What are Paris best kept secrets?

All of the Passages in the 2nd arrondissement are beautiful and not often found by tourists! The Palais Royal is as well a great secret kept by locals. Many tourists stop to take photos on the black and white columns in the first courtyard, but continue on and you'll find the most beautiful park and shops lining the arcades. Lastly, the Parc des Buttes Chaumont is a local's favorite often skipped by tourist, be sure to see it if you're visiting in the summer. Lastly, there is a beautiful little place called Palais Bourbon where there are cute cafés, scenic architecture, and almost no tourists finding it. Locals of the 7th and 6th only really discover this corner. It's a lovely place to sit for a café and be Parisienne a while! 

I always love to go to the Square du Vert Galant and the nearby Place Dauphine.  Although they are both right in the heart of Paris, they are calm and quiet.  The former is a small park on the bow of the Île de la Cité, which is a great place for a picnic or simply relaxing.  The views and sunsets from there can be amazing.  The latter is a small, charming square, with several cafes around the perimeter.  I favor the Le bar du caveau for a drink or a light lunch (not the more expensive restaurant next door), and Taverne Henri IV, on the Pont-Neuf just at the entrance to the Place Dauphine.

Wow - Edna suggested a lot of what I was going to mention. All of these places are the the Paris Off the Beaten Track post I did several years ago that still gets the most traffic on my blog. 

Near Parc des Buttes Chaumont and Bassin de la Villette is Rue de Mouzaïa - an area of little streets called "villas" with little houses and beautiful gardens. You definitely dont feel like you're in Paris. And, my Parisian friends have never been to this place!

Definitely go to a market. The Bastille market on Thursday and Sunday is my favorite. Sunday there are a lot of accessories as well as the food. It is a little touristy, but it's the type of tourist who knows the Marais exists - not the tourists who think the Eiffel Tower and Moulin Rouge are the only attractions in Paris. The Bio Marche on Blvd Raspail is good too. Then there are the antique markets like Marche Aux Puces De La Porte De Vanves and St. Ouen.

This trip I am finally going to St. Denis.

There are a lot of great small museums like Musée Cognacq-JayMusée Marmottan Monet Musée Jacquemart-AndréMusée Nissim de Camondo. If you go to Nissim Camondo, dont miss Parc Monceau. All locals. 

Hi Maggie! I love hanging out with friends at Parc des Buttes Chaumont , which is a less touristy park with a beautiful view over Paris, or picnic along the Seine or Canal Saint Martin -- tourists seem to underestimate how simply wonderful and Parisian it is to do so! Les Berges is also a quieter place to hang out (http://lesberges.paris.fr/en/)

There's also events year round that tourists don't always realize are going on -- for instance in the summer there's the Cinema en Plein Air at Parc de la Villette (http://lavillette.com/evenement/cinema-en-plein-air-home-cinema/) or Moonlight Cinema that takes place all over town, my favorite being on the steps of Montmartre (http://en.visitparisregion.com/events-paris/festivals/moonlight-cinema-314063.html)

Discover the planted walk (La Promenade Plantée) above the Viaduc des Arts ! Inspirations on: http://www.leviaducdesarts.com/fr/366.html