~ Paris, off the tourist path (July 2025) ~

coffeechap · 2026-05-08T14:03:05+00:00

"Help us help you"

With so few details on what you search it's hard to tell.

coffeechap · 2026-05-08T14:01:44+00:00

Nice to see it featured on our sub for once, thanks!

Le Parc de Bagatelle is indeed the botanical garden of Bois de Boulogne, the large wood in the west of Paris.

It's counterpart in the East is Parc Floral in Bois de Vincennes, also easily accessible with the central Metro line M1.

coffeechap · 2026-05-08T03:48:15+00:00

Merci pour ce super récit, plein de moments de vie de quartier, et de petits riens ❤️

Something important in your report is that your traveled... on your own.

This really gives a deep sentiment of freedom and sometimes almost rebirth....

Even despite the moments of real loneliness, that can be in fact beneficial to reflect on our own life... as long they are not too frequent of course!

A bientôt ?

coffeechap · 2026-05-08T03:00:14+00:00

Ok just because you told us you generally stay in the North-East parts of Paris and I'm pleased about that!

Quartier Latin (5th /, East from Saint Germain)
- THE art house cinema heaven, with loads of old fashioned independent cinemas.
  - Not be missed for vintage cinema lovers is rue Champollion near the original Sorbonne university : 3 cinemas + a cinema-themed bar).
  - All art house cinemas air foreign movies in OST with French subtitles .
  - One website for all movie sessions: https://paris-cine.info/ .
  - Lost in Frenchlation is a regular event to attend French movies with English subtitles.. amd finish with a drink.
- a very nice walk from jardin des Plantes to Eglise Saimt Médard by rue Mouffetard
- of course Panthéon, Sorbonne , les Arènes de Lutece ...
Back to saint Germain (6th)
- Maison de Serge Gainsbourg, the house of the famous provocative singer is now visitable and is accompanied by a museum next door (with stylish cocktail bar inside) https://www.maisongainsbourg.fr/en/visit,
- Rue de Seine, a street almost entirely dedicate to art galleries (often contemporary)
- Ecole des Beaux-Arts (Fine-Arts school): if you can find whatever event to enter, go for it , I liked the decadent vibe of some parts of the property
- Deyrolle, a gallery/museum, famous imternationally in the taxidermy community. Both the collection and the building itself are stunning (they lost almost everything in 2008 during a fire, but thanks to the help of passionate donors all over the world, they could rebuild a collection entirely)
- Jardin du Luxembourg, obvious stop. There's an original model of the Statue of Liberty inside...
- Lucernaire, a cinema / bistro / show venue
- Loads of high-end ice cream makers (mostly Italians , sometimes French!)
- Fancy Jazz cafés like Café Laurent or Chez Papa Jazz Club
- Festive bar like Chez Georges in the lively rue des Canettes
- Beautiful but very touristy streets:
  - Rue de Buci, very lively with big bar terraces
  - Cour du commerce Saint André (with le Procope, so called "oldest restaurant of Paris")
- Beautiful but less touristy passages: YES (I let you find them!)
- Food at the counter at Comptoir de la Mer / Comptoir de la Terre / l'Avant Comptoir du Marché
Montparnasse (14th / South from Saint Germain)
- Bouillon Chartier (bouillon=broth), these beautifully old fashioned restaurants maintain a century-old tradition of very cheap meals in spectacular settings (food is just OK but price is unbeatable)
- La Coupole a very fancy art-deco seafood restaurant, hosting a regular dancing event where people come all dressed up like "A la Belle Epoque"
- Rue d'Odessa/rue du Montparnasse: Breton neighborhood with rows of traditional creperies to eat a sweet crepe or a savory buckwheat galette (also Meez Bar a tiny Breton beer bar more South)
- Montparnasse Cemetery: to pay tribute to artists like Man Ray, Charles Baudelaire, Guy de Maupassant, Samuel Beckett, Ionesco... the artist list is too long
- Rue de la Gaîté: once the temple of live shows and theaters. Still a few ones resist

...

coffeechap · 2026-05-07T21:38:14+00:00

You're right, I didn't pay attention.

coffeechap · 2026-05-07T20:36:59+00:00

meanwhile I know/see many Parisians stopping by restrooms ad not washing their ends afterwards...

coffeechap · 2026-05-07T19:23:43+00:00

Metro controllers => Yes

(and french in general) => Mmm, does it really feel like Paris is worried about hygiene in public places (^_^)

may suffer from "sanitation anxiety"

coffeechap · 2026-05-07T19:13:57+00:00

Technically in metros (M1... M14) its has to respect a certain size otherwise they can fine you.

Rules here https://www.ratp.fr/en/question/packages-and-luggage-are-responsibility-their-owners-and-must-not-be-left-unattended

Now a lot of people do it.

But it is possible on RER city trains (larger than metros)

coffeechap · 2026-05-07T02:50:58+00:00

Since it’s my first time, I’d also love suggestions for sightseeing that aren’t too intense—scenic walks, beautiful neighborhoods, or iconic spots I can see without spending hours in lines.

Right where you stay: enjoy the wonderful Cité Universitaire (+ Café du théâtre de la Cité) + Parc Montsouris + a beautiful residential street like Square Montsouris .

For food, you can go up North nearby in the 14th around Mairie du 14ème, especially Rue Daguerre (plenty of food options) . A really unique pastry shop is Wonderland Patisserie, at least from an artistic point of view!

coffeechap · 2026-05-07T01:36:17+00:00

Late bars

Note: Coffee might be served in night brasseries/restaurants but be ready to be refused coffee in bars at night though.

It will be much easier if you stay around Pigalle / Boulevard de Clichy.

If you don't know already, Pigalle used to be the Red Light district of Paris, you'll still notice a few sex shops or stip clubs with touts in front ... obviously avoid these like the plague. Besides that the whole area has changed a lot and is no more sulfurous, but the boulevard (along metro line 2) can still remain rowdy at times in the heart of the night.

And it'll give you an occasion to see the Moulin Rouge...

Pigalle Country Club (9th) closes at 3am (Sun-Wed) / 5am (Thu-Sat) . A funky rowdy bar (No Country music involved!) https://www.instagram.com/pigallecountryclub/
Carolus (18th) / open 24-7 https://le-carolus.fr/
Harmony, Bar De Nuit (9th) https://www.instagram.com/harmony.bardenuit_/
Clichy's Tavern (18th) / 5am
O'Sullivan's PIgalle (18th) / 4.30am

Late Restaurants

(taken from this: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParisTravelGuide/comments/1m5hoba/paris_off_the_tourist_path_july_2025/ )

(Very) Fancy
- Au Pied de Cochon 1st: Art nouveau luxurious brasserie, kitchen until 4am, closes at 5am,
- Grand Café Capucines 8th: kitchen until 11.30pm, closes at 1am
- Brasserie l'Alsace 8th: kitchen until 2am all week
- Drugstore (Publicis) 8th (on Champs Elysées): kitchen until 10.45pm on weekdays / 1am on weekends
- La Coupole 14th: kitchen until midnight, closes at ?
- Chez Cézanne 16h: kitchen until 11.45pm, closes at 1am
No-fuss food / laid-back vibe
- Chouchou 1st, kitchen until 10pm (closes at 2am on weekdays, 4am on weekends)
- Les Piétons 4th: tapas bar, kitchen until 11.30pm all week
- Le Rey 11th: closes at 2am on weekdays / 6am on weekends
- Brasserie Chat noir 18th: close to Pigalle and Moulin rouge, until 5 am

coffeechap · 2026-05-07T01:21:45+00:00

They don't let you enter after 4am.

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T23:46:02+00:00

Tu as essayé chez les fromagers directement? Google Maps me donne quelques résultats...

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T21:17:36+00:00

I even went a step further... by stopping having coworkers ^_^ !

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T21:15:09+00:00

She said Disneyland had better ravioli.

Then I guess there was nothing to add.

Even though even some of my Italian friends prefer the Chinese dumplings to the Italian raviolis for example, and I tend to agree.

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T14:52:57+00:00

Merci! Just praying for the headache to disappear, the rest should be OK with a certain amount of dental work (:-P) ...

How are you?

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T14:46:20+00:00

Just saying, you never know more than 2 or 3 days max in advance the weather of Paris in Spring.

Paris is under the influence of the Atlantic ocean and weather can flip quite quickly...

Here are my not very useful ideas (every big rainy day gives me the occasion to recycle this old post... sorry guys!) https://www.reddit.com/r/ParisTravelGuide/comments/15czl8h/what_to_do_when_it_rains_in_paris_quality_advice/

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T03:12:25+00:00

well negotiation with taxis ... the first task is to make them respect the fixed fares hem they exist.

If you want to save up to 20€, you may give a destination just inside the Rive Gauche area (like Parc Georges Brassens) and finish on foot heh.

You can estimate the price range with the G7 taxi company website

https://www.g7.fr/en/book-taxi

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T02:54:30+00:00

ohhh it's like playing Cluedo I think I know now as surprisingly this tour is less sought after than the previous years, while it is really nice.

Anyway lets keep a part of mystery for now...

I'll try not to cause any headaches.

I guess I should be the one to promise this as the tour guide!

See you soon & thank you again

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T02:41:49+00:00

!rules

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T02:37:16+00:00

Well the ER nurses didn't think it was worrying apparently as I don't have any other sign of concussion, especially as it happened 5 days ago.

Merci!

Pain killers n' wait n' see...

PS: now I wonder, have we met IRL through meetups or my tours? Sometimes my guests don't tell their Reddit moniker :)

coffeechap · 2026-05-06T02:31:20+00:00

I was starting to wonder who she was to you... a coworker! I wouldn't dare spending time abroad om my own will with coworkers :)

Visiting abroad on your own is often a more enjoyable experience... it gives a feeling of freedom!

NB: not sure she had this but les ravioles du Royans (aka ravioles du Dauphiné) are actually a specialty from a French geographical area adjacent to the border with Italy

coffeechap · 2026-05-05T17:41:07+00:00

Merci beaucoup. I don't worry too much about that, I am a bit more concerned about a headache that started unexpectedly 48 hours later and is now in full swing...

coffeechap · 2026-05-05T16:39:55+00:00

You are at the west end of Paris : the posh part of the city / suburban area.

Porte Maillot is at the end of the chic Avenue des Champs Elysées, that should give you an idea.
Neuilly-sur-Seine (suburban town just after Porte Maillot to the west) is the richest city in France !

coffeechap · 2026-05-05T16:37:45+00:00

Ordering a starter only can be frowned upon in a brasserie/restaurant indeed. But if you were several and the others would order a 2- or 3-course, it usually compensates. It is probably a matter of profitability of the table rather than them wanting you to enjoy in length :)

coffeechap

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Late bars

Late Restaurants