moorea

open for your comments on little bits and gems of Paris that the tourist normally wouldnt see.....

tod

moorea - There are many places most visitors to Paris will never get to see unless they return time and again.
May I recommend the book by Rodolphe Trouilleux called 'Unexplored Paris'.
This gives the reader a chance to venture out and discover very untouristy areas in the city.

lawchick

Go to the banlieue - almost totally unexplored by tourists.

ira

Hi M,

I take it that this is your fisrst visit to Paris, oui?

Why would you want to go to little-known spots that tourists normally wouldn't see?

Wait until after you have been a few times.

Gretchen

I sort of agree with the last post, but it is fun to find some unusual things that aren't always on top of everyone's list.
One place we have enjoyed is the Artisan's row on rue Daumesnil near Gare de Lyon. It is an old viaduct with wonderful shops built into the high arches--and a garden walk on top of it.
The Arab museum is a sort of off the beaten track site.

Michael

This might give you some ideas:

http://www.parisinconnu.com/

johnnycoyote

I recently rented an apartment in Paris and nearby there was a great street called rue du faubourg saint denis, with lots of fresh food shops, typically french, mixed in with Indian shops and turkish and arab shops, its a real cultural mix and at the head of the street is a fantastic 'arc de triomphe' which was built for one of Louis XIV's many victories, more beautiful than the one at the top of the champs elysees. Theres also a very famous restaurant called chez Julien, which is worth trying if you can afford it...

moorea

any one know of any good open markets etc? i also saw something about a flower market...but forgot where

StCirq

The flower market is right in front of Notre Dame. I think it's Sundays, but willlet a local confirm that.

I have to smile at the rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis being offered in answer to a question about undiscovered Paris. It's probably one of the most famous shopping streets in the world!

My suggestion would be to get on a bus, any bus, and take it to the end of the line and get off and wander. After I'd been to Paris a whole bunch of times, I started doing this and "discovered" all kinds of neat things.

But note that I did this after a couple dozen trips to Paris. As ira points out, if this is your first time, you might want to at least concentrate on the glorious main sites.

johnnycoyote

I think you're getting confused between faubourg st denis and faubourg st honoré, not at all the same thing cirq