Unusual places to visit in Paris

Published on : 20 September 20196 min reading time

Did you think you knew everything about our beautiful and great capital? However, there are many unusual visits and places to visit in Paris. Why not spend an extraordinary weekend and discover places you never even knew existed before? Prepare your trip and leave the crowd of the Louvre Museum and the Musée d’Orsay aside and discover atypical, secret and amusing places:

The Laundromat Bar

This unusual bar concept appeared in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s in order to circumvent the “prohibition”, the amendment prohibiting the manufacture, import, export and sale of alcohol: the merchants of the time opened hidden bars at the back of their establishments.

It was finally above a laundrette that this concept landed in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. As soon as you have pushed the entrance door of the Lavomatic Bar, which is none other than the porthole of a washing machine, you will have the opportunity to sip a delicious cocktail or soft drink on a pretty swing or sofa. The colours and atmosphere of this place will only brighten up your day and help you spend a good time with friends in a more than unusual setting.

Le Manoir de Paris: thrills guaranteed all year round

Why wait until Halloween to shiver? This 23-room haunted house opened its doors in 2011 with the aim of introducing visitors to Parisian legends in search of unusual places in Paris. This experience will allow you to spend a good time with friends, as a couple or with family, and to learn about the darkest stories of the “City of Light”; the most popular city in the world for tourists but whose secrets are still well kept.

In addition to the great Parisian legends, some thirty professional actors have joined forces at the Manoir de Paris to thrill you with the shows “Le Royal Hôtel Paradis” and “Dark Night”.

The shop without money: an unusual place in Paris

Although with the Champs-Elysées, Galleries Lafayette or the Marais district you have a wide choice of shopping options, we offer you an unusual visit to Paris: the Boutique sans argent.

Why without money? It is true that with a name like that you are entitled to ask yourself questions. It is a store where customers can bring items they no longer use and retrieve those deposited by others without spending a single cent. A little like the book boxes found in several cities in France, where everyone is free to drop off and pick up a book of interest, the Boutique sans argent keeps this concept of donation and exchange and applies it to all types of objects.

The restaurant “O’Naturel”

What if you forget your clothes for a meal? First naturist restaurant in the capital, O’Naturel offers its guests the opportunity to enjoy a completely naked meal in the heart of the 12th arrondissement.

Although the concept may seem a little disconcerting, it still adds a little spice to downtown life that normally requires us to be dressed from head to toe. Fans of naturist camps no longer have to wait until the holidays to indulge in their leisure activities: guests undress in the changing rooms created for this purpose and put on disposable slippers before sitting on their chairs covered with a removable cover. Note that beginners are welcome and are welcomed in the same way as regulars.

Hits: the centre of axe throwing

If you want to have fun or offer a completely different activity to someone close to you, the “Les cognées” centre is exactly what you need. A relaxed atmosphere and guaranteed laughter, the centre offers an extraordinary activity: axe throwing. Totally compliant and regulated, this unusual place in Paris offers you the opportunity to have fun as a couple, with friends, or even with colleagues in order to relieve stress, learn to aim or strengthen your ties around a more than surprising game.

Khánh-Anh Pagoda

It is now possible to feel like you are in Vietnam while staying in the Paris region: in the city of Evry, only a few kilometres from Paris, stands the largest Buddhist pagoda in Europe, “Khánh-Anh”. Located a few meters from the RER D “Bras de fer” station, this unusual place in Paris was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 2008 and by the Mayor of Evry in 2017. Open to the public every Sunday between 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm, you will have no choice but to fall under the spell of this pagoda when you contemplate its yellow ochre walls, its roof, its dragons and its glazed tiles shaped in China.

The Canals Pavilion

Another unusual visit to Paris; the Pavillon des Canaux reinvents the way we share a moment with friends, inform ourselves, consume or work: when you ring the bell of this two-storey house with a view of the canal de L’Ourcq, an ultra-cosy atmosphere awaits you. You can enjoy a good pancake, cocktail, salad or any other dish of your choice, in a bathtub, in a room or on a table so that you feel like at home.

And if you are one of those people who do coworking and want to change scenery from time to time, know that the Pavillon des Canaux opens its doors to you from Monday to Friday, from 10am to 12pm and from 2:30pm to 7pm, and has Wi-Fi.

This list of unusual places in Paris is only a small part of the places you could visit; the city is full of surprises and even its inhabitants are constantly discovering new ones. That’s why you should no longer hesitate to go away for a weekend or a trip to Paris. Even if you have visited Parisian museums and parks and thought you had seen everything, you should know that there are still many things to do in Paris that are really worth a visit!

Visit Chinon and its surroundings
Visit Bourges and its region

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