Top tips for a trip to Paris: an arrondissement guide
Paris is a city that inspires: the city’s romantic demeanour and inspiring atmosphere make it an all-round Mecca for culture vultures. If you have the time, the city is best explored on foot although if the weather is against you or you are pressed for time, the metro is a cheap and reliable way to get around the city. Paris’ neighbourhoods are divided into districts known as arrondissements which are numbered from one to twenty and spiral out from the centre of the city. Each neighbourhood has its own vibe so if you want to know where to shop versus where to party, you need to know one arrondissement from the others.
Best for shopping
Image coutesy of Andrea Schaffer.
Every Parisian neighbourhood has its own local grocers, bakeries and supermarkets to tide locals over, but if you want to go for a browse around the shops then the first, second and fourth districts are the best places to go. The Rue de Rivoli which runs from Place de la Concorde along past the Louvre museum has plenty of international high street brands, as does the underground shopping complex, Les Halles next to the Châtlelet metro station. Continue on and you’ll come to the fourth arrondissement, home to the district known as Le Marais. Originally the Jewish quarter of the city, the area is now home to some hip boutique brands and vintage stores that you’ll find dotted along the area’s narrow streets. Try Free’P’Star on Rue de la Verrerie or Vintage Désir on Rue des Rosiers.
Best for walking
Image coutesy of Falcon Photography.
As I mentioned in the intro, Paris is a city that is best explored by foot to truly appreciate the beauty of the city and to discover all the tiny cafes, parks and squares that dot the city. If you like to get out for a stroll to unwind, then head to the fifth arrondissement on the Left Bank where you will find the Jardin des Plantes. Located just next to the Gare d’Austerlitz, the park is a botanical odyssey, which also contains a menagerie and several musuems of natural history.
If that doesn’t tire you out, make your way uphill, past the Panthéon to the Jardin du Luxembourg, which is a family-friendly park containing deck chairs, weekend children’s shows and plenty of quiet enclaves where you can sit back, read a book or just doze off in the sun.
Best for sport
Image courtesy of Paris Sharing.
Both the Jardin des Plantes and the Jardin du Luxembourg are popular spots with joggers, but if you prefer to run in a city, try heading eastwards down the quays of the Seine towards the 12th and 13th arrondissements. The city broadens out here and if you stay in the 12th and head towards Bercy you’ll find a more modern style of architecture unlike any other in the city.
If running isn’t your thing, the Piscine Josephine Baker is well worth a trip even if you aren’t a world-class swimmer. The pool floats within the River Seine and has a retractable roof so that once you’re in the swimming pool you feel as if you are floating in the river, albeit a cleaner, warmer version of it. And if you don’t fancy running to the pool, just take the metro to Quai de la Gare.
Best for brunch
Image courtesy of Omid Tavallai.
Obviously a country with as much of a culinary heritage as France means that there are no shortage of places to eat in the capital city, and a long, lazy breakfast can be just the treat to help you relax on your holiday. So many people think of French restaurants as being very formal, but there are so many funky, fun cafes and eateries in Paris that buck this trend. Head to the tenth arrondissement to try Ari’s bagels or Rue Beaurepaire or head across the Canal St Martin to La Chambre aux Oiseaux on Rue Bichat.
Best for cafes
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If you can’t find a café in Paris, really there must be something wrong with you. The city has so many cafes I often wonder how they all manage to stay in business, yet the demand for coffee is such that clearly they do. Head to the fifth and sixth arrondissements on the Left Bank where you’ll find plenty of quiet cafes where students of the nearby Sorbonne head to escape the library. Try Strada Café on Rue Monge for an ex-pat vibe or head around the corner to Sugar Plum on Rue du Cardinal Lemoine for some of the best cakes in the city. For something a little different, try Coutume Instituutti on Rue des Écoles for a little taste of Finland in France.
Best for nightlife
Image courtesy of Semio.
My view on nightlife is that as long as you want to party, you will find a way to do it, and Paris is most definitely a city that will more than accommodate these desires. The area around Oberkampf and République in the 11th is a well-known late night spot, with Café Charbon on Rue Oberkampf a popular spot. For those who choose beer over wine try La Fine Mousse on Avenue Jean Aicard and for a late-night party, head to Le Comptoir Général on Quai de Jemmapes. Outside of this the Marais in the fourth has plenty of great little bars, as do the fifth, sixth and ninth arrondissements.
Best for sight seeing
Image courtesy of cjuneau.
Where you go sight-seeing in Paris altogether depends on what you are interested in: if you want to see the Eiffel Tower, head to the seventh, where you will also find the incredible Musée d’Orsay. From the Eiffel Tower you can take a walk to the eighth arrondissement where you will find the famous Champs Élysées and Arc de Triomphe. For views of the city head to the hilly eighteenth district where you will find the artsy, Amelie-laden Montmartre neighbourhood along with the Sacré Cœur cathedral. The area around the first and second also contains the Louvre Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral and the less well known Sainte Chapelle church with its vivid stained glass windows.
Think about what you are interested in seeing when you plan your site seeing days out and choose what will best interest you. If you don’t like art galleries, don’t go to the Louvre and if churches aren’t your thing, you don’t have to visit any! Paris is a city that will give you want you want, you just have to go and look for it.
Cover image courtesy of Fabrizio Sciami.
Written by Mary Plunkett
Mary’s curious personality means that she is forever looking to explore new places and cultures. Like many Irish kids, Mary first got a taste for travel on family camping holidays to France.
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