Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Street art in Cartagena.
Colombia • 10 days, 9 nights
Colombia Discovery: Coffee, Art & Music
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
2 days ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
3 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
3 days ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Paris Paris Space Invaders
AO Edited

Paris Space Invaders

The video game-themed street art first popped up in the French city.

Paris, France

Added By
maarten rutgers
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
PA-03 up close, the oldest original invader.   maarten / Atlas Obscura User
PA-03 up close, the oldest original invader.   maarten / Atlas Obscura User
PA-03, can you find it?   maarten / Atlas Obscura User
PA-04, partially in tact in July 2019.   maarten / Atlas Obscura User
Catacombs   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Simon Jones / Atlas Obscura User
  Simon Jones / Atlas Obscura User
  Simon Jones / Atlas Obscura User
In the 13th   Simon Jones / Atlas Obscura User
Near the Centre Pompidou   Simon Jones / Atlas Obscura User
  Simon Jones / Atlas Obscura User
Near the Centre Pompidou (next to a spakling water fountain)   Simon Jones / Atlas Obscura User
  Simon Jones / Atlas Obscura User
Near the Centre Pompidou   Simon Jones / Atlas Obscura User
  Jtrain / Atlas Obscura User
La Promenade Plantée   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Stravinsky Fountain/Pompidou Centre   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Gare de Lyon   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Jtrain / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

As a tourist in Paris, you will likely find yourself near the Notre Dame cathedral. Consider a short detour about a thousand feet south, and you'll a small space invader on public display: PA-03, which originally appeared 1998. 

While walking the streets of Paris, you have undoubtedly spotted small tile mosaics on the sides of buildings, typically one story above street level, ranging in size from a square foot to much larger. Many are in the shape of the pixelated characters from the 1978 video game Space Invaders.  

The artist known as "Invader" (Franck Slama), a graduate of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, started erecting this street art in 1998. A bit of a rebel, he gravitated toward street art, though he favored ceramic tile over spray paint, as he liked the permanence of the medium.

Knowing his work was created to last, Invader kept a comprehensive database of all of his art. Each piece has a catalog number. For instance, PA-199 is the 199th piece to be placed in Paris and LDN-147 is the 147th piece to be placed on London—you get the idea. As of July 2019, Invader has placed and cataloged more than 3,700 works of art in 78 cities worldwide. Paris, where it all started, has more than a third of the total.

A few blocks away from PA-03, where Rue Monge hits Rue d'Arras, you will find PA-04, also originally dating back to 1998. PA-01 had a known location, but it has been "deleted," as has PA-002 (though it has been re-activated by others). As of July 2019, PA-04 was also partially destroyed. It appears as though PA-03 and PA-04 may have been completely destroyed at some point but were later restored, though it's unclear if the restoration was the work of the original artist.

Related Tags

Street Art Hidden Mosaics Video Games

Know Before You Go

If you enjoy the hunt for Invader art, it is recommended that you install the Flashinvaders app on your smartphone, which allows you to snap a photo of each invader. The app will analyze the image and inform you if the artwork is made by Invader or an imitator. It will also display the catalog number, the date of creation, and the name of the piece. For the fun of it, you score points for each unique acquisition. You can also see a live feed of other snaps being taken around the world. Enjoy the hunt.

Community Contributors

Added By

maarten

Edited By

Simon Jones, SEANETTA, rbenn250, esj74...

  • Simon Jones
  • SEANETTA
  • rbenn250
  • esj74
  • Jtrain

Published

July 17, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.unoeilquitraine.fr/space-invaders/index.php/nggallery/tags/pa-003/?page_id=159
  • https://www.flickr.com/photos/tofz4u/2461320828/in/photostream/
  • https://www.flickr.com/photos/tofz4u/4488173810/in/album-72157600390893037/
  • https://www.space-invaders.com/world/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invader_(artist)
Paris Space Invaders
20 Rue de la Montagne Sainte Geneviève
Paris, 75005
France
48.848528, 2.348389
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Musée de la Prefecture de Police

Paris, France

miles away

The Relics of St. Genevieve at St-Etienne-du-Mont

Paris, France

miles away

Foucault's Pendulum

Paris, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Paris

Paris

France

Places 205
Stories 42

Nearby Places

Musée de la Prefecture de Police

Paris, France

miles away

The Relics of St. Genevieve at St-Etienne-du-Mont

Paris, France

miles away

Foucault's Pendulum

Paris, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Paris

Paris

France

Places 205
Stories 42

Related Places

  • Super Mario mural.

    Taichung City, Taiwan

    Painted Animation Lane

    A small alleyway lined with locally drawn scenes of nostalgic anime and cartoon characters.

  • Hokuto, Japan

    Nakamura Keith Haring Collection

    The only museum dedicated to the American street artist is in rural Japan.

  • Chhokangparo, Nepal

    Tsum Valley

    A remote area dotted with Buddhist temples and monasteries.

  • The museum.

    Sheffield, England

    National Videogame Museum

    An interactive museum where visitors can play through the evolution of video games.

  • The glass mural of old Zacatlán

    Zacatlán, Mexico

    Vitromurales de Zacatlán

    This glass mural on the wall of a cemetery started a peculiar tradition in Zacatlán.

  • Potsdam, Germany

    Der Mensch bezwingt den Kosmos (The Potsdam Mosaic)

    An 18-panel Soviet mosaic showcasing the scientific advances made under socialism.

  • Detail of the church’s right aisle

    Pratantico, Italy

    The Mosaic of Andreina

    The largest ongoing mosaic project in Europe.

  • The exterior of STRAAT.

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    STRAAT

    The world’s largest street art museum.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.