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Hidden Gems Paris: 20 Secret Spots Only Locals Know
Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world — and yet, just a few steps away from the tourist crowds, an entirely different Paris awaits. A Paris of secret gardens and hidden courtyards, of forgotten passages and neighbourhood bistros where no one speaks English, of rooftop terraces and underground rivers and medieval streets that time seems to have forgotten. This is the Paris that Parisians love — and this guide will show you how to find it..
2. Square des Batignolles — The Secret English Garden
Tucked away in the largely tourist-free 17th arrondissement, the Square des Batignolles is one of Paris's most charming hidden parks. Designed in the English romantic style with a winding stream, weeping willows, and a small lake with ducks and swans, it feels like a secret countryside retreat in the heart of the city. On weekday mornings it is almost entirely empty — a miraculous peace just minutes from the busy Place de Clichy.
How to get there: Metro Line 13 — Brochant or La Fourche station
3. Arènes de Lutèce — A Hidden Roman Amphitheatre
Hidden behind an apartment building in the 5th arrondissement, the Arènes de Lutèce are the remarkably well-preserved remains of a Roman amphitheatre dating from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Once capable of seating 15,000 spectators for gladiatorial contests and theatrical performances, the arena was rediscovered in 1869 during construction work and restored to its current state. Today, Parisian men play pétanque in the arena while children play on the ancient stone steps — one of the most surreal and wonderful sights in Paris.
How to get there: Metro Line 10 — Cardinal Lemoine or Jussieu station
4. Jardin des Plantes — Paris's Oldest Botanical Garden
Founded in 1626 as the royal medicinal herb garden, the Jardin des Plantes in the 5th arrondissement is one of the oldest and most beautiful gardens in Paris — and one of the least visited by tourists. Its 28 hectares contain rose gardens, an alpine garden, a winter garden, and some of the oldest trees in Paris, including a Robinia tree planted in 1636 that is still alive today. The garden also houses the Natural History Museum and a small zoo — the oldest public zoo in the world.
How to get there: Metro Line 5 or RER C — Gare d'Austerlitz station
5. Parc de Bagatelle — The Rose Garden Paradise
Hidden within the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement, the Parc de Bagatelle is one of the most romantic spots in all of Paris. Its world-famous rose garden contains over 10,000 roses of 1,200 different varieties, at their most magnificent in June when the International Rose Competition takes place. The park also features a neoclassical folly, an iris garden, and peacocks roaming freely among the flower beds.
How to get there: Bus 43 from Porte Maillot
Hidden Architecture and Secret Streets
6. Rue Crémieux — The Most Colourful Street in Paris
Just a few minutes walk from the Gare de Lyon, Rue Crémieux is one of Paris's best-kept secrets — a narrow pedestrian street lined with small houses painted in vivid shades of pink, yellow, blue, and green. Built in the 19th century as a workers' housing street, it has become one of the most photographed spots in Paris — yet remarkably few tourists know it exists. Visit early morning on a weekday for the best photos without crowds.
How to get there: Metro Lines 1 and 14 — Gare de Lyon station
7. Passage des Panoramas — The Oldest Covered Passage
Paris once had over 150 covered passages — elegant glass-roofed shopping arcades that were the shopping malls of the 19th century. Today fewer than 20 survive, and the most historic is the Passage des Panoramas in the 2nd arrondissement, opened in 1799. With its original gas lighting fixtures, vintage stamp dealers, old-fashioned restaurants, and antique shops, it feels like stepping directly into the 19th century. Look for the extraordinary collection of antique theatre posters lining the walls.
How to get there: Metro Lines 8 and 9 — Grands Boulevards station
8. Palais Royal Gardens — The Secret Heart of Paris
Just steps from the Louvre, the Palais Royal and its gardens are one of Paris's most beautiful and least visited treasures. The elegant arcaded galleries surrounding the garden house some of the most interesting and eccentric shops in Paris — antique toy soldiers, rare coins, vintage fashion, and the famous restaurant Le Grand Véfour, one of the oldest in Paris. In the courtyard, Daniel Buren's controversial black and white striped columns have become a beloved Parisian landmark.
How to get there: Metro Line 1 — Palais Royal — Musée du Louvre station
9. Villa Montmorency — Paris's Most Secret Private Estate
Hidden behind high walls in the 16th arrondissement, the Villa Montmorency is a private estate of elegant villas set in their own gardens — an extraordinary enclave of English-style countryside within the city. Famous former residents include the writer André Gide and the actress Catherine Deneuve. The estate is private and not open to the public, but walking around its perimeter walls gives a fascinating glimpse of the hidden Paris that exists behind closed gates.
How to get there: Metro Line 9 — La Muette station
10. Square du Vert-Galant — The Secret Garden of the Île de la Cité
At the very western tip of the Île de la Cité — the island at the heart of Paris where Notre-Dame stands — a small staircase descends from the Pont Neuf to the Square du Vert-Galant, a hidden garden at water level. Surrounded by the Seine on three sides, this peaceful triangular garden offers some of the most beautiful views of the river in Paris — the towers of Notre-Dame in one direction, the Pont des Arts in the other. It is one of the most romantic spots in the entire city, and almost no tourists know it exists.
How to get there: Metro Lines 7 — Pont Neuf station
11. The Wall of Philippe Auguste — Medieval Paris Revealed
Hidden in courtyards and car parks across the 3rd and 4th arrondissements, fragments of the original medieval wall built by King Philippe Auguste between 1190 and 1215 can still be found — if you know where to look. The most impressive section is visible in the car park of the BNF library on Rue des Jardins Saint-Paul in the 4th arrondissement, where a 68-metre stretch of the original 13th century wall stands remarkably intact. This is medieval Paris, hiding in plain sight.
How to get there: Metro Line 7 — Pont Marie station
12. La Petite Ceinture — The Abandoned Railway
Encircling Paris like a forgotten crown, La Petite Ceinture is a 32-kilometre abandoned railway line that once connected all of Paris's major train stations. Closed to passengers in 1934, the line was left to be reclaimed by nature — and today it has become one of Paris's most extraordinary urban wildernesses, a green corridor of wildflowers, foxes, and birdsong running through the heart of the city. Several sections have been opened to the public as urban nature walks, particularly in the 15th and 16th arrondissements.
How to get there: Various access points around the périphérique
13. Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature — The Most Eccentric Museum in Paris
Hidden in a beautiful 17th century mansion in the Marais, the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature is one of the strangest and most wonderful museums in Paris. Its rooms mix antique hunting trophies, contemporary art installations, and natural history specimens in a deliberately disorienting way — a stuffed polar bear stands in one room, a video installation in another, antique firearms next to contemporary paintings. It is unlike any other museum in the world, and almost always uncrowded.
How to get there: Metro Line 11 — Rambuteau station
14. The Catacombs Quarries — Below the Hidden Paris
Most visitors to Paris know about the official Catacombs in the 14th arrondissement — the ossuary containing the bones of six million Parisians. Far fewer know that beneath the entire city lies a network of 300 kilometres of former limestone quarries, the raw material from which Paris was built. While the official Catacombs can be visited legally, urban explorers have long known about the illegal sections of the underground network — a subterranean world of forgotten history that stretches beneath every street and monument in the city.
How to get there: Metro Line 6 — Denfert-Rochereau station (official Catacombs entrance)
Hidden Viewpoints and Rooftop Secrets
Hidden Viewpoints and Rooftop Secrets
15. Sacré-Cœur's Hidden Dome — The Highest Point in Paris
Every tourist climbs the steps to the Sacré-Cœur esplanade for the panoramic view over Paris. Far fewer take the additional staircase that leads up inside the dome of the basilica itself — yet this is the highest publicly accessible point in Paris, offering a 360-degree panorama that surpasses even the Eiffel Tower. The climb is steep and the space is tight, but the view is breathtaking.
How to get there: Metro Line 12 — Abbesses station, then funicular
16. Galeries Lafayette Rooftop — The Free Secret Terrace
The famous Galeries Lafayette department store on the Boulevard Haussmann is visited by millions of tourists who admire the magnificent Art Nouveau glass dome from below — but almost none take the elevator to the rooftop terrace, which is completely free and offers one of the most spectacular views of Paris available anywhere. The Opéra Garnier, Sacré-Cœur, the Eiffel Tower, and the rooftops of Haussmannian Paris stretch out in every direction.
How to get there: Metro Lines 3 and 9 — Havre-Caumartin station
17. Butte Bergeyre — The Secret Village Above Paris
Perched on a small hill in the 19th arrondissement between the Buttes-Chaumont park and the Belleville neighbourhood, the Butte Bergeyre is one of Paris's most extraordinary hidden villages — a cluster of charming streets and private houses with gardens that feels completely unlike the rest of the city. The views from the top of the hill over the rooftops of northeastern Paris and towards Sacré-Cœur are spectacular, and the neighbourhood's small vineyard — one of only a handful within Paris — produces a small quantity of wine each year.
How to get there: Metro Lines 7bis — Buttes-Chaumont station
Hidden Food and Drink
18. Marché d'Aligre — The Most Authentic Market in Paris
While tourists queue at the Marché des Enfants Rouges or wander through the Marché Bastille, Parisians in the know shop at the Marché d'Aligre in the 12th arrondissement — the most authentic and affordable outdoor market in Paris. Open every morning except Monday, the market combines a covered hall selling cheese, charcuterie, and wine with an outdoor flea market selling antiques, vintage clothing, and bric-a-brac, surrounded by stalls of fruit, vegetables, and flowers at prices far lower than anywhere else in central Paris.
How to get there: Metro Line 8 — Ledru-Rollin station
19. Le Train Bleu — The Most Beautiful Restaurant in Paris
Hidden inside the Gare de Lyon, Le Train Bleu is one of the most spectacular dining rooms in the world — a magnificent Belle Époque brasserie with soaring painted ceilings, gilded chandeliers, and plush red velvet banquettes. Classified as a historic monument, it has been serving travellers since 1901 and counts Coco Chanel, Salvador Dalí, and Brigitte Bardot among its former regulars. Most Parisians have never been — it is the best-kept secret hiding in plain sight.
How to get there: Metro Lines 1 and 14 — Gare de Lyon station
20. Cave des Abbesses — The Neighbourhood Wine Bar
In the bohemian Montmartre neighbourhood, Cave des Abbesses is the kind of neighbourhood wine bar that visitors dream of finding in Paris — and almost never do. A tiny, unpretentious cave à vins where the owner knows every bottle and every customer, it offers exceptional natural wines at reasonable prices in an atmosphere of genuine Parisian conviviality. There is no English menu, no tourist prices, and no compromises — just excellent wine and real Parisian warmth.
How to get there: Metro Line 12 — Abbesses station