Less well known places in Paris

[gerispringer]

DH and I are spending 3 days in Paris next month. we have done the main touristy places before so would like some tips on less well known galleries, gardens, sights etc that we might enjoy. We are staying fairly central.

Jacquemart Andre musee

musee nissim de camondo

There is a lovely poster called @lillianGish who might be able to help. I hope she doesn't mind me tagging her.

Waves to @AngelChoirsInstead. I would highly recommend the Petit Palais if you have never been. A small but perfectly formed gallery with a cracking permanent collection which is free. Afterwards you could cross the Seine and head for rue du Bac where you should your head into Deyrolle. If you have never been, don't google first - just head upstairs for the surprise of your life! Then you can wander over to St Germain des Prés for a pleasant mooch.
Another place with no entry fee is the Bibliothèque National de France (BNF) in rue Vivienne - I take all my visitors in here. The library has undergone a spectacular renovation with a beautiful garden in front and the reading rooms are nothing short of stunning. Afterwards you can cross the road to the arcades of Galeries Vivienne and I can recommend Le Bougainville cafe/restaurant on the other side.
One of my favourite strolls is from Bastille past all the house boats along the Bassin de l'arsenal towards the Seine. Cross the bridge over the lock at the end to reach the river then walk towards Ile St Louis. Come up from the quai around Sully Morland and explore the the little courtyards of the Village St Paul off rue St Paul.
I also second @Hedgehog23's suggestion of the Nissim de Camondo museum, unfortunately it is closed for renovation at the moment (until about 2027 I think).

My favourite haunts (I live there) are the Jacquemart-Andre as mentioned above, the Hotel de La Marine, Le Petit Palais (free, decent cafe, loos and good pit stop heading down the Champs-Elysees). The covered passageways; Passage Jouffroy is lovely, and just opposite is the Passage Panorama, which is filled with cafes, bars and restaurants.

Check out the Chapel of the Madonna Miraculous Medal next to Le Bon Marche; a place of pilgrimage and a beautiful church. Obviously Notre Dame if you’ve not been since it’s been renovated.

If you like fashion, the Galerie Dior is gorgeous. If you’re into cooking, then E. Dehilleran was Julia Child’s favourite shop. Full of every utensil you can imagine.

We really enjoyed Atelier des Lumières which is an immersive art exhibition.

Have you been to Versailles? It’s really easy to get to on public transport from central Paris and well worth seeing.

Le musee des arts et metiers is full of the most wonderful mechanical models, illustrating all sorts of engineering principles.

I don't know if this counts as less well-known but we had a lovely afternoon wandering round Pere Lachaise cemetery.

This is a good shout. It’s walking distance from Père Lachaise, so both can be combined one afternoon.

Foundation Azzedine Alaia often has exquisite exhibitions. Great lunch there too.

We love all the passages. We've been round them all lots of times but it’s really fun to do a special walking tour of them by yourself (in your own time, spread over days). You could get a guidebook and do it yourself.

My particular suggestion would be the Musée de la Vie Romantique in rue Chaptal in Montmartre. It belonged to the artist Ary Scheffer who had a wide circle of friends including George Sand, Chopin, Rossini, Dickens….it's a beautiful pink-painted villa tucked away in a lovely flowery garden. It seems to be temporarily closed but re- opens on the 14th Feb (appropriately for a museum of 'the romantic life'!)

(Oh, and yes to E. Dehillerin!)

The Jewish war memorial tucked behind notre dame.

Do a bike tour of quirky Paris with a guide, we really enjoyed exploring the back streets and our guide had loads of anecdotes.