25 Ways To Do Paris Like A Local

Despite everything your guidebook might tell you, Paris can be incredibly tacky in certain places. Part and parcel with being one of the most visited cities in the world, the central areas of the French capital throng with swindling street vendors, bistros and brasseries that hawk a faux ‘French’ cuisine (read: underwhelming salads, dried-up waffles, dodgy-looking foie gras). And that’s just the food.

Thankfully, the City of Love is huge, and there are certain corners of the capital that remain relatively untouched by the tourism industry’s more exploitative types. So if you do take time to seek out the right neighbourhoods, you can quite easily stumble upon lots of exquisite cafés and restaurants, much less crowded museums, and the general feeling that you’re acting – and being treated – more like a local.

To help guide you around these less familiar parts, we’ve put together a list of the 25 best little-known and slightly unorthodox things to do in Paris. In areas ranging from the grassy western suburbs to Belleville in the trendy northeast, these are the city’s best overlooked restaurants, bars, museums, shops and other attractions.