Looking for things to do in Paris? Here is our free, self-guided walking tour of hidden Paris. The streets and locations are quiet, secluded, and off the beaten path, yet still breathtakingly stunning, and will give you a glimpse at the hopelessly romantic, even more beautiful side of Paris.
Here’s what all you’ll see:
Au Vieux Paris Cafe
To dine at this romantic, picturesque Parisian cafe would be a dream!
And look what’s right next door… A charming cupcake shop.
The Latin Quarter
Shopping and pastries on this secluded corner.
Île Saint-Louis
Have a quiet breakfast at the St Regis Cafe.
Rambuteau / Pompidou Neighborhood
A perfect spot for people watching.
A bouquet of roses from the Au Nom De La Rose flower shop.
Passage de l’Ancre
Wander into this mysterious blue door, for an unexpected surprise on the other side…
Colorful doors, a mermaid, and the most charming umbrella repair shop, Pep’s Umbrella.
Be sure to visit Pep’s on a day when they’re open. You’ll know by the bright yellow umbrella they have opened and displayed like a flag on the wall of this hidden passageway.
I wonder if this is where the writers got the idea for the yellow umbrella on How I Met Your Mother.
Passage du Grand Cerf
Wander through another hidden passageway in Paris for unique craft stores and antiques at Passage du Grand Cerf.
This shopping passage is filled with gorgeous shops and flooded with natural light.
Colorful spinning rack of embroidery thread.
Ribbons galore. How fun would it be to buy fabric, ribbons, or skeins of wool here for a craft project?
Door knobs and draw pulls.
So many to choose from!
Dying over this shelf of antique lanterns!
I wanted to take this one home with me.
Hidden Paris Free Walking Tour Map – Things To Do in Paris
View Hidden Paris Self-Guided Photography Walking Tour in a larger map
Here’s a map with GPS locations for all the photos taken in this post. Use this free map if you want take your own self-guided walking tour of hidden Paris.
Click here to see this map on a larger screen, with an easier-to-read list of all the places we went.
Total Distance: 1.8 miles (one way)
Time: 40 mins (walking time only)
Thank you
Do you know anyone who can take us a guided tour please. Kind regards, Brian & Family
It’s fun how often you guys come up in my google searches. Thanks for the walking tour idea!
yungmom from 2peas
So wonderful! I’ve just pinned this for my first trip to Paris in October. I can’t wait to discover off-the-beaten-path gems like these.
We are going to Paris with our small family. Our daughter has severe peanut and tree nut allergies. Where an we find french bread that is safe for her and chocolates?
I have tried everywhere is Paris via email… Please,,,anyone?
Hi, I love the “au viux d’arcole” photo. I would love to print it out for my living room. Are you selling the print in an instant downloadable format?
Hi…i am taking my husband and 1 2 year old son to paris this wednesday 31 march 2017….however i am
unable to print out the directions for your lovely walking tour…can you email it to me please :-) merci
Thank you for this! I hadn’t been to these places when I was in Paris, so I will have to take this walk when I go next month!
Hello Kevin and Amanda,
Thank you sooo much for your post on the hidden passageways of Paris. My husband and I were just in Paris this last week. I had seen your post on Pinterest before we went so we included it in our itinerary. The umbrella shop was closed when we went, but that’s ok, the covered passages were worth it. Little did we know that when we found it, we found 3 more in the same area. The shop with the drawer pulls and old lamps was amazing!! I had a hard time not taking the whole store home with me. So thank you for your great descriptions, maps, and pictures of everything.
Hi!
This is my first visit to your blog and you get a new reader. What great tips and stunning photos you shared with us. Next time in Paris I’ll surely will be looking for this gems.
Maria
Beautiful Photos !!!
I am going to paris in a couple months so I was reading your posts and I was wondering if the knobs you posted in the pic above were painted in paris? I wanted to get some for my kitchen and bathrooms and thought it was a cool idea to get them from paris. I just didnt know if they sold them there but were made in china or something
I loved this! I adore quiet and hidden little shops and spaces like these. The photographs are amazing!
I have visited Paris six times and I never knew of the pictured shopping arcade.
On my next trip, I must find this place. LOVE! PARIS!
swoon…will definitely find time to check out your wonderful finds, next week…MERCI
I’ve had a few cupcakes from Bertie’s and they’re pretty good! Especially the banana and chocolate ones :D I’ve never been to Passage de l’Ancre, and it’s definitely a must – your photos are beautiful!
roisingrace.com
This is beautiful! It is tempting to try your route. May I know what season is this? The purple outside Au veux Paris is ðŸ˜
I love the photos. I will be traveling to Paris in a few weeks. I would love to find this area. Could you please tell me where this is?
Thank you, Mary
Hi Mary,
Check out the map on this page: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/travel/hidden-paris.html
Hope this helps! :)
This was amazing!!! I will be backpacking Europe this summer and I would LOVE to do this walking tour. I want some of those knobs! :) Is there a way to print these directions? Also do you have any tips for a first time traveler?
Oh my! I stumbled on to this post while Pinterest browsing…I don’t even have the words. Just gorgeous and being off the beaten path makes it 100 times better. Did you just venture out, or were you directed to this candy land for the eyes?
Gorgeous photos! Did you ever make it to Laduree Paris? We’re going to London & Paris soon – I’m downloading all of your site- seeing maps!
This is my favorite way to spend the day in Paris. It’s such an beautiful city and you did a wonderful job capturing it. Makes me want to go back.
Another fabulous post!! I love all your posts – but, these Paris ones have me “oohing” and “ahhhing” – and thinking I should plan another trip to this most beautiful of cities! Thanks for sharing your adventures and your amazing captures!
Those colors!! What a gorgeous gorgeous place! Want that silky cupcake too :)
I am adventuring there in 18 days…I will definitely take this tour! Thank you soooo much! What a beautiful walk!!
Nini~
I would have dragged all of those antique lanterns home with me!!
Thank you for blogging your vacation! Your photos are stunning. It would be awesome if you also did a post about what you packed with you. Whenever I travel, I stress for weeks about what shoes to wear, whether I should bring a jacket, how to make clothes work for both long walks around the city and nice dinners, how to be comfortable while not looking too touristy, etc. I’m also curious if you have any tips for lugging your camera around while touring. I love my DSLR, but it sure is heavy!
That little blue door is like the Alice in Wonderland of cute Parisian places!! I want to go there so bad!!
I really loved all your photography of your trip.. How fun to see some familiar places. I just got back the end of May from a trip to the English countryside (visiting a fellow cookier) and Paris. We stayed in the Marais area of Paris and I have pictures in front of Bertie’s Cupcakes and the notions shop you took pictures of… It was a beautiful area… I wish I would have seen this post before my trip to see all the other beautiful sights you pictured.. Thank you for posting all your great travels!
I’m totally smitten with this tour. We need to get ourselves to Paris and try it out!
It’s like straight out of movie! I’m dying to go back to Paris. Gorgeous!
Oh my goodness ~ very good thing you took this extra little journey. The colors in those first few images are amazing!
So many hidden treasures!! I think you need to do a post on what you bought while you were traveling :)
Beautiful! That’s for taking us along :-) I always check your photo info and notice you are using your iPhone for some of your shots. I’d be interested in knowing if you use the phone’s native camera or a camera app to take your photos and also what apps you use for post processing. The photos taken from the top of Notre Dame had a dreamy, watercolor feel to them but it may have been the light and time of day. Sounds like a future post to me. Love your stuff.
All pics are gorgeous of course but those first three? Swoonsville, sistah! I think I would’ve just planted myself there and refused to leave!
I couldn’t agree more! In any other setting the purple tables and chairs would have looked terrible – but here sat outside in the sunshine under the blossom they look perfect!
Wow! Your photographs are stunning! The colors are so vivid. You’ve made me want to travel to Paris. :).