Although it’s hard to choose just one unusual place in each arrondissement, we’ve found the crème de la crème… 1 unusual location per arrondissement : Dear readers, this way to your secret Paris… !
Paris 1
Le Liquorium Paris: “It’s sorcery Messire!”
Per Horus, et per Ra, et per Solem…” In this esoteric speakeasy called Le Liquorium, you can sip mixology remedies and make your own beverages! Hidden away in the basement of the Drink Doctor, in this totally zany bar-café, there’s no need to call on Godefroy de Montmirail’s enchanter to take a course in magic potion! “Pass me the gourdasse Jacquouille, I’m very thirsty!” So are we!
Paris 2
The dance halls of L’Éléphant Paname are very misleading!
Here’s a place tucked away in the capital! Popular with dancers but little known to the general public, L’Éléphant Paname is the only spot in Paris to combine art and dance. In addition to classes, dance-themed exhibitions are held here. Special mention must go to the Salle des Galeries, whose Baroque style, ceiling moldings and frescoes on patinated walls, restored in the Venetian style, are breathtaking. So, whether you’re like an elephant in a china store or a little rat at the Opera, the very secret Éléphant Paname opens its doors to you…
Paris 3
Merci, the solidarity concept store in the Marais!
At Merci, you can find designer clothes and contemporary and vintage furniture! What’s more? Treat yourself and do something good at the same time, since all profits go to associations that help children in Madagascar. Here, you’ll find everything from fashion boutiques to cafés, bookstores, canteens, florists and vegetable gardens! A veritable Alibaba cave that celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Thank you, goodbye!
Paris 4
La belle Hortense, the bookshop-bar that proves literature and oenology go hand in hand!
Enjoying a good bottle of wine in charentaises while devouring a good book speaks volumes to you, doesn’t it? Yes, but it’s not just at home that you can enjoy this simple pleasure. La Belle Hortense is the only bookshop-wine cellar in France! Friends of literature… (and wine) good evening!
Paris 5
The Lucha Libre ring: Sumo wrestling and cocktails please!
La Lucha Libre is the only wrestling bar in Paris, with a basement ring. Two wrestling shows are held 2 Fridays a month, from 10 p.m. to midnight. Then it’s time for amateurs to don their wrestling or sumo suits (your choice) and step into the ring for just €3! Challenging your buddies after a toast is the perfect opportunity to get your pal Raoul (you know, the one with sea urchins in his pockets but who’s not much of a sportsman) to buy a round of drinks… “Finisher!
Paris 6
L’officine universelle Bully, the historic Parisian perfumery, takes you back in time!
In the 19th century, perfumer Bully was all the rage in Paris with his famous toilet vinegars, presented in their beautiful case on rue Saint-Honoré. Since 2014, the famous beauty counter has come back to life in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. An opportunity to discover (and treat yourself to) French refinement with beauty products based on ancestral recipes!
Paris 7
The Deyrolle cabinet of curiosities: there’s something for everyone!
Maison Deyrolle has excelled in the singular art of taxidermy since 1831! In this unique and unusual cabinet of curiosities, let yourself be encircled by a strange, silent and motionless fauna. Naturalized animals, reconstructed skeletons, thousands of insects, shells, minerals, scientific works, illustrated plates, zoological equipment… Deyrolle introduces you to the art of taxidermy! And for those of you who don’t think it’s a real (stuffed) show, we can only advise you to go – you’ll surely change your mind!
Paris 8
The Chapelle Expiatoire, one of Paris’s least-known monuments!
If you thought you’d scoured the capital’s monuments, you’ve probably missed the Chapelle expiatoire, a little gem tucked away in the 8th arrondissement. A place steeped in history, since it was on this exact spot that the guillotined and mutilated bodies of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were buried in 1793. You’ll also want to come and admire the exceptional architecture of the Chapelle expiatoire, in particular its vaults and basement crypt, both of which are of rare beauty…
Paris 9
The Wall Street bar
Voulez-vous play trader like Leo in The Wolf of Wall Street? At the Wall Street Bar, drink prices fluctuate… like the stock market! For example, a glass of wine displayed on the screens at €4 can soar a few minutes later to €8 or plummet to €2.20! It remains to be seen whether it’s the adrenaline rush from your competitive spirit that’ll get to your head… or the wine!
Paris 10
At Café A, welcome to the convent!
How about a taste of sin in a cloister? To enter this former convent created by Henri IV, you’ll have to pass through the gate of 148, slip under the arcades and cross the café’s interior room to finally discover the Holy Grail : the superb terrace of Café A! A breathtaking green setting that will give you the impression of being in a country village. A change of scenery guaranteed!
Paris 11
A stroll through bucolic Paris!
Cobblestones, workshops, greenery, bicycles, cats, a few houses and, above all, the impression that time has stopped at the entrance to the Cité du Figuier passageway…
Paris 12
Recapture your childlike spirit at the Musée des Arts Forains!
How about a little regression? Little-known to Parisians, the Musée des Arts Forains promises a fabulous journey back in time to the world of the funfair. The museum’s working velocipede merry-go-round, funfair, Venetian lounges and extraordinary garden promise to restore your childlike spirit. A fun and exciting historical tour!
Paris 13
The Buddhist altar of worship hidden… in a parking lot!
“Sur le parking des anges plus rien ne les dérange” (hello Marc Lavoine!) Yes, except that in the 13th arrondissement it’s the Buddha parking lot! Surprising but true, a Buddhist temple is located in the parking lot at 35 rue du Disque, in the heart of the Chinatown district. And a little secret just for you: You’ll find an astonishing box of sticks that is nothing less than a divinatory game. Shake the box until a single stick with a number on it falls out, and refer to a chart that will give you an answer to your question… Mystical!
Paris 14
The Italian Comedy: France’s only Italian theater… in a former police station!
Behind the baroque blue facade of Paris’s 14th arrondissement lies La Comédie Italienne, the only Italian theater in France to program, in French, plays by classic and contemporary Italian authors. And most of them have never been presented to a French audience! Here’s an interesting anecdote: The only venue in Paris to revive the age-old tradition of commedia dell’arte, it once housed… a police station! And this news is no joke!
Paris 15
The Paris balloon: Overhanging Paris like in “UP”
I believe, I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky… Yes, except that for the time being, until proven otherwise, you can’t fly! So, hop hop hop : Take to the skies above Paris with the Ballon de Paris and see the capital in a whole new light! (360° to be precise)
Let’s have fun with the Ballon Generali de Paris?
Paris 16
Stroll through the garden of Balzac’s secret home!
Granted, the 16th isn’t the craziest neighborhood in Paris… But it’s a borough full of (very) pretty things. See you in the garden of the Maison d’Honoré de Balzac! In addition to the historical interest of the site, visitors come for the charm of the cottage with its slate roof, green-painted wooden shutters and picturesque garden. After visiting the novelist’s apartments, take a moment on one of the benches dotted around the garden, where the writer’s soul still seems to float, and gaze at the Eiffel Tower… (Given the length of Balzac’s novels, if you start one of these, you’re likely to end up fossilized on this bench…)
Paris 17
The Cinéma des Cinéastes, the prettiest cinema in Paris!
Fed up with mainstream films? Visit the magnificent cinema Le cinéma des cinéastes, nestled in the former Père Lathuille cabaret, opened in the19th century and transformed into a screening room in the 1930s. This neighborhood cinema offers a prestigious program of art house films, and boasts one of the most beautiful auditoriums in Paris!
Paris 18
Les cognées, France’s first axe-releasing center: Totally nuts!
Come and throw axes with friends at Cognées! With this funny and unusual activity you can literally let off steam while thinking about your boss or your cantankerous mother-in-law (oh the clichés…) and no one will know! Dart throwing? It’s has-been!
Book your axe-throwing session here!
Paris 19
La Butte Bergeyre, for a picnic or a sunset in 7th heaven!
Gone are the tourist-invaded Buttes-Chaumont! If you’re looking for peace and quiet, the Butte Bergeyre is sure to please! And this micro-neighborhood in the 19th arrondissement is well hidden. To get there, you’ll have to walk (be careful, it’s uphill!) and take two long staircases. The breathtaking view over Paris, the picturesque little houses and the small vineyard are sure to charm you! A romantic hot spot for a picnic or a sunset!
Paris 20
Le Vieux Belleville: 100% authentic musette restaurant!
“Come, Milord, sit at my table!” Au Vieux Belleville regularly hosts special Edith Piaf evenings! To the tune of musette, this charming musical restaurant will take you back to an authentic Paris. An accordionist will make your evening even livelier with his covers of popular songs such as “Les amants de St-Jean”, “Le petit vin blanc” (which goes straight to our heads) and “la java bleue”, to name but a few! Paris à la bonne franquette, just the way we like it!