There are good reasons why the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower are respectively the most visited museum and monument in the world. However, we thought we’d go slightly off the beaten tracks and reveal some of Parisians’ favourite hotspots for culture in Paris. From louche Pigalle to up-and-becoming-groovy rue de Bagnolet, from gritty rue d’Aubervilliers to the leafy Jardin du Luxembourg, we have selected theatres, cinemas, galleries, museums and a médiathèque worth le détour.

Galerie Gagosian

It was only a question of time before 65-year-old American art dealer Larry Gagosian added a Paris branch – his ninth – to what has become the world’s biggest commercial gallery network. When la galerie opened last October with paintings and sculptures by Cy Twombly, everything was sold in a few hours, netting the gallery more than $20 million. Having transformed a huge hôtel particulier into a state-of-the-art contemporary gallery, Gagosian has offered Parisians interesting diptych exhibitions such as Rodin and Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, Richard Prince and Jean Nouvel.
• 4 rue de Ponthieu, 8th, +33 1 7500 0592, gagosian.com. Métro: Franklin D Roosevelt

Le Trianon

 

Rest assured, Marie-Antoinette’s idyllic abode in Versailles hasn’t been transformed into a cabaret. In fact, le Trianon Theatre, built at the foot of Montmartre, has known many lives and disguises since it opened as a music hall in 1894. Partly destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt by Art Nouveau engineer Joseph Cassien-Bernard in 1902. By the late ’30s, it was dedicated exclusively to cinema and, with its 1,000 seats, offered a great venue for movie buffs. Le Trianon died in 1992 only to be resurrected a few years later as a concert venue. Carla Bruni is among the chanteuses who have recently performed here.
• 80 boulevard Rochechouart, 18th, +33 1 4492 7800, letrianon.fr. Métro: Anvers

 

 

Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP)

 

Known as “La Mèpe” by Parisians, here is a much-loved and still little-known venue for photography exhibitions which opened to the public in 1998. Sheltered in a 1706 listed hôtel particulier in the heart of le Marais, MEP offers superbly curated exhibitions alongside archives going back to Daguerre. Its permanent collection, however, retraces world photography since the 1950s, from Koudelka to Sieff and Cartier-Bresson to Salgado. MEP organises tours and holds child-friendly lectures about photography.
• 5/7 rue de Fourcy, 4th, +33 1 4478 7500, mep-fr.org. Métro: Saint Paul or Pont Marie

 

 

 

Hôtel de Ville de Paris

 

Few visitors to the French capital know that the town hall organises free exhibitions. Walk round to the back of the imposing 19th-century building and more often than not you’ll see Parisians queuing patiently for the latest show. Their topics are usually, but not exclusively, capital-related. The most successful have been: Jacques Prévert’s Paris, grande-dame designer Andrée Putman’s Parisian interiors, La Commune and Communards. Be prepared for the forthcoming one: Paris as seen by Impressionists.
• rue de Lobau, 4th, paris.fr. Métro: Hôtel de Ville

 

 

 

Le Lucernaire

 

With three theatres, Théâtre Noir, Théâtre Rouge and Paradis, three cinema screens, a bookshop, an exhibition space, a bar and a restaurant, Le Lucernaire is a busy cultural hub. Readings, debates, book signings are added to a bursting schedule of matinées and soirées. Created in 1968, Le Lucernaire is conceived as a cultural crossroad between avant-garde art and the classics revisited. Located in a former factory, it has its own cobbled street. We recently saw there a play about Hitchcock and Truffaut, in Franglais. The theatre was packed, and the public loved it.
• 53 rue Notre-Dame des champs, 6th, +33 1 4544 5734, lucernaire.fr. Métro: Notre-Dame-des-Champs or Vavin

 

 

Le 104

 

Opened in October 2008, le 104 – the city’s latest cultural venue – is based in a former funeral parlour. Financed by the Paris municipality, le 104 is a huge space with large and small courts, glasshouses, cellars, stables and galleries where the 200 artists in residence and the public from the 19th arrondissement meet despite differing backgrounds. However, new director José Manuel Gonçalvès seems to have taken the bull by the horns. Last time we checked, it offered an organic market on Saturday mornings, free Qi Gong sessions, a merry-go-round, short films screenings, lessons in urban dancing, workshops with a Paris orchestra and a bal populaire.
• 104 rue d’Aubervilliers, 19th, +33 1 5335 5000, 104.fr. Métro: Riquet, Crimée, Stalingrad or Marx-Dormoy

 

 

Médiathèque Marguerite Duras

 

Designed by former Presidential candidate and architect Roland Castro, this médiathèque is the largest in Paris and has just recently opened its doors to the “Parisians of the East”. Located between the 15th-century church of St Germain-de-Charonne and a sleek but affordable hotel-restaurant designed by Philippe Stark called Mama shelter, la médiathèque Marguerite Duras offers comfortable armchairs and seating for about 350 visitors. It has (almost) all the French press and (a selection of) world publications, as well as a massive selection of books, CDs and DVDs. The is also a little cinema which often has free screenings.
• 115 rue de Bagnolet, 20th, +33 1 5525 4910, mairie20.paris.fr. Métro: Alexandre Dumas, Porte de Bagnolet, Gambetta or Maraîchers

 

 

La Cinémathèque

 

Since 1955, the French Cinémathèque has nourished generations of world film-makers and cinéphiles visiting and living in Paris. Recently moved from the Palais de Chaillot to the Frank Gehry-designed former American Centre, la Cinémathèque continues to offer some of the best programming in the world, with a screen dedicated to the history of cinema and another to retrospectives. With four screens, two temporary exhibitions, archives, a library and a restaurant (le 51), la cinémathèque regularly organises master classes with the world’s best directors.
• 51 rue de Bercy, 12th, +33 1 7119 3333, cinematheque.fr. Métro: Bercy

 

 

Guignol

 

Built in 1933 in the Jardin du Luxembourg, this 275-seat theatre specialises in Guignol and puppet shows for children and adults alike. You can find other Guignol theatres in Paris gardens such as Parc Montsouris or Parc des Buttes Chaumont, but this is our favourite. This is where we understood that Guignol was a clever little fellow and that cheek could get you far in life. Performances last 40 minutes and tickets cost €4.50 per person. The theatre is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays and every day during school holidays.
Jardin du Luxembourg, rue Guynemer, 6th, +33 1 4326 4647 guignolduluxembourg.monsite-orange.fr. Métro: Vavin, Notre Dame Des Champs or Luxembourg

 

 

Fondation Cartier

In 1994, the Cartier Foundation for contemporary art moved from the suburbs to its gleaming new HQ on boulevard Raspail. Home to a massive collection by 300 living artists, it acquires 15 new art pieces annually. Look out for the soirées nomades, where a theme given to many different artists create unusual experiences. The Food Lab series, for instance, asked artists of all disciplines to create food as art.
• 261 boulevard Raspail, 14th, +33 1 4218 5650, fondation.cartier.com. Métro: Raspail or Denfert-Rochereau

 

 

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Original article by Agnès Poirier on The Guardian Travel

More sights in the Paris area on Belvicci