Paris must be one of the most visited places in Europe, and deservedly so. Tons of the world’s most famous and recognisable landmarks can be found in France’s capital. In fact, if there’s a single one of Paris’ famous landmarks that you haven’t seen, I’d truly recommend that you go and visit them. Not only because these places are amazing, but because it’s only once you’ve seen all these must-see places that you are able to really enjoy Paris.

Okay okay, I won’t for a moment suggest seriously that anyone whose grasp of French is as patchy as mine (“Parlez vous anglais?” is my only conversation starter!) is ever likely to discover ‘The Real Paris’, but I’m certainly sure that you’ve got to get off the beaten tourist track to be able to do so. The hard thing about recommending a non-touristy version of Paris is that obviously much of the joy, much of what I want to recommend, is to be found in the places that don’t have recognisable names marked on the map, the in-between places, the walks, the general “just being in Paris” feeling.

The most important thing, even if you’re still visiting the big landmarks, is to take as much joy as you can from the way you get about. The metro is not just a means to travel across the city, it’s a culturally rich and demographically diverse experience. The rift between the London Underground and the Paris Metro is unbelievable – in everything conceivable way from culture and style to architecture and atmosphere. It’s a transport system that is most wonderful for the marriage between its outward appearance of technical innovation and its implicit retro stylings. So that sounds a bit pretentious right? But my point is that there’s a great deal to be appreciated so long as we take the effort to do so.

Make sure you take a walk along the Seine too. It’s a fantastic river (compare it to the brown or green waterways in other major European cities) and you can walk alongside using the pedestrian path. There’s nothing quite so relaxing, as wonderfully authentic as getting around just by walking along the Seine. Usually you’re enjoying yourself so much you end up walking right past wherever you meant to go. Being twenty feet below the bustle of the roads makes it seem like another world, and the architecture on the paths and walls, big blocks of Parisian stone, is lovely. And when you’re done, check out the authentic riverside sellers operating out of wooden cabinets along the roads above.

On my first visit to Paris, one of the most amazing things that occurred to me is the beauty and class that the city oozes so effortlessly. I remember trying to find the Musee D’Orsay and walking past one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen – turrets, massive clock faces, intricately carved gargoyles. The first thing that occurred to me, as a good tourist, was to pull out my map and identify it. And believe me, I tried hard, but it turns out that this amazing building is not marked on any map. The sort of building that would be treasured as a national institution in London no one even bothers to make a fuss over in Paris.

So I guess, that’s the point I’m trying to make. How can you ever hope to see the beauty of this amazing city if you only travel between Landmark A and Landmark B when there are so many amazing unmarked, unknown places in between? When you visit, give yourself a day off-schedule. Drop your map off at the hotel, and just wander. Take random Metro journeys to interesting-sounding stops, take walks where you have no destination, and perhaps then you will be able to truly appreciate what is perhaps ‘The Real Paris’.