Paris Local Secrets

As an organization that sends thousands of students abroad each year, CEA has captured a list of local secrets - a collection of discoveries from our students, resident staff, as well as other locals - that make this city unique. We hope you will find the information helpful and, at the very least, an interesting read.

Great Place for Salads

Tucked behind the Musée Picasso is a great little café worth discovering. The Café Apparemment (metro stop: St. Paul) has a great ambiance, with comfy club chairs and couches, dim lights, board games, and a fabulous lunch menu. Besides the usual lunch fare, Café Apparemment lets you build your own salad for a reasonable price, much like at a salad bar. You check off the ingredients you want, and voilà!

Where to Buy Concert Tickets?

While all concerts are listed in the weekly Pariscope (entertainment guide) for that week, if you are interested in seeing what is playing for an entire season, the best place to go is FNAC. There is a concert board where you can find out what is playing and buy your tickets too.

Best Place to Buy School Supplies

French school supplies are beautiful! Here are a few places where you have a large choice at reasonable prices: Gibert Jeune and Gibert Joseph are the most popular book and supply shops. You will find them both on Boulevard Saint Michel. Otherwise, try BHV, a department store located across from the Hotel de Ville.

Outdoor Markets

You don’t have to do all your grocery shopping at traditional stores! Opt for the very Parisian way to shop – the outdoor food markets. Every neighborhood has an outdoor market that is open at least two mornings a week. Some markets are open every day. Try the Marché Aligre, (place Aligre at metro stop Ledru Rollin) open every morning. A fabulous way to get fresh produce, meat, cheese, flowers, etc. and it is beautiful!

Parc Floral de Paris

Metro stop Chateau de Vincennes. This botanical garden is a great break from the bustling city if you are looking for a quiet stroll with Mother Nature. In the summer, students can enjoy the Festival de Jazz which offers free Jazz concerts every weekend. In the Fall and Spring, enjoy the beautiful plants, plan a picnic, or rent a tandem bike for four!

La Mosquée de Paris

Hidden away in a quiet corner of the 5th arrondissement is the Mosque of Paris. Besides being a popular place of worship, the Mosque boasts a full service Hammam as well as an excellent restaurant where students can enjoy traditional North African couscous. If you don’t have much time, at least stop by the Salon de Thé for a sweet mint tea and pastry.

Magical Moment

For an intense surge of emotion, Parisians like to go to the Place Carré du Louvre. By day, this is one of the two main courtyards of the Louvre museum, but by night the sophisticated lighting brings life to the magnificent architecture. Take some time to sit in the courtyard. The courtyard closes at 9 p.m., so you have to get there early!

Winter Delicacy

In the winter, seek refuge from the elements at one of Paris’s best kept secrets: enjoy a hot chocolate at the Nectarine tea salon and the beauty of the Place des Vosges within a stone’s throw of Victor Hugo’s home and a few blocks away from the CEA center.