Could Paris, with its narrow, dark alleys, catacombs and canals, be one of the world’s most crime-prone cities? Attention True Crime fans. If you’d like to break out in a cold sweat while discovering the darkest side of Paris, the Paris Secret editorial team has put together a list of five creepy places to visit. So, are you ready for a visit far from the flowery clichés of Emily in Paris and the selfie cards?
Serial Killer: The True Crime Exhibition at Galeries Montparnasse
While we regularly offer ideas for family outings, this exhibition is forbidden to minors. So it’s to the bravest among you that we turn here. You’ll need all your nerve to push open the doors of Galeries Montparnasse and discover the darkest secrets of the most notorious serial killers in the history of True Crime. Investigative files, psychological analyses, crime scene reconstructions… You’re invited to plunge into the limbo of the criminal mind. Jeffrey Dahmer, Armin Meiwes, Ted Bundy, the Zodiac Killer… Their personal effects complete a collection of 1,000 original artifacts. If the morbid side of things frightens you, portraits of the victims are highlighted in contrasting light to bring them to mind. Dare you push open the doors of Serial Killer: L’exposition?
📍Les Galeries Montparnasse, 22 rue du départ (Paris 15), 75014
The Live Thriller by Borderlive
“A winter’s night, somewhere on the outskirts of Paris. Inspector Nils and his deputy Gambale have been wandering around an abandoned abattoir for almost half an hour, when they come across a strange crime scene: two window mannequins, frozen like rotting corpses. Thinking it was a hoax, they had no idea they were looking at the first work of the psychopath who would later become known as the Metteur en Scène.” Based on this scenario, worthy of a terrifying thriller, you are invited to rediscover Paris through a new, less watered-down and more realistic prism. In this interactive experience, you’re an actor. You’ll have to interact with professional actors as you try to unravel the truth and solve the mystery. There are four possible endings, but a happy ending is not guaranteed…
📍Departure Paris 18th (métro Jules Joffrin)
Paris, City of Crime guided tour
Just a stone’s throw from the Quai des Orfèvres, follow in the footsteps of some of the most fantastic cases to hit Paris since the 14th century. Sherlock Holmes, we need you! Like a detective, you’ll follow the course of time and the Seine, and shiver at the coldness of the crimes. From the Palais de Justice to the Conciergerie, via the darkest alleys, you’ll discover what motivated these notorious criminals to strike.
📍Departure from Musée du Louvre, rue de Rivoli (in front of the equestrian statue of Louis XIV next to the Louvre pyramid).
Paris Criminel, Paris Assassin by Les Visites de Théo
Looking for a new way to visit Paris? Les Visites de Théo has it on a silver platter. Take a stroll through one of the capital’s murderous districts: Châtelet-les-Halles. The economic lungs of the city since the 12th century, this district hides a different kind of activity. A number of famous execution sites dating back to the Ancien Régime bear witness to this. These included the pillory, the Châtelet (now defunct), and the Place de Grève. Known for hosting the capital’s largest market, it was also where banditry and the crime syndicate were organized. Not forgetting the Innocents cemetery and ” Notre-Dame-des-Halles “. Unravel the secrets of this neighborhood steeped in crime (regicide, assassination, hold-up, burglary) on this highly unusual tour!
📍Departure from the Innocents fountain Place Joachim du Bellay – Métro Châtelet
100% True Crime tour: the Paris of crime
Discover the darkest corners of the City of Light on this unique tour. Let yourself be transported to the heart of the great criminal cases that have left their mark on Paris. Immerse yourself in the history of major crimes and mythical execution sites. Explore dark Paris, and discover a new facet of the capital. A dark city where thieves, brigands, criminals and other bandits were to be found in abundance. With stories of the city’s crimes and anecdotes each as astonishing and disconcerting as the next, stroll through narrow streets and discover unsuspected places of real historical interest. From the Rue des Chanoinesses affair to the notorious Rue de la Ferronnerie murder, follow in the footsteps of these crimes in the center of the City of Light, which has never been so misnamed.
📍Departure from Fontaine St-Michel