Unusual Tours in Paris

Want to experience Paris "behind the scenes" for the first time? Two institutions open their usually closed doors to you. UNESCO backstage (from 20 €) lets you enter a nominative international enclave, among works by Picasso, Calder, and a Japanese garden: the most exclusive option, wheelchair accessible. If you prefer live craftsmanship, opt for Les Ateliers des Gobelins (from 17,50 €), where weavers work before your eyes. Our advice: UNESCO for diplomatic prestige, Gobelins for the emotion of state craftsmanship.

Nothing replaces the adrenaline of a champions' locker room. Stade de France backstage (from 17 €) takes you from the players' tunnel to the presidential boxes, with the official museum included and tours in four languages: ideal for football and major concert lovers. On the clay side, Roland-Garros backstage (from 19 €) reveals the Philippe-Chatrier court, the presidential stand, and the Tenniseum, with a fully wheelchair-accessible route. Our advice: Roland-Garros for total accessibility and tennis, Stade de France for the multisport and event dimension.

To embark young and old on an adventure, the escape game Mazarin and the Guardians of the Secret (from 18 €) places your team of 3 to 6 players at the heart of the Richelieu Library, from age 10 accompanied and wheelchair accessible. More contemplative but just as captivating, the Secrets of the Louvre Facades tour (from 14,50 €) is experienced as an outdoor symbol hunt, while Notre-Dame de Paris: the mysteries of its reconstruction (from 14,50 €) tells the story of the fire, the exhumed sarcophagi, and the century's construction site, in French or English. Our advice: the escape game for team spirit, the Louvre and Notre-Dame for tight budgets and strollers.

At Caves du Louvre, three formulas adapt to your desires: the Immersive Tour with an 8-language audioguide (from 29 €) to proceed at your own pace, the Classic Guided Tour with a sommelier (from 36 €), or the Premium Tour with more confidential vintages (from 50 €). Cheese lovers will choose the Living Cheese Museum on Île Saint-Louis (from 20 €), or the grand Food Tour of Île Saint-Louis lasting 3 hours (from 105 €) for a complete wine and cheese immersion. Our advice: the Cheese Museum for a convivial hour and the Food Tour for an exceptional gastronomic experience.

For a romantic interlude, the Champagne Tasting Cruise on the Seine (from 79 €) combines a private lounge, three winemakers' cuvées, and a view of the Eiffel Tower, while the immersive show Aura at Les Invalides (from 18 €) transforms the Dome into a 360° light theater. Strollers will prefer decoding the city on foot: the Covered Passages Walk (from 14,50 €), the street art tour at Butte-aux-Cailles (from 14,50 €), the trail of the Freemasons (from 14,50 €), or the mysterious Père-Lachaise tour (from 14,50 €). Our advice: the cruise for romance, the walks to enjoy hidden Paris without breaking the bank.