8 unusual things to do on the Left Bank in Paris

Whenever I’m asked, “what’s better, the Left Bank or the Right Bank” I always answer, “Both! It’s all Paris!” Although truth be told I’ve always been a Right Bank regular. But on a recent trip I really fell in love with the Left Bank, or Rive Gauche. Not because of its showstopper attractions, like the Eiffel Tower, or the Musée D’Orsay. But because this time I took the time to explore some more unusual things to do on the Left Bank.

So if you’re looking to avoid the crowds, you’ve already been to Paris and have “done” the top sights, or like me you enjoy discovering the different side of a city, here’s my list of my favourite unique, unusual things to do on the Left Bank in Paris.

My Top Unusual Things to Do in the Left Bank

1. The Catacombs
2. The Gates of Hell
3. The Lady and The Unicorn
4. Famous French Women Statues
5. The Pantheon
6. Deyrolle Taxidermy
7. Massive Murals in the 13^th
8. Mexican Wrestling Dive Bar

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What is the Left Bank?

The Left Bank (aka Rive Gauche) is a large area in Paris located south of the Seine river. (Basically, the other side of the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral.) It encompasses several neighbourhoods, like the Latin Quarter, St. Germain and Montparnasse, or more generally these arrondissements: 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15.

The area is famous for the Eiffel Tower of course, but also its history of attracting bohemians and intellectuals. Some of the best-known writers and artists from the West were regulars in Left Bank cafés, notably Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin, Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller.

Today, that doesn’t make the Left Bank any cheaper or scruffier. And the Right Bank to me now seems like the trendy youthful place to be. But by staying on the Left Bank I felt like I could be still very close to the centre of Paris but also in a neighbourhood with locals when I wanted to. It’s also an area rich with history and oddities.

Explore the Catacombs

The Catacombs are the famous underground ossuaries of Paris, 1.5km of dark, damp, twisting tunnels filled with artfully arranged bones and skulls. More than half a million people visit the Paris Catacombs every year, so it’s not a true off-the-beaten-path attraction. But it’s definitely at the top of the most unusual things you can do on the Left Bank, or anywhere in Paris.

These Catacombs date back to the late 1700s, when the city of Paris was experiencing overflowing cemeteries. They decided to exhume the remains of several cemeteries and transfer them to an underground site that was, at the time, located outside the city limits. By the early 1800s, the Paris catacombs were given a makeover, adding grim messages on stone tablets, such as the famed entranceway announcing: “Arrete, c’est ici l’empire de la mort.” (Stop! This is the empire of death.”) The last bones were deposited here in 1860.

Most people visit on a self-guided tour and spend about 45 minutes to an hour in the tunnels. You can get an audio guide if you like.

You’ll find the Catacombs in the 14^th, near Montparnasse cemetery. The Pantheon, and Luxembourg park. The Paris Catacombs are open every day except Mondays. Standard hours are 9:45am to 8:30pm, with the last entrance is at 7:30pm. Timed tickets can (and should) be purchased seven days in in advance as the capacity is limited.  If there are no time slots left, consider a small group tour, they often have availabilities on short notice.

Read my full review of how to visit the Paris Catacombs here.

Behold The Gates of Hell at the Rodin Museum

If you liked the idea of the Catacombs, you might also love to see Rodin’s Gates of Hell. And if the Left Bank’s most famous museum, the D’Orsay, seems too big and overwhelming, this compact museum is a perfect alternative.

The Gates of Hell is a massive bronze door inspired by Dante’s Inferno. The story has had so many interpretations over the years but this one is pretty special: prominent French sculptor and former Left Bank denizen Auguste Rodin conceived an actual Gates of Hell.

The piece measure six metres high and four metres wide and are covered in 180 individual tortured, grotesque figures. Some of the characters are from Dante’s story, like Ugolino, who ate the corpses of his children after they died of starvation. Some are Rodin’s own imagination — including the famous Thinker. He worked on this ambitious piece for decades, and never saw it exhibited in full before his death in 1917. But you can check out this monumental work at the Rodin Museum, a former hotel where Rodin lived at the end of his life.

Several copies of the Gates exist at different museums, from different casts made during his life. But here at the Rodin Museum sculpture garden, you can visit it in a beautiful natural setting. Then go into the small but impressive museum, where large windows let in so much light you can imagine the sculptor working in here. You’ll find many Rodin nudes, pieces intended for the Gates of Hell, such as Mask of a Weeping Woman and Centaurs, and even drawings inspired by Dante’s story, like Battle between a Man and a Reptile.

It’s not only one of the great small museums of Paris it’s one of the best unusual things to do on the Left Bank.

You’ll find Rodin Museum in the 7th, near Napoleon’s Tomb, About a 30-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. Closest metros are Varenne or Invalides or RER Invalides.

Musée Rodin is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6:30pm. In winter, the sculpture garden closes at night. Admission is 13 Euro for adults. Paris Museum Pass is accepted. Free the first Sunday of the month, from October to March.

Hang out with the Unicorn tapestries

This one is for my Goth friends. The Cluny Museum is Paris’ Medieval Art Museum. There are two sections – a 15-century Gothic Mansion, and some impressive Gallo-Roman baths from the 1^st century — and two floors of exhibitions. Expect stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, reliquaries, etc. Two great reasons to visit the Cluny are the Visigoth Gold Crowns from the 7^th century and the glorious The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.

The Lady and the Unicorn takes up a whole room. Woven in 1500 from wool and silk, this series of six tapestries is thought to represent the five senses, plus one more about love or desire. The elaborate scenes show women surrounded by flowers, trees, monkeys, birds, lions, and the titular unicorns. The bright reds are still so vibrant, and if you like medieval art, it’s breathtaking.

You’ll find the Cluny in the 6th, near the Pantheon, about a 10-minute walk from the Notre Dame Cathedral. Closest metros are Cluny-La-Sorbonne, Saint-Michel and Odèon.

The Cluny is open every day except Mondays, from 9.30am to 6.15pm and costs 12Euro for adults. You can usually walk in with no waiting or advance tickets, but be mindful that many school groups attend in the morning. Included in the Paris Museum Pass.

Learn about the Queens of France in Jardin Luxembourg

In 1129, the city of Paris had a problem. Its wheat had been poisoned by something called “ergot”—a fungus. This also caused many deaths from a “burning sickness.” The solution? Take the remains of a righteous religious woman who died more than 500 years before and parade them through the city. If you believe the history books, it worked.

I learned this at the Luxembourg Gardens, a massive park that features a group of sculptures called Queens of France and Famous Women. Saint Genevieve, she of the miracle bones, and now the Patroness of the City of Paris, is one of them. Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots is here. And a whole lot of child brides from across Europe who became Queens of France. Googling their names reveals a ton of interesting and often morbid facts about French history. Also, how often do you see a bunch of women celebrated in one public place?

The park was created in the 17th century when Marie de Medici, widow of Henry IV, decided she wanted a place in Paris that looked like the Boboli Gardens of Florence. Jardin Luxumbourg is the largest park in Paris, covering more than 50 hectares of land. It’s There’s a pretty pond, paths for jogging or biking, a place for live music, and other nice things. It’s not an underground attraction but this one goes on my list of unusual things to do on the Left Bank for its more than 100 statues and the dark histories they reveal.

Apart from all the women, fans of Greek myth may recognize the characters on the Leda and the Swan fountain, which commemorates the god Zeus, in the form of a swam, seducing/raping Leda (depending on your interpretation.) A statue of writer Georges Sand is prominent. A small “model” of the Statue of Liberty. And much more.

It’s really a free outdoor art museum, and a perfect place to picnic on the Left Bank if you’re “over” the Eiffel Tower.

Luxembourg Gardens are open from 7:30am to 7:15pm. Closest metro stations are Odéon, Mabillion, and Saint-Germain-de-Prés. Guided tours are available on Wednesday mornings from May to October. Information (in French only) on their official site.

Pay respects at the Pantheon

The Pantheon looms large over the Left Bank. As you walk through the twisting streets of the Latin Quarter, you can often see it peeking out from up the hill, its famous dome and cross beckoning you to come into its crypts.

Originally intended as a church, The Pantheon now serves as a mausoleum for France’s most distinguished (former) citizens. It’s an exclusive club: mostly politicians, military officers, and the like. And mostly men. But fans of French literature and philosophy will recognize names like Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Émile Zola and Rousseau. And things are changing. There are now five women in the Pantheon: scientist Marie Curie’s remains are here. And a cenotaph for actress/dancer Josephine Baker, the first Black woman in the Pantheon, arrived in 2021, 46 years after her death. (This is a “symbolic internment,” as her heirs did not want her body moved.)

Visiting the Pantheon is an essential Left Bank activity if you’re interested in funereal art—and you can climb stairs. The crypt is a beautiful, austere space 38 steps underground, with no elevator.  The main floor is still stunning but I don’t recommend coming here without full mobility.

You’ll find the Pantheon in the 5^th – just look up. Closest metros are Maubert-Mutalité or Jussieu. Open every day of the week from 10am to 6pm October 1 to March 31 and to 6:30pm April 1 to September 30. Admission is 11.50 Euro. Free for those under 26. From April 1 to October 31 you can also climb up to a panoramic view of Paris, it costs an extra 3.50 Euro. You can purchase tickets in advance but apart from summer weekends you should have no problem just walking up and getting a ticket.

Shop for Exotic Oddities at Deyrolle

In the market for a perfectly preserved butterfly, a stuffed peacock, or replica of a human skull? Head to Deyrolle. Part oddities shop and part natural history museum, a visit here is one of the most unusual things to do on the Left Bank, whether you purchase anything or not.

Deyrolle was founded in 1831 by an entomologist. There are plenty of insects on display here, many displayed in antique Cabinet of Curiosities style. But the two-story shop’s main attractions are the taxidermied lions, tigers and other beasts on the second floor. Not everything is for sale, but there are plenty of treasures you can take home.

You’ll find Deyrolle at 46 Rue du Bac, about a 15 minute-walk from the Louvre, or the Musée Rodin. The store is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm.

Admire the Street Art of the 13^th

The 13^th arrondissement is home to so many large-scale murals it’s like the whole neighbourhood is an open-air museum. With the support of municipal government and local galleries, street artists from around the world have come to paint and the creations are fun and thought-provoking eye candy.

This area is a bit further out from the centre of Paris than other unusual things to do on the Left Bank, but it’s worth the metro ride or bike ride out here for a walking tour. Some of the best-known works are clustered along Boulevard Vincent Auriol, such as the vibrant blue pop art work Turncoat by DFace, located on the side of 155 Blvd. Vincent Auriol. Around the corner at 110 Rue Jeanne D’Arc is a very cool optical illusion on two buildings called “Gamin de Paris”- “Enter the Vortex” by Seth.

As with all street art, specific works are subject to change without notice, but you can see a map and more info on the project’s website here.  This is also a good adventure to have with a guided tour, and Street Art Tour Paris has good reviews.

Get in a Mexican Wrestling Ring

At the end of a long day sightseeing here’s something you don’t expect to find in Paris: a Mexican wrestling themed bar. Even better, you can pay to get in the ring with your friends!

Lucha Libra is a small basement bar hidden on a side street that boasts Paris’ only “open wrestling ring.” Show up, pay 5 Euro per person, and they’ll put you in Sumo Costumes to fight your friends in their wrestling ring. It’s popular with groups for parties so can get very crowded and pretty rowdy on weekends. But the colourful décor, budget-friendly drinks and unique entertainment makes this one of my favourite unusual things to do in the Left Bank!

The bar is located in the Latin Quarter at 10 rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, right around the corner from Metro Maubert-Mutualité. Open Wednesday to Saturday nights 6pm to 2am, wrestling begins at 8pm.

I hope my tips for unusual things to do on the Left Bank has been useful and that you have a wonderful adventure! As always leave comments of your favourites so that I can visit them on my next trip.