A walk through Arab Paris

Though this fascinating and unusual tour might not be first on everybody's list of things to do in Paris, it should be. Culture from the Arab world has been a key element of Parisian life for centuries, a fact celebrated by the brilliant Institut du Monde Arabe by the Pont de Sully. Their weekly guided walks (every Saturday at 3pm, reservation advised) introduce you to some of the 5th arrondissement haunts of key figures in the cultural exchange between East and West in Paris.

Starting with the first Arabic lessons at the Sorbonne in the 18th century, the tour then takes in the ancient sites of worship of Christian Arabs, and some of the major Arabic-language printers and publishers in Paris. It then finishes up with an exploration of the Grande Mosquée, with its tea room and domed hammam.