Second visit: Paris
Been there once? Hide the classics and see the rest of the city, quietest first, from the city guide's own data.
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6 places hidden: the ones on the guide’s first-visit top ten. Showing 9 of 15, quietest first.
- Jardin du Palais-Royal
Stop for 20–40 minutes in a quiet arcaded garden behind the Louvre, with the Buren columns in the courtyard; free, good for a bench and a coffee.
moderate · about 45 min · free · Louvre, Tuileries & Musée d'Orsay
- Jardin des Tuileries
Walk it between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde: free, shaded in parts, with chairs and a pond; 20–60 minutes at any pace. Good after a museum.
moderate · about 60 min · free · Louvre, Tuileries & Musée d'Orsay
- Conciergerie
Go for the medieval royal palace that became a prison; 45–60 minutes, easy to pair with Sainte-Chapelle next door on a combined ticket.
usually busy · about 60 min · timed_advance_official ticket · Île de la Cité & Latin Quarter
- Musée Carnavalet
Go for the history of Paris in period rooms across two mansions; 90 minutes, and the permanent collection is free. Closed Mondays.
usually busy · about 105 min · free · Le Marais
- Musée de Cluny
Go for the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries and the Roman baths under a medieval mansion; 60–90 minutes, calm compared with the big museums. Closed Mondays.
usually busy · about 100 min · timed_advance_official ticket · Île de la Cité & Latin Quarter
- Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Go for design, furniture, fashion and toys in a wing of the Louvre palace on the Rue de Rivoli; 90 minutes, usually quiet. Closed Mondays.
usually busy · about 105 min · timed_advance_official ticket · Louvre, Tuileries & Musée d'Orsay
- Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Go for the arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas beside the Eiffel Tower; 90 minutes, a calm museum, and the garden is free. Closed Mondays.
usually busy · about 120 min · timed_advance_official ticket · Eiffel Tower & Trocadéro
- Musée Picasso
Go for the largest public Picasso collection in a 17th-century mansion; 90 minutes with a timed ticket. Book ahead, closed Mondays.
usually busy · about 120 min · timed_advance_official ticket · Le Marais
- Shakespeare and Company
Go for the English-language bookshop across from Notre-Dame; 20–40 minutes of browsing, with reading nooks upstairs. Free, and busy at weekends.
usually busy · about 45 min · free · Île de la Cité & Latin Quarter
Hidden gems has hand-picked lesser-known spots for some cities.