Ten of the most unexpected things you’ll find in Paris
Who wants to be predictable? Check out these odd Paris sights and you’ll earn yourself some entertaining bragging rights.
The Statue of Liberty
Credit: iStock
Ile aux Cygnes in the Seine River provides the most peculiar “What the?” moment in Paris with its quarter-sized replica of the Statue of Liberty at its western end. The original was a gift to the US from France, and this is one of the working models. There are several others in Paris, including in Musee d’Orsay and Musee des Arts et Metiers. See parisinfo.com
Sewers
Credit: Alamy
If you want to get real in the City of Love, clamber beneath road level to see the sewage tunnels, industrial machinery, communications cables and plumbing that make the city tick. The Paris Museum of Sewers, reopened in 2021 after a major revamp, offers free guided tours that explain the workings of this netherworld. Don’t forget a clothes peg for your nose. See musee-egouts.paris.fr
Beaches
The public beach on the banks of the River Seine.Credit: iStock
Yes, you can sunbathe and build sandcastles right in downtown Paris with views over Notre Dame. The three-kilometre sands of Paris Plage appear along the Seine every summer, complete with potted palms, deckchairs and cooling waterspouts. You can play boules, borrow books, and have massages and dance lessons. To make it more disorienting, each year’s beach is themed on destinations such as French Polynesia or Florida. See parisinfo.com
Saint Vincent de Paul
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Yes really, good old Vinnie himself. If you ever wondered what he looked like, this is your chance. His disturbingly realistic wax effigy is dressed in fetching 17th-century vestments and propped on a golden pillow, and lies in a see-through coffin with ornate baroque trimmings. The saint’s real bones are concealed inside the wax. The nave of the Lazarist Chapel recounts his life story. See cmission.fr
I love you wall
The “I Love You” Wall in Monmartre’s Square Jehan Rictus, in Montmartre.Credit: iStock
Paris and romance go together like croissants and butter, and here’s another place to declare eternal love. Square Jehan-Rictus Square, or Place des Abbesses, Montmartre, has a wall covered in dark-blue enamel tiles with the phrase “I love you” written on them in 250 languages, including Inuit, Navajo and Bambara (spoken in Mali). The wall’s red splashes are deliberate: they belong to a broken heart. See lesjetaime.com
Catacombs
The Catacombs of Paris hold the remains of more than six million people.Credit: Alamy
In the late 18th century, the cemeteries of Paris were getting overcrowded, and six million inmates were moved into the limestone tunnels of former quarries 20 metres below the 14th arrondissement, creating Denfert-Rochereau Ossuary. Skulls and bones are stacked like firewood, arranged into patterns or piled in corners. The catacombs are curiously endearing rather than ghoulish. Guided tours take an hour and involve plenty of steps. See catacombes.paris.fr
Vineyards
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Paris has several vineyards, the largest and best-known Clos Montmartre, which produces a mere 1500 bottles annually. But you’ll find the most picturesque in tiny district Butte Bergeyre, which is a surprisingly rustic hill with a few cobbled streets and vine terraces and a handful of arty homes. Early October is your only chance to try the wine during the vineyard’s miniature weekend harvest festival. See parisinfo.com
A bronze crotch
The tomb of Victor Noir.Credit: iStock
Pere Lachaise Cemetery is notable for the tombs of Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison, but don’t miss the tomb of journalist Victor Noir, shot dead in 1870. His effigy lies atop the grave and his crotch and lips get all the attention from women who believe rubbing them increases their fertility. Both parts are rubbed shiny orange against green oxidised bronze. Bizarre. See parisinfo.com
Dinner In The Dark
This isn’t exactly a sight, since Dans Le Noir (“in the dark”) restaurant leaves you in the pitch black and wondering what fellow diners are up to. Food is served by visually impaired waiters, and you feel and sniff through your meal. Hint: using cutlery is well-nigh impossible, so dig in with your fingers. And don’t wear designer duds, since it gets a bit messy. See danslenoir.com
A canal
Credit: Alamy
Canal St Martin in the 10th arrondissement looks like it ought to be in Amsterdam. Though overlooked by tourists, the trendy neighbourhood is a favourite among Parisians for its small restaurants, quirky bars and many cafes. The 19th-century canal runs 4.6 kilometres to the Seine River. Walk the promenades, take a barge trip, investigate street art and Amelie film locations, and come in autumn for the splendid trees. See parisinfo.com
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