A cobbled lane curves between small houses and flower-covered façades at Villa Léandre, offering a quiet residential setting for a Paris photoshoot.

August 4, 2026

Secret Paris Photo Spots

Ready for another side of Paris? These little gardens, colourful streets and pretty passages are lovely reasons to explore beyond the big sights.

Updated 19 October 2026

Charlotte

Owner of Travaya

Looking for a photographer in Paris?

Read all our 199 5-star reviews

Start your booking

Table of Contents

A different side of Paris to fall for

Some of the nicest holiday moments happen between the big plans. A pretty doorway catches your eye. A garden gate opens onto a lovely old house. Suddenly, the afternoon has a new favourite stop. Paris is full of these smaller places, and they make beautiful settings for holiday photos, too.

The gardens, streets and passages below each have their own charm. Some are well known to Parisians, so “secret” doesn't mean you'll have them to yourself. It means there's more to discover beyond the famous views. Fancy those as well? Our best photo spots in Paris guide brings them together.

A flower-filled garden frames a historic Paris museum façade, with visitors walking between shaded trees and stone paths during a photoshoot location scout.

Photographed by Travaya Photographers

Villa Léandre: a little village in Montmartre

Oh, these houses! Just off Avenue Junot, Villa Léandre has painted shutters, red-and-white bricks and gardens tucked beside front doors. The small homes look so different from the grand buildings you may picture when you think of Paris. You may find yourself wishing one of them was yours.

It's a lovely lane to come across on a walk through Montmartre. The brickwork, colours and plants give it a cosy feel, with plenty to enjoy in one short street. That mix makes a sweet background for photos, without a famous monument in sight. These are people's homes, so doors, front steps and gardens need to stay clear.

La Campagne à Paris and the Saint-Blaise area

A village on a hill, right here in Paris? La Campagne à Paris is a lovely surprise near Porte de Bagnolet. Small houses sit along old stone streets, with garden gates and painted shutters. Greenery reaches around the walls, and suddenly the busy city feels a little further away. It's the sort of place that makes you glad you left room for something different in your day.

The pleasure is in having time to notice a house you love or another pretty turn in the street. Those small discoveries make such sweet holiday memories. There are hills and steps, so the walk needs to suit your comfort. Elsewhere in the 20th arrondissement, the Saint-Blaise area has more small streets and everyday neighbourhood life to enjoy. It's a separate place, with another side of Paris waiting to be explored.

Cité Florale, Rue Dieulafoy and Square des Peupliers

If colourful houses make you happy, the 13th arrondissement has some lovely surprises. In Cité Florale, even the streets are named after flowers. Little homes, garden gates and plants bring so much colour and care to one small area. Rue Dieulafoy has soft-coloured house fronts, while Square des Peupliers offers leafy corners and more houses to fall for.

These are places to enjoy the little things. A bright door, two house colours that look wonderful together, a window with green all around it. The fun is in noticing them, with time for another look before you move on. They make a sweet setting for photos of a slower Paris day, without a big monument in sight. Flowers change with the seasons, and the gardens belong to residents, so there's plenty to admire from the street.

Covered passages: a lovely excuse to look up

Rain on your Paris trip? A glass roof can make the day feel much nicer. Galerie Vivienne has arches, a beautifully patterned floor and shop windows beneath its roof. There's as much to admire above your head as there is at your feet. Galerie Véro-Dodat brings a different look, with dark wood and black-and-white floors.

Passage des Panoramas and Passage Jouffroy have their own lively mix of shops and people passing through. These places are lovely for browsing, escaping a shower and enjoying the old details. The roofs let daylight into the walkways, giving photos a softer feel than a bright open square.

Each passage has its own opening times and photography rules. The tourist office currently lists Passage des Princes as under renovation, so don't build your day around that one.

Galerie Vivienne's patterned mosaic floor leads through symmetrical shopfronts and glass-roofed arches, creating an architectural setting for a Paris photoshoot.

Photographed by Travaya Photographers

Canal Saint-Martin: bridges, water and a café stop

Canal Saint-Martin is an easy place to spend more time than you meant to. Trees lean over the water, small iron bridges join the two sides and cafés offer a very good reason to pause. Along Quai de Valmy and Quai de Jemmapes, the locks and bridges keep changing the view as you wander.

It has a lovely everyday feel. Friends meet by the canal, people cross the bridges and the water brings a little breathing room between the buildings. All those reflections, trees and iron details make beautiful backgrounds for photos of your Paris trip. It can be busy, and that's part of the place's life. Public paths and footbridges are the way to explore; lock gates aren't always walking routes.

A broad metal footbridge rises beneath mature trees beside Canal Saint-Martin, adding urban structure and a connected walking route to a Paris photoshoot.

Photographed by Travaya Photographers

Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil: a world of green

Still in Paris? It might not feel that way among the big tropical leaves at Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil. The old glasshouses have painted metal frames and so much green behind the glass. They're beautiful before you've even taken a closer look at the plants. If you love gardens, this is a lovely place to spend part of your trip simply being curious.

Outside, the walk keeps changing. Neat garden paths give way to winding English-style paths, a Japanese-inspired corner and Mediterranean plants. You can enjoy those different little worlds without leaving the garden. It's a wonderful setting for photos that remind you of something a little unexpected about Paris. Some older greenhouse paths aren't suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. For a Travaya shoot, we'll check access and choose a suitable part of the garden with you.

Parc Monceau: a park worth slowing down for

Parc Monceau is no secret to Parisians, but it deserves a place on your list. Curving paths lead past trees, a small bridge and rows of stone columns. It has the lovely mix of green space and old details that makes a park walk feel like a proper part of your holiday.

The different corners are a treat for photos, too. The bridge brings one view, the columns another, and the trees soften the city around you. Families can enjoy a park break between sightseeing stops, while couples may simply love having somewhere pretty to wander together. Not every Paris afternoon needs a packed plan. This is a lovely place to leave a bit of room in yours.

Parc de Belleville: a green hillside above Paris

There's something lovely about finding a green hillside in the middle of a city. At Parc de Belleville, paths lead past trees and planted slopes, with a long, stepped waterfall feature running down the hill. Above them, the belvédère Willy Ronis is a lookout named after the photographer. The park gives you a reason to enjoy this part of Paris from a different height.

The walk can be as much of a treat as the view. Green surrounds the paths, and the hillside gives you little changes of scene along the way. It's a nice place for a slower part of the day, with time to enjoy being outdoors together. Trees can hide parts of the city view, so a clear Eiffel Tower background isn't something to count on. There are slopes, too, and a shorter walk can be the nicest choice for your group.

Jardin Monica Vitti: little towers in Le Marais

The little towers of Hôtel de Sens look rather like something from a storybook. Beside the old building, Jardin Monica Vitti has neat hedges and greenery against pale stone. It's a small place with a wonderful view of the house. Finding a corner like this on a walk through Le Marais feels like a little extra gift from Paris.

There's no need for a big plan here. The garden is a sweet place to pause, enjoy the old building and imagine a few photos from this part of your day. It fits nicely between the neighbourhood's streets and cafés. The garden and the library inside Hôtel de Sens have separate access, and the garden may close in strong winds or bad weather. A lovely small stop when the gates are open.

Formal hedges, flower beds and gravel paths sit beside the historic Hôtel de Sens in Paris, creating a layered garden setting for a photoshoot.

Photographed by Travaya Photographers

A small garden pause at Jardin Lazare Rachline

There are days when a bench in a pretty garden feels like the best find of the trip. Jardin Lazare Rachline is one of those small Marais corners where the setting does all the work: old stone walls, neat planting and the roof of Hôtel Donon above the green. The house is home to the Musée Cognacq-Jay.

The garden's benches are lovely for a rest and a look around, and the house and plants give it plenty of charm for photos. It has its own entrance at 9 Rue Payenne and its own garden opening hours. A small pause here fits beautifully into a day of exploring Le Marais.

A compact formal garden and pale historic façade form a quiet courtyard setting in Le Marais for a carefully planned Paris photoshoot.

Photographed by Travaya Photographers

Hôtel de Sully: a pretty way towards Place des Vosges

Hôtel de Sully brings one lovely space after another. There's the courtyard beside the grand old house, then the garden, with pale stone and neat green planting. When the grounds are open, a passage leads through towards Place des Vosges and its pink-toned buildings and covered walks. What a nice way to arrive.

The pleasure is in how the view changes: busy street, old courtyard, garden, square. Each has a different feel, and all that stone and greenery makes a beautiful setting for photos. If you'd like a planned photoshoot here, we'll check what's allowed in the courtyard or garden. Being open for a visit doesn't automatically mean a professional shoot is allowed.

Straight gravel paths and clipped hedges lead toward the pale historic façade of Hôtel de Sully, an access-dependent Paris photoshoot setting.

Photographed by Travaya Photographers

Bastille and the old workshop passages

Paris has another kind of charm around Bastille and Faubourg Saint-Antoine. Here, old workshop doors and small courtyards invite a closer look at the city's everyday side. Cour Damoye and Passage du Cheval Blanc are two names to keep in mind. Plants against stone, old windows and a little turn away from the main street can make the walk feel full of small finds.

Cour du Bel Air, Cour Saint-Joseph, Passage Josset and Cour de l'Étoile d'Or are in this area too. Some courtyards are private or have locked gates, so they aren't places you can always enter. The pleasure is in enjoying what is open to visitors, with plenty to notice from the public streets as well. For a Travaya photoshoot, we'll choose suitable places where you can enjoy the visit and feel welcome.

Leave time to enjoy the places you find

The Marais gardens belong beautifully in the same neighbourhood wander. Villa Léandre fits a Montmartre day, while Canal Saint-Martin is lovely when you fancy a walk by the water. One area leaves more room for the good bits: a place that catches your eye, a café stop and a little time to enjoy simply being in Paris.

You may end up loving a tiny garden just as much as a famous view. That's one of the nicest things about a trip, isn't it? The places you looked forward to and the ones that surprise you along the way. There's room in your holiday photos for both.

A little Paris adventure, with you in the photos

Found a place you'd love to explore? We'll help plan your Paris photoshoot, with you in the pictures.

Plan Your Paris Photoshoot

About Travaya

We connect travellers and residents with trusted local photographers worldwide to turn special moments into timeless memories.

Pin It! Share

Our Paris Shoots:

Family Couple Engagement Maternity Proposal

Book your Paris Photographer!

Start Booking

Paris Photo Spots

Paris Anniversary Photo Ideas: A Personal Story Beyond the Landmark Selfies

Where to Propose in Paris

15 Beautiful Photo Spots in Amsterdam

Rome Instagram Spots That Work With People in the Frame

Rome Couple Photoshoot Locations: Choose Your Kind of Romance

ENJOY $20 OFF

Your first photoshoot when you become an email subscriber.

Paris Photo Spots

Fall for ten Paris photo spots, from your first Eiffel Tower view to pink cafés, garden afternoons and little streets beside the Seine.

15 September 2026

•

10 min

Paris Anniversary Photo Ideas: A Personal Story Beyond the Landmark Selfies

Paris is in the background, exactly where you hoped it would be. Yet the photograph you keep looking at is the one where your partner starts laughing…

18 October 2026

•

11 min