Everyone has some idea of Paris. Yes, there’s the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Champs Elysees. It’s not hard to find information on all the main sights the city has to offer. But what about when you finish the tourist trail. Where do Parisians spend their time?
Here are a few suggestions for how to see a bit more of the city’s real life and get away from the main tourist hordes.
Either keep walking straight south from the Centre Pompidou or go to St. Paul metro station and head east, and you’ll find yourself in the Marais, one of the oldest districts of Paris. Diverse and lively, the Marais is the center of Jewish life and also the heart of gay Paris, quite literally. Wander past the gay hangouts, queue for falafel at the Jewish eateries on the rue des Rosiers, check out the boutiques on the rue des Francs Bourgeois and take a turn around the superb 18th-century Place des Vosges where Victor Hugo used to live. Finish off with cake and coffee at the "Loir dans la theiere" cafe, a popular establishment back near the rue des Rosiers that is very different than most Paris cafes.
As in many cities, the center of trendiness tends to shift over time. One popular area with plenty of cheap little bars is Menilmontant (metro station of the same name) in the east, and another spot that has become very popular with Parisians over recent years is la Butte aux Cailles in the 13th arrondissement (district), a picturesque area of sloping streets and democratic bars and restaurants. Also increasingly popular now is the area along the canals in the city’s east around metro stations Jaures and running down toward the Bastille.
Further to the east in the 13th arrondissement is an area of tall gray apartment blocks – Paris’ Chinatown. Though not exactly pretty, it is a lively area full of Chinese and Vietnamese supermarkets and has a vibrant character all its own.
The center of Paris prostitution is the rue St. Denis, which runs up from Les Halles, the vast underground center of metro lines and shopping malls. A lot of Paris actually hangs out in Les Halles and the area up above. If you follow rue St. Denis up to the old city gates and then keep going north on the other side, you’ll come to a colorful district of Pakistani, Indian and African stores selling all kinds of exotic things. Further on, you end up heading towards Montmartre with its mixture of gentrified housing on the side where the tourists go and a more chaotic mix on the backside where they don’t go.
If you like flea markets, the most popular market with tourists is the one at Porte de Clignancourt, but there is also a huge market at Porte de Montreuil and a slightly more upscale one at Porte de Vanves.
If it’s culture you’re after but at a low cost, than make sure you’re in Paris on the first Sunday of the month when museums are free. The crowds are sizeable and you’ll have to queue a while to get in, but it’s not too bad and is worth the wait.
As for the Latin Quarter, it is all very overrated. The string of cheap Japanese restaurants on rue Monsieur le Prince at the top of Boulevard St. Michel is popular with students. Don’t bother with the famous cafes where Sartre hung out – if you want to spend money, go up the road to Odeon instead and try the more than excellent hot chocolate at La Jacobine. •