Spooky Weekend in Paris

On a dark night, a light mist rises from the banks of the Seine… if you want a spooky weekend in Paris, you don’t have to wait till winter for a charged ‘noir’ atmosphere; you just need to know where to go.
 

You want suggestions? Here’s a specially prepared list for thrillseekers in the most sensational city in the world. 
 

The Sybils secrets at Parc des Buttes Chaumont
 

In one of the city’s biggest parks, there are all sorts of unique plants from the 18th century, such as Siberian elms, Eastern plantains, Judas’ thorns, and many other intriguing trees that people come to see from all over the world. The collectors of these plants are deeply rooted in the esoteric, who visit the Sybil’s Temple which (supposedly) was erected in the middle of a mystical pentagram whose supernatural properties affect the soil itself. On top of all that, the park is said to have been built on top of an old chalk mine that used to connect to a leyline cave, but this section is closed to the public. To get there, take the Metro: Buttes Chaumont (7 bis Line), Laumière (5 Line).

The mystery of Club Silencio
 

Club Silencio can be found at 142 Rue Montmartre, a place created by David Lynch. It’s one of Paris’ most exclusive clubs, and those who have had the pleasure to enter have been amazed by how much it looks like a Hollywood set. Records show that Moliére is buried under the club, and that Emile Zolà printed his J’Accuse in the building’s basement. And, as if that wasn’t enough, in the cafè right on the other side of the road, the socialist Jean Jaurès was killed. A stimulating atmosphere in which to get to the bottom of these enigmatic mysteries.

 

Jim Morrison and…
 

If you go to Rue Beautreillis 17, you’ll find the building where Jim Morrison was found dead in July of 1971, transforming him from lead singer of The Doors to an icon that survives till today. He lived in a place on the third floor in his Beaux Arts style apartment, from the beginning of the 19th century, whose windows have remained shut since. Opposite the building, the bar Morrison used to frequent is still open, ‘Le Dindon en Laisse’. Various decades after his death, nobody has really understood where he died; was it in his apartment’s bathtub, or in the bar he used to go to? Furthermore, was his body really buried in Père Lachaise cemetery, or did he elope to live another, secret life?

The Witch of Montmartre
 

If the usual iconography of Montmartre as the Bohemian artist’s neighborhood bores you and you manage to geta way from the tourist filled Place du Tertre, you should look for the alleyways that’ll take you to a road dominated by a huge boulder. It’s the Passage du Rocher de la Sorciere, the Witch’s Rock. Legend has it that this boulder stood in front of a woman’s house, whom all the neighborhood children called a witch for her looks. If you look carefully behind the boulder you’ll see a white house (which today is a small luxury shop), and apparently if you go through the gate that seperates the house from the road you’ll get cursed. If you want to try, go to 21 Avenue Junot. Metro: Lamarck Caulaincourt (12 Line).

A passion for cyphers
 

The Church of Saint-Sulpice is full of relics for those searching for the Da Vinci Code, from the astronomical obelisk from 1743, to the altar that theoretically holds a trapdoor to hidden tunnels. But even without Dan Brown, both the Marquès de Sade and Baudelaire were baptized in this church, and you can admire one of the largest pipe organs in the world, alongside the enormous 17th century pulpit. It might be harder to find traces of the Priory of Sion, the imaginary secret society created by Pierre Plantard who once forged proof of the organization’s existence.

Vampires & Ghosts
 

Have you a taste for the Gothic? Looking for something more? Mysteries of Paris is the right thing for you. Tours are made (in both English and French) searching the darkest corners of the so-called city of lights: a ghoulish trek in pursuit of the ghosts and vampires that inhabit the city. The guide will tell you stories and legends that will make you think about Paris under a different light. From its catacombs, to its magic properties, to its various secret societies… nothing will be hidden from you after this tour. Do you believe it? If you don’t happen to come across the phantom of the opera, don’t take it personally… he was probably just out for the weekend.