As you might have noticed, I like to go a little offbeat and that goes for my holidays too. In a series of posts I will be sharing about Paris with a difference. My alternative destination guide to the city where you will see the things not in the guide books and explore the bizarre and unusual too. Paris is one of our favourite cities ever so we visit fairly regularly and always find something new. Oh and did I mention, we like to travel on a bit of a budget too.
Paris with a difference
In this post I’ll be giving you a bit of an introduction to my trip away to Paris and over the coming weeks will be creating posts about each alternative place that we visited and explored. Plus, I reckon (not totally sure on this one yet…) a guide to planning your Alternative Paris Holiday.
We have now been to Paris three times together (we being me and Jit) in the past four or so years so we have a good idea on getting around and things to see and do. We have previously stayed in the same studio apartment in my favourite part of the city, Le Marais. This time we gave Airbnb a try to found somewhere a little different and slightly further out. It is the perfect opportunity to break out of the comfort zone while getting to know more of the area.
Le Marais
Le Marais is classed a bit like an ‘up-and-coming’ area and is home to some of the best gay bars in Paris. When we were visiting we even heard the area being described as hipster. I have to beg to differ on that opinion as I personally think that it is just a very diverse and lovely place. Friendly, varied and interesting – oh and did I mention that it is close to the Pompidou?
We stayed in what seemed like a hotel conversion that overlooked the roofs of the other apartments. You entered and exited straight onto the street in the most Parisian of ways (to the traveler, anyway!) Paris is known for lots of studio apartments (small one room homes) and we love to explore the idea of tiny home living, so they are perfect for us. The one we stayed at wasn’t quite up to scratch due to minor details, but we couldn’t knock the location and amenities of the area.
Getting around
As you can probably guess we walked everywhere. Well, we did take the train from the airport into town, but that is allowed due to carrying our stuff and it being a good few kilometers away from Le Marais. Being based so centrally means that you really can enjoy Paris on foot. It has excellent pavements, easy to follow signs and plenty of rest spaces to take in the views and have a picnic.
During our 5 days in the city we walked over 68 miles and barely noticed!
From parks and green spaces, to urban landscapes shrouded in the shadow of the buildings; museums, galleries and high up spaces, we stepped our way to each and every one of them. Not only does it save you a lot of money, you really have the chance to get to know the area and get a feel for what it must be like to live there. Something that I personally value when visiting somewhere new (and old!)
The alternative, the quirky and the macabre
If you follow me on Instagram you might know that we have another alternative account where we share our Insta_Curiosity_cabinet. We are fans of the strange, weird and curious and like to spend our time hunting it out. It is a kind of side thing as a whole, but when I talk about travel and our adventures, I really must share with you some of the amazing alternative places that we have been to visit.
This trip involved a lot of skeletons, anatomy, offbeat places and more. We did of course also visit some of the old favourites too.
In my following posts I will take you on our adventures with us to show you the alternative side to Paris. Paris with a difference. There will be glimpses of the Eifel Tower, Notre Dame and more, but with a slightly different view. Often cheaper, more than likely less crowded and definitely with a bit of a twist to the usual romantic side to the city. So if you’re up for some Paris with a difference, keep you eye on the blog and I’ll share with you our trip to Paris in the Spring.
Here’s to reliving the memories and inspiring you to try something different!
Have you been to Paris? Are you a fan of the offbeat and extraordinary?
Let me know in the comments!