1. The Arc de Triomphe is the stone archway that attracts the most tourists, but I prefer the lesser-known Porte Saint-Denis. Another triumphal archway, albeit built in honor of Louis XIV rather than Napoleon I, this arch is located in the north Marais, at the location of one of the entrances through Charles V’s former protective wall of Paris. (It’s also right next to Hero, home of some of my favorite fried chicken.)
2. Tons of people traveling through Paris visit the Louvre and miss the nearby Opera Garnier entirely. This 19th century opera house is more often the home of ballet these days, and the building is a work of art in its own right. You don’t need to see a ballet to visit the theater, which Gaston Leroux imagined the home of a mysterious phantom. While I’ve certainly never seen him, his underground lake is far from fantastical: it’s even used by Paris’ firefighters to practice saving drowning victims.
3. The Church of Saint Vincent de Paul isn’t on any tourist’s to-see list, but I quite like this church, located in the 10th arrondissement, located where Saint Vincent de Paul’s Maison Saint-Lazare once stood. The system of ramps leading up to it once allowed horse-drawn carriages to approach more easily.
4. The 9th arrondissement is home to a fair concentration of department stores, including the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. This beautiful store boasts tilework and domes dating to the 19th century.
5. A part of the 2nd arrondissement is named for the Bourse, the French stock exchange. This imposing building overlooks a square that is home to one of my favorite flea markets in the city. Nearby, Daniel Rose’s La Bourse et la Vie is one of my favorite haute cuisine bistros in the city. Speaking of food, the Bourse neighborhood is where the financier cookie was invented, as local stock brokers wanted a pastry they could enjoy without getting their hands too messy.