Instead of the Eiffel Tower: the hidden Paris that few tourists see
What to see in Paris instead of the Eiffel Tower: Roman amphitheatres, cast-iron churches, flowery lanes and corners of France with no queues.
Every year millions of people stand in the same line at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, take the same photo and leave convinced they have "seen" Paris. But anyone who wonders what to see in Paris instead of the Eiffel Tower soon discovers that the city holds dozens of equally surprising places, often free and almost always half-empty. All it takes is a different map and a couple of extra metro stops to find yourself alone in front of a monument worth the trip. Here is an alternative itinerary, inside and outside the capital.
Hidden Paris
We start in the Latin Quarter, a stone's throw from the Panthéon, where behind rue Monge hides a Roman amphitheatre of the 1st-2nd century. The Arènes de Lutèce could hold up to 15,000 spectators for shows and gladiator combats, then were buried and forgotten for centuries. They resurfaced only during the works to open rue Monge, between 1860 and 1869, and were saved thanks to a committee of intellectuals led by Victor Hugo. Today entry is free: Parisians come to play pétanque and read in the sun, unaware they are treading the oldest Paris of all.
Heading back up towards the Grands Boulevards, in the 9th arrondissement, you enter one of the most ingenious buildings in the city. The church of Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile looks like a modest neo-Gothic parish, but inside it conceals the first entirely metallic structure in Paris: 44 slender cast-iron columns hold up the iron vaults, without the need for flying buttresses. Built in just twenty months between 1854 and 1856 at the wish of Napoleon III, it was accused by Viollet-le-Duc of being an "architectural fake", iron disguised as stone. Nicknamed the "iron Sainte-Chapelle", it anticipates by thirty years the great metal works, including the tower of a certain Gustave Eiffel. It has no bell tower, so as not to disturb the neighbouring Conservatory.
Not far away, at the foot of Pigalle, is one of the most intimate corners of the city. The Musée de la Vie Romantique, set up in the house-studio of the painter Ary Scheffer, holds mementos of George Sand and Chopin in a tree-lined courtyard where a little salon de thé serves tea among the roses. The permanent collection is free: it is the romantic Paris of the "Nouvelle Athènes", a world away from the crush of the Trocadéro.
For those seeking silence and colour without museums, the destination is in the 13th arrondissement. The Cité Florale is a handkerchief of six little lanes named after flowers — wisteria, iris, orchids, morning glories — with low cottages clad in climbing plants. In spring the façades explode with greenery and petals: a village within the metropolis, where the only sound is birdsong.
Beyond the périphérique
Having seen these four corners, the anti-crowd logic naturally leads outside Paris, because the "instead of" France doesn't end inside the périphérique. If the Eiffel Tower is the icon of urban verticality, the perfect opposite is a village of golden stone perched above a river. Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, sheer above the Lot, is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France but remains almost unknown to Italians: medieval houses, artisan workshops and a panorama that rewards the climb.
Further south still, in the Aveyron, Conques is a historic stop on the Camino de Santiago: its Romanesque abbey of Sainte-Foy preserves a tympanum carved with the Last Judgement and a treasure of medieval goldwork. Arriving at sunset, when the pilgrims have withdrawn, is worth more than a thousand selfies under the tower.
Those who love wild nature will find their alternative in the Massif Central: the Gorges de la Truyère, in the Cantal, are a succession of wooded gorges, dams and isolated castles, which you can travel by car or by boat along the reservoirs. Here overtourism simply does not exist.
How to get there
A practical tip to close the circle: you can reach Paris and then head down to the south of France without taking a plane. The night trains connect Italy to the great French cities and let you wake up at your destination, cutting emissions and stress. It is the most coherent way to travel for anyone seeking another Paris and another France.
The moral: the next time you wonder what to see in Paris beyond the usual monuments, remember that the most visited city in the world still keeps its secrets. You just have to lift your gaze from a single tower.
Practical guides for Todi
Practical info
When is the best time to visit Instead of the Eiffel Tower?
The recommended time is April, May, June, September and October, when it is less crowded.
Where is Instead of the Eiffel Tower?
Instead of the Eiffel Tower is located in Italy.
