The city's tucked away piano bars, overstuffed bookstores and Parisians hurrying home with half-mauled baguettes are as much a part of Paris as the Eiffel Tower that sparkles with 20 000 light bulbs on the hour and the Louvre, which spews out hundreds of visitors by the hour.
So with an invitation to try Egypt Air's route to Paris via Cairo, I was determined to pound the trottoir (pavement) like a local, beginning with finding a studio rather than hotel so I could prepare my own dinner and cut down on costs.
From minuscule chambres de bonnes (converted maid's rooms) to luxury apartments on the Champs Elysees, Paris offers an array of short-term rentals for holidaymakers. Studio Normandie - a furnished studio in the trendy area of Le Marais - fell somewhere in between the two, complete with cable TV and Internet connection.
For a very reasonable €l80 (R946) a night (R1 500 for the week), you're able to live a la parisienne in a district that Parisians themselves like to frequent. Paris is divided into 20 districts, or arrondisements, which spiral out from the city centre. The fourth district of Le Marais - which means "marsh" in French - is as multifaceted as a cubist canvas, with gay cafes and cabarets, kosher restaurants and quirky boutiques set within the grey geometry of centuries-old buildings and narrow side streets. The intimate Picasso Museum (5, Rue de Thorigny) is housed in a typical Marais mansion - Hotel Sale - built in the 17th century for Pierre Aubert, who amassed a fortune collecting salt taxes.
When Picasso's heirs discovered they owed the state $50-million (about R380-million) in inheritance taxes, they decided to settle their debt with art, culminating in the world's largest collection of the artist's drawings, paintings, and engravings.
While Picasso's genius is viewed in hushed awe at the museum, audible admiration of a different kind plays out just a few streets away. Rue de Rosiers runs like a culinary and cultural artery through the Pletzl (meaning "square" in Yiddish) - the vibrant Jewish neighbourhood of the Marais - with its bookstores, prayer rooms, bakeries and restaurants. I've had some pretty good falafels in my time, but L'As du Fallafel (34, rue des Rosiers) even gives Tel Aviv traders a run for their money.
Crossing the Seine from the Right to Left Bank takes you to another popular street, this time in the wealthy seventh arrondisement where Cafe du Marche (7, Rue Cler) serves a chicken salad and chocolat fondant that keeps even the most discerning Frenchie coming back for more. The cobbled Rue Cler has grown into a thriving market street over the years, with cheese shops, fruit and vegetable stores, and delicatessens allowing you to get the ingredients for a fine French meal one shop at a time.
Several of the biggie attractions are found in the seventh - The Musee d'Orsay, Rodin Museum, and the Eiffel Tower, of course. But it's also the location of the Quai Branly Museum (37, Quai Branly) which features over 3 000 indigenous artworks from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. If you're not that into art, the museum's exterior and gardens are worth the visit alone.
One of the benefits of walking rather than taking the metro is the accidental discovery of places that don't always make it onto the tourist map - even better when entry is free. While strolling along the banks of the Seine, I stumbled upon the Palais du Tokyo (13, Avenue du President Wilson) - an experimental space for visitors to connect with contemporary works of art. The building was built in 1937 to house works of modern art.
Finally, getting lost in Montmartre is a great way to spend an afternoon. While the area is admittedly touristy, even locals come to savour the view of Paris from the steps of the Sacre Coeur Basilica. Montmartre - Paris' highest hill - is said to be named as such because it is was the place of St Denis' martyrdom, the first bishop of Paris. Don't fall into the trap of taking the funicular up to the cathedral only to take a few snap shots. Tiny streets behind the pallid white basilica, built in the 19th century by an architect who beat out 77 other competitors to build the Roman Catholic basilica, lead to a square crammed with canvases where artists attempt to lure tourists into buying overpriced paintings.
The trick is to retreat into one of the holed-up piano bars, order a glass of wine and and tuck into a chocolate crepe. On your way back down from the summit, be sure to stop by Le mur des je t'aime - a wall with "I love you" written in 311 different languages and dialects.
With 20 arrondisements, hundreds of narrow side streets to explore, and lesser known museums that even locals like to frequent, Paris is city that can be visited time again without ever hitting a dead end - especially if you're breaking off the beaten track to venture into the real Paris that is Paname.
- Egypt Air has daily flights to Cairo with the advantage of landing in Paris-Orly rather than the busier Charles de Gaulle airport. For ticket reservations call 011-880-4126/9. For accommodation, visit