At the moment, many sports fans in the UK are focused on the upcoming Euro 2024 competition in Germany. Starting in mid-June, national teams from around Europe will gather in the country for the tournament. Already, thousands upon thousands of English fans are preparing to head over and cheer on the Three Lions—or watch from home.
But what about the Olympic Games? Only a month after the Euro 2024 concludes, thousands more sports fans from around the world will gather in Paris, France to watch the Olympic Games unfold. With so much hype surrounding the football tournament, there hasn’t been quite as much attention on the games in Paris.
While it might be too late to grab affordable tickets for the Olympic Games in Paris, the focus on the French capital has spurred interest in visiting the City of Love. For those in Brighton, it’s less than a two-hour flight away—but many have never made the journey. Is it worth it to visit for those who have never felt endeared toward such a large city? And what sorts of things should travellers schedule into their itineraries?
Just like in a large metropolis like London or New York City, it pays to know where to find underground and lesser-known destinations and experiences. Let’s take a closer look at Paris, focusing on what is truly worth uncovering in terms of culture and history, then cuisine.
Culture & History: The Poker Boom, The ‘Nose’, & Catacombs
First, let’s lay out three suggestions that exemplify the city’s cultural and historical underbelly. You may not know it but Paris is a new and popular stopover for the European Poker Tour, which is where online competitors play live on the felt. Using guides from EPT Paris, you can easily find poker hotspots where local competitors face off, from the Champs-Elysees to Montmartre. If you’re more interested in watching poker than playing a hand yourself, then consider attending the EPT event, which takes place each February—but don’t miss out on the French poker boom.
Second, we recommend targeting the city’s strange museums. Forget the Louvre, have you heard of the Paris Sewer Museum or the Perfume Museum? The former takes you into the bowels of the city, where public tours were first offered way back in 1889. The latter will heal your wounded olfactory senses by taking you into the wild and highly nuanced world of perfumery. You’ll learn the basics of creating scents, then see how ‘noses’ or perfumiers earn their stripes before you’re quizzed on what you’ve learned.
Lastly, we suggest heading to one of the city’s most haunted locales—a unique lens through which to explore history. There’s the Museum of Vampires for those who like fantastical tales, or Le Manoir de Paris for those who want to hear chilling true crime, or even The Catacombs for those who want to see where men like Robespierre were laid to rest.
Food: Dig Deep for Meaningful Experiences
As one of the most gastro-centric locations in the world, your time in Paris should include at least a few prestigious menus. However, given the proliferation of French cuisine, it can be almost impossible for visitors to find affordable and tasty dishes. Once again, we recommend looking into the more underground experiences that are off the beaten track.
Given Paris’s focus on food, these types of underground kitchens aren’t actually that hard to find. Soul Kitchen Supper Club, for example, perfectly summarizes Paris’s relationship to food. This kitchen regularly creates global favorites, updating its menus with everything from four-course Vietnamese adventures to Mexican dishes. The food isn’t necessarily Parisian, but the spirit with which each dish is approached is.
If you want something more traditional, then look into a location called Little Paris Kitchen. This tiny kitchen is dedicated to replicating the Parisian culinary dream with every single (tiny) dish. The chef is traditionally trained and has a laser focus on creating the most kitschy and meaningful dining experience. While you don’t have to visit the Little Paris Kitchen exactly, these should be the types of locations that you focus on when visiting.
