Behind the facades that everyone photographs, Paris has a second city — a network of cobbled courtyards, medieval passages and walled gardens that most visitors never find.
Paris presents a public face — the boulevards, the monuments, the café terraces — and a private one. The private Paris is older, quieter and, in my opinion, more interesting. It exists in the courtyards behind the closed doors of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, in the gardens of aristocratic mansions that have stood since the 17th century, in the passages that connect two streets through spaces barely wide enough for a single cart. This circuit is a guided passage through that hidden city — the one that does not appear on any tourist map.
Knowing which doors to push — and when — is the single most valuable piece of local knowledge I can offer. Several spaces on this circuit are accessible only to those who know they exist.
The courtyards we visit are not preserved behind glass. They are lived in, worked in, and in some cases still operating as the workshops they have been for three centuries.
I have made a deliberate choice not to publish the specific addresses on this page. The circuit's value lies precisely in the fact that these places are not yet on the standard visitor itinerary.
The working courtyards are most alive — and most accessible — on weekday mornings. We time the circuit accordingly.
Several people have asked me why I don't simply publish the locations on this page. The answer is straightforward: the moment a courtyard appears on a popular travel site, it changes. The residents become less welcoming. The working atmosphere disappears. The door gets locked.
What I offer is access based on years of daily presence in these neighbourhoods — the kind of knowledge that takes time to build and cannot be replicated by reading a list. The confirmed itinerary is shared at booking. What I can promise now is that every stop on this circuit will surprise you, even if you have visited Paris many times before.
Fixed group rate — the vehicle is yours for the duration, regardless of the number of passengers.
The duration indicated (~4 hours) is a guide. If you wish to spend more time somewhere or adjust the circuit, simply let us know when booking — we adapt.
Contact us by phone, WhatsApp or via the booking form. We confirm within a few hours.