6 Local Spots in Paris Tourists Don't Know About
6 landmarks with verified facts and stories
Canal Saint-Martin
Quai de Jemmapes, 75010 Paris
Napoleon ordered this canal built in 1802 to bring fresh drinking water to a Paris ravaged by cholera and dysentery.
Le Marais
Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 75004 Paris
The Marais means "the swamp," and that's exactly what it was until the Knights Templar drained it in the 13th century.
Luxembourg Gardens
Rue de Médicis, 6th Arr., Paris, 75006, France
Marie de' Medici was homesick.
Montmartre & Place du Tertre
Place du Tertre, 18th Arr., Paris, 75018, France
Before it was a tourist magnet full of portrait artists and crêpe stands, Montmartre was the beating heart of modern art.
Rue Cler Market Street
Rue Cler, 7th Arr., Paris, 75007, France
Rick Steves calls this the best market street in Paris, and he's not wrong.
Shakespeare and Company
37 Rue de la Bûcherie, 5th Arr., Paris, 75005, France
This tiny English-language bookshop across from Notre-Dame is arguably the most famous independent bookstore on the planet.
Explore local life in Paris
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.