The carousel at the foot of the Sacré-Cœur that is the not the Sacré-Cœur carousel, the Dodo Manège at the Jardin des Plantes (the 1992, the endangered-species carousel: the gorilla, the dodo, the panda, and the most charming children’s carousel in the Paris), the €3, the 2-minute ride, and the parents watching from the bench beneath the plane tree, is the symbol of the “another side” of the Paris: the Paris that is the not the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Mona Lisa, and the €30 for the first-floor champagne. The Paris has the 20 arrondissements and the tourist visits the 5 of them. The another side of the Paris is the arrondissements 11 through 20, the side of the Paris that the Parisians live in. Here is the guide.

Another Side of Paris

• The east of the Paris, the Belleville, the Ménilmontant, and the Buttes-Chaumont: The Belleville (the 20th): the most multicultural arrondissement in the Paris, the Tunisian, the Algerian, the Chinese, and the best street art in the Paris (the Rue Dénoyez, the entire street is the covered in the murals, the changing, and the best free art walk in the city), the Parc de Belleville (the 108 metres, the highest park in the Paris, the vineyard, yes, the 150 vines, the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir, the harvest in the September, and the view of the Eiffel Tower that is the better than the Montparnasse Tower), the essential Belleville food: the Asian restaurants (the Belleville is the largest Chinatown in the Paris, the €8 for the pho, and the best-value lunch in the Paris). The Buttes-Chaumont (the 19th, the most beautiful park in the Paris): the 25 hectares, the 1867, the Temple de la Sybille (the Roman folly on the cliff above the artificial lake, the most beautiful monument in the Paris parks), the waterfall, the grotto, the suspension bridge (the Gustave Eiffel, the 1867, the before the Tower), and the best picnic spot in the Paris. The essential: the Rosa Bonheur, the guinguette, the €8 for the glass of the rosé, the Friday and the Saturday nights, the DJ, and the best evening in the Paris park. The Ménilmontant (the 20th): the working-class, the steep, the stairs, the most stairs in the Paris, the Edith Piaf’s birthplace (the Rue de la Chine), and the best real-Paris cafés: the Le Baratin (the Rue Jouye-Rouve, the €35 for the 2-course, no menu, and the best French food in the 20th). More France →
• The south and the alternative Paris: The Butte-aux-Cailles (the 13th, the village within the Paris): the cobbled, the quiet, the villa streets, the most beautiful streets in the Paris that the tourists don’t know: the Villa Daviel, the Rue des Cinq-Diamants, the street art, the restaurants, and the best family dinner: the Chez Gladines (the Basque, the €12 for the main, and the best-value dinner in the Paris). The Cité des Fleurs (the 17th, the most beautiful street in the Paris): the private street, the gated, the cobbled, the 19th-century houses, the gardens, and the most beautiful residential street in Europe. The essential visit strategy: the street is the gated but the pedestrian gate is the often unlocked during the day, the peek is the essential Paris discovery. The Coulée Verte René-Dumont (the Promenade Plantée, the original park-on-the-railway-line): the 4.7 km, the 12th arrondissement, the 1988, the inspiration for the High Line in the New York, the walk from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes, the lavender, the cherry, the view of the rooftops, and the best walk in the east Paris. The Musée de la Vie Romantique (the 9th, the most charming small museum in the Paris): the 1830, the villa, the George Sand, the Chopin, the garden, the tearoom, the rose garden, the €2.50 for the tea, and the essential Paris afternoon. The free.