The Secrets of Mouffetard District

6 Place de l'Hôtel de Ville-esplanade de la Libération 75004 Paris

You know the 5th arrondissement, its many bars and restaurants, its charm-filled cobbled streets, which bring joy to locals and wanderers alike. But if you scratch a little, Mouffetard—Paris’s oldest quartier after the Île de la Cité—reveals a far more curious, sometimes even mystical side. To start the walk in style, Dominique, your guide, meets you in front of what was once a genuine place of worship, where pilgrims would fall into trance during hypnosis and collective ecstasies. Miracles are said to have occurred there, and the most extravagant experiments were practiced. As you ascend th…