Due to its length, I’ve split this blog post into three parts. This is part III. For part I, click here. For part II, click here.
41 UNUSUAL THINGS TO DO IN PARIS
PART I
[1] Go on a Balloon Ride
[2] Do an Indoor Parkour / Freerunning Session
[3] Sing some Chansons
[4] Go Climbing or Bouldering at the World’s Biggest Indoor Climbing Gym
[5] Do an Absinthe Tasting Session
[6] Go inline skating with thousands of others on public roads with Pari Roller
[7] Visit the oldest English bookstore on the Continent
[8] Check out Paris’s best hot chocolate
[9] Have a bite at a traditional Paris Bouillon
[10] Keep your eyes open for the street art everywhere in town
[11] Explore the street art at a formerly illegal artist squat
[12] Into stuffed rats? (And who isn’t.) Look no further.
[13] Enjoy a stroll past the skeletal remains of 6 million dead people
[14] Run around Paris along the Ring Road
All pics (c) BerkeleySqB except where stated otherwise
PART II
[15] Stock up on delicacies at the local supermarket
[16] Have a picnic in a park or square
[17] Grab a coffee & some pastry from Carette
[18] Enjoy frog legs at Picasso’s favorite haunt
[19] Join a Paris food tour
[20] Join a Segway Tour
[21] Visit one of the last few remaining vineyards of Paris
[22] Have a selfie or couple shot taken at the vintage photo booth
[23] Visit one of the last few remaining windmills of Paris
[24] Dance in the street
[25] Dance in underground vaults
[26] Be blown away by the spectacular architecture of Fondation Louis Vuitton
[27] Have home-cooked dinner at one of the many supper clubs in town
[28] Watch people letting their miniature sailing boats cruise around a pond
[29] Celebrate the gay culture of the Marais with a penis-shaped burger
PART III
[30] Stroll along the Coulée Verte René-Dumont
[31] Go for a walk along the Petite Ceinture
[32] Go for a swim in a floating pool on the Seine
[33] Visit the grave of Antoine Augustin Parmentier, the Potato King
[34] Enjoy a glass of sparkly on the roof top of Paris’s tallest office building
[35] Take in the views from the roof top of BHV Marais
[36] Taste some French fart sausage (Andouillette)
[37] Explore the area around Canal Saint Martin
[38] Take a few snaps in the colourful Rue Crémieux
[39] Do a French baking course
[40] Wander around a Roman amphitheatre
[41] Write a poem about Paris
[30] STROLL ALONG THE COULEE VERTE RENE-DUMONT
1 Coulée Verte René-Dumont, 75012 Paris [E]
The Coulée Verte René-Dumont is a 5km long, narrow, linear public park more or less between the Opéra Bastille and the Boulevard Périphérique. It has been open to the public since 1993. However, Ellie & I only discovered it for us during our last trip. It follows the disused Vincennes railway line.
While it might not be quite as spectacular as Manhattan’s High Line, it makes for a pleasant walk or jogging route. Throughout its length it is lined with a variety of plants. Due to its elevation above the busy roads below, it is mostly surprisingly quiet.
In the area around Square Charles Péguy the Coulée Verte almost overlaps with the Petite Ceinture. See following section.
[31] GO FOR A WALK ALONG THE PETITE CEINTURE
Le Hasard Ludique, 128 av. de St Ouen, 75018 Paris [N]
The Petite Ceinture (‘Little Belt’) railway line used to go in a loop around Paris, usually vaguely near today’s Boulevard Périphérique. Built in the mid-19th Century, the railway became the first metro-like urban transport in this city. During the first half of the 20th Century, most of the tracks were abandoned.
Only a small section between Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est remained in use until the 2010s. In 2007, various projects along the disused tracks were started to turn sections of it into urban parks.
These sections are mainly in the 12th, 15th, 18th and 20th arrondissements. A good entry point is Le Hasard Ludique in the 18th arrondissement (address above). More information about accessible sections can be found here (French only, but easy to have Google translate the page and you really only need the map and the addresses of the entry points).
1st pic (c) Club N Caldes, 2nd pic (c) FranceSays
[32] GO FOR A SWIM IN A FLOATING POOL ON THE SEINE
Piscine Joséphine Baker, Quai François Mauriac, 75013 Paris [SE]
I’m a passionate (yet entirely untalented) swimmer, so when I heard about the Josephine Baker Pool, I knew I had to visit. This public swimming pool is located on a stationary barge that floats on the River Seine near Pont de Bercy. It can be fully covered with a movable roof if it is cold or it rains. Unfortunately, due to another event overrunning, I wasn’t able to visit on our last trip, but I’ll make sure this won’t happen during the next visit.
1st pic (c) Mon Centre Aquatique, 2nd pic (c) Piscine Josephine Baker
[33] VISIT THE GRAVE OF ANTOINE AUGUSTIN PARMENTIER, THE POTATO KING
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, 75020 Paris [E]
During our visits to Père-Lachaise Cemetery we hadn’t been aware of the grave of Antoine Augustin Parmentier, the Potato King, which is a shame. We are planning to cure that oversight on our next visit. The tomb stone, in Division 39 of the graveyard, is surrounded by potato plants and often covered with potatoes, which his fans place on it.
In the middle of the 18th Century, the French considered potatoes to be animal feed and wouldn’t dream of eating the tubers themselves. Parmentier, a distinguished pharmacist, saw the enormous potential of potatoes to feed the nation. His campaigns to promote potatoes led to the integration of these starchy vegetables into his fellow countrymen’s diet.
[34] ENJOY A GLASS OF SPARKLY ON THE ROOF TOP OF PARIS’S TALLEST OFFICE BUILDING
Tour Montparnasse, 33 Av. du Maine, 75015 Paris [S]
We thoroughly enjoyed the views from the top of Montparnasse Tower. Purchased online and in advance, our tickets, which included a glass of champagne, cost €30 each. We had initially been disappointed that our schedule only allowed for a visit after sunset. However, watching the light beams rotating from the top of the Eiffel Tower at nighttime was truly magical.
[35] TAKE IN THE VIEWS FROM THE ROOF TOP OF BHV MARAIS
Le BHV Marais, 52 Rue de Rivoli, 75004 Paris [Central]
The Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville department store is well-known for its great views towards the Hôtel de Ville (city hall) and the Île de la Cité with Notre Dame cathedral. When we visited, the roof top was closed, but we were able to access the balcony two stories below the roof top via the café. No complaints. The views from there were pretty decent, too.
[36] TASTE SOME FRENCH FART SAUSAGE (ANDOUILLETTE)
Andouillette is a famous French sausage, rarely seen outside the motherland. It typically consists almost entirely of the large intestine of a pig, with a little bit of pepper, wine, onions, and seasoning added. Some people call it fart sausage or smelly sausage, because, well, it smells of the stuff that moves through the intestines.
Many famous food critics are andouillette aficionados. Some of them convincingly proclaim that they plan whole journeys around locations where the fine product is served.
I had my first taste of andouillette at Bistrot des Vosges in the Marais District. When it arrived at Ellie’s and my table, the smell of faeces was noticeable, but not very strong. It took me a little while to get myself to cut off a bite-sized chunk and deliver it into my mouth. The taste and texture were very pleasant. Full of meaty flavours, and not chewy, as I had expected, but the almost creamy filling seemed to melt on my tongue, while the skin was nice and crispy.
I’ll be frank: despite extensively flossing and brushing my teeth immediately afterwards, using tooth paste, mouth wash and chewing gum, and despite blowing my nose several times, a very mild smell continued to attack my nostrils for the next 36 hours. At least my wife told me, she couldn’t detect any of it. Important tip: make sure that your sausage is ‘5A certified’ for outstanding quality.
1st pic (c) Vedettes du Pont Neuf, 2nd pic (c) Barbaud
[37] EXPLORE THE AREA AROUND CANAL SAINT-MARTIN
Central/northeast
Until a few years ago, the Canal Saint-Martin neighbourhood of Paris, which is northeast of the Marais along, you guessed it, the Canal Saint-Martin, mainly attracted students, backpackers, and anyone else with a small budget. Groups of friends used to bring beer or wine, and a bit of food with them. They sat down on the grass or the park benches along the canal to spend a relaxing evening.
Nowadays, a lot of the more affluent hipsters from the Marais District and other chic and fashionable folk fill the trendy bars and restaurants that have recently sprung up everywhere in the area. The main area of interest is roughly between Rue Oberkampf and Parc de Valmy. More often than not, the best places can be found in the streets leading away from the canal on both sides. Or even in streets running parallel to the canal, one block away from it.
[38] TAKE A FEW SNAPS IN THE COLOURFUL RUE CREMIEUX
1 Rue Crémieux, 75012 Paris [SE]
The colourful houses along the short Rue Crémieux have been compared with Portobello Road in London and are very insta-friendly.
[39] DO A FRENCH BAKING COURSE
Pretty much before every Paris trip, Ellie & I started to look into local French baking courses, but nothing ever fit into our diary. So we ended up doing a French baking course at Borough Market in London with Bread Ahead. It was great fun and we learned so much.
Pics above from London French baking course
However, a Paris baking course is still on our list. We currently have the following course providers on our radar: Pâtisserie à la Carte (Montmartre, croissant baking course, 3h, £90), and Maison Fleuret (kitchen located near Place des Vosges, Marais, croissant baking course, 2h30m, £140).
[40] WANDER AROUND A ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE
Arènes de Lutèce, 4 rue des Arènes, 75005 Paris [S]
Besides the near-by Thermes de Cluny, the Arenas of Lutetia (the original Roman name for Paris, replaced by Parisius in the 3rd Century AD) are the most important Roman ruins in Central Paris. Built in the 1st century AD, this amphitheatre had space for 15,000 people. Besides thespians, this place witnessed proper gladiator fights.
[41] WRITE A POEM ABOUT PARIS
Naturally, everyone who comes to the City of Love, should write a love poem about it. You can read mine here. While I was at it, I also wrote a cheese poem.
