The Insider’s guide to Paris

Unusual, quirky and off the beaten track in the city of light – the insider’s guide to Paris.

This is not a top 10 list. There’s an impossible amount of scope in Paris, and even a true Parisian couldn’t stay on top of the conveyor belt of restaurants, bars and museums here. Living just two hours away by train, though, and having lived in Paris years ago, my perspective of Paris is simultaneously one of a tourist and deep familiarity. Here are 10 things I love at the moment, my coups de cœur, if you will says Anna Richards.

The wine museum

The Musée du Vin (lemparis.com) only opened in October 2023, and the site is incredible. In the cellars of a 14th century Benedictine monastery, a little museum walks you through the history of wine in France, but the highlight is, naturally, the extensive wine selection at the bar (and a glass is included with your entrance ticket). On Friday nights, the vaults provide the perfect amplification for a live DJ set and singer, which can be experienced by booking a table for dinner in the restaurant (vegetarians would do well to make dietary requirements known at the time of booking). While I wouldn’t encourage you to smoke, check out the fumoir— accessed through a stone staircase that wouldn’t look out of place in a Mediaeval castle, with furniture that looks like it has been filched from your grandma’s living room.

Bookshop cafés

Is it any wonder in a city with such a proud, literary heritage that the bookshop-café culture is so strong? Try as I might, I can’t pick a favourite. Tram in the 5^th Arr. has a café that you could camp out in for hours. Bonjour Jacob in 6the Arr. arguably has the best coffee. It’s small and sells indie magazines rather than books, but has a truly beautiful selection. Le Barbouquin in the 20^th Arr. is as colourful on the inside as its graffiti-caked exterior, bookshelves overflowing and the perfect place to switch up your coffee for a glass of wine over your latest read.

Discover more great Paris bookshops including one that is open until 2am and serves wine!

Wecandoo workshops

I’m a sucker for organised fun, and French start-up Wecandoo makes every trip feel like self-improvement. On my latest visit, I took a gargoyle carving workshop with Cécilia Da Mota, who specialises in sculptures and renovations for historical buildings, and learnt how to make my own mozzarella. All of the workshops are run by qualified artisans, experts in their trade. The scope is seemingly limitless — particularly in Paris.

The Picasso Museum

Ask me my favourite museum in Paris and I’ll give you a different answer every time, but right now, my obsession is with the Musée Picasso. I love the contrast between the 17th century Hôtel Salé, quintessentially Parisian in style, and the often trippy, downright bizarre works by Pablo Picasso within. Plus, Picasso was a one hundred trick pony. Cubism, engravings, sculpture… this was an artist with many strings to his bow.

Belleville’s art scene

Hausmann buildings the colour of milky lattes will never lose their appeal, but the explosive colour of Belleville never ceases to delight me. It’s so kaleidoscopic it looks like a giant piñata exploded over it. Graffiti, giant wall murals and dozens of little workshops showcasing everything from jewellery to sculptures are testament to the creativity and soul of the arrondissement. Rue Dénoyez, a street back from Belleville Métro, is like an open-air gallery.

World cuisine

It’s a hill I’ll die on, but the best food in Paris isn’t French. I’m all for a good gastronomic bistro, especially for their entrée-plat-dessert lunch offer, but no matter how good they are, they can feel pretty similar (œuf parfait et espuma, anyone?) Paris’s world cuisine scene is only getting better and better. Little La Cantine de Sam (4 Rue des Fossés Saint-Marcel, 5ème) has delicious labneh for next-to-nothing, and pretty much every type of cuisine imaginable is available for lunch at the Marché des Enfants Rouges in the 3ème.

The cemeteries

I’m an unashamed necrotourist, and Parisian cemeteries are particularly special. Montmartre Cemetery is a higgledy-piggledy sprawl with Parisian rooftops and terracotta chimney pots framing the tombs. A croissant and coffee to go over a good book in the cemetery is, in my opinion, the most peaceful of breakfasts.

Parc de Buttes-Chaumont

A quarry turned urban park, Buttes-Chaumont has some of the best views in the city of the Parisian skyline. Here, musicians play accordions and guitars purely for pleasure, with no overturned hat to collect coins next to them, couples camp out with picnics and bottles of wine, and it’s an unparalleled spot for people watching. No picnic? Pick up beer and pizza from guinguette Rosa Bonheur within the park (Thurs–Sun).

A to B by moped

I love Paris, but I’m not a huge fan of the Metro. Even the double decker trains have lost their charm since I discovered the ease of getting around Paris by moped. Cooltra has mopeds all over the city, easy to book via their application, and prices start from €0.26 per minute. All you need is a regular driving licence, and each moped comes with two helmets and a dinner lady-style hairnet. Suddenly, instead of travelling like a worm underground, you’re zipping past the traffic and every journey becomes a sightseeing adventure.

A flâne in the 2ème at dusk

*Maison Soubrier Photo © Pierre Musellec, from Timeless Paris, by Marin Montagut*

I hate shopping, but window shopping for things that I’ll

never be able to afford, and wouldn’t buy even if I could? That’s different. The antiques shops of Paris’s 2ème would bring out the inner magpie in anyone. Wander past just as the light is fading, when the golden window displays seem to twinkle. Often you’ll see groups of impeccably dressed clients sipping champagne and dining on oysters at after work events held at the antiques shops.

Paris is always a good idea – especially with these insider’s guide to Paris tips!

Anna Richards is a writer & guidebook author living in Lyon. Her work has appeared in Lonely Planet, National Geographic and many more.

Take a tour of authentic, dazzling Paris with author Janine Marsh – the Perfect Paris Tour takes you to the heart of the city of light in Spring and Fall…