Paris beyond Eiffel Tower: The hidden gems of the City of Light

These eclectic districts offer an illuminating glimpse into the French capital.

Paris and I go back a long way. I first visited France's capital on a school trip in 1991. I was 13 years old and remember little apart from going up the Eiffel Tower (well, of course, we did!). I've returned to the city countless times, especially in recent years, thanks to my French partner Celine, and I've become more adventurous, leaving the familiar sights behind to hang out in more "local" neighbourhoods, where Parisians far outnumber the tourists.

One place that keeps pulling me back is Belleville. Birthplace of legendary singer Edith Piaf, it's in the 20th arrondissement, in the city's fairly hilly north-west, and like pretty much everywhere in Paris, it's well connected by the Metro. "Beautiful town" in French, Belleville is diverse, part-gritty, part-chic and tres - very - trendy; particularly with middle-class creatives nicknamed Bobos (bourgeois bohemians). You'll see them mingling at hip bar-bistros like Moncoeur Belleville. Previously called O' Paris, it was where Celine and I met for our first date, enjoying a long, leisurely, wine-fuelled lunch on a sunny front terrace that offers a stirring Parisian panorama, with the iron majesty of Madame Eiffel soaring in the distance.

Close by, steps lead down into leafy Parc de Belleville. Paris' highest park, it has sloping, picnic-friendly lawns, floral gardens and even a small vineyard. They've been making wine in Belleville since the Middle Ages, when it was an independent village surrounded by farms, fields and windmills. Swallowed into Paris' expanding sprawl in 1860, Belleville evolved into a built-up, working-class and increasingly multicultural district, a magnet for Jewish, Asian, Caribbean and African immigrants.

Pottering through the neighbourhood, you'll pass halal butchers, Chinese grocery stores, fresh produce markets, giant murals and stylish new boutique hotels like Babel Belleville, where the onsite restaurant serves dishes with a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern twist. The unmistakable voice of Edith Piaf - "Non, je ne regrette rien!" - often floats from Belleville sound systems, while live musicians cover her songs at Le Vieux Belleville, a bar-restaurant with a traditional Gallic aura and dedicated evenings to La Mome Piaf ("The Little Sparrow") with singalongs, dancing and accordion playing.

Acoustic concerts, DJs and jazz brunches also conjure a clubbable atmosphere at La Bellevilloise, an enduring cultural hub located where Belleville blends into Menilmontant, another cool 20th arrondissement enclave. "I hope you have an empty stomach," says Chloe, an old schoolfriend of Celine's, as we enter another alluring address: the patisserie-boulangerie of renowned baker Benoit Castel on Rue de Menilmontant. We've come for the all-you-can-eat weekend brunch, where Castel's delectable croissants and pains au chocolat entice alongside creamy cakes, quiches, cheeses, charcuterie, oven-baked vegetables and salads (which, in typical French fashion, Celine and Chloe douse in mustard).

Guilty of over-indulging on both sweet and savoury, we attempt to walk off brunch. Nearby, sprawling Pere-Lachaise cemetery has strollable, tree-lined paths edged by thousands of tombs, notably those of Piaf, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. But we head north, beyond Belleville and into the 19th arrondissement, where the picturesque Parc des Buttes-Chaumont always enchants.

I like ambling around its lake, from which a craggy peak juts up, crowned by a miniature Roman-style temple (you can walk up to it via a suspension bridge). Refreshments are served at Rosa Bonheur, a pavilion bar-eatery named after a 19th-century painter known for her love of nature. Families and friends also like to spread blankets on the park's grassy slopes. They chill, chat, snack, sip wine and spy Montmartre in the distance.

That's famously one of Paris' most tourist-thronged neighbourhoods, but for Montmartre-esque vibes, minus the crowds, I'd recommend heading south to Buttes-aux-Cailles, a beguiling district with narrow, hilly lanes, quaint low-rise houses, laid-back pavement cafes and a striking domed church (Eglise Sainte-Anne). Like Belleville and Montmartre, this was a separate village annexed by Paris in 1860, and has a thriving arts and crafts scene. You'll see small galleries, ateliers and colourful graffiti and murals, including the stencil art of Miss Tic - an esteemed contemporary French artist who died last year. If you're into street art, consider an artist-led walking tour of Buttes-aux-Cailles and the wider 13th arrondissement with Street Art Tour Paris.

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Another of my favourite, slightly tucked-away Parisian quarters is Chateau d'Eau. It's in the 10th arrondissement, just off Place de la Republique, where skateboarders and protesters often congregate. Window-shoppers will enjoy the slender main thoroughfare, rue du Chateau d'Eau. It's home to gems like Sergeant Paper, which sells retro prints and posters, slow fashion store Mamamushi and homewares specialist La Tresorerie. Bready scents waft from Mamiche, a cherished corner boulangerie, while organic, sustainable French ingredients star on the regularly changing menus and wine lists at Les Resistants, where another friend of ours, Jerome, has booked us a table.

Getting there: Emirates flies to Paris from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane via Dubai. See emirates.com

Staying there: Located by Belleville Metro station, Babel has double rooms from $237, including breakfast. See babel-belleville.com

Getting around: Paris is best explored on foot, but the Metro is handy. See ratp.fr/en

Explore more: en.parisinfo.com