Offbeat Paris: Discover a different side to the City of Light during the Olympic Games

Escape the crowds and explore the Parisian suburbs of Saint-Ouen and Saint-Denis

Travellers visiting Paris during the Olympic Games can head to the city's suburbs such as Saint-Denis for offbeat exploration. AFP

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will kick off on July 26 and some 11 million travellers from across the globe are expected to descend upon the French capital to witness stellar sporting events and also to take in the glamorous City of Light.

But reserving tickets to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower or gaze at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre must be made long in advance, while just getting around some parts of the city is going to be a challenge thanks to road closures and increased security. Instead, this could be the ideal moment to discover a very different Paris, leaving off the usual bucket-list attractions and instead heading to under-the-radar suburbs.

The Olympic Village in Saint-Denis. AFP

While popular venues such as the Place de la Concorde and Grand Palais will be transformed into spectacular temporary venues for Olympic events such as breakdancing and fencing, much of the Games are actually concentrated outside of the centre in the neighbourhoods of Saint-Ouen and adjoining Saint-Denis. A newly renovated Stade de France will host athletics and rugby sevens, alongside sparkling new venues such as the Saint-Denis Aquatic Centre for swimming, with badminton and gymnastics in Arena La Chapelle, and a Games newcomer, Sport Climbing, taking over Le Bourget Gymnasium. This is also where the Olympic Athlete's Village has been built, a home for the sports stars today, and tomorrow set to be the legacy of the Games by providing much-needed new public housing in one of the world's most-visited cities.

Like most Parisians, I rarely venture outside the Peripherique ring road into the sprawling suburbs, so I'm rather excited as I head off on an adventure to Saint-Ouen. I jump on Line 14 Metro at Gare de Lyon, which has been newly-extended to cater for the Games, and in only 10 minutes I am standing opposite the majestic Saint-Ouen town hall. The town is a proud red-brick worker’s neighbourhood that has become a vibrant hub for art, design, boutique shopping and hipster restaurants.

Flea markets and football

The Patinoire is a former supermarket turned ice-rink that now hosts an array of exhibits. Photo: John Brunton

Next door to the Mairie de Saint-Ouen (the town hall) is the Patinoire. This 1970s supermarket was previously transformed into a skating rink, and today is an alternative arts centre that hosts regular exhibitions and also offers elevated views of the city. Saint-Ouen is perhaps best known for being home to the world’s largest flea market, nothing less than a paradise for antiques, vintage and bric-a-brac. First stop though is for foodies, the newly opened Communale, a vast food court housed in an abandoned 1920s factory.

The colourful market section displays tempting fruit and veggies, oysters, freshly baked bread and patisseries, while dozens of street stalls tempt diners with French classics such as boeuf bourguignon and quiche Lorraine to Moroccan couscous and tagine, Japanese ramen and Italian pizza. At night, there is a regular programme of concerts and DJ sets. Saint-Ouen’s backstreets are decorated with vivid street art graffiti, and an old cinema, Commune Image, is now a cutting-edge audiovisual centre, creating and screening avant-garde productions with a brilliant retro brasserie exhibitioning local artists.

Before hitting the flea market, I stop off at two very different, but typical locales of this contrasting neighbourhood. Long a political stronghold of the French Communist party, Saint-Ouen boasts its own tiny football stadium, home of one of France’s oldest teams, symbolically named Red Star. I sit to enjoy a coffee at the bar of L’Olympic, the favourite bistrot of Red Star supporters where the walls are covered with fading cuttings of past glories. But like the whole area, newly promoted Red Star is on the up, with everyone dreaming of a derby match with their historic rivals, Qatari-backed Paris Saint-Germain.

Afterwards, at the rooftop barbecue cantina of the chic Mob Hotel, it's an altogether different vibe and one that would not look out of place in hip Pigalle or the historic Marais. Well-heeled locals sip locally-brewed craft drinks or barista flat-whites as fashionistas shop at pop-up boutique stores. The entrance to the 150 year-old Puces de Saint-Ouen flea market is only a five-minute walk away. Prepare to get lost in its seven hectares of labrythine-like streets and alleyways that are home to more than 2,000 merchants who display their wares over 15 different markets, each with its own specialty. Be sure to track down Marche Paul-Bert for irresistible vintage fashion bargains; Serpette which excels in high-end luxury antiques, and Biron, for retro tableware, mirrors and lighting.

A French pilgrimage

Cross the Saint-Denis canal to reach the largest sporting stadium in France. AFP

Next stop is Saint-Denis, and Metro Line 13 takes me directly to this multi-ethnic suburb that has high expectations of the Olympics readdressing some of its economic and social problems. This is where you'll find the Stade de France, so the suburb will have a major role to play in Paris.

As I roll in, there's an unmistakable buzz of expectation, as the neighbourhood readies itself to welcome the world obvious via a "Proud to Host the Paris Games" banner draped across the town hall. This is a distinct contrast to some of the feelings in the heart of the capital, where Parisians seem to take every opportunity to moan about the big event.

Olympic spirit is high in the suburb of Saint-Denis. Photo: John Brunton

Not a popular international tourist destination, but French people invariably make a pilgrimage to Saint-Denis at least once in their lifetime in order to visit its monumental Basilica. The city’s main landmark is the burial ground of French kings, yet it welcomes only 130,000 visitors annually, a lot lower than the 10 million who take in Sacre-Cœur Basilica only seven kilometers away.

Walking into the soaring interiors of this ancient Gothic cathedral, I find myself transported into the incredible royal necropolis of French royalty, surrounded by astonishing marble statues and sculpted tombs of some 43 kings, 32 queens, 60 princes and princesses. There are scarcely 20 other tourists wandering around, a stark contrast to the crowds thronging the city's Musee d’Orsay or Picasso Museum.

Deciding to stop for lunch, I have plenty of choice as cosmopolitan Saint-Denis offers something very different from typical French bistrots. I find myself struggling to choose between an exotic Algerian grill room or a colourful Ivory Coast diner.

From here, a 20-minute stroll over the Canal de Saint-Denis takes me directly to the country's largest stadium, which will be a hotspot for several Olympic events. While a six-minute train journey whizzes me right back to Paris's central Gard Du Nord.