154 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.

59 Rivoli

Notorious artist squat renovated into legal studios.

Petite Ceinture

Abandoned railway line circling the city of Paris.

House of Nicolas Flamel

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

Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France)

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

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.

See all 5 things to eat in Paris See all 5 things to eat in Paris

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Stories
About Paris

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

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 8, 2019

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