Europe’s most romantic city, famous for the Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triomphe, the Notre Dame and the River Seine, is also home to one of the weirdest tourist attractions on the continent – which hardly any tourists know about.
At Dans Le Noir in Paris, you can eat an incredible three course meal entirely in the dark.
The Paul Fuinot Foundation for blind People helped to co-fund the restaurant which is staffed by visually impaired people. The dinner spot has become a top tourist destination in a busy part of the city popular with tourists – the area between Chatelet and Etienne Marcel Metro statoins – with visitors eager to try out the one of a kind eatery.
Guests are given a guide on how to avoid spilling and this sensory experience encourages people to think about their perception of smells, tastes and sounds.
One visitor said: “This is a very unique experience. You end up speaking more with the other people at your table than at a normal restaurant and form a bond by the end through the mutual experience. The staff are also very friendly.”
Another diner said: “This was a truly special experience. The food was fantastic and the staff was very kind. Overall it was a great experience and very interesting to know how it feels to be blind.”
The restaurant aims to provide an experience for guests to challenge themselves and to become hyper aware of their senses without sight.
Dans Le Noir bosses call the experience a ‘positive empathy that breaks preconceived ideas of disability’.
Guides and sensory experts who are blind are said to have ‘found their strengths’ and each play an important role in supporting customers.
If you’re an adventurous person with a desire to try something unusual or new, then this experience is for you.