20 Mini Pilgrimages in Paris
One bite-sized teaser...errr treasure per arrondissement
A few days ago I began sharing a new series, my latest inspiration, a collection of “mini pilgrimages,” one for each of the twenty arrondissements (neighborhoods) in Paris, on my Facebook page. This slow drip will be one mini pilgrimage from the collection each day for twenty days - and then I thought, wouldn’t it be a good idea to place the full list somewhere too?
So here it is! It seems fitting to place the full list of “20 Mini Pilgrimages in Paris” in the “Founder’s Field Notes” section here, because this is essentially how my personal notebook looks: filled with mini adventures, places to visit, Artist Date ideas, journal prompts, rituals, prayers, practices…and the list goes on and on and on…
You are likely landing here in one of several ways, welcome!
Below is the full list of mini pilgrimages, intended not to be full adventures on their own (unless you want them to be), but bite-sized teasers (and treasures) to inspire you to travel deeper, to find your way closer to me and Sacred Paris, to find moments of beauty, awe, inspiration…the sacred, and stillness, in the City of Light.
It would delight me in a million ways if you would share this list with others, and this Substack, and it would give me great joy to see your adventures in the wild, especially if they have been inspired in any way by this list. If you do this, and you feel inspired to, please send me a personal email or share on social tagging @sacredparis so that I don’t miss your share.
Without further ado…happy wandering to you whether you are wandering from nearby or from afar…
1ST ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Pilgrim of Beauty”
(Louvre, Palais Royal, Île de la Cité — the ancient heart)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Beauty will save the world.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois — the hauntingly beautiful church that once served the kings of France; silent echoes of royal prayers linger here. (And a beautiful chapelette dedicated to Mary Magdalene.)
• Cour Carrée of the Louvre — at dawn or dusk, this courtyard breathes with centuries of art and mystery.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Café Kitsuné in Palais Royal Gardens — sit among the clipped trees, hear the fountains whisper, watch the world pass as you write or dream.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Beneath the Louvre lies the medieval fortress of King Philippe Auguste, the original ancient heart of Paris — a reminder that art rises from the bones of history.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Find a single detail that arrests your soul — a gargoyle, a cracked stone, a glint of gold. Pause before it. Ask: “What is Beauty inviting me to remember?”
2ND ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Hidden Paths of the Seeker”
(Covered passages, old markets, secret corners)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Not all those who wander are lost.” — J.R.R. Tolkien
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Passage des Panoramas — one of the first covered passages of Paris, a time capsule of light and shadow.
• Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires — a luminous, lesser-known baroque sanctuary of answered prayers.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Télescope Café — a minimalist hidden coffee shop where even a single cup feels like a meditation.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Hidden behind the basilica’s altar: hundreds of marble plaques — ex-votos — left by generations of grateful pilgrims. You can still feel their silent thanks.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Walk a passageway. Let yourself “get lost” on purpose. Ask: “Where might mystery be leading me?” Record one unexpected discovery.
3RD ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Memory of Stone”
(Haut Marais, old Jewish quarter, artisanal spirit)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” — Caroline Myss
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Musée Carnavalet Courtyard — hidden sanctuary of history and storytelling.
• Hôtel de Soubise gardens — secret, formal, and often empty — a place for stillness.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Café Charlot — a former boulangerie turned timeless Parisian café; sit and watch the spirit of old Marais pass by.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Deep in the stones of the Marais lie traces of medieval synagogues, alchemists, revolutionaries — listen carefully and you might hear their whispers.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Touch a stone wall today. Imagine the hands that built it. Ask: “What memory in me longs to be honored?”
4TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Heart of Stillness”
(Île Saint-Louis, Notre-Dame, old Paris magic)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Go where you are sent, wait until you are shown what to do, listen to what you hear, and let it change you.” — Phil Cousineau
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais — a luminous, little-visited church filled with stillness and light.
• Rue des Barres — medieval, winding, a portal back in time.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Berthillon (Île Saint-Louis) — the most poetic ice cream in Paris; eat slowly, savor life. (Take your treat to a quiet bench along Quai d’ Orléans on Île Saint-Louis facing the river.)
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• The Fraternités Monastiques de Jérusalem sing daily here — angelic hymns that turn stone to spirit.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Sit inside Saint-Gervais for 10 minutes. Let the silence fill you. Reflect: “What song is trying to rise inside me?” Write down one word it leaves you.
5TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Eternal Student of Wonder”
(Latin Quarter, ancient learning, deep waters)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” — Meister Eckhart
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Arènes de Lutèce — Roman amphitheater hidden in a modern garden; echoes of ancient games and stories.
• Saint-Étienne-du-Mont — magnificent, intricate, tucked behind the Panthéon, where the bones of saints rest.
SACRED PAUSE:
• La Fourmi Ailée — a literary café with stained glass and cozy nooks; bring a notebook, order tea.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• At Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, there’s a rare 16th-century stone rood screen — the only one left in Paris — connecting heaven and earth.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Sit on the steps of the Panthéon and feel the layers of history beneath you. Ask: “What new beginning is calling me?”
6TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Art of Reverie”
(Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Luxembourg Gardens — the poet’s Paris)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Reverie is the sunlight of the soul.” — Victor Hugo
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église Saint-Sulpice — grand and mysterious, home to the legendary gnomon and mystical symbolism.
• Jardin du Luxembourg’s Medici Fountain — a hidden, moss-draped water altar perfect for contemplation.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Café de la Mairie — a quiet, local-feeling café across from Saint-Sulpice; perfect for dreaming over coffee.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Beneath Saint-Sulpice lies a meridian line used for astronomical observations — a map of heaven hidden inside a church.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Sit by the Medici Fountain. Let your mind drift without agenda. Ask: “What dreams are waiting for me to slow down enough to hear?”
7TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Pilgrim of Light”
(Eiffel Tower, Invalides, quiet ministries and embassies)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” — Rumi
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église Saint-François-Xavier — luminous, overlooked, filled with radiant murals and golden silence.
• Square Rapp — a hidden courtyard with a secret, up-close view of the Eiffel Tower framed by Art Nouveau architecture.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Square Santiago du Chili Gardens — a small, beautiful hidden park behind Invalides for quiet reflection.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Buried under the golden dome of Invalides: Napoleon’s tomb — a monument to human ambition and the mystery of legacy.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Seek a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower through an unexpected angle. Reflect: “Where is the light trying to break through my life now?”
8TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Path of Quiet Majesty”
(Champs-Élysées, Madeleine, hidden chapels among grandeur)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.” — Thích Nhất Hạnh
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Chapelle Expiatoire — hidden behind trees, a haunting, sacred memorial to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
• Église de la Madeleine — grand, columned, built like a Roman temple for the sacred in the heart of modern Paris.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Café de la Paix — in this legendary cafe of gilded mirrors and whispered stories, sit where generations of dreamers once lingered. Taste the past, sip the sacred present.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Chapelle Expiatoire was built where hundreds were buried during the Revolution — a quiet place to feel the tension between history, sorrow, and forgiveness.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Light a candle at La Madeleine or simply walk its vast interior slowly. Ask: “What part of my story deserves to be honored with quiet majesty?”
9TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Sacred Stage”
(Opéra, boulevards, hidden churches among theaters)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B. Yeats
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église de la Sainte-Trinité — grand yet often quiet, a treasure of organ music and divine acoustics.
• Passage Jouffroy — a covered passage lined with antique shops and literary secrets.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Le Valentin (Passage Jouffroy) — an old-world tea salon; order something decadent and linger.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Composer Olivier Messiaen, whose music sought to echo the divine, played the organ at Sainte-Trinité for decades.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Sit quietly in Sainte-Trinité. Listen for a music deeper than sound. Ask: “What sacred song is beginning in me now?”
10TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The River Between Worlds”
(Canal Saint-Martin, poetic borders, secret reflections)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there someday.” — A.A. Milne
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église Saint-Laurent — gothic and half-forgotten, standing quietly beside the canal.
• Canal Saint-Martin locks and footbridges — places where water pauses, changes course, reflects.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Hotel du Nord Café — near the iconic spot from the classic French film; moody, nostalgic, soulful.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• The canal once carried water, goods, and whispered secrets from the Seine to the northern gates of Paris — it’s a passageway for dreamers and drifters.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Cross a footbridge. Watch the water change shape as it flows. Reflect: “Where in my life am I being asked to trust the current?”
11TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Quiet Fire”
(Hidden chapels, revolutionary spirit, vibrant backstreets)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église Saint-Ambroise — modest, glowing, a quiet place tucked away from the city’s rush.
• Square Gardette — a small, rose-scented park hiding a secret: beneath it lies an old ossuary.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Café Martin (near Rue de la Folie-Méricourt) — a beloved neighborhood café with soulful energy.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• The 11th was once filled with craftsmen and revolutionaries — every stone remembers hands that created, fought, and prayed.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Find a piece of old ironwork, a carving, a hidden courtyard. Whisper to it: “What quiet fire still lives in me, waiting to create?”
12TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Garden of Becoming”
(Promenades, hidden vineyards, transformation)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Promenade Plantée (Coulée Verte René-Dumont) — the original elevated garden walkway, suspended above the city.
• Reuilly Gardens and old wine presses — quiet green pockets recalling the Parisian countryside.
SACRED PAUSE:
• La Fontaine Café — tucked in a residential corner, humble and filled with morning light.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• The Promenade Plantée, built atop old railway tracks, is a living symbol of rebirth — where trains once thundered, gardens now blossom.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Walk the Promenade slowly. Look for the tiniest flower or moss. Reflect: “What part of me is quietly blooming, unseen?”
13TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Pilgrim of Thresholds”
(Modernity, hidden monasteries, thresholds between worlds)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” — Lao Tzu
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église Sainte-Anne de la Butte-aux-Cailles - A humble, Romanesque church built of brick and light, tucked into the heart of a former village. Step inside and you step into a slower rhythm - a space of still devotion where time softens.
• Rue Daviel + La Petite Alsace - A secret corner of storybook homes and hidden courtyards. The kind of place you find only when you are not looking.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Le Temps des Cerises - A warm, cooperative café nearby, simple and soulful. Order something nourishing and take your time. This is a place that honors the slow unfolding of self and story.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Beneath your feet, the Bièvre River still flows - long buried, once the lifeblood of dyers and tanners. Its waters run silently now, a hidden current - just like the parts of ourselves still moving unseen, toward transformation.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Today, notice the thresholds you cross - doorways, archways, quiet transitions. Pause at each one. Ask: “What part of me is ready to be released…and what part is quietly ready to emerge?”
14TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Deep Root”
(Catacombs, Montparnasse, sacred beneath the surface)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” — Joseph Campbell
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église Notre-Dame du Travail — a church for workers, built with exposed iron beams and industrial grace.
• Montparnasse Cemetery — a garden of memory where artists and poets sleep.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Parc Montsouris — find a hidden bench under the willows of Parc Montsouris. Sit until you hear the ground breathing beneath you.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Notre-Dame du Travail was built to honor the dignity of labor — iron girders inside a sacred space, fusing heaven and work.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Sit quietly among the graves of Montparnasse. Let yourself remember: “My roots run deeper than fear.” Write a simple prayer of gratitude for your journey so far.
15TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Hidden Wellspring”
(Residential Paris, hidden gardens, secret chapels)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time.” — Hermann Hesse
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette — a tiny modern chapel dedicated to the Madonna of healing and tears.
• Parc Georges Brassens — once a slaughterhouse, now transformed into a fragrant, peaceful park.
SACRED PAUSE:
• La Table Verte — a calm, organic café perfect for nourishing body and spirit.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Parc Georges Brassens has a hidden vineyard on its slope — a living remembrance of old Parisian winemakers.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Find a hidden garden bench. Sit without distractions. Reflect: “What wellspring inside me is asking to be tended with care?”
16TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Garden of Quiet Grandeur”
(Elegant, green, and secretive Paris)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo da Vinci
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église d’Auteuil (Notre-Dame-d’Auteuil) — a Romanesque jewel hidden among elegant houses.
• Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil — vast, dreamy greenhouses filled with rare flowers and stillness.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Carette Trocadéro — a classic Parisian tea room (since 1927); sit near the windows and savor the slow beauty or on the terrace for people-watching.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• The Auteuil greenhouses were originally built to nurture exotic plants — hidden jungles thriving in the heart of the city.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Wander the Serres gardens as if you are walking through your own secret dreams. Reflect: “What rare seed is ready to bloom inside me?”
17TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Bridge of Possibilities”
(Villages within Paris, wide boulevards, poetic edges)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Leap, and the net will appear.” — John Burroughs
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Église Sainte-Marie des Batignolles — a serene, sunlit church anchoring a village within the city.
• Square des Batignolles — an English-style garden, whimsical and free.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Café Dose Batignolles — simple, fresh, beloved by locals; a perfect spot for quiet creativity.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Batignolles was once outside Paris, a village of dreamers and Impressionists who painted the shifting light.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Walk without a map today. Cross one unexpected threshold. Ask: “What new beginning is inviting me forward?”
18TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Mountain of Dreams”
(Montmartre, sacred hill, artists’ Paris)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.” — John Muir
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Sacré-Cœur Basilica — the radiant crown of Montmartre, a place of constant adoration.
• Saint-Pierre de Montmartre — a quiet, ancient church older than Sacré-Cœur itself.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Le Consulat Café — one of the oldest cafés in Montmartre, a haven for painters and wanderers.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Inside Sacré-Cœur, perpetual prayer has been kept since 1885 — day and night, an unbroken chain of devotion.
PILGRIMAGE INVITAITON:
• As you climb the steps of Montmartre, breathe deeply. Each step a prayer. Reflect: “What dreams am I ready to place at the altar of my life?”
19TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Source of New Waters”
(Canals, hidden lakes, open skies)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“You do not have to be good. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” — Mary Oliver
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Parc des Buttes-Chaumont — a park of cliffs, hidden temples, waterfalls, and wildness.
• Temple de la Sibylle (inside Buttes-Chaumont) — a miniature sacred temple atop an island.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Buttes-Chaumont — take a blanket and maybe even a little picnic for a sacred pause inside the park.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• Buttes-Chaumont was transformed from a quarry into a dreamscape — a living testament to redemption and transformation.
PILGRIMAGE INVITATION:
• Stand atop the Temple de la Sibylle. Look out over Paris. Whisper: “What wild, free river inside me is asking to flow?”
20TH ARRONDISSEMENT: “The Sacred Threshold of Departure”
(Père Lachaise, memory, metamorphosis)
PILGRIMAGE QUOTE:
“Every exit is an entry somewhere else.” — Tom Stoppard
SACRED + HIDDEN SITES:
• Père Lachaise Cemetery — the sacred garden of the departed, where artists, dreamers, and rebels rest.
• Chapelle Saint-Charles — a simple, luminous chapel tucked among the stones of remembrance.
SACRED PAUSE:
• Le Jardin Naturel Pierre-Emmanuel — wander through this untamed garden where roots break through stone. Reflect on what parts of you are returning to wildness, and what are ready to be born anew.
LOCAL LEGEND/ESOTERIC DETAIL:
• In Père Lachaise, the graves of Colette, Proust, Oscar Wilde, and Edith Piaf are scattered like secret altars — the artists’ path of transformation.
PILGRIMAGE INVITAITON:
• Leave a small stone or flower on a grave that speaks to you. Reflect: “What part of me is ready to be laid down — and what new self is ready to rise?”