Alternative Urbaine
Type: Local Picks, Tours and Excursions
10Best Says
In local parlance these tours are known as the Paris tours by the Homeless. Why? Because as part of a social conscious entrepreneur model, these tours were started to 1. afford visitors a glimpse of... Read More
In local parlance these tours are known as the Paris tours by the Homeless. Why? Because as part of a social conscious entrepreneur model, these tours were started to 1. afford visitors a glimpse of Paris that they might not otherwise see and 2.offer gainful employment to people in need of it.
The tours got a buzz straight away in Paris media and many, even locals, flocked to take the tours. After all, payment is by tips and on a pay-what-you-can basis, so there was nothing to lose.
"It's partly a scenic tour where we show them community gardens, beautiful hidden streets with little houses, and street art work, but it's also historical where we take them to buildings that used to house factories and we tell little anecdotes about the sites," says founder Selma Sardouk.
EXPERT TIPS BY:
Paige Donner
Paris Local Expert
- Tours and Excursions: "When it first launched, the tours were only around the offbeat 20th arrondissement (the neighborhood where the famous Père Lachaise cemetery is located). They have now expanded their tours to include Montmartre, but have kept to their theme of back alleys and off-the-beated track tours."
- Best for Tours and Excursions Because: These tours are truly led by locals, most of whom live on the streets and who share a side of Paris you rarely see.
