Paris: understanding the city - the 20 arrondissements
- Admin
- May 30
- 6 min read
The French capital seems to be guided by the River Seine... So much so that when referring to a place in the city center, Parisians often use the terms "Rive Droite" (right bank) and "Rive Gauche" (left bank).
But to plan a good itinerary, according to your interests, there is nothing better than understanding how the city structure works.
Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (administrative divisions), in a clockwise spiral shape. The first are the most central and are home to the most visited tourist attractions.
Every postal code in the city, which cannot be missing from addresses, is formed by 750XX, where XX designates the arrondissement (1st, 2nd,
3rd, ..., 20th).
This type of guidance is especially useful when you want to combine tours and attractions into one morning or afternoon. It makes your choice much easier, so you don't waste time and can optimize your itinerary.
Some neighborhoods are part of more than one arrondissement. This is the case, for example, of the Marais, which encompasses the 3ème and 4ème. A historic, lively and diverse place, which is so charming that it deserves a chapter of its own. A tourist area with a strong Jewish presence and frequented by families with children. At night, the many bars, much sought after by the LGBT community - who have chosen the neighborhood as their favorite spot - also delight artists of all genres.
We’ll give you an overview of the main attractions in each region, but don’t worry about the names of each one. The most important thing is the number, which always appears in the postal code.
[1] 1st - Louvre
Central, historic, located on the right bank and covering part of the Île de la Cité.
Detail of the Palais Royal
Tuileries Garden
Carrousel Garden
Palace of Justice
Concierge
Pont Neuf
Pont des Arts
Square of the Green Galant
Place Dauphine
Little tip of the Ile de la Cité
Louvre Museum
[2] 2nd - Stock Exchange
The smallest district, located on the right bank, is an important business area - it is home to the Paris Stock Exchange. It is also known for its beautiful covered passages, which date back to the 19th century, and its many shops and restaurants.
Vivienne Gallery
Passage of the Grand Cerf
Saint Denis Gate
rue Montorgueil
Palace of the Stock Exchange
Detail of the architecture of Galerie Vivienne
Montorgueil Street
[3] 3rd - Temple
Museums, bars, cafes and trendy restaurants, the 3e is home to part of the Marais, a neighborhood considered to be one of the most hyped in the city.
Carnavalet Museum
Red Children's Market
Le Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers
Museum of art and history of Judaism
Musée de la Poupée (doll museum)
Plaques on the 3ème and detail of the Marché des Enfant Rouges
[4] 4 ème - l'Hôtel de Ville
A very touristy area, it is home to part of the Île de la Cité and the Île de Saint-Louis. It is worth walking around and using the metro as a means of transport.
Parvis Notre Dame
Square Jean XXIII
Place des Vosges Center Pompidou
Fontaine Stravinsky
Marché aux flowers Elizabeth II
Sully Hotel
Townhouse
Square Barye
Place de la Bastille (4e,11e,12e)
BHV (Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville)
Square of the Ile de France
Saint Louis Church on the Island
Sully Bridge
Detail of the Notre Dame Cathedral
Pompidou Center
Sculpture in front of the Elizabeth II Flower Market
[5] 5th day - Pantheon
Located on the left bank, there is the Quartier Latin, a meeting point for young students. But that's not all: monuments, gardens and lots of history delight tourists and locals alike.
Plant Garden
Pantheon
Sorbonne
Square Viviani
Arab World Institute
Cluny Hotel
Church of Saint Etienne du Mont
Rue Mouffetard
Great Mosque
Lutèce Sands
Sully Bridge
Plant Garden
Great Mosque
[6] 6th day - Luxembourg
With many attractions and one of the most famous gardens in France, it is also a residential neighborhood. The Saint Germain des Pres neighborhood in particular is synonymous with elegance and sophistication, combining magnificent architectural projects with several green spaces.
Detail of the Luxembourg Gardens
Luxembourg Gardens
Église Saint Germain des Prés
Institute of France
School of Fine Arts
Place Saint Michel
Saint Michel Fountain
Church of Saint Sulpice
Hotel des Monnaies
Le Procope (very old restaurant in Paris)
Furstemberg Square
Pont des Arts
Pont Neuf
[7] 7th day - Bourbon Palace
With large museums and tree-lined streets, the location is very prestigious as it is home to the Eiffel Tower.
Eiffel Tower at night
Champ de Mars Musée d'Orsay Musée Rodin Assemblée Nationale
Palais Bourbon Hôtel Matignon (prime minister's headquarters) École Militaire Hôtel des Invalides Musée du Quai Branly (museum of indigenous arts) Musée Maillot Musée Eugène Delacroix
Alexandre III Bridge
Pont d'Iena (7e, 16e)
Alma Bridge
[8] 8th day - Elysée
It is home to numerous luxury shops and hotels and is home to one of the most famous avenues in the world: the Champs Élysées.
Place Charles de Gaule (Place de l'Etoile) Avenue des Champs-Élysées Grand Palais Petit Palais Palace Elysée Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Place de la Concorde Eglise de la Madeleine Musée Jacquemart-André Parc Monceau Pont Alexandre III
Detail of the Pont Alexandre III with the Grand Palais in the background
Grand Palais
[9] 9th day - Opera
Two famous high-end shopping arcades and residential addresses make this neighborhood a popular destination. It is known as the Grands boulevards neighborhood because of its wide avenues.
Detail of the architecture of the Galerie Lafayette
Opéra Garnier
Grevin Museum (wax museum)
Galeries Lafayette
Spring Stores
Fragonard Museum of Perfume
[10] 10th - Warehouse
The Canal de Saint Martin is the landmark of this district.
East Station
Gare du Nord
Saint Martin Canal
Place de la République(10e, 11e)
[11] 11th - Popincourt
Bars, restaurants and a lively nightlife are increasingly drawing attention to this area, which is not very touristy but is seeing rental prices rise due to high demand, especially from young people who are in tune with the new gastronomic hub that is emerging in the area.
Place de la Bastille (4e, 11e, 12e)
Place de la République (10e, 11e)
Place de la Bastille
[12] 12th - Reuilly
The Bois de Vincennes park, known as the lungs of Paris, is the main attraction of the place.
Place de la Bastille (4e, 11e, 12e)
Bastille Opera
Vincennes Woods
Gare de Lyon
Reuilly Station
[13] 13th - Gobelins
It is home to the largest Asian community in Paris.
Austerlitz Station
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
[14] 14th- Observatory
Popular and bourgeois, diversity is also an attraction in this district. Formerly home to many artists, it still preserves several of its cafés that served as meeting points for philosophers, writers, painters and sculptors.
Montssouris Park
Paris Observatory
The catacombs
[15] 5th - Vaugirard
Quite populated and very residential.
Montparnasse Station
Maine-Montparnasse Tour
Bourdelle Museum
André Citroën Park
[16] 16th day - Passy
Originally occupied by monks, today it is the most elite district in Paris, with the most expensive real estate in the city.
Chaillot Palace
Tokyo Palace
Place Charles de Gaulle (8e, 16e, 17e)
Arc de Triomphe (8e, 16e, 17e)
Place de l'Alma
Marmottan Monet Museum
Balzac's House
Boulogne Woods
Acclimatization Garden
House of Radio France
Baccarat Museum
Clemenceau Museum
Pont d'Iéna (7e, 16e)
View of the city, with the Tower in the background, from the Arc de Triomphe
Place de l'Alma
[17] 17ème- Batignolles-Monceaux
From fashionistas to art lovers, this district is cosmopolitan. Its architectural diversity shows that it grew without much planning. In the past, it was also frequented by many artists.
Place Charles de Gaulle (8e, 16e, 17e)
Arc de Triomphe (8e, 16e, 17e)
[18] 18ème- Buttes-Montmartre
Ah... Montmartre... It's one of the main tourist attractions and the highest point in the capital. It was the center of a flourishing artistic community in the early 20th century. Picasso, Dali, Van Gogh, Renoir and many others depicted the place in different ways in many of their works. Artists from other fields also lived and worked there.
The neighborhood has two distinct areas, one with sex shops, cabarets and the world-famous Moulin Rouge, in the place known as Pigalle, and on the other end, a neighborhood with incredible cafes and bakeries, alleys with picturesque little houses and the beautiful Sacre-Coeur Basilica.
Stop by to visit the Café des Deux Moulins, located in Lepic and the main setting for the film "Amelie" and don't forget to visit the mur des je t'aime, which makes for fantastic photos, in Square Jehan Rictus.
Don't miss the opportunity to buy souvenirs, as you can find great prices there, in little shops that sell everything from postcards to pashminas.
Place du Tertre
Le mur des je t'aime (Square Jehan Rictus)
Moulin Rouge
Place des Abbesses
Dalí Space Museum
Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Place du Tertre, where several artists exhibit their works on Sunday
The wall I love you
[19] 19th - Buttes-Chaumont
Although the area itself is not very touristy, there are two of the most beautiful parks in the city, which undoubtedly make for cinematic walks.
Some details of the Parc des Buttes Chaumont
Villette Park
[20] 20th-Ménilmontant
The last of the arrondissements of Paris has as its main tourist attraction the Père Lachaise cemetery, but those who know the area will know that it is home to charming villas and houses, as well as beautiful green areas. It is an eclectic and diverse neighborhood with many immigrants.
Frédéric Chopin's tomb at the Cimetière du Père Lachaise
One of the cemetery's alleys
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