A Parisian boutique devoted to la Sape, the elegant Congolese fashion subculture rooted in European colonization.

What looks like a normal building is really a hollow facade hiding a subway vent.

The industrial architecture honors the laborers who brought the Exposition Universelle of 1900 to life.

Stripes of human ashes cover a back lawn in the most sought-after burial grounds in Paris.

Collection of antique taxidermy and natural specimens, near one of Paris's oldest flea markets.

Dedicated to the history and culture of smoking, this small museum now includes a vape lounge.

Ordinary art transforms to extraordinary thanks to locals' quirky sense of humor.

A 400-year-old church covered floor to ceiling in ex-voto offerings from the faithful.

With a history of slaughter, feast, and famine, remnants of the pork industry decorate this area--even its church.

The historic Masonic Lodge in which the first-ever female Mason was initiated.

A French artist's vague warning hangs over Belleville.

The remaining relics of the patroness of Paris lie in a chapel under a striking double spiral staircase.

An iconic and eccentric bar for "Manouche" Jazz music keeps expanding its space—and its influence.

This bridge was constructed from the rubble of the infamous Bastille.

A magical, macabre wax museum, beloved by locals, uses real artifacts to depict an assassination from the French Revolution.

The Argonaute submarine was the French navy's pride and joy in the 1950's.

An odd museum dedicated to French fakes.

An off-the-beaten-path boutique stuffed with an eclectic collection of upcycled goods.

The personal library of the founder of modern neurology is open to visitors.

An unusual number plate signifies the building's saucy past.

The oldest and smallest cemetery in Paris is only open to the public twice a year.

The Sun King's military models, saved from the Louvre.

A 16th-century fountain marks the site of a lost medieval cemetery once filled with mass graves.

The spiral staircase hidden inside this giant Parisian column was likely built for Catherine de Medici's astrologer.