A hidden street in Paris is home to aesthetic treasures

An enclave of not just colors and eclectic, off-the-beaten-track beauty, the rue des Thermopyles is a street that houses a secret community, complete with an open-air cinema, vibrant graffiti, street parties, and the type of communal friendliness where neighbors have long conversations out their windows as they hang the laundry to dry.

Taking the metro nearly across the city to the southernmost 14^th arrondissement, I went exploring and found a side of Paris that’s more Provence than big city and hosts more colors, unique doors, and, quite simply, character, than any other street I’ve seen in Paris. In the crazy bustle of life in the capital, the street is fantastical, like something straight out of a movie from your childhood.

Take a virtual walk with my photos:

Getting ready for a “fête” or party in a few days

It was slightly raining the whole time I was walking around, so the street was entirely empty, even though I imagine it’s usually like that since the street is rather short and unknown.

“Making a garden together.”

Neighborhood pride in the tiniest of ways.
A cinema behind (usually) closed doors is getting ready for an evening screening.

“Office”

Nearby there are oddities galore like this shop selling “surrealist and fantastical works.”

Although the area is a bit out of the way from most of Paris, it’s by far worth the trek.