What places can i visit in Paris besides the touristic ones?

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parisfornia

I only wanted to add that renting a car is not necessarily the smartest way to get around. Trains and multiple passes will get you cheaply and conveniently to most places you can think of. Parking and traffic jams can ruin your day inside Paris. It's a little better if you're renting a car to go outside Paris; still, it's mostly not recommended compared to train service. Only exception is if there are major strikes.
To avoid the tourist feel, visit "neighborhoods" instead of monuments and sites (that would include Le Marais, Montmartre Village, Quartier Latin). There will still be tourists, but mainly a lot of Parisians going about their daily life. If you like nature, gardens and open spaces try the Bois de Boulogne, Jardin du Luxembourg, Parc Monceau, Jardin des Tuileries, Buttes Chaumont, Parc Montsouris, etc...
So many other things to do depending on your interests. Feel free to contact me through my Web site if you have more specific questions/interests.

lobstergirl

rent a car and drive into places where the locals are and hang there for a while so you can see what french life is about

le_ffrench

A few ideas inside Paris:
- Explore the harbor near Bastille square
- Take some rest in the Luxembourg or Tuileries gardens
- Pay a visit to the AndrÃ© Citroen park and take a higher view in the hot air balloon there (only available in Summer)
- Check out the events (expositions) that will be taking place during your visit.

There are also lots of interesting places to visit outside Paris:
- Visit Versailles. Also check out their calendar of special events (Grandes Eaux Musicales, concerts, FÃªtes de nuit).
- Other areas reachable by train: Provins, Vincennes
- Rent a car and visit places in Ile de France: Rambouillet, Vaux le Vicomte, castle of Breteuil, VallÃ©e de Chevreuse
- Go hiking in the Fontainebleau forest or visit the villages along its southern border (vallÃ©e du Loing)
- Go a bit further north and visit Senlis, Chantilly, Beauvais

sun'nluv

Paris is a beautiful world. The Latin quarter is great to wander around in, and certain mornings (especially Saturday) there are markets to go to. It depends on your preference, but there is so much there, 15 days will fly. Make sure you're settled with lodging you like, a great attitude, and ice cream! Internet forums for that city can give you up-to-date info on your interests, and search engines are wonderful to pick and choose your interests available (ex. Yahoo or Google: "Paris+things to do"). www.tripadvisor.com is also a goodie.

brooklyn

A great site that often gets overlooked is the Picasso museum in the marais. It's small and beautiful and interesting, situated in the coziest most pretty area in Paris - the Marais.

hopeangel_26

I wish I had that long.. WOW. I think I could spend a year and still not see everything interesting in Paris.

These might be more touristy than you want...but we only had 2 days.

We loved going to the eiffel tower in the evening. Take the metro to Trocadero. It has a light show which is totally amazing. We drank wine and ate crepes with chocolate and bananas. mmm. There is a pretty cool street market in Montemarte. Lots of interesting antiques and things. It was mostly locals from what we could see. Not too many others taking pictures. We climbed the windy streets up to Sacre Couer. It is a breathtaking view. there is a little garden in the back with green arbors over them. If you go to the Louvre, give yourself a whole day.Definitely see Musee d'Orsay. The Notre Dame has lots of little cafes and brasseries around. It is truly an amazing sight. We enjoyed the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs de Elysees.

My suggestion to you is to find the little non touristic areas that you love. Definitely see the things that you will not see anywhere else in the world but find some of your own. I love Paris and everything about it.

True_Brit

When i went with my School we saw all the major tourist sites. But we also went to La defance (i think it is spelled like that), I'm not sure how touristy it is because it was very quiet. It is basically the business section of Paris, but it contains some of the most amazing and modern buildings around, along with a very large underground shopping center. I really recommend it, it was one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip.

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