So have you ever found yourself overwhelmed by big crowds that you just wanted to run and escape? Sometimes big cities can have that effect, no? Especially in Paris, everywhere you turn it seems there’s a tourist attraction! Check out the article below for 20 overlooked attractions that are perfect to escape the crowds and watch the video for some French you can run to! (This week: the verb COURIR – to run)

Last week i was telling you that you shouldn’t go to the touristy places in Paris and not to do what all tourists do. OK, I think we covered what you shouldn’t do, but what should you do?

What otherwise seemed to be an easy task, becomes now so much more complicated than we had imagined.

We should go to Paris to practice French, to meet people and hopefully make great friends, to feel home and walk around as if it was our own town.

Yet you shouldn’t go to the most important places, or do what everyone does? After all, maybe you won’t go to Paris every year, to get to see everything; also, if you only see the unknown places, then what are you going to talk to your friends about back home, if they only know the touristy places – oh, what a dilemma!

What is important is that you mix them up: go see places known by everybody, but enjoy the little unknown corners, where you can escape the overwhelming crowds from the hot spots, and relax there where the French are, where you can strike a conversation with them – ah, the scary conversation! What is there to lose? They don’t know you, and you are nice, polite, and respectful of the French culture – the impression you leave can only be stellar :)

Here are some wonderful gems hidden from the eye of the tourists (some of them not so hidden), and you’ll feel that you visited a different city than your friends, who preferred to walk the beaten path.

1e Jardin du Palais Royal Photo: Wikipedia	2e Les Passages Couverts Photo: Wikipedia
3e Marché des Enfants Rouges Photo: discoverfrance.net	4e Pavillon de l’Arsenal Photo: Wikipedia
5e Arènes de Lutèce Photo: madaboutparis.com	6e St. Sulpice Photo: Wikipedia
7e Musée de l’Armée Photo: worldtoptop.com	8e Chapelle Expiatoire Photo: parismuseumpass.com
9e Musée de la Vie Romantique Photo: linternaute.com	10e Maison de l’Architecture Photo: idealsalle.fr
11e Musée d’Edith Piaf Photo: localnomad.com	12e Promenade Plantée Photo: thetimes.co.uk
13e Buttes aux Cailles Photo: pariszigzag.fr	14e Parc Montsouris Photo: rocbo-lautre.net
15e Parc André Citroën Photo: europeantrips.org	16e Maison de Balzac Photo: tourisme-en-france.com
17e Place Batignolles Photo: visualtravelguide.org	18e Cimetière de Montmartre Photo: davids.net
19e Parc de la Villette Photo: france-for-visitors.com	20e La Campagne à Paris Photo: 20minutes.fr

NOTE:
Click on each image to find out more about these pearls, one from each arrondissement.

Now it is your turn!

Tell us in the comments below, do you sometimes feel like you want to run to Paris or from Paris? Are you ready to go to the secret spots in Paris and make conversation with the locals?

À la prochaine,
Llyane

Don’t ever give up on your dream to become bilingual – the world needs your enthusiasm when you go to Paris and fully enjoy it!

Want to go to Paris on your own terms?
Create a solid foundation for conversation,
master pronunciation, and travel the World,
starting with a French Immersion 1-on-1

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

_______________
Llyane Stanfield is a Parisian French language coach, and founder of the J’Ouellette® French Method – an organic method using techniques that are employed by the world’s finest linguists. She travels between Toronto, New York and Paris, while teaching French via Skype in more than 15 countries. She is French language coach for busy traveling professionals, and has produced an unprecedented Intensive Program and French Pronunciation Master Class, as well as other visual and teaching materials. She now spends a large proportion of her time in Paris, where she also organizes an annual Immersion Retreat. Her unique methods produce a quantum leap in confidence and pronunciation, and a short session with her is the perfect start to brush up your French (whatever your level!) at the start of your Paris trip.

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