (see the Place Dauphine article) is one of the most charming places in Paris. And in the East, between the Seine and Notre-Dame, a few streets have kept a sort of medieval romantic character. They are generally ignored by the crowds, which gives them even more quietness and mystery, especially in the evening onwards.

So, if you like wandering off the beaten track, explore narrow Rue Chanoinesse, with its beautifully-restored buildings, and walk into neighbouring Rues de la Colombe, des Ursins, des Chantres, and Massillon, onto the steps of Esmeralda and Quasimodo. You might be overwhelmed by the contrast between these streets where time seems to have stopped and the big touristic confusion nearby at Notre-Dame, just one block away!

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Rue Chanoinesse area | Art & culture, Relaxing
Rue Chanoinesse | Quartier Latin
24 hours daily

It’s incredible how sometimes the large and ugly stands next to the small and cosy. But yet this is the case in Place des Fêtes’s area, near Buttes Chaumont park: right behind the five huge blocks of concrete which host many of the last remaining working class families of Paris, about 20 villas (here, villa = alley, lane) concentrated around Rue de Mouzaïa, constitute one of the most charming residential area within Paris’s boundaries.

Also know as “Carrières d’Amérique” – plaster produced from old gypsum quarries ( = carrières) was exported to the USA and is believed to have been used in the White House construction… – this area has a deep working class background. Back in the 19th century, this area was part of the East suburban industrial neighbourhoods, and this sloping site (unstable because of quarry exploitation) could only host fragile two-floored constructions.

More than a century later though, it surely is one of the most picturesque and intimate areas of intra muros Paris, which will ravish not only flower enthusiasts but also cat lovers: cats are indeed the real sovereigns of the villas, and as a poetic homage to their feline fellows, some of their owners have put funny signs on their door (most of them in Villa Sadi Carnot) such as “chat gentil” (= friendly cat), “chat lunatique” (= quirky cat) or “attenti ai gatti” (Italian for “beware of the cats”). A delicate warning, isn’t it?

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Les Villas de la Mouzaïa | Relaxing
Rue de Mouzaïa | La Villette
24 hours daily

You probably won’t need to read Spotted by Locals to know that the Louvre is a Paris “must-see”.

By the way, why is it a must-see??? Probably because it is a gorgeous historical palace, which now hosts the biggest museum of the world, whose collections are among the richest of all, covering all periods of “western” art, from Mesopotamia until the 19th century and Romanticism.

Nevertheless, most guides always advise the same tour path, focusing on the same masterpieces, like the Mona Lisa or the Victory of Samothrace. And for the average visitor without much knowledge in history of art, I’m not sure it makes much sense to follow hordes of tourists whose main purpose is to photograph themselves in front of the same world-famous masterpieces… And it is definitely not the best introduction to art, which, according to me, must target the senses before the reason.

On the contrary, walking in the endless corridors, monumental staircases and exhibition rooms of the Louvre, without any imposed sense of visit, just following one’s intuition, looking OR NOT at the artworks, is a great experience. You will be more relaxed not only to appreciate the works (and also the beautiful views of Paris from the windows) but also to feel this unique sensation to be nearly alone, surrounded by paintings, sculptures or objects, witnessing the glorious heritage of centuries of history and testifying the great genius of human kind!

Far more convincing than any learned explanation about Da Vinci and Mona Lisa…

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Louvre’s empty rooms | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance adults € 10
Cour Napoléon | Louvre/Les Halles | +33140205050
Wed – Mon 09:00 – 18:00, Wed & Fri 09:30 – 22:00

Finding a good snack in Paris is not so easy, most of them being just like one another, with classic kebabs, panini, and crêpes, and, in some areas, really abusive prices.

Thankfully, Kaza Maza is an exception. Located in the very popular area near the Panthéon and Rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, where many local students and young tourists have nights out, Kaza Maza offers excellent Lebanese sandwiches at attractive prices (even if they recently raised), considering their quality and the area.

The sandwich list is divided in three clear sections: meat sandwiches; cheese sandwiches; vegetarian sandwiches (all cheese sandwiches are vegetarian too), each category having a choice of 4/5 options. It’s also possible to have, as an appetizer, just a falafel or a meatball and obviously, oriental pastries, like baklavas, are also available.

The few chairs and a counter are for those who just aim to have a food break between two pints in neighbouring pubs. But the place is mostly for take away, and sandwiches are always delivered in a thin plastic bag in order to eat them comfortably and not pour all the hummus over one’s clothes while eating on the run to catch the last metro.

In the daytime, and only during the weekends, I recommend enjoying the food in the Jardin Carré, the garden of the Ministry of Research, one minute walk along Rue Descartes (entrance at number 11 of this street).

Note: there’s another Kaza Maza (same menu, same prices) at 16 rue d’Odessa, in Montparnasse area.

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Kaza Maza | Snacks | Sandwich from € 4.40
1 rue de l’Ecole Polytechnique | Quartier Latin
11:00 – 00:00 daily (later on weekends)

An original cemetery is the cats and dogs’ one, located in Asnières (suburbs near Paris).

French people are not particularly animal rights activists, but they love pets! And for more than a century now, pet lovers can bury their pets in this special cemetery, located in a very peaceful and beautiful area along the river Seine.

Reading the pets’ names, their owners’ short epitaphs (some of them are in English) is quite entertaining, and there are actually beautiful graves, showing how some people are more attached to animals than to human beings. The place also hosts a shelter for abandoned cats, which brings life to this area where death reigns.

To get there: metro line 13, until « Gabriel Péri » (be careful, you have to use the yellow branch after « La Fourche »), or bus 54 until « Place Voltaire ».

If you’re still in the mood for another cemetery, walk along the Seine opposite its flow and cross the next bridge until rue Baudin, in Levallois-Perret: this (human) cemetery (not as famous as the big three: Père-Lachaise, Montparnasse and Montmartre) hosts a British WW1 memorial, and the graves of Gustave Eiffel (you might have heard of his tower…), Maurice Ravel (you might know his Bolero) and Louise Michel (the Red Virgin, a key figure of the Commune). Open between 09:00 and 17:00.

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Cimetière des chiens | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance fee € 3.50
Parc Robinson (Asnières-sur-Seine) | Montmartre/Clichy
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 16:30

The Pavillon de l’Arsenal – a great place to understand historical and contemporary architecture and urban planning of Paris – recently changed its permanent collection, making it even more attractive than before.

The central space is now occupied by a huge interactive animation which allows the visitors (one by one) to show an aerial view of a place in Paris or its region. All around, short notices (with explanations in French and English), illustrations, maps and models explain how Paris’s territory evolved since the Middle Ages and what major urban planning decisions were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries to shape contemporary city. A section is also dedicated to the current projects in Paris and its suburbs.

The only thing I regret is that the very comfortable cushions on the floor were substituted by strangely shaped triangular chairs, quite comfortable too, but a little bit too serious to my taste…

The first and second floors are still dedicated to temporary exhibitions, generally more technical than the permanent one on the floor ground, still about architecture and urban planning. And a documentaion centre is accessible from Tuesday to Friday (14:00 – 18:15, 14:00 – 17:15 on Fridays).

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Pavillon de l’Arsenal | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
21 Boulevard Morland | Marais/Bastille | +33142763397
Tue – Sat 10:30 – 18:30, Sun 11:00 – 19:00

The Marais is generally known for falafel snacks, gay bars and trendy stores, but it also has a great architectural heritage: many aristocrats lived there in the 17th Century, before the Court moved to Versailles. During the French Revolution, aristocrats were beheaded or exiled, their residencies were turned public and now many of these host museums, libraries, or archives, (when not hosting the new Parisian aristocracy…).

One such palace is “Hôtel Carnavalet” (funny name coming from a mispronunciation of the Briton name de Kernevenoy, the first owners of the palace), which now hosts a museum dedicated to the history of Paris.

In this museum, you won’t find big names or famous masterpieces, but many paintings showing how Paris was throughout the different ages of its history, which is very interesting if you have already gone all over modern city’s streets and squares.

The collections (paintings, but also pieces of furniture) are also of great interest for history enthusiasts, and displays the most important events of French history (many of which occurred in Paris), notably the Revolutions (from 1789 to the Commune, passing by 1830 and 1848).

Like other museums run by the municipality, the visit to the collections is free, though you might be charged for some temporary exhibitions. And even if you’re not a museum addict, the place is worth a visit for its gorgeous courtyard, freely accessible from the entrance of the museum.

Current exhibition (until 29th July): Eugène Atget (1857-1927), a great photograph of 100-year-old Paris.

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Musée Carnavalet | Art & culture | Free
23 rue de Sévigné | Marais/Bastille | +33144595858
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

Everyone knows the Eiffel tower, the symbol of Paris and of France. In a way, Eiffel Tower (1889) is symbolic of the « iron civilization », characteristic of the second part of 19th century, when Paris regularly organized World Fairs, in which were presented all international technological new trends.

But 45 years before the tower, a less famous construction – but not less interesting at all – inaugurated the « age of iron »: the church Saint-Eugène Sainte-Cécile, located in the working-class Faubourg Poissonnière.

Built in 20 months only, in ogival style (it’s an example of Gothic Revival in Paris), it is the first church in France with a fully metallic structure (except the 4 main walls, built in masonry), as you can check if you knock one of the numerous slender and colored columns… The use of metal not only reduced the costs considerably, but its strength allowed the columns and walls to be thinner, which increases the impression of space and lightness when you get inside, and made the use of flying-buttresses, those structural elements typical of Gothic Art, that you can see at Notre-Dame or Saint-Séverin, unnecessary.

Many elements of the decoration (stained glass windows, organ, spiral staircases at the angles…) are also worth a look: they were all presented at the first Paris Expo in 1855, at the time of Haussmann’s Renovations of Paris.

Last but not least, the church is often empty and quiet.

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Eglise Saint-Eugène | Art & culture | Free
6, rue Sainte-Cécile | Grands Boulevards | +33148247025
Mon 18:00 – 20:00, Tue – Fri 09:30 – 20:00, Sat 09:00 – 14:00, Sun 09:00 – 13:00 & 18:00 – 20:00

With its two screens showing only “Latin” films (ie films from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Latin America, and more rarely Romania), and its dance-floor upstairs hosting Latin dances classes, Le Latina cinema has become over the years an inevitable place for Latin cultures’ enthusiasts wishing to watch an Almodovar film downstairs while hearing the noise of High Heels on the floor above…

In 2009, Le Latina was slightly renamed in Le Nouveau Latina (The New Latina), and it slightly changed too, even if it keeps its strong Latin identity. Most of the films are still from Latin countries, but the programming is broader now, and also includes international auteur cinema (with a preference for films about homosexuality: we’re in the deep heart of the Marais).

The first floor has been renovated and is now Le Salon Rouge, a very cozy tea salon (open from 14:00 – 21:00) which also hosts a small store selling DVDs, film posters and books about cinema. If you add photography / drawing exhibitions and tango classes on Monday evenings (beginner / intermediate / free practice), it makes Le Nouveau Latina the perfect multidisciplinary space for modern “Latin lovers”…

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Le Nouveau Latina | Art & culture, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Snacks
20 rue du Temple | Marais/Bastille | +33142466271
11:30 – 00:00 daily

Irish or British pubs (or so-called) are not lacking in Paris. I would say that there are 3 types of such bars:

- Genuine: which attract loads of expats and show mostly UK and Ireland sport (and in which you won’t be easily understood if you order in French)

- Fake ones which try to reproduce style and atmosphere without succeeding

- Finally, a third category, which doesn’t try to seem genuine, but which manage to develop their own character.

The Gentleman belongs to the third category. There, like in many pubs, you’ll find a Guinness sign outside, most beers on tap and ordered in pints (not “demis”), service only at the bar, and TVs showing live sports. But here the crowd and the staff are mostly made of young, French students (acknowledging the proximity of most of Latin Quarter universities) plus Erasmus ones attracted by the very cheap prices for the area and relaxed atmosphere.

The pub, although small, is divided into three different sections with different atmospheres: the noisy area along the bar with mostly standing people (good for interactions and chatting); the main room, with tables, chairs, and sometimes even a singer, frequented by small groups of friends; and the first floor, quieter (even if the proximity of toilets brings unexpected animation), for private parties or more intimate meetings.

Bar gets crowded between 19:00 and 22:00 but when happy hour ends it becomes easier to get a table and relax, although pints are more expensive then.

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The Gentleman | Bars, Music | Pint of lager (happy hour) € 3.50
3 rue Hautefeuille | Quartier Latin | +33140510404
12:00 – 01:45 daily