Are you a native Parisian bored by the ubiquitous Haussmann architecture? Do you dream of the exotic, but don’t have the vacation time? Here, we’ll give you 10 promises of a total change of scenery without even having to cross the ring road.
The Grande Pagode de Vincennes
A giant Buddha in an African hut– that’s right! Paris recently reinvested forgotten buildings from the 1931 Universal Exhibition to house a pagoda, home to Europe’s largest Buddha. Eyes closed, serenely seated cross-legged, this 9m-high Buddha covered in gold dominates curious visitors with his benevolent aura. The Pagoda is not always open, but you can check the opening times here!
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Little Alsace
If you’ve never been to Alsace, you’re missing out on some of the cutest architecture in France! So if you don’t have time to visit Strasbourg’s Petite France, at least make a detour to the 13th arrondissement, rue Daviel, to admire the little half-timbered houses that have taken root there.
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Rue Crémieux
This colorful little street in the 12th arrondissement is quickly gaining in popularity, and it’s easy to see why! Chick yellow, pastel blue, almond green… the two-storey cottages almost transport us to Burano, Italy.
Restaurant Le président
Quite close to the Belleville metro station, behind an already imposing façade, you’ll discover one of the neighborhood’s pearls of eccentricity. Whether it’s New York or Shanghai, it’s hard to say: in any case, the grand red staircases of this restaurant’s huge entrance hall plunge us into a very “Chinese mafia” universe, chic in its kind and very surprising.
The Albert Kahn gardens
Between the very square rose garden of the French garden and the slightly crazy grasses of the English garden, it’s above all the incredible Japanese space that makes the Albert Kahn gardens so popular. The red bridge, the temple, the staircase-like riverbanks and the bonsai trees on stilts… everything is a delight for the eye!
Saint Serge Church
Somewhere on the rue de Crimée, just behind the Buttes-Chaumont, at the end of a little hidden alley, there’s a little architectural marvel that seems to have come straight out of a Russian fairy tale. Its carved wooden staircases, red brick walls and Russian neo-Gothic interior, decorated by Dimitri Semionovitch Stelletsky, are an invitation to a complete change of scenery.
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The VIIIth century pagoda
Set in the heart of the 8th arrondissement, this Asian pagoda with its red walls and curved roofs stands out from the typically Parisian architecture. Formerly a private mansion, it is now a venue for exhibitions and events.
Rue Dieulafoy
On Rue Dieulafoy, a row of small, colorful houses looks like it ‘s straight out of a chic London neighborhood… or San Fransisco?
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The Great Mosque of Paris
Neither hidden nor unknown, but so unavoidable that it deserves to be mentioned everywhere, the Grande Mosquée de Paris is a classic of travel without travel. As beautiful inside as it is outside, between its tea rooms and stunning gardens, it’s the perfect opportunity to fill up on sugar for the year, between honey-filled pastries and deliciously over-sweet mint tea.
Rue des vignobles
A name that might suggest typically French architecture, but no, welcome to Kyoto in the heart of the 20th arrondissement!
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Banner photo : Philippe Milbault via flickr