Guide anecdote

Pathé-Albatros Studios in Montreuil: the glass-roofed studio where silent films were made

In Montreuil, the former Pathé-Albatros studios preserve a rare testament to the early days of cinema: a glass-roofed hall built in 1904, which became the heart of a Franco-Russian venture in the 1920s.

A cursed tomb in Père Lachaise? Discover the legend of this immense mausoleum.

Among the tombs of the Père Lachaise Cemetery, an imposing mausoleum is the source of one of the darkest urban legends of this immense necropolis. Discover the myth behind the tomb of Elisabeth Alexandrovna Strogonoff-Dominoff, reputed to be cursed.

Before the Musée d’Orsay: when Orson Welles filmed The Trial in the former railway station

In 1962, Orson Welles set up some of the sets for The Trial in the Gare d’Orsay. The Parisian building, which became a museum in 1986, still has a clock that appears in the film.

Hôtel du Nord in Paris: the real location and the cinema set recreated in Billancourt

Along the Saint-Martin Canal, the Hôtel du Nord inspired Marcel Carné’s 1938 film. The sets by Alexandre Trauner, filmed in Billancourt, and the Arletty footbridge tell a different story about the place.

Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church: the building designed by the same architect as Gare du Nord

The Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church, in the 10th arrondissement, boasts striking neoclassical architecture dating from the 19th century, set in the heart of the former Saint-Lazare precinct. A sanctuary with two twin towers that houses unique treasures.

The Phantom of the Opera: How much truth lies behind the famous legend surrounding Gaston Leroux?

Iconic novel, stage musicals, films... The Phantom of the Opera has fascinated audiences for more than a century. Yet behind Gaston Leroux’s imagined tale lie several real events linked to the Palais Garnier. The chandelier’s collapse, a mysterious underground lake, a supposedly reserved box... What remains of the legend?

Under Paris, a team surveys 300 kilometers of tunnels to prevent collapses!

Beneath the streets of Paris lie nearly 300 kilometers of ancient stone quarries. To prevent collapses, an institution established almost 250 years ago oversees this unique underground network: the General Inspection of Quarries. Who are these specialists who roam the capital’s depths, and what does their mission entail?

When Pierre and Marie Curie Investigated a Medium: The Curious Case of Eusapia Palladino in Paris

Tables that appear to levitate, objects in motion and mysterious "ectoplasms": experiments with medium Eusapia Palladino sparked a lively debate in Belle Époque Paris. An little-known story that drew several eminent scientists, including Pierre and Marie Curie, to take a close interest in phenomena attributed to spiritism.

The Vampire of Montparnasse: the strange affair that sent 19th-century Paris into a panic

In 1849, a string of cemetery desecrations hits several Parisian burial grounds, rattling the guards and feeding the era’s darkest rumors. Known as the "Vampire of Montparnasse," the mysterious perpetrator is eventually unmasked: a look back at a macabre affair that left its mark on 19th‑century Paris.

In Paris, poisonings and black masses rocked the court of the Sun King.

What was the Poison Affair really hiding? In Paris, poisonings, occult practices, and court intrigues draw La Voisin and Louis XIV’s inner circle into a sensational judicial scandal from 1679 to 1682. A look back at a case that ultimately reached the gates of Versailles.

In Paris, a cemetery was closed to prevent miracles.

In the 18th century, Saint-Médard Cemetery becomes the stage for a phenomenon that intrigues as much as it unsettles Paris. Supposed healings, spells of convulsions, and religious fervor around the tomb of deacon François de Pâris eventually prompt Louis XV to close the site. A look back at the strange tale of the Convulsionnaires of Saint-Médard!

Did you know? This "esprit frappeur" from the Latin Quarter gave the Paris police a real run for their money.

In the summer of 1860, strange projectiles struck a dwelling on Rue des Noyers, near Rue de la Harpe in Paris. Soon the case fed the lead toward a mysterious poltergeist, with even the police dispatched to the scene said to have been targeted.

Haunted Paris: 4 historic sites and ghost legends to discover

In Paris, certain addresses come with tales of specters, curses, and unexplained phenomena. From the Palais Garnier to the Tuileries, here are four historic sites linked to the capital's most unsettling legends.

In Paris, a metro station has been decorated to evoke... the potato!

But why does Parmentier station so proudly celebrate the potato? From its mosaic to the wire fencing that evokes nets, and other Easter eggs scattered about, here is the tribute hidden behind this Parisian station.

Do you know why this Île-de-France commune is nicknamed the barley-sugar town?

Less than an hour from Paris, Moret-sur-Loing in Seine-et-Marne is famed for a specialty born nearly 400 years ago: barley sugar. But why did this charming medieval town become the capital of this famous confection? A look back at a story as tasty as it is unusual.

Louvre Museum: Why is the Apollo Gallery considered the precursor to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles?

Before dazzling visitors at the Palace of Versailles, the majestic style of the Hall of Mirrors was born... at the Louvre Museum. Built under Louis XIV, the Apollo Gallery served as a true artistic laboratory. Discover why it is today regarded as the model for one of the world’s most famous rooms.

La Marseillaise: The story of France’s national anthem and its lyrics

Why did La Marseillaise become France’s national anthem? Who wrote it, when, and on what occasions is it sung today? Discover the fascinating history of this revolutionary song, along with its lyrics.

You pass them every day in Paris without noticing: these little bollards and posts hide a royal history.

In Paris, bollards, posts and wheel guards lining the sidewalks have protected façades, pedestrians and terraces for centuries. From carriages to scooters, a retrospective on the history of these urban sentinels we pass by without really seeing.

What happened to Paris's only Lantern of the Dead? Discover the history of this vanished monument

In the heart of the Halles district, the Cemetery of the Innocents once housed an eerie funeral light. This Lantern of the Dead disappeared along with one of old Paris’s most impressive cemeteries.

On this day, May 21: the birth of FIFA in Paris, a look back at a key date in football history

Did you know? FIFA was founded in Paris on May 21. We revisit this pivotal date in football history, the moment that helped turn a global passion into reality.