159 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Paris - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Paris

Catacombes de Paris

The Catacombs hold secrets much stranger than the bones stacked within them.

Museum of Vampires and Legendary Creatures

The macabre collection of Jacques Sirgent, an expert scholar on the undead and all of their trappings.

Père Lachaise Cemetery

France's most famous cemetery, with some of its most curious tombs.

Petite Ceinture

Abandoned railway line circling the city of Paris.

59 Rivoli

Notorious artist squat renovated into legal studios.

Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France)

This massive library holds what was once largest book collection in the world.

House of Nicolas Flamel

The oldest stone house in Paris was built by its most famous alchemist.

Shakespeare and Company

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.

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Unique Food & Drink in Paris

Aligot

These extra-cheesy potatoes resemble decadent fondue.

Floating Island

The 17th-century dessert plants an isle of meringue in a sea of custard.

Croquembouche

This French wedding cake is a caramel-wrapped tower of pastry balls.

Financiers

These almond cakes resembling gold ingots were sold near the Paris stock exchange.

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Atlas Obscura Trips

City of Blooms: Floriculture in Paris

Join Atlas Obscura and Tastemade for a journey through the botanical side of Paris, from hidden flower farms to one of France's oldest fragrance houses.

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Stories About Paris

The organ at Notre Dame was spared direct damage from the fire and ceiling collapse, but needs to be cleaned and restored.

Understanding the Majesty and Complexity of Great Organs

Notre Dame's famed instrument is being dismantled and restored following the 2019 fire.

September 3, 2020

James Baldwin worked on his first novel in Paris, and he ultimately spent decades living in France.

The Hidden Histories of Black Americans in Paris

Follow in the footsteps of James Baldwin, Josephine Baker, and Langston Hughes.

by Karen Chernick

August 21, 2020

Reels of nitrate films from the Cinémathèque Française, stored in a fort in Yvelines, France.

Exploring the Haphazard Archive of a Paris Film Legend

Henri Langlois rescued thousands of rare reels, but was "famously bad" at caring for them.

January 13, 2020

What could go wrong?

The 19th-Century French Frenzy for Species Swapping, in a Single Chart

Quaggas, ibises, and tapirs, oh my!

by Jessica Leigh Hester

October 17, 2019

A policewoman guards the railway car memorial at Drancy in 2005, after an attempt to burn it.

The Dark Past and Unsettled Present of a Paris Housing Project

“Drancy is like the French bad conscience.”

by Elizabeth Svoboda

August 30, 2019

A rendering of the Palais Garnier shows what the opera house will look like when it's ensconced in a grove.

Why the City of Light Is About to Get a Lot Greener

Paris’s ambitious “urban forest” plan includes tree-planting near iconic landmarks.

by Evan Nicole Brown

The head of the Statue of Liberty at the 1878 International Exposition in Paris.

The Statue of Liberty Was Well Traveled Before She Reached Her Final Home

Parisians called her the “Lady of the Park,” and then said, "Au revoir."

Thanks to photography, the public suddenly had intimate access to private quarters.

The Intimacy of Crime Scene Photos in Belle Epoque Paris

Pioneering criminologist Alphonse Bertillon turned everyone into voyeurs.

by Stephanie Gorton

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