The Top 5 Quirky Experiences In Paris

For something a little different from a standard sightseeing tour around Paris, consider discovering an unfamiliar aspect of the city via one of its quirky experiences. Whether you choose to graffiti a mural with a local or see the city’s sights from the comfort of a vintage car, Culture Trip has picked the five best offbeat and creative ways to discover Paris.

If you’ve already checked out the must-sees of Paris, experience a more unusual side with these tours that tap into the city’s culture, highlights and famous sites in a unique way.

1. Take part in Paris’s street-art scene with a graffiti mural workshop

Train Station

Alongside some of the city’s top graffiti artists, discover Paris’s underground street-art movement and create your own masterpiece during this 2.5-hour-long workshop. Sharpen your spray-paint skills, learn the basics of typography and how to form a variety of shapes as you work with a group on a large-scale collaborative mural. The tour begins at the Bercy Metro station. If you’re running late, you can catch up with the group at the Skatepark de Bercy, which is just a five-minute walk away.

2. Have some vintage fun on a city tour in a Citroën 2CV

Architectural Landmark

Cruise around Paris on this romantic tour that shows you the city in style from a Citroën 2CV, the quintessential French automobile. After your expert guide picks you up from your hotel, you’ll be whisked away to check out the city’s renowned sites including Sacré-Cœur, Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe, the Palais Garnier, the Moulin Rouge and more, all from the comfort of a vintage car.

3. Capture the spirit of Paris on a Polaroid photography tour

Opera House

Polaroid Joycam camera displayed in window of second-hand / antique shop

With your Polaroid camera in hand, roam the streets of Paris on a 2.5-hour photography tour that takes you through the Bastille Market to the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the banks of the Seine. Meet your guide at the steps of the Opéra Bastille, and after a quick introduction and a lesson on the history of instant photography, you’ll hit the pavement and start snapping with your local guide who will share their tips on how to capture the best shot.

4. Work out and see the sights on a running tour

Church, Cathedral

Paris, France - January 20, 2017 : Young Parisian woman makes jogging like many parisian people in Tuileres Garden located between Louvre Museum and

We all know how hard it is to maintain your exercise regime on holiday, but this running and sightseeing tour helps keep travellers in shape while they check out Parisian landmarks like the Tuileries Garden, the Champs-Elysées and the pyramid at the Louvre Museum. Rise and shine early to meet your running crew at 7am at the statue of Charlemagne in front of the Notre-Dame Cathedral and tick off the sights before breakfast. Your guide will come prepared with water and snacks.

5. See the city by night in the sidecar of a ‘moto’

Architectural Landmark, Ruins

Nothing is more quintessentially Parisian than the moto (motorbike). Locals use them to zip through the city’s narrow streets with ease, and you will too on this tour that lets you see Paris from a different perspective in the sidecar of a vintage motorbike. Make it even more fun and book the Retro by Night Tour to see the city twinkle after the sun goes down, and cap off the experience with a glass of champagne in front the of the Eiffel Tower. For the Retro by Night tour, meet your guide at the Place de la Concorde, at the main entrance of the Jardin des Tuileries.