The 7 best things to do in Paris that aren’t visiting the Eiffel Tower

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There are few as fiercely passionate about their city than Parisians. Still-warm baguettes in bike baskets, tiny espressos served roadside in their quartier, picking up gems from street markets, and hopping on the last Métro at 2am has become a way of life for these city-dwellers.

Instead of opting for cliché-laden activities on your next visit to Paris, live Like a Local and vivre la vie plus Français. Writer Emmie Harrison-West reveals how to skip the touristy things to do in Paris, and explore the hidden gems in France’s much-loved capital city…

Paris Like a Local

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Hunt for bargains and bread at Marché d’Aligre

Markets are the cornerstones of Parisian life – and you simply can’t beat the Marché d’Aligre. Open six days a week, this beloved marché is teeming with chattering locals, grabbing and bagging fruit and veggies from the indoor food hall, while sellers bellow out deals above the drone of the crowd.

Once you’re hungry from all that jostling and tote-bag-filling, head to the market’s stretch of food stalls to fill up before scouring through hidden gems in the adjacent flea market. 
 

http://marchedaligre.free.fr/
Place d’Aligre, 12th

Shake the tourists at Shakespeare and Co

The iconic Anglophone bookstore may be a victim of its own success, but locals don’t avoid it on that account. Instead, they head to Shakespeare and Co on a Sunday night when the crowds of tourists have dispersed, leaving every nook and cranny warm and inviting for a solo book-hunting session, or quiet moment away from the city streets.

Mingle with local book lovers at weekend events little-known to tourists like feminist book clubs, embroidery sessions and jazz on the terrace.

https://shakespeareandcompany.com/
37 rue de la Bûcherie

Fall in Louvre after dark

Skip the hordes snapping selfies with the glass-encased Mona Lisa by day, and visit the Musée de Louvre after nightfall. With live music, concerts, and lectures on most Wednesday and Friday evenings, you’ll never want to visit during the day again. Or, instead, find a quiet corner and simply soak up the ambience of this iconic museum after hours.

Before you head home, bask in the night-time glow of I M Pei’s famous pyramid sculpture, which illuminates after dark in a show that puts its daytime existence to shame.

https://www.louvre.fr/en 
Rue de Rivoli

Embrace the rocky horrors of the Picture Show

Okay, so we’ve all heard of the worldwide phenomenon that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but in France, it’s been embraced like no other. It’s now essentially a rite of passage to see this unique mix of film and live action entertainment in Paris.

Embrace the scandalous, debauched fun at a tiny arthouse cinema, which has been entertaining guests with the show since the late ‘70s. Make sure you book well in advance, bring a bag of rice and leave your inhibitions at the door.
 

http://studiogalande.fr/FR/113/rocky-horror-picture-show.html 
Cinéma Studio-galande, 42 rue Galande

Squeals on wheels

The locals love their bicyclettes, so what better way to explore their adored city than by two wheels? Rent a Vélib bike and leisurely cycle along the canal from the picturesque Port de l’Arsenal, past picnickers, to the green expanse of Parc de la Villette.

Be sure to stop by a local patisserie or boulangerie to fill up your wonky woven basket with goodies to devour canalside for lunch like a true local.

https://www.velib-metropole.fr/en_GB 
Start at Port de l’Arsenal, 4th

Skating around the point with Pari Roller

Don’t be alarmed if mesmerising waves of skateboarders, rollerbladers, and cyclists roll by you one Friday evening, it’s just the Pari Roller crew. Every Friday, Paris’ premier skating event is open to all – and it’s completely free. Grab your skates, or rent a pair, and join the wheeled crowds laughing and dancing to blaring music.

Chat with locals and learn the history of their city, while you whiz past landmarks illuminated by moonlight and reverberating with the spin of wheels.

Start at Place Raoul Dautry, 15th
www.pari-roller.com

Stand proud with Le Paris Noir

Skip the one-sided narrative of your usual Parisian walking tours and uncover the city’s unspoken Black history with Martinique-born Kévi Donat. Lose yourself in Kévi’s charismatic and interactive story-telling as he uncovers the roots of a Pan-African literary movement one minute and the legacy of slavery the next.

The English-speaking walking tours are available privately, but Kévi also works in collaboration with Explore Paris on a variety of open tours, too.
 

https://www.leparisnoir.com/ 
Start at Place du Panthéon, 5th