Paris local cultural experience?

Question

How can i experience what the locals do in Paris?

like, an out of the way bread shop, or bar only the locals go to.

Answer 1

Where can you find french life in french districts in Paris ?

  The district of Bastille is VERY crowdy and trendy - Not far from Gare de Lyon - many crisp restaurants - go there

   Market-days and bars around where merchants go and drink coffee are great and very parisian

   Flee markets - Porte de Clignancourt - overrated and full of

professional antics sellers - once again don't go there to buy marvels but just to feel what crowds of real french are - mostly on WE -

    Another flee-market in Porte de Montreuil (WE) - Metro goes there - there you can find affordable things and discuss on prices - take paper and pencil for price - this can help- watch

your pockets

  

    Horse races Longchamp and Vincennes are always very crowdy - only french - and many pictures opportunities for photo-addicted people -

    Be original - go to the church and attend an office - I do this in foreigner contries - you can observe people - an enjoy songs and music -

    etc - when I go abroad I am very much attracted to those kinds of places - mainly in Russia - where people can absolutely not understand that open food-markets can attract tourists ......

Answer 2

I'll recommend a few arrondisements that are not generally as tourist filled as ones such as the 1e and 7e arrondissements. the 3e and 4e make up the marais which is a really old part of paris. The 4e is probably a better place to find cafes etc. In the 14e around the blvd montparnasse there are lots of boutique cafes and restaurantes. If you are looking for something chic but not exactly like the 7e, head to the 6e where there are lots of trendy places!

A lot of people enjoy montmartre which can be good if you find some hidden nooks and crannys, but there are lots of tourists there. The best way to have a cultural experience is to stay in one of the arrondissements for a while and get to know the area, and then you can poke around and discover the area better!

Answer 3

Go to places that are off the big main streets.  For instance, two blocks off of boulevard Sebastopol, I found a bakery (boulangerie) where the proprietor & his wife speak English, but they said they don't get many Americans.  They were very kind to me, even though at the time I didn't speak much French.  I went there every day of my 10-day vacation.

Answer 4

stay out of tourist areas (parts of 7th district)

go to more residential areas and just walk around. (4th,

5th, 9th, 14th, 15th, 19th)

Answer 5

If you have time before you go, you could read "almost French"

There are so many useful resources on the web now to help you do this, here is an example....

Here's an itinery a lady has made up for a family to walk around paris and stop at cafes, bakeries, markets, chocolate shops etc.......

http://www.edible-paris.com/food-tours/s...

Her blog will be useful to you

http://rosajackson.blogspot.com/search/l...

This hostel also looks like a handy place for Paris:

http://www.youngandhappy.fr/english/loca...

http://www.parisbreakfast.com/

http://www.secretsofparis.com/welcome/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/f...

accomodation ideas:

http://www.backpackingeurope.com/hostelf...  

http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/Fra...

Answer 6

if your young and going with friends think of going to a youth hostel you will meet other travelers and get to talk and find out the best kept secrets of the area

Answer 7

Paris is a city of neighborhoods and even the most heavily touristy arrondissement has local people, local shops, a local street market, and cafes where local people go.

My opinion is that the idea that something that is "out of the way" is somehow more authentic just doesn't hold water.

A boulangerie anywhere in the city is not going to stay open on the purchases of tourists. If its there its because local residents are buying their baguettes there every day. Bars and cafes may be a bit different but just walk along the side streets to find something away from the main tourist haunts.

The crux of the matter is to get established at places. The third or fourth time you you buy bread at a particular bakery or have a cup of coffee at the same cafe you will likely find yourself greeted as a regular. Its that sense of belonging, of being part of the neighborhood, which is the essence of Parisian life.

There is, in other words, no reason to stay in some inconvenient location to have an authentic Parisian experience.