Visiting France twice this year, beginning in May for 10 days en Paris, during La fete du pain! Love that. Have been to Paris many times and adore the city and trying to think of things to do to experience it anew. Not huge fans of museums and have been to the Louvre. Frankly enjoyed the architecture much more than the art but am wondering about other more obscure museums or sites to see that tourists don't normally go to. We love to walk, eat authentic food and generally just get to know the people in the land of my family. Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11778 posts
Have you been to the Jacquemart-Andre Museum? We finally hit it on our 4th trip to Paris and loved it.
If you can find it, the book "24 Great Walks in Paris" will get you into some less-frequented corners of the city with a focus on architecture and neighborhoods.
Posted by
Central Connecticut, USA
1103 posts
We visited the Pere Lachaise cemetary on our arrival day to Paris. It was nice to be able to get some exercise after the overnight flight from the U.S.
Posted by
nova scotia
95 posts
This book/card collection has some great walks. Many are short but if you take the general descriptions and do some digging for info about the sites before you go I find you can really get a sense of the areas.
City Walks: Paris, Revised Edition: 50 Adventures on Foot Cards – Feb 2 2011
by Christina Henry de Tessan (Author)
I second the suggestions of the Jacquemart-Andre Museum - fyi there is a Mary Cassat exhibition on until the end of July. The cafe is amazing.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
Arenes de Lutece. It's a Roman amphitheater, near the Pantheon, that is often overlooked. It's in pretty good shape. Today it's mostly a park/picnic spot for locals eating their lunch while kids play soccer on the floor.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Though you are not museum fans, as you say, think about and check out the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. It is part of the Louvre but the entrance is on Rivoli. Wonderful exhibits of furniture design, couture design etc., from past and present. Never crowded (I know not why) and not overwhelmingly large. A pleasant couple of hours can be spent there.
Posted by
Boston, MA, United States
1806 posts
Take a look at the Paris listings at the Atlas Obscura website. They always have lots of suggestions for obscure museums/sites that you can add to the more conventional ones.
Posted by
74 posts
You may have already done it, but if you haven't walked the promenade plantée, that's very enjoyable. Bonus if you hit it on a day the market is going at the Bastille--you can pick up lunch, wander along the greenway for a bit, and then eat it at either Jardin de Reuilly (there's a water fountain here that dispenses sparkling water!) or continue all the way to Bois de Vincennes.
Posted by
South Florida
776 posts
The promendade plantee doesn't go all the way to the Bois. It's stopped by Blvds. Poniatowski/Soult and the Peripherique. To get to the Bois one has to walk Ave. Daumesnil to Porte Doree and into the park. Not very far but disconcerting to those who are expecting a direct link where there isn't one.
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
386 posts
I had a fabulous tour last year with Paris Greeters - I had requested a focus on architecture and the guide took me all around the 14th. It was wonderful! On my list for next trip is a self-guided tour of some of the Art Nouveau buildings; if you search for Art Nouveau walks on Trip Advisor, you'll get some good info.