149 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.

Laetitia Barbier

Added by Laetitia Barbier

Père Lachaise Cemetery

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

Added by meelar

59 Rivoli

Notorious artist squat renovated into legal studios.

Allison

Added by Allison

Petite Ceinture

Abandoned railway line circling the city of Paris.

Allison

Added by Allison

House of Nicolas Flamel

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

Allison

Added by Allison

Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France)

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

Added by cinapelayo

Shakespeare and Company

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

Madiha Bataineh

Added by Madiha Bataineh

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Unique
Food & Drink
in Paris

Aligot

Gastro Obscura

Aligot

These extra-cheesy potatoes resemble decadent fondue.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Floating Island

Gastro Obscura

Floating Island

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

Gastro Obscura

Anne Ewbank

Added by Anne Ewbank

Croquembouche

Gastro Obscura

Croquembouche

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

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Financiers

Gastro Obscura

Financiers

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

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

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Stories
About Paris

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

Painting by Louis Béroud depicting copyists in the Louvre.

Why 19th-Century Paris Had a Museum Full of Copies

Innovation and originality weren't yet in vogue.

You looking' at me?

The Mona Lisa's Eyes Are Not Following You Around the Room

Maybe the “Mona Lisa effect” needs a new name.

by Evan Nicole Brown

January 08, 2019

The spiral staircase, waiting for its next home.

For Sale: 24 Steps From the Eiffel Tower's Spiral Staircases

Panoramic view of Paris not guaranteed.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

November 13, 2018

A charnel house at the Saints Innocents Cemetery, Paris.

In 1590, Starving Parisians Ground Human Bones Into Bread

During a siege, desperation drove people to disinter skeletons from cemeteries.

by Emily Monaco

October 29, 2018

Clean-shaven Parisian waiters.

The Great French Mustache Strike of 1907

Parisian waiters had to fight for the right to manly whiskers.

by Matthew Taub

October 05, 2018

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