Has I lived 5 years in Paris from 2010 to 2015, I’m happy to share with you my top not-touristy places to see in Paris. With recommendation of restaurants, walks and shopping ! Let’s get started ?!
BIBLIOTHÈQUE FRANÇOIS MITTERRAND, PARC DE BERCY AND COURS SAINT-EMILION
I was lucky to live three years at Place d’Italie. 13e arrondissement was my everyday life neighborhood. I took habits for going out with friends, shopping, dinning outside and have fun in the park on summer time. I definitely left Paris in 2014 and return only occasionally to see my friends. Some places have changed, others are new. Here I show you my favorite walking along La Seine.
Long Walking: Exit at Gare d’Austerlitz Subway Line 5, 10 or RER C. Walk along La Seine to Bibliothèque François Mitterrand via Les Docks (City of Fashion and Design).
Short walk: Exit at Quai de la Gare Subway Line 6. Go to Bibliothèque François Mitterrand and MK2 Bibliothèque. Stroll around the architecture of Dominique Perrault inaugurated in 1996. Go shopping around subway station Bibliothèque François Mitterrand Line 14 or RER C.
Memory of my snowiest winter in 2012
Walk to the banks of La Seine. You can even go for a swim at Joséphine Baker’s pool standing on a barge. Take Simone de Beauvoir footbridge and join Cours Saint-Émilion through Le Parc de Bercy.
Bercy Park
Former warehouses, Bercy Village owes its name from the wines of Saint-Emilion. Reassigned in shopping center in 1997, you can find bistros, restaurants, fast food, shops and an UGC cinema with special prices for young people under 26 years.
Cours Saint-Émilion
MY BEST BERCY VILLAGE EATING PLACES
PARIS 13 : STREET ART PARADISE
Even before I start living at Place d’Italie in 2012 we could already see the beginning of street art around Le Boulevard Vincent Auriol. In 2013, La Tour Paris 13 inaugurates the wishes of Paris 13e to show street art as recognized Art by occupying a full building destined to destruction. This temporary exhibition of 100 artists in the empty apartments made sensation at this time. I, myself queued for more than 6 hours to visit (the number of people allowed in the building was limited to 60). Since this initiative, this peculiar Art bloom everywhere in the 13e and hunting new spots has becoming fashionable. The idea was initially part of the will of 13e Town Hall to refresh the huge walls of the aging buildings and to culturally stimulate this mainly residential and non-touristic neighborhood.
You can find all the information and map about it at Mairie du 13e and at Boulevard Paris 13.
Le Marais
Le Haut-Marais is where I studied textile at Duperré school for two years and where I had the chance to work for 4 years at La Boutique Extraordinaire, specialized in the sale of clothing with high quality fiber.
Walking Idea: Exit at République Subway Line 3, 5, 8, 9, 11. Walk towards the Seine along rue Charlot.
MY BEST LE HAUT-MARAIS EATING PLACE
You can find all my best place on my “Bonne Adresse” share file of Google Maps.
The walking continues down La Rue Charlot. Go by le marché des Enfants Rouges and look around there. Go browsing and lost yourself in the streets of Le Haut-Marais. Escape the noisiness of the capital by taking refuge in the gardens of le Musée des Archives. Go one on losing yourself in the streets of the neighborhood. Countless shops await you. Some buildings are remains of medieval times. Will you recognize them? You have the tower of l’hôtel d’Hérouet, the house of Ourscamp and the one with the sign of the reaper ..
Hungry ? Join la rue des Rosiers and buy a take-away falafel at Chez Hanna.
Need sweetness ? Go to Aux Merveilleux de Fred.
Bus 72 : The Hidden Tourist Visit
During my first year of life in Paris I discovered this bus line. I was living in a maid’s room on the 7th floor without elevator in the 16e and was studying at Republique. The subway became my daily friend. To escape this underground and populated routine, I decided to take the bus when I was going home. What a nice idea. The dark monotony of subway tunnels has been replaced by an improvised tour of Paris.
To take advantage of this unusual tourist visit who will only cost you a transport ticket and where you will avoid being packed into a double-decker tourist bus, nothing more simple, get on the bus 72 at stop Hôtel de Ville direction Porte de Saint-Cloud. Let’s get started ? On your left, watch Le Palais du Louvre and le Jardin des Tuileries. You will then cross La Place Concorde and its obelisk. On your right, enjoy the view of Le Petit and Le Grand Palais. Do not forget to turn your head to the left otherwise you will miss on the other side of La Seine, La Tour Eiffel and all the famous bridges that cross La Seine : Alma, Jena, Bir-Hakeim .. Attention ! On your right , Le Trocadero and the House of the France Radio. STOP ! Exit at Mirabeau stop !
The visit bonus is located on the other side of the river. During your crossing on the Mirabeau bridge have a look at Beaugrenelle-Front de Seine buildings, built in the 70s as a result of an urban project. At sunset, the windows are colored with a thousand colors ! Magnificent !
View of La Seine from Mirabeau bridge
On your right, you can enjoy the André Citroën Park. Former site of Citroën factory, the park opened in 1992 and was one of the newest in the city. Modern, we can see rare and exotic plants. It detonates from other Parisian parks of 18e style, and I like it for this reason. I used to take refuge there for walking and reading under the sun.
André Citroën Park
If you are not tired you can go one on your walking along the banks of La Seine towards La Tour Eiffel. Enjoy your walk !
LE MUSÉUM D’HISTOIRE NATURELLE AND LA GRANDE MOSQUÉE DE PARIS
So many great memories I have at the muséum. My older sister was doing her PhD in Archeology. We often had a picnic in the gardens or wandered with her friends around the neighborhood.
Place of History, Biology and Science, Parisians come here with their family for exploring the galleries of Evolution, Mineralogy, Geology …, admiring the exotic and rare plants of the Great Greenhouses, spying on the 200 species of animals presented at the Menagerie (1/3 of them are endangered), stroll in the alleys of the Jardin des Plantes open for more than 400 years ago and offering visitors a multitude of theme gardens: Ecological , Alpin, Botanical School, Perspective Squares, Roseraie …
After this visit, would you like a cup of tea ? I mean, a minty Arabic tea ? I just have the perfect post for you and it’s just behind the muséum.
La Grande Mosquée de Paris ! With its Tea Room / Restaurant and its Arabisant decoration will change your scenery ! I love coming here for drinking mint tea and eat a Gazelle ankhle ! If you are super starving, the Restaurant offers you Couscous, Yum ! Enjoy !
RUE SAINTE ANNE : ASIAN PARADISE
Since I came back to live in Lille, I go to Paris occasionally. Mainly for two reasons that are my friends and Asian restaurants. Whether I go back for one or several days I always go by Rue St. Anne, the street of Japanese and Korean restaurants. If their is one thing missing in Lille is Korean restaurants. Let’s get started the food tour ?
Here, no precise walking tour. I will just give you all my best places where I like going !
For going there, it’s really simple. Stop at Pyramide, on subway line 7 and 14.
Memory of an afternoon with my mother in Paris.
My Others Asian Address In Paris
This is the end of my non-touristy tour ! I hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to tell me your impression about it. Enjoy your time in Paris !
Little Bonus, my pictures of my Parisian sunset view from my 14th floor apartment at place d’Italie.
We can see Le Panthéon, Notre Dame … Wonderful !
MistandMoonlight 
Thanks a lot for following Thoughts of SheryL!
You have a great blog! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thankes a lot, yours is really nice too 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person