Hidden gems in Paris

A 4.5 km green path on an old railway line from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes, through four gardens and above the street.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Daily from 08:00 (09:00 at weekends) to 17:30 in winter or 21:30 in summer
• 💡 Tip: Start with the stairs on Rue de Lyon by the Viaduc des Arts. Some lifts are out of service, so check access with a stroller.
• 📍 Address: Avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris
• MapWebsite

A quiet 19th-century mansion and garden at the foot of Pigalle, once the home of the painter Ary Scheffer, with a tea room (Rose Bakery).

• 🎟️ Price: Free permanent collections; paid temporary exhibitions
• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00; closed Monday and some public holidays
• 💡 Tip: Strollers must stay in the courtyard. Metro Saint-Georges (line 12), Pigalle (2, 12) or Blanche (2).
• 📍 Address: 16 Rue Chaptal, 75009 Paris
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Place du Tertre: 🚶 1.0 km · 13 min walk

A leafy point at the western tip of the Île de la Cité, below the Pont Neuf, with views of the Seine, the Louvre and the Institut de France.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Open day and night from 1 to 24 October 2026; hours change by season; closed in strong wind or bad weather
• 💡 Tip: Metro Pont Neuf or Louvre-Rivoli. Dogs on a leash are allowed; there are no toilets.
• 📍 Address: Place du Pont-Neuf, 75001 Paris
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Sainte-Chapelle: 🚶 0.5 km · 7 min walk

The oldest covered passage in Paris (1799): 133 metres of old shop fronts, food stalls, craftsmen and the Théâtre des Variétés.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 🕗 Hours: Daily, about 06:00–24:00
• 💡 Tip: Entrances at 11–13 Boulevard Montmartre, 38 Rue Vivienne and 151 Rue Montmartre. Combine it with the Galerie Vivienne and the passages Jouffroy and Verdeau.
• 📍 Address: 11 Boulevard Montmartre, 75002 Paris
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Covered passages (Panoramas, Vivienne): 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk

An elegant neoclassical passage from 1826, with ornate decoration and a tea room, a short walk from the Palais-Royal.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 💡 Tip: Entrances at 4 Rue des Petits Champs, 5–7 Rue de la Banque and 6 Rue Vivienne.
• 📍 Address: 4 Rue des Petits Champs, 75002 Paris
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Palais-Royal Gardens: 🚶 0.4 km · 5 min walk

A short, quiet residential street in the 12th arrondissement, known for its rows of pastel-painted houses.

• 🎟️ Price: Free
• 💡 Tip: People live here: keep the noise down. The city bans filming in the street until further notice.
• 📍 Address: Rue Crémieux, 75012 Paris
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Ménagerie, Jardin des Plantes: 🚶 1.0 km · 13 min walk

A free fine-art museum around a semicircular garden with a café, a calm pause between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine.

• 🎟️ Price: Free permanent collections and garden
• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:15); café Tue–Sun until 17:45; Fri and Sat evenings to 20:00 for temporary exhibitions only
• 💡 Tip: The garden can be visited during museum hours at no cost; the permanent collections are free every day of the year.
• 📍 Address: Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Petit Palais: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk

A quiet museum by Place du Tertre with gardens inspired by Renoir's paintings and a view over the Clos Montmartre vineyard.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (last admission 17:15); Café Renoir Wed–Sun 11:00–19:00
• 💡 Tip: There is no luggage room. The Café Renoir has indoor and outdoor seating.
• 📍 Address: 12 Rue Cortot, 75018 Paris
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Place du Tertre: 🚶 0.3 km · 3 min walk